Blake Monroe to face Sol Ruca for NXT NA title at Halloween Havoc

Blake Monroe, the former Mariah May who left AEW earlier this year, said she deliberately chose to begin her WWE run in NXT and will challenge Sol Ruca for the NXT Women’s North American Championship at Halloween Havoc on Saturday, October 25, in Prescott Valley, Arizona. Monroe has spent the summer and fall building a new version of her character on NXT television while appearing on select main-roster programming in recent weeks.

Monroe told interviewers she views NXT as the place to introduce herself to WWE audiences and accumulate what she called "TV equity" before moving to Raw or SmackDown. "Why wouldn’t I go to NXT, continue to build my brand, continue to introduce myself to the WWE Universe?" she said. She cited the chance to spend time at the WWE Performance Center and to work with coaches like Shawn Michaels and Matt Bloom as factors in her decision, calling the environment useful for learning and growth.

The performer emphasized that her current Blake Monroe persona is an evolution of the Mariah May character from her AEW and international work rather than a clean break. "It’s not different. It’s not wiping something clean and starting again," she said, adding that...