NXT Championship
Ricky Starks (c) vs. Oba Femi
When Ricky Saints won the NXT Championship from Oba Femi, I was pretty happy about it. Oba had done so much in NXT, and I felt like maybe he was going to get the call-up to the main roster. I also felt like Ricky Saints could use this opportunity to cement himself as a star on the brand. They certainly didn’t give him much of a chance to do that.
I think Ricky did that very well in the short time he had the belt, but I don’t think it was quite the time to take it off him yet. If it leads to a Ricky Saints heel turn, I would be all in on this move. I think Ricky would have a lot more that he could pull from if he were a heel right now, and I don’t feel like there are enough heels in the main event scene in NXT. It might just be the thing that pushes him to the next level.
As far as Oba Femi is concerned, this makes him a two-time NXT Champion and one of the most dominant competitors the brand has ever seen. It gives him a showcase next weekend at Saturday Night’s Main Event against Cody Rhodes, which will get a lot of eyeballs on him. I’m sure his call-up is imminent, whether it is in the new year or prolonged until after WrestleMania. The Ruler doesn’t have much left to accomplish in NXT and could be a significant attraction on Raw or SmackDown as long as he doesn’t get lost in the shuffle. That’s never a guarantee.
Women’s Iron Survivor Match
Kendal Grey vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Lola Vice vs. Sol Ruca
I’m so very impressed with the NXT Women’s Division every time I watch the show. There are just so many talented women with so much personality. It’s incredible to me that you could have put five completely different women in this match and they would have been equally deserving. It’s that deep. This match was just pure fun to me because of the chaos that went on the whole way through. It was one of the few times that a 25-minute match felt like it went by in a flash. I thought having all the women at two falls until the dying seconds was a hook, and that they did a great job making it feel like Sol Ruca was going to win, only for Kendal to hit the Shades of Grey out of nowhere and steal it.
Kendal Grey is the real deal. There are very few people who have caught on quite as quickly as she has. Her style is believable and enjoyable to watch. She’s technically sound. She needs to work on bringing out her character more, and she’ll be a bona fide star for years to come. I know it’s unlikely to happen, but I would love to see her dethrone Jacy Jayne at New Year’s Evil. Why wait? Let’s see what she can do with the title. She can learn the nuances on the fly, and that experience is invaluable.
Lola Left Out?
Sol Ruca is trending in a heel direction after getting her knees attacked during the match. She basically told Kendal she’d have won if she were fully healthy. There’s also the Zaria situation looming. Sol will be one to watch as we head into the new year. Jordynne Grace and Kelani Jordan continued their feud during the match and after, blaming each other for the loss. The only person who doesn’t seem to have a solid direction is Lola Vice. This may be because she’s been doing work in AAA, but it really seems like Lola always floats in and out of storylines. She has the personality down. I think she needs to expand her moveset a little bit to add more variety to her matches. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her find her way back to the title picture in 2025.
NXT North American Championship
Mr. Iguana vs. “All Ego” Ethan Page (c)
Ohhh, Mr. Iguana. What a name this guy has made for himself since WWE bought AAA. I had no idea who he was, but after watching a handful of his matches, he’s a talented wrestler. The stuffed iguana…I could do without that. I do see the value of having something weird like that for the younger audience, but it’s definitely not for me. That being said, I appreciated this match.
Mr. Iguana can bounce around the ring with ease and then play dead just as quickly. It gave me quite a laugh to see him stationary on all fours with Ethan proclaiming that he’s dead. It was a fun match with Ethan getting another victory. I’d like to see some NXT talent get North American title shots. I feel that much of the Men’s Division is stagnant, with nowhere to go but the NXT Championship. The same can be said of the tag titles, but that’s another story.
Tatum Paxley vs. Izzi Dame
This was a match centered around mind games. It’s been so cool to see Tatum Paxley’s rise over the past six months or so. She’s always been popular, but she’s taken things up a notch since joining The Culling and winning the NXT Women’s Championship. It was sad when The Culling cost her her title, and it was equally as miserable when they broke her doll in front of her before Izzi Dame beat her in the middle of the ring. I loved it, though. This is precisely what needs to happen to build Tatum into the absolute biggest face on the show. She’s at her absolute lowest with nothing left to lose now. We’re going to see a much different version of Tatum Paxley after this loss, and it’s going to be great TV.
Shiloh Hill’s Final Download
Shiloh Hill will be getting his first match in NXT on Tuesday, and I’m excited. If you haven’t watched LFG, Shiloh was a standout both seasons and has a unique character that can’t be taught. He’s just an interesting dude who explores the dark web in his free time. If they tap into the eerie parts of his personality and dial it to 11, it could be something special. It could also end up being really corny if it’s not done right. We’ll see on Tuesday.
Men’s Iron Survivor Match
Joe Hendy vs. Dion Lennox vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Leon Slater vs. Myles Borne
I wasn’t as into this match as I probably should have been. I thought starting with Evans versus Slater was great, but beyond that, I wasn’t really pulling for any one guy. All five competitors would have made me happy if they won, but it seemed evident from the start that it would be Je’Von. It makes even more sense with Oba getting the title back. They seem to be setting up for a triumph for the Young OG over The Ruler at New Year’s Evil. At least, that would be the most logical conclusion here. Je’Von Evans just flat-out deserves it at this point, and the stories you could tell with him as champion are endless.
Dion Lennox showed why he should be in the title picture tonight, too. That guy has all the tools. He needs an opportunity, and he might have to make one for himself. I haven’t been a fan of Dark State. The guys in it are great, but it doesn’t feel like it’s doing much for any of them. I don’t really know what’s left for that group at this point, and I’d much rather see them all go their separate ways. Myles Borne had a good showing along with Joe Hendry and Leon Slater. There’s a lot of talent in NXT right now. It just depends on who wants to take the ball and run with it. Can Hendry become more than the song guy? Does Slater break out of the X-Division? Will Myles break through to become a main event talent? These are all questions going into 2025.
Tony D’Angelo Returns
At the end of the show, after the credits had already started rolling, the arena went dark, and a video of a man walking toward the camera on a bridge played. There was a light obstructing the view, but it looked very much like Tony D’Angelo. This was indeed true as Tony appeared behind Je’von and attacked him, leaving him lying in the middle of the ring. He also left some petals or pieces of paper on his body. I’m not really sure what those were. It was strange. Oba watched from the ramp and looked legitimately shocked, which helped sell the whole situation.
I’m excited to have Tony D’Angelo back. He was one of my favorite parts of NXT every week before the D’Angelo family implosion happened earlier this year. I don’t know what kind of gimmick he’ll have (if he’ll even have one), but I am interested to see him as a heel. The only thing I’m concerned about is if it derails the momentum that Je’Von Evans has right now.
Final Thoughts
NXT Deadline 2025 was an entertaining show. We had a significant title change to open the show, along with two deserving Iron Survivors being crowned. Mr. Iguana kept his stock high while Ethan Page retained his title, and Tatum Paxley has nothing left to lose. That makes her dangerous. Blake Monroe will hold an open challenge on Tuesday for her NXT Women’s North American Championship, and Hank and Tank will return from Japan. It looks like we have a lot to look forward to this week, and that’s what you want coming out of a Premium Live Event. This was a much better show than last week’s Survivor Series: WarGames, and that says a lot.
