Lainey Reid may be relying on underhanded tactics to climb the ladder in NXT, but that approach appears to be a winning strategy behind the scenes. While her on-screen character is developing into a classic heat-seeking heel, the sentiment from management couldn’t be more different.
A new report from BodySlam, citing internal sources, has revealed that key figures in the company are extremely high on the rising star. The outlet stated, “WWE and WWE NXT officials are ‘very impressed’ with Lainey Reid and see a very bright future ahead for her. Sources indicate that Reid is expected to be featured on programming a lot moving forward.”
This reported backstage confidence aligns with her recent push on television. On the September 9th episode of NXT, Reid advanced in the WWE Women’s Speed Championship tournament by defeating Faby Apache.
The victory wasn’t clean, however. A perfectly timed distraction from her ally, Natalya, allowed Reid to capitalize with a running knee to secure the pinfall, further cementing her heel persona.
With the win, Reid has punched her ticket to the tournament finals, where she will face off against former champion Candice LeRae. The stakes are high, as the winner will earn a shot at Sol Ruca’s WWE Speed Women’s Championship at the No Mercy premium live event on September 27.
The big question now is how this strong internal backing will translate on-screen. Is this push a clear signal that Reid is the chosen one to win the tournament and challenge for the title, or is the company more focused on the long-term project of building her into a top-tier antagonist, win or lose?