Blake Monroe made her in-ring debut on “Friday Night SmackDown” as WWE fans eagerly awaited her entrance and what she would be able to do against an opponent like Giulia.
When Monroe was in NXT, her entrance was lauded. The cameras would show Monroe looking at herself in a vanity mirror before turning around and entering the ring. Fans had hoped the mirror would eventually come with her when she made her SmackDown debut. It didn’t happen on Friday.
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Blake Monroe makes his way to the ring during SmackDown at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Oct. 2, 2026. (WWE via Getty Images)
Monroe came out with a sheer robe around her shoulders with showgirl-style feathers on the ends. Needless to say, fans were disappointed, but they didn’t know the story behind it. Monroe explained all of it in an Instagram post.
“My journey started 9 years ago. I remember the night before my first class – I was so nervous. I had done theatre for years and never felt anything close to this level of fear,” she wrote. “I pulled up outside the school gym that morning and didn’t even want to get out of my car. My heart was thumping and my stomach was in knots. I was ready to turn back, and then I saw a feather on my windshield.
“A few months earlier, after years of battling illness, my grandmother passed away. She was the coolest, toughest woman I had ever met. She wore a mini skirt and rollers in her hair until the very end. They say feathers are a message from someone in heaven. It sounds silly, but in that moment I felt like my grandmother was with me, telling me to step through those doors and give my dreams a chance.”
She said chasing her dreams was the “best decision I have ever made.”
“Now here we are, my Smackdown debut,” she continued. “I know you waited 5 months… I waited 9 years, and pretty much my whole life for this moment! But sadly, a few weeks before my debut, my lovely grandad passed away. I didn’t get to say goodbye. It was heavy in my heart.
Blake Monroe enters the ring during SmackDown at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Oct. 2, 2026. (WWE via Getty Images)
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“I didn’t tell anyone, I didn’t cancel anything. I just tried to push on as normal because I didn’t know how to handle the grief. I sat in the salon the next day getting my hair done for TV, trying to hold in tears, when my hairdresser found a feather in my hair. I truly have no idea how it got there. But I felt like it was my grandad saying hello.
“My new beautiful feathered fan entrance on Smackdown might seem like a burlesque and Great Gatsby dream, but it’s also so much more. Last night I felt like my grandparents, who are together again now, were holding my hands for one of the biggest moments in my life. In a country where I am all alone, following such crazy dreams. It’s easy to feel lonely and scared, but last night I had never felt so strong. They were with me in those wonderful feather fans.
“Thank you for supporting me in my dreams. Last night was for you. I love you and miss you so deeply.”
Monroe defeated Giulia in her first WWE main-roster match. Monroe thwarted Giulia’s attempt at a move from the top turnbuckle. Giulia hit her head and was knocked out. Monroe scored the pin.
Blake Monroe faces Giulia during SmackDown at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on Oct. 2, 2026. (WWE via Getty Images)
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Monroe joined WWE last year and made her NXT debut in June 2025. She was an NXT women’s North American champion before getting called up.