Toni Storm Beats Rhea Ripley, Wins NXT UK Women's Title at TakeOver Blackpool

Toni Storm defeated Rhea Ripley at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool at the Empress Ballroom in England on Saturday to win the NXT UK Women's Championship.

After each Superstar kicked out of the other's finisher, Storm slipped out of Riptide and hit Ripley with Storm Zero to claim the title.

Storm's victory set off a raucous celebration in Blackpool, as seen in the following tweet from WWE:

Ripley and Storm competed in one of the headline matches for the first-ever NXT UK pay-per-view after doing battle in the finals of the tournament to crown the inaugural NXT UK women's champion.

Storm beat a pair of 2018 Mae Young Classic participants in Isla Dawn and Jinny to reach the finals, while Ripley rolled past Xia Brookside and Dakota Kai.

Although Storm was favored to win the tournament due to her status as the Mae Young Classic winner, Ripley used her power and brutality to work over her opponent's back and ultimately pick up the victory.

Becoming the first UK women's champion was a massive step in Ripley's progression and evolution over the past year, dating back to the first Mae Young Classic.

The Australian completely changed her attitude and has developed into arguably one of the top heels in all of WWE since bursting onto the scene.

Ripley made it all the way to the Mae Young Classic semifinals, and although she fell to Io Shirai, she quickly bounced back by establishing herself as the face of the NXT UK women's division.

Storm is one of the most popular Superstars in WWE, though, and it was clear at TakeOver: Blackpool that the crowd was firmly behind her.

The New Zealand-born Storm has an intangible quality that draws fans to her, and that factor promises to make her one of WWE's top female stars for many years to come.

She is already an accomplished performer at the age of 23, but Ripley is actually younger at 22, which speaks to how bright the future of the WWE women's division is.

Ripley and Storm have the makings of WWE linchpins, and Saturday's clash was likely the first of many battles on a big stage for the up-and-coming stars.

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