By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
NXT Hits
Ricky Saints vs. Je’Von Evans: Getting a PLE-worthy matchup as a television main event was a nice way to close out the year. The spot where Evans accidentally took out the referee with an OG Cutter was clever. Evans is headed to the main roster, so having Saints beat him was a logical move. The ref bump and low blow that followed protected Evans, and gave fans another reason to dislike Saints, who is off to a strong start as a heel.
Ethan Page vs. Moose for the NXT North American Championship: A good match with a surprising clean finish. As a heel, Page cheats to win plenty of matches. Mixing in clean wins over credible challengers like Moose adds the layer of credibility that makes him a money heel as opposed to being a soft pest heel. Ricky Saints should and surely will get those types of wins, but generating heat is more important at this early stage of his heel run.
NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne vs. Wren Sinclair in a non-title match: The tried and true formula of a lower card wrestler getting plenty of hope spots during a non-title match before the champion went over clean in the end. Sinclair has a likable personality, and she holds her own in the ring. Hopefully, 2026 will be the year that Sinclair moves up the card. Meanwhile, Jayne wrapped up the best year of her career with another win. It seemed like she was going to be a transitional champion when she beat Stephanie Vaquer to start her first title reign, but the creative forces had other plans. She’s made the most of the opportunity, and it’s been fun to watch her go from being one of Mandy Rose’s sidekicks to being a faction leader and a quality champion.
NXT Misses
“OTM” Bronco Nima and Lucien Price vs. “Swipe Right” Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes: I don’t have a problem with OTM being showcased as a dominant tag team in a glorified squash match, but why not bring in enhancement wrestlers to avoid having a talented young tag team take this loss? Baylor and Smokes haven’t been pushed on NXT television, so it’s not like OTM gained more from beating them than they would have from plowing through a couple of scrubs. Ultimately, one lopsided loss won’t matter in the long run, but with NXT losing some key players to the main roster, they should be protecting the Vanity Project, not booking them like pushovers.
Izzi Dame and Tatum Paxley: I felt bad for Dame. She’s a solid talker, but the live crowd made it clear that they weren’t interested in hearing what she had to say. The fans were much more receptive when Paxley came out and eventually got the better of Dame. Even so, this feud feels a little cold heading into next week’s match.
Tavion Heights vs. Lexis King for a shot at the WWE Speed Championship: Well, at least it was brief. The same can be said about most Speed matches, but this one lasted only eight seconds. I’m surprised they are going with Heights as the first television challenger for new champion Jasper Troy. I was hoping to see Troy plow through some inferior challengers to build up momentum rather than face a strong challenger right out of the gate. The idea of Troy playing the role of a dominant monster heel is the only thing I find even remotely appealing about the Speed matches being held in NXT.
(Jason Powell, founder and editor of ProWrestling.net, has covered pro wrestling full-time dating back to 1997. He hosts a weekly podcast, Pro Wrestling Boom, and also appears regularly on the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast. Reach him via email at dotnetjason@gmail.com and on social media via @prowrestlingnet.bsky.social or x.com/prowrestlingnet. For his full bio and information on this website, click here.)
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