CMLL, NJPW Fantasticamania: AEW’s Willow Nightingale wins title vacated by Stephanie Vaquer

Patrik Walker

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CMLL, NJPW Fantasticamania: AEW’s Willow Nightingale wins title vacated by Stephanie Vaquer image

The fallout within CMLL (Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre) and AEW following the decision by Stephanie Vaquer to join WWE has been immediate, and it’s benefitted one person in particular to this point: Willow Nightingale. 

The former AEW TBS Champion entered Fantasticamania this weekend in Mexico on the heels of seeing the CMLL Women’s Championship up for grabs — having been vacated by Vaquer (read: stripped by CMLL)  only a couple days prior — and she seized the opportunity with both hands.

WATCH: FULL WWE DEBUT MATCH OF STEPHANIE VAQUER

Nightingale is walking out of Mexico as Vacquer’s successor to that throne.

“The last time I wrestled in CMLL, it was actually my first weekend in CMLL,” said Nightingale after defeating Viva Van for the belt. “But you wanna know what happened when I showed up? I freaking won. I beat the current CMLL Women’s Champion at that point, Stephanie Vaquer. Stephanie’s not here and the championship is vacant, who else was gonna step up? 

“No one else is Willow Nightingale. Duh.” 

It’s been a rough past few days for Nightingale, given the events within her AEW storyline as of late, but she’s feeling much better after a trip south of the border this past weekend. 

“My friend turned on me and I had just lost my last match,” she said. “So I really needed a win; and I walked out an international champion.”

That she did, making history in the process. 

LISTEN: STEPHANIE VAQUER ENTRANCE MUSIC REVEALED

It is unknown, however, if the CMLL Women’s Championship will be defended at any point north of the border on AEW programming, or if Nightingale will need to return to Mexico to defend it, exclusively, within the CMLL brand. 

First world problems, you see.

Patrik Walker

Patrik Walker Photo

Patrik [No C] Walker is an accredited, award-winning journalist and podcaster who has worked to become one of the most respected and recognizable forces covering the Dallas Cowboys. Having never lost his lifelong passion for the wrestling, the one-of-a-kind analyst is using his talents to complete a journey that began as a rambunctious kid wearing a championship belt fashioned from cardboard and aluminum foil, to the ranks of covering an industry that's had his heart pinned to the mat for decades now. Follow him on Twitter/X: VoiceOfTheStar.