In a flash of innovation, surf vibes, and unreal vertical leap, Sol Ruca has officially dethroned Candice LeRae to become the second-ever WWE Women’s Speed Champion — and if you blinked, well, that’s kind of the point.
The win was taped ahead of SmackDown in Seattle and is set to air on WWE Speed this Wednesday, April 16. But thanks to spoilers floating faster than a Dragon Lee dropkick, we now know: NXT’s Sol Ruca just pulled off the kind of upset that only Speed can deliver.
Ruca defeated LeRae in the Speed Championship tournament finals, earning her first piece of gold in WWE. And let’s be clear — this is no fluke. On her way to the finals, Ruca blasted past Katana Chance and Michin, turning each round into a showcase of momentum, movement, and vintage NXT adrenaline.
Meanwhile, LeRae exits her reign just shy of 200 days — a run that included technical showcases against Natalya and Zoey Stark, both of which ended in time-limit draws, keeping the belt firmly in her grasp. Until now. Because while Candice had the experience, Sol Ruca had the airspace.
If you’re not familiar, Sol Ruca is essentially a human highlight reel with abs and acrobatics that suggest she was trained by Tony Hawk and Spider-Man’s uncle. Her finisher, the Sol Snatcher, is a mid-air inversion that physics professors are still trying to explain.
And get this — the new champ isn’t slowing down. Ruca is scheduled to compete in a six-woman ladder match next weekend at NXT Stand & Deliver for the inaugural NXT Women’s North American Championship. That means she could walk into WrestleMania weekend with two titles and a thousand GIFs on wrestling Twitter.
Tag partner Zaria will be right there with her, having qualified by beating Lash Legend, setting up the potential for a historic dual coronation. Or heartbreak. Or tables.
For context: the Men’s WWE Speed Champion is currently Dragon Lee, who’s been zipping around the division with title defenses over Ivar and Chad Gable. But Ruca’s win here might just be the biggest “Speed” statement yet — an NXT breakout star pinning a Raw veteran and making it look smooth.
So while Candice LeRae heads back to the drawing board (possibly to design new gear out of spite), Sol Ruca rides a wave of momentum straight into the most stacked weekend of her career.