SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NXT TV RESULTS
AUGUST 26, 2025
ORLANDO, FLA. AT CAPITOL WRESTLING CENTER
LIVE ON CW NETWORK
REPORT BY KELLY WELLS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
NXT Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
Backstage Correspondent(s): Sarah Schreiber
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST
-We got heavy recapping of Heatwave, a show I still think had a lot of strange booking decisions. We also got hype for tonight’s show and the possible title matches on the horizon for Josh Briggs and Ricky Saints.
-Saints opened the show. He got a strong reaction and said that’s why he wanted to start the show. He said he’d put his money behind Je’Von Evans any day, but Oba Femi showed why he’s the champion. He said he’s been here for six months, and he’s faced the best of the best, but he wants what Oba Femi has in his possession. He knows there’s a talented group in the locker room, but he’s calling his shot now. He called out Oba Femi.
Josh Briggs entered to his music instead. He told Saints not to get carried away. He said he walks around like he’s a gift to this business. He said he’ll give the rare Josh Briggs compliment: the hype is real. He said the kids in this company couldn’t take him down with a five-year head start. Sants said he knows how tough Briggs is, but if he’s going to come out here looking like Sid from Toy Story, he can’t come out here and tell him what to do. Briggs said whether it’s Sid or Briggs, he’s going to take him out.
Ava hit the ramp. She said nobody has heard from Je’Von Evans since his defeat at Heatwave, so tonight, Josh Briggs and Ricky Saints will go head to head in a #1 Contender’s match with the winner getting a shot at No Mercy. Hey, for once they’ll have multiple weeks to hype a championship match!
-Backstage (days ago), Blake Monroe and Ava spoke. Monroe said she should get a title shot now. Kelani Jordan stepped in and said Monroe could get to the back of the line. Ava said they could continue their issue from a few weeks ago and have a match tonight.
-Monroe entered ahead of the opening match. [c]
(1) KELANI JORDAN vs. BLAKE MONROE
Dropkick by Jordan. Rope run and an arm drag by Jordan, which led to nearfalls by each, then two more. Big headbutt and a back kick by Jordan. Monroe slammed Jordan, did some ground & pound, then covered after a dropkick for two. Monroe charged Jordan to a corner and the ref had to back her up from the corner. Monroe ducked a shot and threw a hard right. Monroe yanked Jordan to the mat and rolled over her and snapped on an armbar with a bridge. Jordan got in an axe kick and both women sold on the mat.
The two went to an exchange of rights and then Jordan got in some ax-handles and a block. Sit-out DDT by Jordan, and Monroe scampered to a rope and escaped out to the ramp side. With Monroe on the floor, Jordynne Grace’s music played, and Monroe tried to escape. The door she found was locked, and Grace stood there and casually asked “where are you going? You have a match!” Monroe returned to the ring and Jordan put her on the mat, then hit the split-legged moonsault to finish.
WINNER: Kelani Jordan at 4:15.
(Wells’s Analysis: Jordan again stakes her claim to a North American Championship match, though Sol Ruca vs. Kelani Jordan feels a lot like it should be for the main championship while Lola Vice vs. Jacy Jayne is a North American Championship match at best. Monroe still isn’t coming off like a great worker, but her running heel act is working pretty well. I was hoping the issue with Grace wasn’t over since Grace’s story really only works if it ends in victory)
-In a branded segment, Vic sat down with Myles Borne to talk about Lexis King. Borne said that King exists to stir the pot, and there will always be someone like him. We got shots of the scenes leading to this, including King blinding Borne and Ava telling King that they’ll meet in a blindfold match.
-Myles Borne entered ahead of the next match. Sarah Schreiber asked him about it. He said his eyesight was a little blurry, but if the crowd helps him out, they can signal when he’s close to Lexis King. The crowd seemed willing to play along with the popular Borne. [c]
(2) MYLES BORNE vs. LEXIS KING – Blindfold match
The two got close to one another and missed rights. Both were in relatively new gear, so the tattoos were better at helping us know which was which. After a couple of near-misses, Borne hit a dropkick, then ended up schoolboying a tripping King into a nearfall. King tried to run and attack, and basically did a tope suicida out to nobody. He backed into a post, then punched it. He tripped over a set of steps. He’s willing to pratfall all over for the sake of a comedy match, and honestly, it’s already more entertaining than Martel vs. Roberts was, though that one had months of build.
Borne missed a knee drop. King pretended to measure a kick and ended up kicking near the ref, who skipped out of the line of fire. King tripped over Borne again. They got to their feet and the crowd helped out with “yay/boo” punches. They locked up and moved around the ring. King intentionally thumbed the eye of the ref, then pulled up his mask, kicked Borne in the nuts, lowered the mask and hit The Coronation for the win.
WINNER: Lexis King at 4:51.
(Wells’s Analysis: This was the only likely finish given how badly King needs a win and needs something like this to keep him in a strong heel context, but Borne hasn’t been anywhere near the top since his match with Oba Femi and he’ll have to come back strong after this one. The match was a silly comedy affair, but done really well given the constraints)
-Wren Sinclair complained to Charlie Dempsey that she still didn’t have a partner tonight. Of course, Dempsey introduced Kendal Grey, with new gear and hopefully some type of personality. Dempsey said he brought this to Grey and she agreed to all of his terms. Grey said it wasn’t like that, but she said she would help Sinclair. Wren ran off excitedly and Grey followed. She threw a chop at Dempsey, who sold it and said “Okay, she can chop” and followed them. [c]
(3) WREN SINCLAIR & KENDAL GREY (w/Charlie Dempsey) vs. THE CULLING (Izzi Dame & Tatum Paxley) (w/Shawn Spears & Niko Vance)
Grey and Dame opened. Dame shoved Grey away, but Sinclair made a tag and the faces cut Dame down with some chops. Paxley tagged in. Sinclair ducked a shot and hit a roundhouse kick, then ran the ropes for a kick and a one count. Paxley got in a kick and tagged Dame, then made the blind tag so she could nail Sinclair with a kick as she ran the ropes. Paxley took over on offense on Sinclair and grounded her with a body scissors. Sinclair wriggled her way free and made a semi-hot tag to Grey, who landed some offense on Paxley, including a nice double-underhook belly to belly. Grey fired up and took out an interfering Dame.
Grey got suplexed to her corner, and she tagged Sinclair in. German suplex by Sinclair. Knee lift by Paxley. She had a move set up, but Dame tagged herself in. Sinclair crucifixed Dame, and Paxley made the save. Paxley got attacked by Grey, and instead of returning the favor and helping Paxley, Dame put Sinclair down for the win.
WINNERS: The Culling at 3:29.
(Wells’s Analysis: NXT never met a faction infighting storyline it doesn’t like. They tried to pack a lot in a small amount of time on a night where no matches are going to eclipse five minutes in the first hour, which has become rare. Perfectly decent stuff, though it means we get a retread of Paxley doing what she always does as she always likes her partners more than they like her back, and Grey continues to improve in the ring while there’s literally no attempt by the show to clue us in as to who she is)
-Saints started to make his entrance ahead of his match with Josh Briggs. [c]
(3) RICKY SAINTS vs. JOSH BRIGGS – #1 Contender to the NXT Championship
The bell hit almost immediately after the return from commercial. Briggs dominated early and got a nearfall after a slam. Saints threw some forearms from underneath, ate an elbow, then evaded an elbow drop. Saints got in a few kicks, but a big right from Briggs slowed him down. Saints wrenched an arm and walked the ropes, then struck the arm. Rope run and Saints kicked a waiting Briggs’ head. Briggs shoved Saints out of the ring and action went outside. Saints jumped the steps, then dropkicked them into Briggs. Briggs caught a charging Saints. Saints wriggled free and shoved Briggs to the post, but Briggs fell back and ran into Saints, laying him out as well, in a pretty contrived spot. With both guys selling, the match went to split-screen. [c]
Saints was getting back into it after the split-screen heel heat sequence, but Briggs hit a running cross-body for two. Briggs leaned on Saints some more and got another near-fall. Briggs charged Saints face-first into a turnbuckle, and Saints sold on the mat. Briggs missed a flying lariat and Sants got back into it again with some quick punches.
[HOUR TWO]
Saints hit a Michinoku Driver for two. He set up another big move but Briggs held him off. Briggs punched Saints on the mat, but Saints moved and Briggs buckled his hand. The two went up in a corner. Briggs hit the mat, then whipped Saints over the top rope and into a neckbreaker in a nifty spot. Running pump kick by Briggs got two.
Briggs went for a chokeslam but Saints flew through and ran to hit a dropkick. Top rope miss by Saints. Briggs hit a big chokeslam for a long two. That may have been a believable near-fall, since I can’t remember what Briggs’ finisher actually is because we haven’t seen it much. “This is awesome” chant. Both guys got in rights. Saints countered a slam with a DDT, then hit a tornado DDT for three.
WINNER: Ricky Saints at 12:40.
(Wells’s Analysis: I’m not sure they picked the right guy here, as Briggs is firing on all cylinders as a heel right now, but I wouldn’t be overly surprised if Briggs finds a way into it (although Oba Femi has said he’s done with triple threats). That said, Saints remains very popular despite a lot of stop-start pushing, and it’ll be cool to see how they push this feud)
-Sol Ruca, Zaria and Lola Vice talked about Maybelline. Yep, that happened. Jaida Parker came in and talked everyone down, and Lash Legend got involved. Uriah Connors and Kale Dixon were in the background, silently reacting, which is quite a bit more than they’ve been doing for a while. Elsewhere, Arianna Grace – dressed provocatively – was flirting with Stacks.
-Back in the ring, Saints jawed into the camera, and Oba Femi’s music played him out. [c]
-Saints had a mic. He said people say the longer Femi is champion, the more it weighs down on him. He said he saw it this Sunday. He said he can’t be the ruler forever, and Femi should look closely, because this is the man who’s going to end “the terror, and reign, of you, Oba Femi.” Femi said he sees fear in the eyes of Saints. He said at No Mercy, he’s going to show him he’s not special. When you stand across from Oba Femi, you’re just an ordinary man. He makes the great ordinary, and in his case, he’s going to make “The Absolute” absolutely mediocre.
DarkState’s music played and they were out in the crowd. The new tag team champions, Dion Lennox and Osiris Griffin, talked about how they’re champions now and demand respect. Shugars got in some words and Saints told them to bring it on. Shortly after, Hank & Tank showed up to put four guys on each side. The faces cleaned the ring of DarkState, and Lennox had to be held back by Shugars from continuing the attempt at an assault.
-A voice-over woman promoted the Speed championships coming to NXT. They promoted the rules: you have to win a speed tournament (two matches with a limit of three minutes) to get a championship match (with a five minute limit). Ava said a tournament with Candice LeRae, Lainey Raid, Faby Apache from AAA, and Xia Brookside from TNA, would begin next week to find the next opponent for Sol Ruca. Brookside will be the next former WWE talent – she was a semi-big deal on NXT: UK – to make it back to the company by way of TNA.
-Chelsea Green, the Secret Hervice, and Ethan Page all entered ahead of Alba Fyre’s match against Tyra Mae Steele. We’ll see how this crowd differs from the one at Heatwave. [c]
-Vic promoted NXT Homecoming at Full Sail University on September 16th, No Mercy on the 27th, and Halloween Havoc on October 25th. He confirmed the Jacy Jayne-Lola Vice match will take place at No Mercy.
(5) TYRA MAE STEELE (w/Tavion Heights) vs. ALBA FYRE (w/Piper Niven & Chelsea Green & Ethan Page)
Tyra was cheered during her entrance, which already set this crowd apart from the one in Lowell. Early on, Steele asserted her power dominance by staying motionless on multiple attempts at spots from Fyre. She rolled Fyre around by the legs, then transitioned to a pretty clean bow & arrow. Fyre broke using a rope. Fyre got in a back elbow and put Steele outside. Steele had a moment with Green, who evaded a strike by trust-falling back into Page’s arms. The distraction allowed a tope suicida by Fyre.
Back inside, Fyre booted Steele a little bit. Fyre stuck a knee into Steele’s back and then saluted, but missed the knee drop. The two exchanged rights and went to a corner, where Steele stuck out her backside to lay out a charging Fyre. Steele missed from the top and she hit a knee and a deep DDT for a long two. Steele fought off a double-underhook and hit a German suplex, then snapped on an ankle lock. Ethan Page tried to get involved, and Steele booted him away. Steele rolled up Fyre for the win.
WINNER: Tyra Mae Steele at 4:21.
Afterward, Green tried to get involved, and Heights held her back. Page flew in out of nowhere and took Heights out to an “asshole” chant. Yep, we’re back home after all. He draped the Canadian flag over Heights.
(Wells’s Analysis: Steele is looking pretty confident in there, and if she was at all rattled by the insulting response from Heatwave, it didn’t show tonight. It looks like Heights is going to be in a sink-or-swim spot soon, as he’s likely to get the next shot at the NXT North American Championship)
-Hank & Tank wanted to ask Ava for a tag team championship rematch, but DarkState already talked to them, and DarkState wants all four of them: Hank, Tank, Ricky Saints and Oba Femi. She said they can talk about a potential rematch after the eight-man match next week.
-WWE Unreal spot.
-The six-woman tag match is next. [c]
-Sarah Schreiber caught up with Fatal Influence. Jacy Jayne said Ash by Elegance stole the championship from her. Jazmyn Nyx said they were down one title, but she plans on winning the Speed championship. Jayne said “they” never had two titles, she did. She said if anyone gets a shot at the Speed championship, it’s obviously Fallon, and Fallon Henley nodded in agreement. Nyx said she’s never been a champion, though, and Jayne said there’s a reason for that. Nyx said nobody thought Jacy could win a championship, but she won two. Jacy seemed impressed and said “Welcome to the conversation, Jazmyn!” and she and Fallon left. So I guess this week it looks like Nyx will turn face, but I’m not convinced that any of the writers know where this is heading.
(6) LOLA VICE & SOL RUCA & ZARIA vs. FATAL INFLUENCE (Jacy Jayne & Fallon Henley & Jazmyn Nyx)
The crowd chanted “happy birthday” at one of the babyfaces, but I don’t know which (Google confirms that Ruca turns 26 today). Fatal Influence made their entrance, and the show went to commercial before any bell. [c]
Vic asked what Booker got Sol Ruca for her birthday, and he asked why he would get her anything, since he wasn’t her boyfriend or anything. Ruca and Henley started, and went to quick reversals and short bursts of momentum. Henley hit a DDT and tagged Nyx, who laid in a kick to the midsection. Vic said it was good to see Nyx clap back and stand on her own two feet earlier, so yeah, it seems like the attempt at a face turn is in the works. Zaria tagged in and she and Ruca took down Nyx, and Zaria did her deadlift sleeper in the corner, then dropped Nyx and flexed. She hit a clothesline from the top for two.
Nyx hit a springboard kick for two. O’Connor roll by Nyx for two. Zaria hit a body slam and tagged Vice, and slammed Vice atop Nyx for two. Nyx rolled for a tag to Jayne, allowing Vice and Jayne to have their first face-to-face. Vice got the better of things with her power, and she grounded Jayne with an armbar. Jayne rolled up Vice to break. After some reversals, Vice hit an arm drag. Knee lift and a short clothesline by Jayne. Jayne put Vice in the heel corner and tagged Henley, who hit a running lariat for one. Ruca tagged in, and she and Henley teamed up for some combo kicks on Henley. Ruca draped Henley on the second buckle and surfed her. The ref got hung up and Jayne took out Ruca on the outside. Lainey Reid showed up on the perch, surveying the scene ahead of the Speed Tournament. Hopefully her appearance isn’t a giveaway that she’s winning (I suppose the other three aren’t actually on NXT, so they wouldn’t be readily available). The match went to split-screen with Fatal Influence in control. [c]
The heels had isolated Ruca during the break for a face-in-peril sequence. Vice wanted a tag, but Jayne – who wasn’t legal – yanked her to the floor and threw her into the steps. Henley continued working over Ruca, and she tagged Nyx. Ruca tried to fight back with rights, but the two flapjacked her. Blind tag by Jayne, who laid in a big back kick for two. Jayne threw repeated kicks in the heel corner as Zaria fired up in the face corner, looking for the hot tag. Henley taunted Zaria and made the tag to Jayne. Ruca landed on her feet after a backdrop attempt and tagged Zaria, who dominated Henley and Jayne. She hit a suplex on both at once. Nyx tagged in and got backdropped, and Zaria tagged Ruca. ZaRuca hit an assisted splash and covered for two, broken up by Henley.
Everything totally broke down and all six got involved. The sold for a bit and we got an aerial shot of the six of them selling either on the mat or on the outside. Vice tagged in and she dominated all three members of Fatal Influence on her own, a wise choice if they want her to look worthy of the #1 contender spot. She did her “I’m a Latina” taunt and ran station-to-station and hit Jayne and Nyx with hip attacks. A distraction allowed Jayne & Henley to double-team, but Ruca managed to break up the pin. Ruca and Zaria teamed up to spear Jayne outside. Nyx and Henley collided in a way that opens the door for Fatal Influence to blame Nyx, but it was Henley who took Vice’s backfist finisher.
WINNERS: Lola Vice & Sol Ruca & Zaria at 14:12.
(Wells’s Analysis: No question here that Vice had to get a big win to start her momentum toward a challenge for the Women’s Championship, though I remain stunned that she’s in this position while Jaida Parker, for instance, is hung up with other things. Ruca taunted the heels with the “loser” L up on the forehead in a way I’ve never seen one of the world’s good guys do, but that’s a nitpick (I tend to nitpick Ruca because I think she can be a huge deal if presented correctly). For her part, Jacy Jayne is really looking like a champion of late. I don’t know if that’s better or worse for the show than the story that she was an easily beatable champion who would do anything to keep her championship, but at any rate, it’s a sign that she’s taking the ball and running with it)
We just got a few moments of celebration before Vic promoted the Oba Femi vs. Ricky Saints and Lola Vice vs. Jacy Jayne matches for No Mercy, and then transitioned to the 8-man tag match next week. The final shots were Jayne clutching her belt while the winners taunted them from the ring.
FINAL THOUGHTS: The show’s structure broke heavily from what they did leading up to Heatwave, which was a lot of four-match shows with at least three long matches. This one had six, but four of them were under five minutes long. Ring time was only about 43 minutes, so that part was about the same. The booking feels all over the place to me, but it’s NXT, and if there’s a place to try unconventional things, it’s here. Nate Lindberg and I will talk it over on PWT Talks NXT.
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