TNA Wrestling’s Xia Brookside is making a surprise return to WWE after a three-year absence. NXT General Manager Ava announced that Brookside will participate in a four-woman tournament to determine the number one contender for the NXT Women’s Speed Championship, currently held by Sol Ruca.
The tournament will feature talent from multiple promotions, with Brookside facing SmackDown’s Candice LeRae. The other first-round match will see Faby Apache of AAA compete against NXT’s Lainey Reid. The winner of the tournament will earn a championship match against Sol Ruca at No Mercy.
This appearance marks Brookside’s first match in a WWE ring since being released by the company in August 2022. The second-generation star was part of the NXT UK roster but was let go during the brand’s closure, which preceded the planned launch of NXT Europe.
Since her WWE departure, the 26-year-old has competed internationally, including a run in Stardom as a member of the Club Venus stable alongside Mariah May and Mina Shirakawa. She ultimately signed with TNA Wrestling, where she has recently formed a team with Lei Ying Lee.
Just last week on the August 21 episode of TNA iMPACT!, Brookside competed in a Gauntlet match for a shot at the TNA Knockouts World Championship. She entered the match at number one and eliminated Killer Kelly before being eliminated by Dani Luna.
Brookside, the daughter of English wrestling veteran and current WWE Performance Center coach Robbie Brookside, is scheduled to face Candice LeRae on the September 2 episode of NXT.