On December 16, 2025, Thea Hail won the NXT Women’s North American Championship from Blake Monroe, who was winded and unable to kick out in time, despite original plans for the former AEW star to retain. And now Hail has addressed the negative backlash she received online during an appearance on Busted Open Radio After Dark, saying, “Twitter is really mean. I’m just a girl, and Twitter is mean and very toxic. It’s not a good space in wrestling at all.”
22-year-old Hail, real name Madison Knisley, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a former gymnast who pursued a professional wrestling career in 2021. First working under the name Nikita Knight and then signing full-time with WWE in 2022. From there, she joined Chase University, but with her athleticism and charisma evident, it was always known she was capable of more. Therefore, it wasn’t a surprise when she was given an opportunity to be a prominently featured wrestler in NXT. However, it’s doubtful she’d have ever won a singles championship if it weren’t for the botched finish.
