Ripley & Martinez’s badass steel cage battle proves main event worthy

NXT’s Super Tuesday II featured a showdown between the two longest reigning men’s champions in brand history as they fought to once again become champ. But that wasn’t the main event.

Instead, that honor went to Rhea Ripley and Mercedes Martinez. Ripley is on her own quest to become a two-time NXT Women’s champ, and the recently signed veteran has sought to make her name in WWE by thwarting Rhea at every turn. Martinez’s attack on the Aussie Nightmare while she was tagging with current Women’s champ Io Shirai two weeks ago was the final straw.

It all led to a steel cage on Sept. 8.

Mercedes was accompanied by Robert Stone, who wasn’t in great shape after an attempt to wreck Shotzi Blackheart’s tank backfired. He and his other client Aliyah were left laying in the ring by Blackheart & Shirai. With Stone promising to be no help, Martinez loaded up the cage with weapons... until Ripley ran in and crushed her in the door, added a table to the in-ring plunder, and climbed inside the structure to start the match.

Rhea controlled the action at the start, but went for her Riptide finisher a little too early. Martinez countered into a fisherman’s suplex, and followed with a running slam onto a steel chair!

Neither wrestler tried to escape. Instead they were more interested in punishing their opponent. When they climbed, it was to trade superplexes.

Ripley locked in her inverted cloverleaf submission, but Martinez got out by clutching a kendo stick and swinging her way free. Stone tried to get involved, and almost got superplexed into the cage for his effort. The manager’s gambit worked, however, as his distraction allowed his client to hit a neckbreaker from the top. It was only good for a two count, though.

Mercedes set-up the table her opponent brought to the battle, and climbed to try for another fisherman’s buster to put Rhea through it. The Nightmare fought it off instead, delivering a Riptide that sent Martinez crashing through the table.

A three count ended a brutal cage match, proved Rhea Ripley is the future, and that the women of NXT are more than deserving of top billing.

To get caught up on everything that happened on tonight’s show, check out our live blog here.