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Naomi Speaks About Capturing Respect, Women's World Title At WWE Evolution

Naomi earned the adulation of the WWE Universe despite heel turn on Jade Cargill late last year.
Rick Ucchino|
Naomi
Naomi | WWE.com

Naomi had been warning everyone in the women's locker room to proceed with caution, and she still pulled off one of the greatest heists of the last decade.

Amidst an all-time classic main event matchup between IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley at WWE Evolution Sunday night, a battered and beaten Naomi chose the opportune moment to cash-in her Money in the Bank Contract and stole the Women's World Championship.

It was the culminating moment of a character shift that began ahead of WrestleMania 41 when it was revealed that she was the one who attacked Jade Cargill last fall. Despite carrying herself as a heel on television, the crowd inside the State Farm Arena in Atlanta erupted in jubilation when she won the title from two of the WWE's top babyfaces.

While speaking during the Evolution Post Show Press Conference, Naomi expressed her belief that a great deal of wrestling fans can connect with the journey she's been on over the past year.

“I think whether it’s wrestling or real life, I think we all experience moments or times in our life where we don’t feel appreciated, we don’t feel loved, we don’t feel seen, we don’t feel valued and sometimes, you have to adjust. You can’t keep doing the same thing, expecting a different result. Sometimes, you gotta stop being so nice and make people respect you and make people step to you properly and I think that’s what people resonate with."

Everyone has a breaking point, Naomi said. She reached hers ahead of Survivor Series: WarGames last November when she shoved Jade Cargill on top of a car windshield. It was a moment that led to a one-on-one match at WrestleMania 41 and Sunday night's No Holds Barred contest that saw Naomi take an avalanche Jaded through a table and leave with a busted up nose.

She'd feel much better by the end of the night as she walked out of Evolution with her first Women's Championship victory in WWE since 2017.

“Very emotional, very cool, very surreal," Naomi told The Takedown on SI about the moment she won. "To go to the back and just feel the love, that’s what touches me the most and what I enjoy and love the most is the reactions, you know what I mean? And just seeing so many new faces and talent but also… they’re like, ‘Oh, I been watching you since –’ we got a lot of NXT girls here — ‘I been watching you since Total Divas’ or, ‘I been watching you since NXT season three’ and just to see them get emotional and happy, it’s really cool." h/t Fightful

Next up for Naomi is a change of scenery. Her Women's World Championship victory means a move from SmackDown to Raw, and break from both Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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