WWE title change takes place before WrestleMania 41; New champion crowned
A major title change has taken place ahead of WWE's biggest wrestling event of the year. Sol Ruca defeated Candice LeRae to become the new Women's Speed Champion just a few days before WrestleMania 41.
The Women's Speed Championship was officially introduced last year after the title's major success in the men's division. Candice LeRae became the inaugural champion in October when she defeated IYO SKY in the tournament finals. The 39-year-old held the title for over six months and successfully defended it against Natalya and Zoey Stark.
However, Candice's title reign came to an end after 186 days as she lost the Women's Speed Championship match to NXT Superstar Sol Ruca in a match that was taped before SmackDown last week. The match aired on X (fka Twitter) a few minutes back, and now Sol Ruca is officially the new Speed Women's Champion.
Sol Ruca is the first NXT Superstar to win the WWE Speed Championship
The Speed Championship was introduced last year, with the matches exclusively airing on X. After the success of the title in the Men's division, Triple H and Co. decided to add a belt to the women's division as well, with Candice LeRae becoming the inaugural champion.
While numerous stars from NXT participated in both Men's and Women's Speed Championship tournaments, Sol Ruca is the first talent from WWE's third brand to win the title.
Sol Ruca will have a chance to become a double champion at NXT: Stand and Deliver, where she will be one of the participants in the Ladder Match to determine the new NXT Women's North American Championship.
The 25-year-old kickstarted her pro wrestling career with WWE in 2022 and has quickly become one of the most prominent names on the brand. She also wrestled in TNA last year, where she answered then-TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace's championship open challenge. However, the match ended in a no-contest after Ruca and Grace were taken out by Rosemary and Wendy Choo. Ruca then teamed up with Grace to take on Rosemary and Choo in a tag match.