Dana Brooke Returns To WWE NXT For Opportunity At Women's Title Match
Fresh off the return of Baron Corbin to "WWE NXT," another main roster star has made their way to the developmental brand. This time, it's Dana Brooke, who appeared in the parking lot and announced herself as a competitor in the main event battle royal to determine a number one contender to Tiffany Stratton's "NXT" Women's Championship. Unlike fellow main roster members Mustafa Ali and Baron Corbin, Brooke is not a free agent, having been selected by "WWE Raw" in this year's draft.
"I heard there's a Number One Contender's Battle Royal tonight," Brooke told a backstage interviewer. "If anyone's gonna face Tiffany, it's going to be me. I've heard there's a lot of buzz around 'NXT,' and this place is full of opportunities, but I'm going to make my own opportunity tonight when I'm the last woman standing."
Brooke hasn't wrestled in "NXT" since 2016, having since become a mainstay of the WWE main roster, especially on taped shows like "WWE Main Event." While never a women's champion on the main roster or in "NXT," Brooke has won the WWE 24/7 Championship 15 times, tied with Akira Tozawa for second-most reigns with the title (but well under 24/7 division stalwart R-Truth's 53 reigns with the now-defunct belt). At one point, Brooke had even championed turning the title into a secondary women's title, though that never came to be.
As for Stratton, she's been champion since May 28, when she defeated Lyra Valkiyria in a tournament final for the title. The championship had been vacated following Indi Hartwell's announcement that she was dealing with an injury, and her subsequent main roster call-up via the draft.