The opening minutes of WWE NXT on Dec. 16, 2025 delivered one of the most talked-about moments of the year—and not because it was some grand, perfectly timed creative twist.

Instead, Thea Hail left the ring as the NEW NXT Women’s North American Champion after a finish that immediately read as “something went wrong,” sparked visible confusion in the building, and—according to multiple reports—forced WWE to start rewriting planned creative on the fly. 

This is the situation as it stands right now, based on reporting from F4WOnline/Wrestling Observer, Fightful Select (via F4WOnline and others), plus recap coverage from outlets like Cageside Seats, Wrestleview, WrestleZone, ProWrestling.net, and more (full courtesy included throughout).

What happened on-screen: the moment everything went sideways

The match itself was straightforward—Blake Monroe (c) vs. Thea Hail for the Women’s North American Championship. Then came the finish:

• Hail hit a springboard senton and went for the cover.
• The referee counted three, even though Monroe appeared to be trying to lift/turn her shoulder up right at (or just after) the final count.  
• The confusion didn’t stop with the pinfall: Monroe’s music reportedly played first, then Hail’s music hit, and the broadcast later showed a replay with commentary framing it as Monroe not getting the shoulder up in time—meaning the decision would stand as official.  

That combination—questionable timing + hesitant body language + production confusion—is exactly why the moment instantly felt like a botch to viewers.

Courtesy: Match-finish details and broadcast confusion were reported/recapped by F4WOnline and Cageside Seats, with similar descriptions echoed by Wrestleview. 

The key report: this title change was not the plan

The biggest piece of the story is what came after the bell.

F4WOnline/Wrestling Observer reporting—citing Bryan Alvarez and later follow-up coverage—indicates the ending was not planned, and that Fightful Select confirmed with NXT sources that Monroe was originally supposed to retain and Hail was not slated to leave the show as champion. 

From there, the reporting turns into the part you referenced—WWE having to pivot quickly:

• Fightful Select (as summarized by F4WOnline) described a “backstage scramble” after the inadvertent title win.  
• The same report notes there were creative plans already mapped out specifically with Hail not winning the title, and those plans were immediately being changed—with ripple effects on multiple talents’ creative over the next couple of weeks.  
• Importantly, at the time of that report, no one had been blamed internally—the priority was repairing the plan, not pointing fingers.  

Courtesy: The “not planned” and “scramble/ripple effects” reporting is credited to Fightful Select, as relayed by F4WOnline/Wrestling Observer and further aggregated by outlets like Wrestleview and WrestleZone. 

Why the “24 hours” pressure is being talked about

You’re not wrong to see fans/insiders framing this as a compressed timeline problem.

Even though NXT is typically a weekly build, WrestlingHeadlines reported that WWE is taping an additional episode of NXT due to the holiday, which can absolutely create a “we need answers fast” crunch if the belt is suddenly on the wrong person and story beats were already scheduled. 

That doesn’t mean WWE has literally “24 hours” in the strictest sense in every department—but it does explain why multiple outlets are emphasizing how quickly the company had to start adjusting plans “as early as tonight.” 

On-screen fallout already began immediately

This wasn’t left as a “move on and pretend it didn’t happen” moment.

Cageside Seats noted that after the match, Monroe was shown upset and blaming the referee in a backstage setting, while Jordynne Grace appeared backing Hail—signaling WWE may lean into the controversy rather than quietly reversing it. 

That’s the most important creative clue: when a finish goes wrong, the next question is always whether the company treats it like an accident to correct… or an accident to weaponize into storyline heat.

What we can say with confidence right now

Based on the most consistent reporting across the credible outlets above:

• Thea Hail is officially recognized as champion coming out of Dec. 16, 2025.  
• The finish was widely described as botched/unintentional, and Fightful Select’s sourced reporting (via F4WOnline) says Monroe was supposed to retain.  
• WWE is reportedly rewriting creative for the title picture (and other connected stories) for the coming weeks, with adjustments beginning immediately.  
• There’s no confirmed internal blame reported yet—just a focus on adapting.  
• The holiday/taping situation is being cited as a reason the pivot may need to happen fast. 

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