During the television tapings of the show in August (that aired throughout November), Ripley took part in an eight woman tournament to determine the inaugural NXT UK Women's Champion. She went on to defeat Xia Brookside in the first round, Dakota Kai in the semi-finals, and Toni Storm in the final to become the inaugural champion. With the win, Ripley also became the first female Australian champion in WWE history, and the second Australian champion altogether after Buddy Murphy. In October, Ripley also competed in a dark match before the first ever all women's pay–per–view, Evolution, where she successfully retained her title against Dakota Kai in a dark match (due to the tournament having yet to air at the time, she was not yet recognized on-screen as champion). Throughout her championship reign, Ripley went on to fend off title contenders such as Isla Dawn and Deonna Purrazzo.