Stephanie Vaquer is the new WWE Women’s World Champion, but her path to victory at Wrestlepalooza was more challenging than fans realized. Following the event, Triple H revealed that Vaquer had been battling a significant illness in recent weeks, explaining her absence from television and the unusual build to her title match against IYO SKY.
Vaquer captured the vacant championship at the premium live event in Indianapolis, defeating SKY in a hard-fought contest. The win came after she missed a scheduled contract signing on the September 8 episode of WWE Raw, fueling speculation about her status.
During the Wrestlepalooza post-show, Triple H clarified the situation, confirming that Vaquer was never injured but instead sick.
“I’ll let everybody in on a behind-the-scenes secret with Stephanie. In the last few weeks, Stephanie has been very sick. I don’t know all the details of what the flu-type thing going on, but she was very sick. It’s why she missed TV and why there was an odd build to it. She was able to feel well enough and get cleared medically to compete tonight,” said Triple H.
The Women’s World Championship was declared vacant last month after former champion Naomi announced her pregnancy on the August 18 episode of Raw and relinquished the belt.
The victory marks a major career milestone for Vaquer, who signed with WWE just over a year ago. Her time in NXT was historic, as she became the first woman to hold both the NXT Women’s and Women’s North American Championships simultaneously before being called up to the main roster this past April.
After the match, the two competitors showed mutual respect, bowing and embracing before Vaquer’s emotional celebration with her newly won title.