By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
NXT Deadline
Streamed December 6, 2025, on Peacock
San Antonio, Texas, at Boeing Center at Tech Port
Pre Show Recap
Megan Morant and Sam Roberts were the pre show hosts. Arrival shots of Je’von Evans and Sol Ruca were shown. Morant reminded viewers that Ricky Saints vs. Oba Femi will open the show. The hosts ran through the advertised Deadline card. Morant sent the show to the Iron Survivor match rules video. They then aired John Cena listing off the Woman Iron Survivor competitors, looking like he’s telling the world why he needs more milk than most of the world (If you know, you know, from Cena’s big cameo this past Friday. “We are John Cena”)…
Kelly Kincaid interviewed Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair about Grey’s thoughts on her recent success. Grey said she can’t believe it all. She talked about growing up a John Cena fan and even has pictures of herself a Cena fan, and now Cena is picking her to be in the Iron Survivor Match. She talked about her championships in College and how she feels validated knowing that Cena is watching her work. Kincaid asked for Kendal’s gameplan. Wren said Grey will know exactly what to do when she walks in the ring.
Grey said she’ll try to minimize her time in the penalty box and pick up the right pins to win the Iron Survivor. Kincaid asked how Wren and Grey became friends. Wren said she’s Grey’s biggest fan and can’t wait until Grey picks up the win for Wren-QCC. Grey said Wren impressed her in last year’s Iron Survivor and she’s going to walk out this week with the victory. Kincaid ended the interview. Sam and Megan then gave their thoughts on the women’s Iron Survivor Match.
The hosts sent the show to the Tatum Paxley vs. Izzi Dame hype package. Sam and Megan gave their thoughts on the matchup…[c]
Back from break, they aired the Ricky Saints vs. Oba Femi hype package. Sam and Magan then gave their thoughts on the matchup. A replay aired of the segment that set up the Ethan Page vs. Mr. Iguana match. The panel then joked about Mr. Iguana coming off like a Florida Man. Separate shots of Jordynne Grace and Myles Borne were shown (Grace really does like wearing those giant glasses these days, ever since cosplaying as Velma for Halloween)…[c]
They aired the clip of John Cena listing off the wrestlers in the men’s Iron Survivor Match. Blake Howard interviewed Dion Lennox about being picked by John Cena to compete in Iron Survivor. He talked about being considered a joke at first, but he dominated alongside DarkState and is glad Cena noticed that. Howard brought up Lennox relinquishing the tag title to Saquon Shugars on Tuesday. Dion said it wouldn’t be fair to his brothers in DarkState if he isn’t focused on one thing, going after a singles title, and he trusts Saquon with holding things down in the tag division.
Howard talked about Dion confronting Oba Femi on Tuesday and if Oba is Dion’s preferred winner of the Starks vs. Femi match? Dion said to be honest, he wants the title from Oba Femi. They aired a clip of Oba scoffing at the Bookworm version of Dion from back in the day. Dion said no one is safe.
John’s Thoughts: A good attention to detail clip of Bookworm Dion confronting Oba from back in the day. It showed that WWE was high on him back then, but good for parallelism here.
Morant and Roberts gave their thoughts on Dion Lennox and the Men’s Iron Survivor Match. Morant also talked about how exciting Leon Slater has been. Roberts said that Leon Slater can be the X Division and NXT Champion to lead the way to TNA heading to AMC. The hosts gave final hype to the Deadline PLE…
Main Show Review
Separate shots of Oba Femi and Ricky Saints were shown as they were warming up backstage. A intro video aired for the Deadline show…
Arrival shots of Sol Ruca, Lola Vice, Kelani Jordan, Je’von Evans, Leon Slater, and Joe Hendry were shown…
Vic Joseph and Booker T were on commentary. Mike Rome was the ring announcer…
Entrances for the opening match took place. Mike Rome handled the in-ring championship match introductions…
1. Ricky Saints vs. Oba Femi for the NXT Championship. Ricky went for wristholds to start the match. Oba used his power to prevent Ricky from wrenching the arm. Oba used one arm to lift and hit Ricky with a backbreaker. Oba manhandled Ricky with his wristholds and strikes. Oba and Ricky had dueling chants. Ricky hit Oba with a elbow-breaker. Ricky then went after Oba’s elbow with his version of the Old School. Ricky used strikes to chop down Oba from the calf.
Oba avoided a baseball slide. Ricky came back with a springboard dropkick. Oba recovered and slowed things down after a Press Slam on Ricky. Oba got a two count after a Shot Put on Ricky. Oba worked on Ricky with alternating punches in the corner. Oba did pushups after hitting Ricky with a Northern Lariat. Oba wore down Ricky with methodical offense. Ricky rallied back with running strikes.
Ricky then hit Oba with a Old School, Huracanrana, and Spear for a two count. Both men traded right hands and counters. Ricky reversed a clothesline into a Stunner for a good nearfall. Ricky put Oba in a Guillotine Choke. Oba got to a vertical base, but started to fade when going for the ropes. Oba got back up and reversed the choke with a draping Gourd Buster. Ricky dumped Oba to ringside by pulling down the top rope. Ricky hit Oba with a Suicide Dive.
Ricky caught Oba with a Fame Asser for a nearfall. Ricky and Oba traded Fighting Spirit right hands. Oba took down Ricky with consecutive clotheslines and chops. Ricky rolled up Oba for a two count at around the 14 minute mark of the match. Oba dragged Ricky up by the leg and hit him with a Big Ending for a nearfall. Ricky sidestepped Oba to send Oba’s shoulder into the ringpost. Oba took down Ricky on the apron with an overhead chop to the chest.
Ricky came back by tossing Oba into the steel steps. Ricky hit Oba with a Tornado DDT off the barricade onto the steel steps. Ricky hit Oba with a Tornado DDT for a nearfall. Oba reversed a Roshambo into a Fall From Grace for a nearfall. Oba hit Ricky with a Last Ride style Fall From Grace for the victory.
Oba Femi defeated Ricky Saints via pinfall in 17:17 to become the new NXT Champion.
After the match, Ricky held out his hand for a handshake with Oba. Oba accepted to crowd cheers. Vic Joseph hyped Oba Femi vs. Cody Rhodes at Saturday Night’s Main Event…
John’s Thoughts: Surprising outcome and finish here. I almost thought they were going to turn Ricky heel and a match with Cody would have made sense given how far back Ricky and Cody go back. Oba feels main roster bound so I don’t see what putting the title back on him really does (especially since he steamrolled the men’s roster in NXT). Maybe they use this for character development for Ricky? Have him turn in the rematch? Maybe have Ricky cost Oba the match against Cody to prevent Oba from simply getting fed to Cody in his first main roster match? We’ll see.
An ad aired for the NXT New Years Evil themed show for January 6th…
Vic Joseph hyped John Cena’s last match for the following week…
Sol Ruca was on a phone backstage with Zaria on facetime. Zaria apologized for not being there and saying that she just thought Sol was mad at her. Sol said she thought Zaria was mad at her which is why she didn’t tell her about Saturday Night’s Main Event (her match against Bayley). Zaria said they need to talk when they meet next…
A recap video aired of Hank Walker and Tank Ledger being on excursion in Pro Wrestling Noah. Hank and Tank won the GHC Tag Team Championships at NOAH. They ended up losing them as well. Vic Joseph hyped Hank and Tank returning to the US on Tuesday…
Vic Joseph and Booker T checked in on commentary…
A rules video aired for the Iron Survivor Matches…
A rules graphic aired for the Iron Survivor Match with Mike Rome handling the introductions. Kelani Jordan and Kendal Grey were the first two women in the match. A timer and scoreboard aired for the match…
2. Jordynne Grace vs. Kendal Grey vs. Sol Ruca vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Lola Vice in the Women’s Iron Survivor Match. Both women started the match with quick pin attempts and counters. Kelani caught Grey with a double stomp on the apron. Kelani got a two count after a Northern Lights. Kelani hit Kendal with a backbreaker for a nearfall. Vic brought up Booker’s protege Roxanne Perez being a former Iron Survivor. Kelani hit Kendal with a twisting leg drop for a nearfall.
Kendal dodged a frog splash and hit Kelani with a Power Slam for the first pinfall at around 4:55, sending Kelani to the Penalty Box. Jordynne Grace was the third entrant in the match. Grace slammed Grey and hit her with a Vader Bomb to the back for a nearfall. Grace put Grey in a snug butterfly stretch. Kelani broke up the submission after being freed fromthe penalty box. Grey and Kelani traded rapid pins. Kelani scored a pinfall on Grey at around 7:18.
Grace used a Gory Special to send Kelani several times into the buckles. Kelani hit Grace with a split legged Impaler for a nearfall. Grace caught Grey with a clothesline right when Grey was freed from the penalty box. Kelani hit Grace with a Corkscrew Plancha for a nearfall. Vic noted that Kelani’s knee hit Grace in the head off the Plancha. Kelani shoved away Grace and Grey. Grace hit Grey and Kelani with an Electric Chair Tower of Doom. Lola Vice was teh forth entrant. Lola Vice hit everyone with strikes and put Grey back in the Penalty Box around 10:30.
Lola stacked and hit Grace and Kelani with an “I’m a Latina” Stinkface. Vice fended off both women with Muay Thai kicks. Grey was freed hit Kelani with a Belly to Belly. Grey put Grace in a Juji Gatame, but Grace blocked it with a pin attempt. Grey rolled up Grace to send Grace into the penalty box around 12:30. Grey tripped Kelani off a One of a Kind attempt. Grey hit Kelani with a Super German SUplex. Lola hit Kelani with a running knee.
Grey broke up Lola’s pin on Kelani. Grey knocked Kelani off the apron with a Superkick. Lola and Grey traded chain wrestling. Grace escaped the Penalty box and slammed the door on Kelani Jordan. Grace hit Grey with a Tiger Bomb for a nearfall. Grace reversed Lola into a Stretch Muffler Suplex for a two count. Grace sent Kelani to the penalty box at around 15:00 with a pin. Kelani gave Sol a dirty chop block before going to the box.
The camera showed referees taking Sol Ruca to the back. Lola and Grey traded rapid pins. Grace hit Grey with Cena’s Five Moves of Doom. Kelani hit Grace with a Superkick to block the Five Knuckle Shuffle, which led to boos. Vice and Grey tried to cradle Kelani, but Kelani hit them with a double Pele Kick. Kelani hit Grace with a Spanish Fly from the apron to the floor. Sol Ruca ran out and hit Kelani with a knee.
Sol hit Vice and Kelani with a Double Sol Snatcher to get two points at around 18:25. Kelani and Lola brawled in the Penalty box. Sol did a one legged kip up. Grey broke up Sol’s pin attempt on Grace. Sol flipped Grey into a Dragon Sleeper. Grace put Grey in a Half Crab at the same time. Vice broke up the submissions with kicks. Sol hit Vice with a Slingshot X Factor. Grace hit Sol with a Rolling Senton.
Grey hit Grace with Shades of Grey. Kelani broke up Grey’s pin with a splash. Kelani picked up the pin on Grace at around 22:55. All four women still in the ring paired off. Lola dragged Grey to ringside to brawl. Sol dumped Kelani to ringside. Sol hit Grey and Vice with a Triangle Moonsault. Jordan hit Sol with an Asai Moonsault. Kelani hit Vice with an Argentine Slam. Vice avoided Jordan’s 450. Grace hit Vice and Kelani with a double German.
Grace hit Jordan with a modified Blue Thunder Bomb for a point. Vice fell into a pin on Grey. There was a 5 way tie at 23:00 with everyone having 2 points a piece. Sol hit Grace with a side slam on the apron. Kelani and Grey brawled in the penalty box. Sol fell back on Vice to break a Sleeper, leading into the final minute of the match. Sol hit Vice with a Sol Snatcher off the steps at ringside. Kelani kicked Sol in the injured leg and hit Vice with a 450. Grace broke up Kelani’s pin. Grey hit Vice with a Super Shades of Grey (Paydirt) for the victory.
Kendal Grey (3) defeated Jordynne Grace (2), Lola Vice (2), Sol Ruca (2), and Kelani Jordan (2) in a 25 minute Iron Survivor Match to become number one contender to the NXT Women’s Championship.
Fatal Influence showed up to stare down Kendal Grey after the match…
John’s Thoughts: Another fun edition of the Iron Survivor Match. It’s very fun seeing how clean these matches are compared to how messy and ugly the very similar King of the Mountain matches were. All the women looked good here and got a chance to shine. Sol Ruca was short and quick with her impressive offense. Vice was a workhouse with all of her strikes. Kelani and Grace continued their feud and Grace played the role of lone heel really well. I’m very surprised at the winner, but pleased at who they let win. I would have had Grey win if I were booking as Grey has been very impressive since her return and repackage in NXT. They have a future star on their hands with Kendal and I’m happy that it’s clear WWE sees that as well.
Another clip aired from the John Cena Last Time is Now interview where Cena talked about pro wrestling’s carny origins…
NXT GM Ava was chatting with North American Champion Blake Monroe. Monroe talked about how she’s going to hold a open challenge on Tuesday. Ava pointed out that Blake is only champion because Zaria threw in the towel. Ava said that Blake is no Ilja Dragunov or Sami Zayn and she has no confidence in Blake. Ava said she’ll let Blake defend the title in a Open Challenge. Blake said Ava isn’t bad after all…
Sarah Schreiber interviewed Myles Borne and asked him where he will decide to enter the match after earning the chance to pick his spot. He said he’s picking 3rd to have enough time to rack up points and to not be so late as to be too much in the hole. The camera panned over to show Jordynne Grace and Kelani Jordan brawling backstage…
Entrances for the next match took place…
3. “All Ego” Ethan Page vs. Mr. Iguana for the NXT North American Championship. Page slammed Iguana and Iguana did the dead lizard pose. Page took his time trying to access the situation. Page rolled Iguana on all fours and said “he’s dead”. Iguana recovered and hit Page with a armdrag. The crowd sung for Mr. Iguana in the tune of Seven Nation Army. Page said he’s not having a good time. Page hit Iguana with a DDT when Iguana grabbed La Yeska. Page escaped the corner when Iguana hit him with the Iguana.
Iguana hit Page with a crossbody for a nearfall. Iguana hit Page with a tilt a whirl huracanrana. Page gave Iguana a right hand and ringside and tossed him into the steel steps. Iguana went back to selling dead. A “culero” chant ensued. Iguana hit Page with a huracanrana and springboard headbutt. Iguana put on the puppet. Page reversed Old School into a Power Slam. Page put the boots to Iguana and body slammed him.
Page’s body was a bit green due to Iguana’s face paint rubbing off him. Page spat on La Yeska and threw him to ringside. Iguana hulked up and rallied with right hands. Iguana hit Page with a DDT. Page crotched Iguana on the top rope. Iguana used a Poisonrana to reverse a Razor’s Edge. Iguana hit Page with a Flip Dive into a Huracanrana. Iguana hit Page with a diving headbutt for a nearfall. Page tossed Iguana off the top rope and hit him with a Twisted Grin (Twist of Fate) for the win.
Ethan Page defeated Mr. Iguana via pinfall in 8:33 to retain the NXT North American Championship.
Vic noted that Page has the 3rd best title defenses in WWE in 2025…
John’s Thoughts: A fun little dinner break buffer match. Now that WWE has built in piss breaks with commercials during PLEs, Buffer Matches give you more time to get a snack or whatnot. Good concessions or sports entertainment break for the live crowd too. Page continues to be a swiss army knife in WWE, being able to handle whatever they give to him. Weather it’s being a vile heel, a funny comedy figure, carrying multiple divisions, Page can do whatever you need of him.
Sarah Schreiber interviewed Kendal Grey. Grey talked about being the underdog and wasn’t supposed to win. Sol Ruca showed up and said that she might be the winner if she wasn’t attacked during her entrance. Wren Sinclair pointed out Zaria attacking Kendal Grey on Tuesday and she’s not making excuses. Sol said her best friend Zaria fought for her, and she’s going to do the same…
Oba Femi confronted Dion Lennox backstage and traded some words…
The hype package aired for the Tatum Paxley vs. Izzi Dame match…
Entrances for the next match took place. Tatum Paxley had a disheveled look. Before the bell, Niko Vance and Shawn Spears circled Tatum. Izzi seemed like she was trying to jump Tatum, but Tatum saw it coming…
4. Tatum Paxley vs. Izzi Dame (w/Shawn Spears, Niko Vance). Izzi caressed the face of Tatum before the match, but Tatum just glared at Izzi. Tatum rallied with strikes. Izzi ended Tatum’s rally with a right hand. Tatum hit Izzi with an overhead heel kick. Izzi then begged for mercy at ringside, which stopped Tatum from diving. Tatum seemed to be sympathetic and gave Izzi a hug. Izzi went sinister and then tossed Tatum into the steel steps. Tatum tackled Izzi into the corner, but Izzi slammed Tatum to the mat with elevated kneees.
Izzi hit Tatum with a Wasteland and tackle in the corner. Izzi hit Tatum with a spinning backbreaker for a nearfall. Izzi worked on Tatum with methodical offense for a few minutes. Izzi put Tatum in a modified Boston Crab. Tatum escaped with an Inside Cradle. Izzi told Tatum to do something. Izzi slapped Tatum. Tatum chuckled and rallied with right hands. Tatum went for a dive, but Izzi dropkicked her out of the air.
Izzi hit Tatum with a Lightning Spiral and got a nearfall. Tatum and Izzi traded Yay-boo strikes. Tatum got the upper hand with a Crucifix Driver. Tatum knocked Izzi off the apron with a crossbody. Tatum hit Izzi with a Step Up side kick and German Suplex. Tatum cleared the announce table. Tatum went for her finish on the Announce Table. Izzi tried to talk Tatum down. Tatum took her time, but then hit Izzi with the Cemetary Drop on top of the table.
Shawn Spears showed up with barbie dolls and then calmed down Tatum by handing them to her. Spears broke the head of one and dangled it in front of her. Tatum slapped Spears. Izzi caught Tatum with a boot and Sky High for the victory.
Izzi Dame defeated Tatum Paxley via pinfall in 12:36.
Vic said this was the biggest win in Izzi’s career since it’s on a PLE. The segment ended with Tatum rubbing the separated head of the barbie doll…
Je’von Evans was backstage trying to cheer Ricky Saints up, saying he’ll bounce back. Je’von said he promises he’s going to beat Oba Femi at New Years Evil. Ricky and Je’von dapped it up to end the segment…
John’s Thoughts: The wrestling was fine, but there was a whole lotta bad melodrama all over the place. Some of the melodrama would have been fine if there was a rising action to this feud (I mentioned how it would have made sense for Tatum to hold the belt for a while and have Izzi put Tatum in a false sense of security to take the title from her, betraying her trust and serving as the perfect rising action). Instead, they speed ran the betrayal, making the melodrama feel forced and unearned. The worst part of this match is something we’ve seen multiple times already, these bad, and melodramatic, finishes where Tatum Paxley starts crying over Barbie dolls. Ugh.
A Shiloh Hill promo aired. He talked about how he he saw some squirrels in the wild and tried to talk to them in their language. He said he ended up grabbing it’s tail. He said after he got distracted by someone, the squirrel bit him. He said the man that distracted him was his high school football coach. He said he was mad he lost his first pet, the squirrel.
The then talked about how he randomly started throwing hands with a kid and dropped him with a headbutt. He said his sister berated him for the fight. Hill said he was excited by having that random dude’s tooth lodged in his head. The AI on Hill’s computer then hyped up Shiloh Hill’s in-ring debut on Tuesday…
John’s Thoughts: I’ve very hyped for this new character. The guy is well spoken and comes off organically as a Sociopath, which should be a fun pro wrestling character.
Shiloh Hill’s debut, Blake Monroe’s Open Challenge, and Kelani Jordan vs. Jordynne Grace were announced for the next NXT…
The Iron Survivor match rules video aired again. Mike Rome also ran through the match rules and handled the introductions. Leon Slater and Je’von Evans were the first two wrestlers in the Men’s Iron Survivor Match…
5. Leon Slater vs. Je’von Evans vs. Myles Borne vs. Joe Hendry vs. Dion Lennox in the Men’s Iron Survivor Match. Slater blocked a springboard Cutter. Slater hit Evans with a Gamengiri. Evans backtracked to avoid a dive. After a quick exchange, Slater hit Evans with a huracanrana. Evans came back with a huracanrana. Evans and Slater bantered over their kick stalemate. Slater hit Evans with a zig zag enzuigiri. Slater hit Evans with a flying shoulder tackle.
John’s Thoughts: WWE and TNA have Slater vs. Evans MOTY candidate in their back pocket. Curious to see which PLE they decide to pop the clean finish at?
Vic Joseph noted that Channing Lorenzo defeated Steve Maclin (f.k.a. Steve Cutler) on Friday to become the new TNA International Champion. Evans hit Slater with a dropkick for a nearfall. Evans and Slater traded rapid rollups. Slater rolled up Evans off a springboard for a nearfall. Evans hit Slater with Stundog Millionaire. Slater came abck with a hook kick. Evans hit Slater with a Frankendriver for the first pinfall at around 4:45.
Myles Borne was third, as he picked. Borne ducked a kick and hit Evans with an Angle Slam for a nearfall. Slater got out of the penalty box and hit Evans with a slingshot crossbody. Evans and Slater stumbled from the ring to the floor off an Evans suplex. Borne hit Evans and Slater with a flip dive and got a two count on Evans. Borne got a two count on Slater. Slater crumpled Borne with a chop. Borne crumbled Evans with a right hand for a two count.
Borne got a two count on Slater after a clothesline. All three men traded running strikes and counters. Evans popped up after a suplex on Slater. Evans hit Slater with a splash for a two count. Dion Lennox was the fourth wrestler in the match. Dion caught Slater and Evans with running strikes. Dion hit Borne with a Northern Lights for a two count. Slater and Evans pummeled Dion with strikes.
Dion punched them off the top rope. Slater hit Dion with a Gamengiri. Borne put Slater in a Electric Chair. Dion hit Slater with a Doomsday Device. Dion turned Evans inside out with a clothesline and got a pinfall on him at around 12:40. Borne got a nearfall on Slater after slamming him. Evans got out of the box and shoved Slater off. Evans hit Slater with a Suicide Dive. Slater hit Borne with a Frog Splash for a nearfall.
“Say his name and he appears, I believe in Joe Hendry! [clap clap]”. Joe Hendry was the last entrant in Iron Survivor. Hendry rallied with right hands and cleaned house. Hendry held both Slater and Evans and hit them with his signature Fallaway Slam into the Zoolander turn. Dion hit Hendry with a Northern Lariat to prevent a Standing Ovation on Slater. Hendry dumped Dion, Slater, and Evans to ringside and hit them with his signature Plancha Senton.
Hendry blocked Borne Again and hit him with a Death Valley Driver for a pinfall at around 17:30. Evans rolled up Hendry for a two count. Slater rolled up Evans for a two count. Slater and Evans took out Dion and Joe with Stereo Superkicks. Slater and Evans took out each other with high roundhouse kicks. Borne came out of the penalty box. Dion Lennox slammed the penalty box door on Borne to knock him out.
Evans hit Joe with a flip kick. Evans hit Joe with a Coast to Coast Swanton. Slater hit Evans with Coast to Coast. Slater hit Joe with a Swanton 450 for the point at 20:15. Borne hit Slater with Borne Again. Dion broke up Borne’s pin. Borne hit Dion with Borne Again for his first point. Vic noted that Borne helped train Jelly Roll and Jelly Roll came up with the Borne Again name. Dion beat up Joe in the Penalty Box.
Borne, Evans, and Slater traded right hands. Joe then beat up Dion on his way out of the penalty box. Evans hit Slater with a cutter. Joe turned Evans inside out with a clothesline. Everyone had 1 pin a piece at the 23:00 minute mark. Dion trapped Evans in the penalty box while the referee was in the ring. Evans climbed out and hit Dion with a dive. Slater hit Evans with a flip dive over the ringpost. Evans hit Slater with a cutter and Springboard RKO. Borne broke up Je’von’s pin.
Borne hit Evans with Borne Again. Dion broke up the pin. Slater hit Evans with a Swanton 450. Slater dumped Hendry to ringside. Evans rolled up Borne to pick up the final point with only seconds left on the clock.
Je’von Evans (2) defeated Myles Borne (1), Joe Hendry (1), Dion Lennox (1), and Leon Slater (1) in a 25-Minute Iron Survivor Match to become number one contender to the NXT Championship.
Vic Joseph hyped Oba Femi vs. Je’von Evans for New Years Evil. Oba Femi made his entrance to glare at Je’von. The Executive Producer graphic aired on the screen to close the show…
But wait, there’s more? A video appeared on the big screen with a random person blurred out and walking across a bridge. When the lights came back on, a bearded guy in a coat appeared in front of Evans. It was Tony D’Angelo, who laid out Evans with a Uranage. Tony D poured out the random broken black object he sent to Ava on Tuesday on top of Evans. D’Angelo glared at Oba Femi to close the show…
John’s Thoughts: While we have seen more creative Iron Survivor matches in the past, this was still a solid iteration of it. A fun stinger segment too with the return of Tony D’Angelo to WWE television after a long layoff (and ode to the ending of The Sopranos, last time we saw Tony D). Storytelling wise, Dion Lennox and Je’von Evans were the obvious picks to win. WWE is clearly forcing the spotlight on Dion (in almost early Roman Reigns fashion) and they were having Je’von look ahead past this match already. They also laid it on thick with Evans losing by a few seconds last year.
NXT men’s division has been very weak for a bit with a lack of developed characters. Adding Tony D back to the mix does make things interesting. I have no clue what they have planned in their main event picture, and that’s a good thing. Tony D is the only other person other than Ricky Saints to beat Oba Femi, and he has two pins, so there’s a story there. Tony D is also low key one of the best in-ring and Hollywood storytellers on the WWE roster, so there should be some meaningful segments ahead if done right.
I’m curious to see what they do with Tony D now? While being the mafia dude, he has shown versatility in terms of being able to show acting and in-ring range. Is he still a mob boss? Are they repackaging him? (I hope he’s done with new TNA International Champion Stacks, because we don’t have to go there. Hold up? Where’s Luca?). I also think he’s done everything there is to do in NXT, so why waste a reboot here and not on Raw or Smackdown? Heck, him going to TNA would be better than the squad NXT has on TNA now. Time will tell and I’m looking forward to Tuesday. NXT also has a potentially other hot top guy coming in with Shiloh Hill if done right.
Overall, I would grade this show a B. This show was hovering between C+ and B-, and it was the Tony D return making this show meaningful and nudged it to a B. Not the hottest of shows though as NXT needs to do better work at developing storylines. A lot of stories feel rushed or underdeveloped. Same with underdeveloped characters. The end of the year is near, so the new year is always a good time to reset things.
HBKs booking just as bad as HHH’s.
Who would you prefer? Trips and HBK? Or Vince and whoever’s booking AEW? I know who I would prefer!
I don’t agree with Booker T a lot but I agree with him when he said “Why are we having this match?” right before the start of Ethan Page and Mr. Iguana. This is a type of match for NXT on Tuesday night not a PLE.
lol we are John Cena. that cameo was perfect
Hoping for Oba to beat Cody with some outside interference from Drew, then Oba simply relinquishes the NXT title. Ricky can redeem himself by winning a tournament to get it back. Cody can take a break, and Drew can have a helluva feud with Oba.