Best NXT women's TV matches so far in 2021
Near the beginning of 2021, NXT's women's division was a little worn down. Rhea Ripley and Charlotte left the brand, Tegan Nox was injured and they needed to load up and give us some fresh match-ups.
Well, thanks to an influx of new competitors alongside the debut of the women's Dusty Cup, NXT's women's division has become a major highlight for the brand. Not to mention the great title bouts we've seen in the past six months.
Frankly, there's been a lot to enjoy regarding the women's division of the black and gold brand, especially when it comes to the weekly show. With the year halfway over, it's time to check out some of the best NXT TV bouts from the women's division. Much like the earlier list, we'll be staying away from anything that happened on NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night One.
#5 Raquel González vs Mercedes Martinez for the NXT Women's Championship - NXT May 11th, 2021
NXT Women's Champion Raquel González is only a few months into her run. However, she's already had some strong title wins and retentions. A powerhouse, González has been someone many on the roster have struggled to bring down. In the end, she was responsible for sending Rhea Ripley to the WWE main roster.
After taking the title from Io Shirai at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, her first feud was with a dominant powerhouse in her own right, Mercedes Martinez. The two had been on a collision course for a month, and we'd seen them brawl throughout the CWC a few times over.
On May 11th, we finally got to witness these two go to war, and that's the best way to describe what we saw.
Mercedes Martinez started off strong, taking the champion to the floor and into the barricade with a big flying knee. González refused to be knocked around, and threw her fair share of heavy shots as well. However, it seemed that Martinez had her number, especially when she hit a spear on the apron.
When Raquel González turned things around with an alley-oop bomb into the ropes, she hammered her challenger with some seriously nasty offense. She used the ring to her advantage, driving Martinez's shoulder into the ring post. A clothesline set up for the powerbomb, but Martinez had enough life to escape.
After a series of knees to the jaw, Martinez seemed ready to finish off the champion. What we've learned over the past year, though, is that you never count the champion out. González looked to be on death's door, but avoided a final shot from the challenger to floor her with a big boot.
After that, Martinez was unable to avoid that vicious one-armed powerbomb. It was a great hoss fight, and one that proved both Mercedes Martinez and NXT Women's Champion Raquel González aren't anyone the roster should want to toy with.
After the match, González revealed that she respected the veteran, much to the dismay of Dakota Kai.