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00:00Tell me about it.
00:02It felt so good to get that win over Laney Reed.
00:04I'm ready for whatever comes my way next.
00:06I'm giving them the good news.
00:09That's how it works.
00:10Again, guys.
00:12Yes, girls.
00:13The good news for you.
00:14You don't have to wait long for what's next because this Friday you're going up
00:17against soul Ruka.
00:18Wow.
00:19Sorry.
00:20I remember last time we had a match on level up.
00:22Yeah, we tore the house down and I know we'll do it again.
00:24And this daredevil is that's exactly what I need for the comeback trail.
00:27Well, yeah, I'm gonna push you to your limits.
00:29I wouldn't want it any other way.
00:31See you Friday.
00:31Yeah.
00:32See ya.
00:34Hey, well, that actually went really well.
00:37Are you mental?
00:38What do you mean I'm mental?
00:39As those two look to pick up the pieces, two best friends will clash as the ultra
00:44agile and zen like soul Ruka takes on the impulsive risk taker, the daredevil
00:49Danny Palmer.
00:49Your main event is next.
00:59But here we come to our main event.
01:13Byron, this viral sensation has been riding a wave in recent weeks.
01:17And after some championship opportunity, finds herself face to face with her
01:21best friend.
01:22What a busy time for soul Ruka.
01:24You alluded to it.
01:25She's had recent championship opportunities, just competed on WWE main
01:30event for the first time in her career.
01:32And now a rematch nearly two years in the making.
01:36I am pumped about this.
01:50In fact, Blake, I'm so pumped about this, I actually called Uber Eats and I
01:53ordered us some whole grain, butter-free popcorn.
01:56Unfortunately, it went to the wrong address, so I apologize.
01:58Did Booker give you the number?
02:00You know what, as a matter of fact, he did.
02:02How'd you know?
02:03Well, I know he has a history with Uber Eats.
02:05A lot of history between these two ladies here.
02:08Actually, before you came to NXT, Blake had the opportunity to call their last
02:11match, and their careers almost mirror each other.
02:14They both signed their contracts, started training at the Performance Center,
02:18working months of each other.
02:19Soul Ruka was like a big sister to Danny Palmer.
02:22And they both suffered career-altering injuries that put them on the shelf for
02:26eight months.
02:27And you can hear the NXT universe here coming alive for both superstars.
02:30And Danny, of course, looking to put a cherry on top of her comeback story.
02:34But the adversity of facing her best friend, that certainly has to play a lot
02:37of mental gymnastics.
02:38Yeah, but it's almost necessary, right?
02:41Like the last time we saw Danny Palmer in action, she scored her first win since
02:45returning from double hip surgery against Lanie Reed.
02:48And now you're taking on someone who's very familiar with you, and who's going
02:51to test your athleticism.
02:52So for me, I think if Danny Palmer could come out here and
02:55match the athleticism of a Soul Ruka, that is a massive,
02:59massive confidence builder for Palmer going forward.
03:01And we heard earlier tonight how much of a step this really is for
03:04Danny Palmer to get in the ring with her best friend, Soul Ruka.
03:07Byron, how big of a step is it overall, really,
03:09to get back into this position here for Danny Palmer?
03:12Well, whenever you're coming off an injury, and Soul Ruka went through this as well.
03:14You know, when she had her knee injury, and she was on the shelf,
03:18you had that mental doubt.
03:19Maybe your body's ready, but that first match back,
03:22those first couple matches back, you're wondering, is my win gonna be the same?
03:25Am I gonna be able to complete every single offensive maneuver I used to?
03:29Now, Danny, looking to test yourself right there, but
03:30when you're in the ring with someone just as agile, if not maybe a bit more,
03:34it's really tough to execute that offense.
03:35Yeah, and two people who know each other so well, they know their tendencies.
03:40There you go, exactly what I'm talking about.
03:42Looking at each other in the mirror, essentially, training partners in the gym,
03:46in the ring.
03:46Yeah, this is not just a physical matchup.
03:49This is a chess matchup between Soul Ruka and Danny Palmer.
03:52Who can outsmart the other?
03:54Of course, knew about them going on some trips to Mexico on the spur of the moment
03:58last year.
03:58Skydiving.
03:59Indeed, traveling all over the world together.
04:02And Soul Ruka, again,
04:03we talked about some championship opportunity in recent months.
04:06Part of that Gauntlet Eliminator competition for
04:08the NXT Women's Championship.
04:09Had an opportunity to cover, shoulder down.
04:12Only gets two against Kalani Jordan for
04:14the NXT Women's North American Championship back at Heat Wave.
04:17Another two count right there, and of course,
04:18even an opportunity at the TNA Knockouts Championship.
04:21Yeah, I think when you look at Soul Ruka, you're looking at someone who's sort of
04:24the prototype of what you wanna see from an athlete when they come back from injury.
04:28Soul Ruka had her learning curve like everyone else does, but
04:31now she's been earning championship opportunities.
04:34Soul drops down.
04:35Bigger matches, bigger spotlights, and now it's up to Soul to continue to deliver.
04:40Soul taking a page out of the amateur playbook right there.
04:43Takes down Danny Palmer, hooks the outside leg.
04:45Only gets one, and you can see the frustration starting to brew in both
04:48superstars, cuz neither can really get an edge.
04:50Well, the key to victory here is doing something your opponent doesn't expect.
04:54If you're in there with an opponent that knows almost your entire repertoire,
04:58you have to go back to the lab before this match and go,
05:01what can I do to shock them, to make their head spin?
05:04That's how I secure the win.
05:06Soul Ruka trying to remain in control right now.
05:08Danny Palmer looking to rally some support from the NXT Universe.
05:11And Byron, we touched on their first encounter back in December of 2022.
05:16How much has the addition of the Women's North American Championship really added
05:19to the competition of the division since these two arrived?
05:21It increases your why.
05:22Here we go, Danny, come back the other way.
05:25Sometimes, back in the day, it was funny saying that it wasn't that long ago.
05:29Hold on.
05:29Backslide, Soul's shoulders are down.
05:31When there was just the NXT Women's Championship as an opportunity,
05:34some superstars feel like it's an unattainable goal.
05:37But adding that North American title gave new hope to this division,
05:41new hope to the women's locker room.
05:43And Palmer catches Soul in midair.
05:45Palmer might have just found herself a huge opening.
05:47You can see it in Palmer's eyes.
05:48She understands this is a moment she has to capitalize on in a hurry to put Soul Ruka away.
05:54Danny, with the frog splash, hooks the outside leg.
05:58And Soul able to power out.
06:00And Byron, we were wondering if there would be any hesitancy.
06:03Here we go, another cover.
06:04Comes back the other way.
06:06As these two exchanging near falls, Jeremy Marcus getting a workout.
06:10Yeah, I'm seeing no hesitation right now.
06:11That muscle memory has been kicking in for Danny Palmer.
06:13This has been an ultra-competitive matchup, and this is what we expected to see.
06:18And Danny here, jockeying for position against Soul.
06:20Soul does have a little bit of a height advantage.
06:23As Danny looking to pick that leg, Soul coming back the other way.
06:26Shoulders are down on Danny.
06:28And look at Soul!
06:29Oh, there it is!
06:31There it is!
06:32There it is!
06:33Nowhere!
06:34Ring the bell!
06:35Here is your winner, Soul Ruka!
06:43That's two Soul Snatchers this week.
06:45Only one gets a victory, but how sweet.
06:48Knock it off, her best friend for Soul Ruka.
06:50Hey, what a sweet match, right?
06:52Yeah, two ladies are on the comeback trail in their own individual careers.
06:55We saw the athleticism of Danny Palmer, looking like she hasn't skipped a beat.
07:00But Soul Ruka, delivering when you least expect it with the Soul Snatcher.
07:07You can watch all the film you want.
07:09You can prepare as much as possible.
07:11But one thing you can't anticipate is the Soul Snatcher.
07:15And out of nowhere, Soul Ruka snaps it off for a huge victory.
07:19Knocking on the door, Blake.
07:20We're knocking on the door this Tuesday.
07:22We are less than a week away.
07:24The huge premiere, NXT arrives this Tuesday on The CW.