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NXT BATTLEGROUND
MAY 25, 2025
TAMPA, FLA. AT YUENGLING CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON PEACOCK
REPORT BY DAVID MILLER, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Corey Graves, Vic Joseph, Booker T
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
Backstage Correspondent(s): Kelly Kincaid, Sarah Schreiber
[HOUR ONE]
-The broadcast opened with a panoramic shot of the Tampa skyline, followed by Stephanie Vaquer, Jordynne Grace, Oba Femi, New Quarter Catch Crew, Joe Hendry, and Trick Williams entering the building. A packed Yuengling Center was cheering as Vic Joseph and Corey Graves introduced the show, followed by a video package preview of the storylines leading up to tonight’s lineup.
(1) SOL RUCA (c) (w/Zaria) vs. KELANI JORDAN – Women’s North American Championship match.
Ruca came to the ring on a skateboard, being pushed by Zaria. The crowd popped with the opening bell. As expected, this match started off at 100 mph. Cartwheels, flips, and quick escapes were followed by a brief handshake and showing of respect. Kelani slapped the taste out of Ruca’s mouth, but Ruca went right back to work with incredibly innovative offense.
Ruca missed a springboard, and Jordan took advantage with a legdrop across the back of the neck while Ruca was hanging on the second rope. Jordan got a few two-counts as the match slowed down to 90 mph. Jordan applied a half-crab to slow things down a bit. Jordan climbed to the top, but Ruca leapt up with her and delivered an explosive X-Factor that brought the crowd off their feet.
A ‘this is awesome” chant broke out. No argument with that at all. Jordan kicked at Ruca on the ring apron in front of Zaria. She nailed a moonsault to the floor on Ruca, then jawed with Zaria before climbing back in the ring. Ruca put Jordan out of the ring and then did a backflip across the ring into a moonsault to the outside. An “NXT” chant broke out this time. Ruca hit a springboard splash for a two-count.
Jordan hit a 5-star frog splash for three separate two-counts. Both ladies went to the top again. Jordan tried to hit a poisonrana off the top, but Ruca landed on her feet and speared Jordan out of her boots for a near fall. Jordan executed a Spanish Fly off the top turnbuckle for another near fall.
They traded kicks and forearms mid-ring. Zaria pulled Ruca out of the way of a Jordan split-legged moonsault. The referee saw it and ejected her. As Ruca was distracted by Zaria’s exile, Jordan took the advantage. Ruca came back to hit a very high Sol Snatcher off the top rope for the pin.
WINNER: Sol Ruca at 15:16 to retain the North American Championship.
(Miller’s Take: This was nothing short of phenomenal. Just what you’d expect from these two stellar athletes. They had the crowd off their feet through the whole match and really set the tone for the night. Excellent opening match. I expect Ruca to take exception to Zaria’s interference, even though it may have saved her from losing the belt.)
-A video package of The Culling sitting in complete darkness aired. They spoke of doing whatever it takes to win and targeted NXT Tag Team Champions Hank & Tank.
-Ava was shown speaking with some women AAA luchadoras.
-Sarah Schreiber interviewed TNA star Mike Santana. No Quarter Catch Crew interrupted, and a challenge was made to him by Tavion Heights, who showed respect to him. Charlie Dempsey didn’t seem pleased.
(2) THE CULLING (w/Izzi Dame) vs. HANK & TANK & JOSH BRIGGS – 6-Man Tag Team match
Niko Vance barely missed becoming the meat in an early Hank & Tank sandwich, but the tag champs came back with a double dive through the ropes. Back in the ring, Vance sent Hank headfirst into the ring post harder than I’ve ever seen. He went flying. Vance continued the aggressive offense inside the ring.
Spears tagged in to continue the beating on Hank. Jensen tagged in and took a high backdrop before Hank finally got the hot tag to Tank, who came in and cleaned house. The tag champs delivered a double superplex to Vance before Briggs tagged in and hit a moonsault for a near fall. Hank was covered for a questionable two-count, as Tank was late breaking up the pin, but the referee stopped counting anyway. The announcers addressed the count as the fans reacted to the botch.
Briggs clotheslined the heads off everyone. Jensen got squashed in a Hank & Tank sandwich, followed by a high/low takedown on Jensen for the pin. After the match, The Culling attacked the winners. Izzi Dame grabbed a chair, but a hand reached out and grabbed the other end of it. The camera panned to reveal it was Yoshiki Inamura, who went in the ring and cleaned house with the chair.
WINNERS: Hank & Tank & Josh Briggs at 9:21
(Miller’s Take: This was a crowd-pleaser. That ringpost shot that Hank took was crazy. It was a good way to bring back Inamura, and the fans were delighted to see him. The action was fast, hard-hitting, and told the story it needed to.)
-Ava interrupted an Ethan Page interview to tell him that the winner of the upcoming North American title match will defend at Worlds Collide. [c]
[HOUR TWO]
(3) TONY D’ANGELO vs. CHANNING “STACKS” LORENZO
Stacks threw a D’Angelo Family jacket on the floor and stepped on it as he made his way to the ring. D’Angelo slapped Stacks in fhe face and clotheslined him over the top rope. Stacks came back with some hard forearms to the back, but the offense was short-lived, as The Don delivered an overhead suplex to the floor. Stacks tasted the ringpost courtesy of The Don, but came back to throw his former boss into the ring steps.
Back in the ring, Stacks was booed as he kneed D’Angelo in the kidneys. Booker T was shamelessly pulling for Stacks as he locked D’Angelo into a body scissors. The move was broken up when they began trading fists. Stacks hit Cement Shoes for a two-count. Lots of trash-talking from the former underboss. The Don hit another overhead suplex into the corner to turn the tide of the match. A series of suplexes were followed up with a crunching spinebuster to Stacks.
Heavy body shots from D’Angelo were met with crowd approval. D’Angelo slowly muscled Stacks up into a German suplex for a near fall. He mounted Stacks and pounded him before inexplicably stopping and staring at his hands. Stacks rose to his feet and said, “I knew you were weak.” He missed a spear to D’Angelo and hit the ring post. He came back to hit a stomp to D’Angelo’s back as he was hanging off the second rope.
Stacks crawled to the corner to look for a pair of hidden knucks, but D’Angelo intercepted him delivered a series of forearms to the back of the neck. Stacks begged off and said he was sorry, but The Don didn’t buy it. Luca Crusifino appeared at ringside and stood staring at D’Angelo, who was distracted long enough for Stacks to kick him in the family jewels and get the pin.
After the match, Crusifino slowly entered the ring and opened his arms to D’Angelo, who shoved him away and walked off as Crusifino stood there emotionless.
WINNER: Stacks Lorenzo at 15:17.
(Miller’s Take: This was another solid match. D’Angelo repeatedly yelled at Stacks that all he had to do was listen, and Stacks repeatedly told D’Angelo that he was weak. Although he didn’t clearly interfere, it appears that Crusifino will be aligned with Stacks. I guess Stacks must have done some brainwashing while he held Crusifino captive in the desert. Will Rizzo also join Stacks? I’m curious to see how this will play out.)
-Trick Williams was shown warming up in the locker room. [c]
(4) STEPHANIE VAQUER (c) vs. JORDYNNE GRACE – NXT Women’s Championship match
The two AAA luchadoras that Ava was chatting with earlier were near the barricade and stared down Vaquer as she made her way to the ring. The announcers mentioned a past history there. A purple-clad Vaquer was wildly cheered by the NXT faithful, who heartily chanted “La Primera”. A handshake preceded a clean series of armdrags and reversals. The women traded pin variations and seemed very evenly matched.
Vaquer missed a 619 and locked in the Devil’s Kiss, but Grace rolled with it outside the ring. Vaquer still had her legs locked around Grace’s neck and was seated on her shoulders as Grace stood upright and dropped her backwards across the announce desk. Grace took the champ back to the ring and began to dominate. She missed a Vader bomb when Vaquer rolled out of the way. La Primera hung Grace’s arm across the top rope and leaned back with a painful-looking armbar. Booker T lost his mind as Vaquer delivered on the Devil’s Kiss. Vic asked Booker if he needed a cold shower. Vaquer hit Grace with a clothesline, but she no-sold it and dropped her with a package powerbomb for a near fall. Both women climbed to the top turnbuckle, and Grace nailed a top-turnbuckle superplex, then held on for a jackhammer for a two-count.
An SVB attempt was countered by Grace. They traded tombstone positions and both wound up outside the ring. Vaquer shoved Grace headfirst through the barricade. She threw Grace back into the ring and hit the SVB but only got a two-count. The crowd was shocked, and Vaquer looked stunned. They traded headbutts and elbows mid-ring. Grace hit a back fist, but Vaquer came back with a dragon screw leg whip. She climbed to the top and Grace followed her up but was shoved off. Vaquer repositioned herself and delivered an incredible Spiral Tap for the three-count.
WINNER: Stephanie Vaquer at 16:03 to retain the NXT Women’s Championship.
(Miller’s Take: That was outstanding. I don’t know how that could have possibly been any better. Grace pushed Vaquer to her limit and beyond, forcing Vaquer to dig deep into her arsenal for a finisher that she normally doesn’t pull out. Grace looked extremely strong in defeat and Vaquer has now been pushed beyond the moon. The fans can’t get enough of her. At this point, I’m looking for La Primera to eclipse the dominance of Asuka when she stood atop the division for a record length of time.)
-Sarah Schreiber stood mid-ring and introduced North American Champion Ricky Saints, who cut a quick promo before being jumped by Ethan Page. He fired back on Page, who rolled to the outside as security swarmed him. Saints climbed to the top and dove off onto Page and the 35 security people on the floor as the crowd cheered. [c]
[HOUR THREE]
(5) OBA FEMI (c) vs. MYLES BORNE – NXT Championship match
No Quarter Catch Crew walked out with Borne, who fist-bumped his teammates before they returned to the back. Dempsey didn’t reciprocate the fist-bump. Raw power vs. speed was the theme to start the match, with Femi throwing Borne around, but also getting rocked with a high dropkick. Femi caught a cross-body and shoved his challenger into the corner. He hung Borne gut-first over the top rope.
A slow, deliberate vertical suplex by Femi led to a two-count. Borne told Femi, “I’m still here.” Femi continued clubbing Borne to the mat and nearly broke him in half with a forearm to the spine. At this point, it started to look like Femi was playing with his food. Femi told Borne, “You’re not ready.” He bounced his head off the mat, but Borne pulled out a standing dropkick to stun Femi. The champ stretched Borne’s back over his knee before taking his head off with a clothesline. Femi missed an uppercut, allowing Borne to mount his back with a sleeper.
Femi backed him into the corner a couple of times to break the hold. Femi tried to clothesline Borne over the top rope and onto the floor but ate another superb dropkick. Femi recovered quickly and locked in a rear chinlock. Borne moved out of the way of a spear, and Femi hit the ring post hard. This gave Borne a chance to shine, and he took it to the champion with a high plancha over the top that flattened Femi.
Back in the ring, Borne hit the Orton snap powerslam for two. The intensity got ramped up here with some believable near-falls. Borne countered a Fall from Grace and powered Femi over with a German suplex, then followed up with a top rope splash for a two-count. Back on their feet, they traded hard blows, and Borne dropkicked Femi. A Fall from Grace shockingly only got a two-count. Femi was beside himself. He hit the finisher two more times before going for another pin, which was successful this time.
WINNER: Oba Femi at 16:53 to retain the NXT Championship.
(Miller’s Take: I think anyone who saw this match would agree that it far exceeded expectations. Borne looked great and gave Femi a good run for his money. The challenger came out of this match looking like a million bucks, which is how it’s supposed to be done. Femi gave a nod of approval to Borne as he left the ring. I didn’t think anyone could follow Vaquer vs. Grace, but Femi and Borne pulled it off and then some.)
-In the back, Stephanie Vaquer was arguing loudly with the AAA luchadoras. Jacy Jayne stepped up and slapped Vaquer. Security rushed in to separate the women. [c]
-TNA President Carlos Silva was shown in the crowd.
(6) JOE HENDRY (c) vs. TRICK WILLIAMS – TNA World Championship match
The announcers hyped up the historical significance of this match as the crowd popped huge at the moment and chanted “TNA”. They got in each other’s faces before Hendry teed off on Williams, who quickly found himself outside the ring. Hendry dove over the top onto Trick, which got a huge reaction. Back in the ring, Hendry delivered a delayed vertical suplex.
Williams climbed to the top, but Hendry followed him up and hit a fall-away slam off the top rope. He got several near-falls on Williams. Hendry’s offense got huge pops from the crowd. Trick came back with a scissors kick, and then went into Booker T mode, signaling for a Spinarooni. As he turned around, Hendry met him with a Bookend for a two-count. That was a crowd-pleasing exchange.
Hendry showed impressive strength by manhandling the challenger. They took it to the floor, and Hendry got thrown hard into the ring steps. Back in the ring, Trick mocked Hendry, stomping the mat and clapping. He got in a couple of two-counts and chopped Hendry hard before dropping him with a neckbreaker for another near-fall.
Hendry powered out of a submission hold to suplex his challenger, then hit another fall-away slam. He hit the Standing Ovation, but Williams draped his foot over the bottom rope to break the pin. Williams hit a spinning kick but tumbled to the floor when he charged Hendry, who pulled down the top rope. On the outside, Williams drove Hendry through the announce table with a Bookend. Back in the ring again, Hendry kicked out of a Trick Shot. Williams brought the TNA belt into the ring but dropped it as Hendry rolled him up for a two-count. Trick dropped Hendry face-first onto the belt, then hit a second Trick Shot for the win.
WINNER: Trick Williams at 15:01 to capture the TNA World Championship.
(Miller’s Take: I may be starting to sound like a broken record here, but this was fantastic. The crowd was really into Joe Hendry and everything he did. Due to how the match had been built up, it ended as I expected, with a WWE wrestler winning the top championship of another wrestling company. This could make for a very interesting dynamic for both companies, and I’m very invested in seeing where they go with this. The TNA president was shown looking quite unhappy after the match.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: If I could only use one word to describe this PLE, it would probably be “wow”. This was a top-notch show from top to bottom. NXT rocked the house tonight and showed everyone how it’s done. We saw some cracks in the foundation of the Ruca/Zaria friendship, an interesting twist the the D’Angelo/Stacks feud, and one of the biggest title changes in WWE history. I’d be hard pressed to pick a match of the night because the four title matches were equally incredible. This was one of those PLE’s that makes me wish I had an extra thumb so I could give it three thumbs up. See you Tuesday for NXT on The CW!
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