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WWE's Charlotte Flair Will Defend the NXT Women's Championship in a Triple Threat Match at NXT TakeOver: In Your House

Flair will take on both Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley

keishahatchettbiopic.jpg
Keisha Hatchett

Karrion Kross's NXT debut against Tommaso Ciampa at Takeover: In Your House isn't the only thing fans can look forward to on Sunday, June 7. TV Guide can exclusively reveal that Charlotte Flair will be taking on Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley in a triple threat match for the NXT Women's Championship. The wheels were set in motion during Wednesday's NXT when Charlotte interfered in Ripley and Shirai's singles match, leaving both laid out in the ring. Now, the NXT Women's Champion is ready to fight both women, who'd been grappling for weeks over who should be the number one contender for her title. 

"It's almost like they were having too much fun without me,"Charlotte Flair told TV Guide of the newly-announced match. "Why beat up one when I can beat up both?"

Jokes aside, Flair says she's thrilled for the chance to go toe-to-toe with two of NXT's rising stars. "Having the opportunity to be in the ring with two of the brightest stars, in my opinion, who have just started their future... I'm really excited to be a part of it," Flair added. 

In some ways, Flair has been the architect of her own fate. She, along with Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, and Bayley fought their way to main event status with show-stealing matches that caught the attention of not just NXT crowds, but WWE fans who were itching for more substantial matches from women competitors. Since being called up to Raw in 2015, Charlotte has thrived with every new opportunity and earned a number of accolades including the Raw Women's Championship (four times), the Smackdown Women's Championship (five times) and main eventing WrestleMania 35 alongside Lynch and Ronda Rousey. 

Charlotte Flair, NXT

Charlotte Flair, NXT

WWE

At WrestleMania 36, Flair defeated Ripley to win the NXT Women's Championship for the second time. The win may have brought her back to her NXT roots but NXT is not the same brand that it was five years ago. No longer the training grounds for up-and-coming superstars, NXT has ascended to main brand status alongside its Smackdown and Raw counterparts. For Flair, this shift in how NXT is perceived and operates makes her second championship run with the brand an entirely different experience. 

"It honestly feels like a whole new world because I feel my class [2012-2015] was scratching, clawing and fighting for opportunities, and fighting for respect and acceptance, and wanting to show the world what we could do. And then now, you go to NXT [and] you're on USA Network. You are being shown all over the world versus just being on the [WWE] Network. And say you're on NXT and then you get drafted to Raw or SmackDown—the transition is much easier when it comes to the pressure of performing on live television."

With In Your House just a few weeks away, Flair says the thing she's most looking forward to is simply being part of an NXT Takeover event again, especially having not competed in one in five years. "Triple H did such an amazing job with Takeover," Flair said. "There's just a special feel. There is such energy around [this event]."

That energy will be especially palpable in her triple threat match against Ripley and Shirai given the stakes. After all, she won't need to be pinned in order to lose her championship. 

"That's always a concern in a triple threat but I think for me, it's, 'Hey, I can defeat everyone on Raw, I can defeat everyone on Smackdown, and I can do it on NXT, too. Rhea's the next big thing, right? Io Shirai, the next best thing? I can hold my own against both of them," Flair said, noting that she's hoping to make both of them "bow down" during the pay-per-view event. 

If Ripley and Shirai hope to stand their own against the champion, they're going to have to bring their A-game. "Be ready to bring their best," Flair added.
Game on. 

NXT TakeOver: In Your House will stream live on Sunday, June 7 at 7/6c on the WWE Network.