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NXT TV RESULTS
JULY 8, 2025
ORLANDO, FLA. AT CAPITOL WRESTLING CENTER
LIVE ON CW NETWORK
REPORT BY KELLY WELLS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
NXT Commentators: Corey Graves, Vic Joseph, Booker T
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
Backstage Correspondent(s): Sarah Schreiber
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-Several of tonight’s players were shown arriving at the venue. Slightly in the background, Stephanie Vaquer was seen.
(1) RICKY SAINTS vs. THE VANITY PROJECT (Jackson Drake & Ricky Smokes & Brad Baylor) (w/Ethan Page) – Gauntlet match; if Saints wins, he gets a match against Ethan Page for the North American Championship and gets to choose the stipulation of that match
Page sat in on commentary as the Vanity Project finished their entrance. Baylor was unsurprisingly thrown to the wolf first, and he ate some early offense before charging Saints to a corner. Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker by Saints. Big modified ushigoroshi by Baylor. Page put over the Vanity Project big and said they remind him of himself. Baylor missed a knee drop and Saints threw some rights. Lariat by Saints. A back body-drop was next. Saints ducked a lariat and hit a tornado DDT to finish Baylor in just over three minutes.
Smokes was next as Evolve Champion Jackson Drake was saved for the end, which is the way to go, but it’s awkward if Saints ends up beating him after already having two matches. Drake teased running in as the match slowed down and went to split-screen. [c]
Smokes hit an ushigoroshi upon return. A mean suplex by Saints from the apron to the floor, from the break, was replayed. Rope run and a release slam from Saints. Overhead belly-to-belly by Saints got two. Smokes rolled up Saints for a quick two but Saints returned the favor and trapped Smokes for the pin.
I was able to fix my computer issue but I blinked and missed the final match, where Drake got around the same amount of time as Baylor. Roshambo finished.
WINNER: Ricky Saints at 12:11.
Saints called out to Page that their match at Great American Bash would be a Falls Count Anywhere match.
(Wells’s Analysis: I wouldn’t advocate a sweep in a gauntlet under normal circumstances, but the Evolve kids don’t need to be protected at this stage and it’s cool that they’re getting TV time at all. Decent enough action to get us to the obvious place we’ve been going)
-In the women’s locker room, Sol Ruca, Zaria, Kelani Jordan, Lola Vice and Lainey Reid talked about who would get to be in the Evolution battle royal (Ava will be naming the NXT contingent later in the show). Reid talked tough and ran afoul of Jordan, and a match was teased for later. [c]
-Earlier today, Jordynne Grace worked out obsessively, then got a call from Blake Monroe, who was supposed to be there. Monroe said they were going to have a “glamour workout.” Monroe suggested that the Great American Bash “won’t know what hit it” when this makeover is through. Grace looked in the SUV that was sent her way and said “Eww…you’ve got to be kidding me” but we didn’t see inside. The bottom of the screen said “To be continued…”
(2) TAVION HEIGHTS vs. CHARLIE DEMPSEY (w/Wren Sinclair) – if Heights wins, he can leave No Quarter Catch Crew
Wren was essentially there for both men. Heights still had the facemask on. Grappling to start. Dempsey dumped Heights with a European uppercut. He rolled him right back inside and Dempsey was supposed to get dumped, but the ropes didn’t quite play along so he had to roll underneath. Back inside again, Dempsey worked a cravat and took Heights down with it. Heights escaped with a high-release body slam. Dempsey ripped off the mask and threw a right, enraging Heights, who speared Dempsey and threw a furious series of rights. Dempsey bailed and Heights charged, but they had a meeting of the minds (or were supposed to, and it didn’t look seamless) and they both went to the floor as the match went to commercial. [c]
Dempsey struck with some knees, then went for a crossface chicken wing, but Heights suplexed Dempsey to stay out of trouble. Two hip tosses and an overhead belly-to-belly by Heights. Yet again, the two spilled to the outside, this time landing hard in a heap. Sinclair was right near them and was pleading with them not to go too far. Dempsey trapped Heights between the stairs and the ring and slammed down on the leg repeatedly. I guess the ref is letting it go. Back inside, half-crab by Dempsey. Dempsey transitioned to a different leg submission and Heights frantically crawled for the ropes. Heights wouldn’t give up, but Sinclair threw in the towel and the ref called for the bell. So, I guess that’s a thing she can do.
WINNER: Charlie Dempsey at 9:39.
Sinclair yelled at Dempsey for his tactics after the match.
(Wells’s Analysis: Although it wasn’t ever established that Sinclair could throw in the towel, it’s a pretty strong next step in the story, as Sinclair is annoyed with Dempsey but Heights could also have issues with Sinclair for this decision if they want to do that also)
-Back by the shipping area, Hank & Tank fired up with Je’Von Evans. In the background, Lexis King was weirdly checking the integrity of the chains and cables on the shipping door for a reason that I assume will be revealed later. As Evans, Hank & Tank danced together, Jasper Troy pounced Evans into the shipping door out of nowhere and had to be held back.
(3) JOE HENDRY & MIKE SANTANA vs. THE HIGH RYZE (Tyriek Igwe & Tyson Dupont)
Hendry and Igwe opened the match and went to a quick stalemate before both made tags. Dupont charged Santana a few times in a corner and tagged Igwe again. Everyone got involved and Hendry & Santana dominated the heels heading into commercial. [c]
Hendry was playing face in peril upon return, with the heels making frequent tags and covers. In a corner inset, Natalya and Maxxine Dupri were shown arriving. Igwe had Hendry grounded with a headlock and the crowd chanted something, and CW just muted the feed for a good 15 seconds. I assume it was something totally benign that they couldn’t understand. Everyone got involved and Santana hit a rolling senton out onto Dupont. Back inside, he covered and it was broken up. Hendry cleared Igwe out with a charge to the outside, and inside Lee had it potentially won, but Lee distracted the ref and Trick Williams showed up and laid out Joe Hendry. Santana didn’t flinch, and hit his finisher on Igwe to win.
WINNERS: Joe Hendry & Mike Santana at 8:43.
Hendry briefly got the better of Williams, but the numbers took over. Trick’s music played, which was an odd choice because it naturally drew out the “Whoop that Trick” chant when they’re trying to get heel heat on the man.
(Wells’s Analysis: This was fully a segment and not much of a match to speak of wrapping around the commercial. It’s going to be interesting, to say the least, to hear the crowd reaction to Hendry-Williams on Saturday. I can’t believe they’d task Hendry with trying to get Williams booed)
-A hype segment played for Yoshiki Inamura ahead of his challenge. The Great Muta was shown, as was Iyo Sky, and some young Pro Wrestling NOAH talent. Kaito Kiyomiya was shown, which was pretty wild for me, as he appeared in a couple of different New Japan tournaments over the past three years as part of the NJPW-NOAH partnership, so it’s wild to see him featured here. [c]
[HOUR TWO]
-DarkState did another pre-taped interview, referring back to their attack on Matt Cardona on TNA last week. This company just can’t shake that man. They said they’d be paying close attention to the tag team championship match later tonight.
-Josh Briggs & Yoshiki Inamura hit the ring in street clothes. Well, Inamura was in a dapper suit, which was an amusing contrast with his wild hairstyle. Oba Femi strutted out to the ring in clothes that were pretty plain by his flashy standards. Inamura took the mic and said he beat Jasper Troy and Trick Williams to get here. He said Femi would be his greatest challenge, but he was ready. He said the people, Briggs, and his family and friends all support him. He said he has to make them proud. He said at GAB, he’ll fight with honor and become the new NXT Champion. There was a good reaction, but Femi is pretty popular so it was muted in comparison to if the champion was someone less unifying.
Femi said it was good that Inamura had so much support, but the same thing will happen as always. Briggs stepped in and got a huge amount of boos for some reason. He stood up for Inamura and said Inamura is a man of honor, but he himself isn’t a man of honor, he’s a man of mayhem. He said this Saturday is his only chance. Femi said it wasn’t his fight and Briggs has to get out of his face. Briggs got into it with Femi, and Briggs spilled to the outside and Inamura caught Femi and hit a delayed body slam. They were separated by security.
-Jordynne Grace and Blake Monroe were in a bright room, suggested to be Monroe’s, and they did a 1980s style montage where Monroe tried to get Graceto agree to some glam. Grace softened just enough to sit in the chair and allow some makeup to happen. As they sat with their feet in the water, Monroe said it was time to take out Jacy Jayne. Grace thankfully pointed out that the makeup was pretty much how she always looks, and Monroe said “Yeah, but isn’t this way more fun?”
-Kelani Jordan, with cool very long new hair extensions, made her entrance ahead of the next match. [c]
(4) KELANI JORDAN vs. LAINEY REID
We got just a handful of seconds of Reid’s music, which sounded like a tuneless, sped-up Deliverance remix. Reid was on the offensive early and played purely heel, but there was a “Lainey” chant by some of the crowd so maybe she’s got some well-wishers here for her first big test. Spinebuster by Reid got two. Zelina Vega was shown arriving outside with an intense look on her face.
Jordan fought from underneath and lifted up Reid for a fireman’s carry slam. Jordan went up but Reid kicked up at her. They fought up top and Reid got dropped to the mat. Jordan hit the split-legged moonsault. She got into it from a standing position from the middle rope, and it looked like it was almost a disaster, but she apparently had control even though the angle wasn’t perfect.
WINNER: Kelani Jordan at 4:24.
Thea Hail attacked Reid after the match.
(Wells’s Analysis: Reid has decent enough fundamentals though she’s not yet memorable on the mic yet. She’s something different from the majority of the roster, so hopefully she can tap into that. Thea Hail seems like she was on top of the world not long ago, but this feud feels like kind of a backslide)
-Je’Von Evans was being checked on by trainers, so again, Jasper Troy ran in out of nowhere and destroyed him on the table as the show went to commercial. [c]
-A sponsored segment saw another sit-down with all four members of what used to be The Family. This is kind of a forgettable way for Adrianna Rizzo to return. She said as she was in the safehouse, she saw all three of them lose sight of what it’s about in NXT. Weird since Stacks is a champion for the first time, but whatever. She had a lot of blame to go around and the guys asked if they thought this was really going to get them back together. Rizzo said no. She said she talked to Ava and got a triple threat for the three of them, and she said this is “The Final Battle.” Stacks thought he was getting set up, and Tony laughed at that. The three men bickered through the rest of the segment. It really did feel like the end of The Family, which is great, though I have a hard time seeing any of them moving forward without that part of their shared history. As dopey as this story continues to be, Rizzo is able to carry it on her shoulders.
-Jasper Troy hit the ring and said he was done with Je’Von Evans, so Ava should make the NXT Championship match at GAB a triple threat. Evans attacked and this time got the better of Troy.
-The Culling, now with Tatum Paxley, gathered in their dark space. Paxley was very happy to have friends. Niko Vance struggled through some mic time about becoming tag team champions. Shawn Spears eased him up and said they had to focus to become champions. Izzi Dame said she’d be wearing gold soon, and Paxley said it was just like all of their hearts. The segment ended with an “intense” closeup of Vance that was almost laugh-inducing in how overwrought it was. The Culling were shown entering together ahead of the main event. There’s a lot of time left to go, so there’s either going to be a series of segments before the match, or there’s a main event segment to come. [c]
(5) HANK WALKER & TANK LEDGER (c) vs. SHAWN SPEARS & NIKO VANCE (w/Izzi Dame & Tatum Paxley) – NXT Tag Team Championship match
This is the one thing Hank & Tank haven’t bothered to do since they won the championships almost three months ago – have a two-on-two match. The teams brawled before the bell and the heels got a brief advantage, but Hank & Tank hit their crowd-pleasing goofy spots shortly after to take control. It settled in with Tank & Vance, and Vance hit a headbutt and tagged Spears, who kept up the heat segment with some shots and strikes. Ivy Nile was shown ahead of the Evolution Battle Royal Summit, which I had forgotten about because it’s frankly a weird thing to finish the show (unless a major reveal is planned).
Hank made the tag and the champs hit some team offense, and Hank was cleared to the outside. He was distracted by Dame & Paxley, and Vance pounced out of nowhere – on a show with a lot of pounces out of nowhere – right onto the announce table as the match went to commercial. [c]
After a commercial for AEW Dynamite and All In: Texas, the match returned. Tank made the hot tag after an apparent heat sequence through the break on Hank, and Tank destroyed Spears and then hit the ugliest tope suicida you’ll ever see on Vance. Spears hit a superkick but Hank took him down for a cover and a near-fall, broken up by Vance. The match got a “this is awesome” chant. I suppose it’s fine. Zaria and Sol Ruca showed up and brawled with Paxley & Dame to the back. The champs ripped off their shirts and got series and went at the challengers. Spears saved Vance from being mashed between the champs, eating the spot himself, as the story continues that Spears will sacrifice himself for any of his underlings. Vance ended up spilling from the ring and the champs finished off Spears.
WINNERS: Hank & Tank at 10:46.
(Wells’s Analysis: The crowd was way into it, but it was just okay. I genuinely thought Hank & Tank were going to be zero-defense champions, but they were presented as the tough champions they can be, rather than the doofy underdogs they were for months before the win)
-At Great American Bash: Izzi Dame & Tatum Paxley vs. Sol Ruca & Zaria, Oba Femi vs. Yoshiki Inamura, Ricky Saints vs. Ethan Page in a Falls Count Anywhere match, Trick Williams vs. Joe Hendry vs. Mike Santana, Fallon Henley & Jacy Jayne vs. Jordynne Grace & Blake Monroe. [c]
-Ava made some platitudes about previous Evolution matches before talking up NXT’s representation at this Saturday’s event. Jaida Parker, Lola Vice, Kelani Jordan, Lash Legend, Izzi Dame and Tatum Paxley were named as the six women from the brand to represent NXT in the battle royal. Fatal Influence’s music played and Jacy Jayne said they should really just be talking about her. She started some boring complaints and Jordynne Grace’s music played her out and she said she’d be on top of the division soon. Lash Legend was next. She seemed to forget a line as she entered the ring, but maybe she was waiting until she got there? She put over her chances in the battle royal. Stephanie Vaquer’s music played her out to the reaction of the night and a “Stephanie” chant. Vaquer said she respects Jacy Jayne, but on Sunday, Grace will be taking her championship. Natalya and Maxxine Dupri were next. Dupri talked up Natalya and said one of them would be named the new Women’s Champion. Natalya said they’d be the last two in the battle royal. Jaida Parker walked through the crowd and put over her own chances and said she’d throw all y’all asses over the top. Lola Vice, Ivy Nile and Zelina Vega were also present outside the ring, probably waiting for the brawl spot. And just like that, Parker ran in and attacked, and everyone brawled in the ring as a few refs tried to break up the brawl. Giulia was in there as well. Izzi Dame and Tatum Paxley laughed from the ramp and Izzi said “Let them fight.” The show ended as the brawl continued.
(Wells’s Analysis: Well, that’s a flat ending to the show. These brawls to set up battle royals and Royal Rumbles always come off as enormously forced, and everyone gets mic time but nobody really comes off as any better off.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: Not the greatest of go-home shows, which aren’t the greatest of shows in the first place, but there were some story beats to like (or in the case of the Family, at least there’s some change to look forward to). The one upside of the six women in the battle royal is that they could really do a Paige-style shock the world moment and put one of them over on a big stage if they wanted, though I’m not sure any have a genuine chance (I might go that way with Parker if I had the book, but we’ll see what happens with her up there). Nate Lindberg and I will sort the mess out on PWT Talks NXT. Stream tonight or check it out tomorrow.
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