There are matches that exist to advance a story, and then there are matches that reveal one.
This Triple Threat Tag was supposed to answer a simple question: who gets next. Instead, it asked something far more interesting. What does the women’s division look like when power, aura, and chemistry all arrive in the same ring at once?
Under the lights of the Centre Bell, with a Montreal crowd that treats indifference as the deepest insult, the answer came not through polish, but through friction.
Three teams. Three philosophies. One match that felt less like a qualifier and more like a live audition for WrestleMania 42.
Stakes Without Soft Edges
The prize was clear. A guaranteed title shot against the reigning WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions: Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY, the newly minted super-pairing fans have already nicknamed Rhiyo. A win here meant proximity to the center of the division. A loss meant drifting into the margins.
And that matters more now than it did a year ago.
The women’s tag division has quietly become the connective tissue of WWE programming. Raw, SmackDown, NXT. Segments bleed into one another. Stories overlap. This is not a cooldown slot. This is a proving ground.
Which made the emotional stakes sharper.
For Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, this was about reclamation. A 100-day reign defined by stability, stripped away, leaving behind the question nobody asked out loud: was it real, or was it convenience?
For Giulia and Kiana James, it was about legitimacy. Giulia arrived with history, scars, and a reputation that didn’t translate cleanly to American television. Kiana arrived with articulation, posture, and the instincts of someone who understands how titles are acquired, not earned.
For Nia Jax and Lash Legend, it was simpler. They were there to make physics unavoidable.
The Humanization of the Queen
Early on, something subtle but important was visible.
Charlotte Flair came out with her hair down, shoulders wide, frame dense. This is not the Charlotte of peak corporate saturation. This is a wrestler who looks like she’s enjoying the work again. There’s a muscle-mommy confidence to her now, less ceremony, more intent.
The Bliss pairing has done what years of booking couldn’t. It has made Flair human.
Bliss is chaos, but she’s also warmth. Flair is discipline, but now she’s learning restraint. The dynamic works because it shouldn’t. And yet cracks still show. Flair saves. Bliss risks. Flair recalibrates. Bliss improvises.
That tension powered much of the match’s early rhythm.
Not everything landed cleanly. Lash Legend’s attempted powerbomb on Flair early was rough, visibly so. Flair tried to steer it into something workable. It didn’t fully cooperate. Legend wisely exited. Bliss tagged in. The moment passed.
Montreal noticed. But Montreal also forgives if the intent is there.
The Beautiful Madness Problem
Mid-match, the camera cut back to something that shouldn’t have felt odd, but did.
Giulia working with Lash Legend to neutralize Flair.
Canon matters. Just one week earlier, Giulia had been squaring up to Nia Jax. In wrestling, alliances don’t need logic, but they do need memory. If you have a problem with one half of a team, you have a problem with the other. Otherwise, the character frays.
This is the lingering issue with Giulia’s main roster presentation. Not her work. Not her aura. Her continuity.
And yet, when she finally crossed paths with Flair, all of that dissolved.
Their exchange was brief. Almost throwaway. And it flowed.
Western polish met Eastern grit. No wasted motion. No hesitation. Just instinct. It had immediate main-event chemistry, the kind you can’t teach and can’t fake. WrestleMania whispers began to feel reasonable, not aspirational.
A U.S. Title program between them suddenly feels less like fantasy booking and more like inevitability.
Giulia doesn’t need English promos here. She needs moments like that. Her boots speak fluently.
Power as a Narrative Device
Lash Legend deserves credit for something important. When she’s on, she belongs in Flair’s orbit. The earlier botch faded because the later exchanges worked. Her size becomes meaningful when paired with someone who knows how to sell around it.
Nia Jax, meanwhile, remains exactly what she’s supposed to be. A hard stop. When she enters, sequences end. Bodies fall.
The match’s best storytelling stretch came when Flair began orchestrating chaos. Double chops. Rotations. Timing. She wasn’t dominating. She was conducting.
Kiana James and Lash Legend sold just enough. Not too much. Enough to make the story legible.
Then came the hot-tag tease. Flair inches away. Lash lifts her, keeps her from the corner. Simple. Effective. Wrestling as sentence structure.
This is where the division feels close to something special. There are still errors. But there’s also intention.
Kiana James, the Thief in the Night
Kiana James continues to impress in ways that don’t scream, but accumulate.
She sold exhaustion believably. She couldn’t get Flair up alone. Lash stepped in, gestured, took over. Together they suplexed Flair. Flair responded with a double DDT that felt rehearsed in the best way.
That’s chemistry. Not friendship. Utility.
When Giulia snapped Bliss off the apron to deny the hot tag, it felt cruel and precise. Then chaos returned. Nia. Power. A precarious top-rope moment. And then Kiana again, intercepting, powerbombing both women.
There was a universe where she pins there. It would have worked.
Instead, the finish came moments later. Lash Extension. Kiana pins Bliss.
Clean. Decisive. Correct.
And crucially, the right person took the fall. Bliss absorbs losses without damage. Kiana gains credibility. Giulia stays protected.
Post-match, the backstage interview sealed it. Giulia spoke in Japanese, intensity unfiltered. Kiana followed with calm authority, condescension sharpened just enough to feel earned.
This pairing works because it understands division of labor.
WrestleMania 42: Roads, Not Ladders
So what now?
Charlotte Flair feels WrestleMania-ready for a singles spotlight again. A U.S. Title program with Giulia would test both. Flair’s structure. Giulia’s Japanese style violence. It writes itself.
Alexa Bliss remains a wild card. A Royal Rumble run, chaos spots, maybe a left-field title challenge. She thrives in uncertainty, especially with the WWE Royal Rumble 2026 looming large in the upcoming events of WWE calendar.
Giulia should not be rushed into over-explanation. Let her wrestle. Let the crowd respond. Montreal already told you how.
Kiana James is positioned perfectly for a tag title chase. Against Ripley and SKY, her opportunism becomes the story.
Nia Jax and Lash Legend remain the division’s test. You don’t beat them. You survive them. And someone eventually will.
A Glimpse, Not a Promise
This wasn’t perfect. It didn’t need to be.
What it was, was revealing.
There are glimpses here of a women’s division that doesn’t rely on hierarchy alone, but chemistry. One where different philosophies coexist instead of cancelling each other out.
If WWE leans into that, WrestleMania 42 doesn’t need saving. The Women are exceptional right now.
It just needs listening.
FAQ: What Wrestling Fans Are Asking After This Match
Who won the Triple Threat Women’s Tag match in Montreal?
Kiana James and Giulia won the Triple Threat Tag Match at the Centre Bell in Montreal, with Kiana James pinning Alexa Bliss following the Lash Extension sequence. The finish protected all major players while elevating James as a legitimate opportunist in the women’s division.
Why did Kiana James pin Alexa Bliss instead of Charlotte Flair?
Alexa Bliss was the correct pinfall choice because she absorbs losses without damage to her momentum. Charlotte Flair was being positioned as the match’s central orchestrator, while Giulia remained protected as U.S. Champion. The decision elevated Kiana James without weakening Flair or Giulia.
Is Giulia being pushed properly in WWE right now?
Giulia’s push is effective in-ring but inconsistent narratively. Her work against Charlotte Flair showed clear main-event chemistry, but week-to-week alignment issues, particularly her interactions with Nia Jax and Lash Legend, suggest WWE still needs to stabilise her character continuity to fully capitalise on her momentum.
Could Giulia face Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 42?
Yes. The brief exchange between Giulia and Charlotte Flair in this match displayed immediate main-event chemistry. A WrestleMania 42 singles match for the Women’s United States Championship is a realistic and compelling option if WWE leans into their contrasting styles.
What is next for Charlotte Flair after this loss?
Charlotte Flair remains positioned as a top-tier singles threat. Her performance reinforced her role as the division’s “conductor,” and she is a strong candidate for a marquee WrestleMania 42 singles program or a deep run in the WWE Royal Rumble 2026.
Are Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair still teaming after this match?
Yes, but their partnership continues to show intentional tension. The “Twisted Queens” dynamic thrives on imbalance, with Bliss as chaos and Flair as control. WWE appears to be exploring whether that tension strengthens or fractures them moving forward.
Why did fans react so strongly to Giulia in Montreal?
Montreal crowds reward physical authenticity. Giulia’s stiff strikes, pacing, and visible intensity resonated immediately. She did not rely on promos or spectacle. Her offense communicated clearly, which is why the crowd responded so sharply despite limited verbal engagement.
What does this win mean for Kiana James?
This was a career-defining moment. Kiana James demonstrated she can operate with power wrestlers, sell exhaustion credibly, and seize high-pressure finishes. She is now a credible challenger for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships and a vital piece of the division’s future.
Where do Nia Jax and Lash Legend fit after this match?
Nia Jax and Lash Legend remain the division’s physical gatekeepers. They are not designed for finesse-driven narratives but for disruption. Their role is to force adaptations from more technical teams, and WWE continues to use them as a stress test rather than a destination act.
Does this match affect the women’s tag title picture?
Yes. The result positions Kiana James and Giulia as legitimate contenders for the current champions, Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY, while keeping multiple parallel WrestleMania pathways open across singles and tag divisions.
Why is the women’s tag division so important right now?
The women’s tag division currently acts as the connective structure across Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. It is one of WWE’s most visible platforms for testing chemistry, elevating new stars, and shaping long-term WrestleMania stories within the upcoming events of WWE.
