Candice LeRae & Natalya go to time limit draw in WWE Speed title match
Candice LeRae is still the WWE Speed Women’s Champion after going to a time-limit draw in her first title defense.
A new episode of WWE Speed premiered on Wednesday with Natalya challenging LeRae for her title. In the final minute of the match, Natalya applied a Sharpshooter and was on the verge of victory. But LeRae was able to survive until the five-minute clock expired, retaining the WWE Speed Women’s Championship after the match ended in a draw.
Matches on Speed typically have a three-minute time limit, but that is expanded to five minutes for title bouts.
In a post-match promo, LeRae claimed that this wasn’t a draw and she was actually victorious because it was Natalya’s job to beat her within the time limit.
LeRae became the inaugural WWE Speed Women’s Champion in October 2024. Natalya earned this title shot by winning a number one contender’s tournament.
Next week, Speed shifts its focus back to the men’s division with the start of a new number one contender’s tournament. Chad Gable vs. Charlie Dempsey is airing next Wednesday (January 15). The other first-round match in the four-man tournament will be Chris Sabin vs. Grayson Waller. The winner of the tournament receives a title shot against WWE Speed Men’s Champion Dragon Lee.