Julia has finally made her first official defense of the WWE Women’s United States Championship, although it wasn’t the SummerSlam match she had hoped for. On Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown, “The Beautiful Madness” successfully defended her title against former champion Zelina Vega. Julia demonstrated her skill in the ring throughout the match and emerged victorious, proudly retaining her championship.
Accompanied by a recent return, Julia countered several roll-up attempts from Vega early on. She took control with sharp chops and a series of headbutts, steadily wearing down her challenger. During the middle of the match, Julia locked in her cradle crosshairs hold, causing visible pain for Vega. Vega fought back with a flurry of strikes, briefly shifting momentum and setting up for a German suplex from the nearby avalanche position. Julia quickly retaliated with a butterfly suppression move followed by a devastating knee strike. The crowd was shocked when Vega kicked out of what appeared to be Julia’s finishing move, the sit-out Michinoku driver. However, Julia regained her composure and sealed the win with an aurora bomb on Vega.
This victory means Julia continues her reign as Women’s United States Champion, now holding the title for 36 days. This match marked her first defense since capturing the belt from Vega on a special Riyadh-based episode of SmackDown in late June. As of now, no new challengers have stepped forward to face Julia, and she is scheduled to remain without any matches on the upcoming Saturday or Sunday episodes.
Fan Take: Julia’s triumphant title defense solidifies her as a rising star in WWE’s women’s division, giving fans a fresh face to rally behind. Her momentum could bring exciting new rivalries and elevate the status of the Women’s U.S. Championship, adding more depth and intrigue to WWE programming.
