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NXT TV REPORT
SEPTEMBER 9, 2025
ORLANDO, FLA. AT THE WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON THE CW
REPORT BY DAVID MILLER, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Corey Graves, Vic Joseph, Booker T
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
Backstage Correspondent(s): Kelly Kincaid
[HOUR ONE]
-Sol Ruca & Zaria, The Culling, and Fatal Influence were shown walking through the parking lot.
-As Vic Joseph was introducing the show, he was interrupted by Je’Von Evans, who came to the ring and angrily called out Josh Briggs. Briggs power-walked to the ring, but was flattened when Evans sailed over the top like he’d been shot out of a cannon. The two men brawled on the floor until Ava and a referee came out to usher them into the ring. Evans hit a springboard moonsault off the second rope to the floor, then threw Briggs into the ring as the referee called for the bell.
(1) JE’VON EVANS vs. JOSH BRIGGS
As soon as the bell rang, Evans nailed Briggs with a wild kick and followed that up with a top rope splash for a two-count. Briggs stopped him cold with a vicious right cross to the jaw. He began beating on him mercilessly as the fans chanted “Briggs, go away”. Evans came back with a couple of great huricanranas, then they took it outside the ring. Briggs attempted to chokeslam Evans through the announce desk, but he landed on his feet, leaped from the desk to the ring apron, planted a boot in Briggs’s face, then ran the ropes and shot like a bullet onto Briggs, sending them both tumbling over the announce desk and into the barricade. [c]
After the split-screen commercial break, Briggs was in control until Evans fought back with some wild punches. Briggs threw him into the ropes awkwardly and began trash talking him. Evans again began throwing hands and just about kicked Briggs’s head off for a near-fall. Briggs clotheslined Evans out of his boots, but was met with another crazy, flipping kick to the side of the head. As Briggs was slumped in the corner, Evans climbed the opposite turnbuckle and hit a somersault coast to coast. The camera caught Briggs taking the chain off from around his neck. As Evan jumped off the ropes again, Briggs surreptitiously nailed him in the back of the head with it and scored the pin.
WINNER: Josh Briggs at 12:45.
(Miller’s Take: Wow! What a way to open the show! Evans defies the laws of gravity in every way possible and he showed great intensity here. I’ve never been too high on Briggs, but performances like this are warming me up to him. He’s coming across as an angry bully with a huge chip on his shoulder. These two created magic tonight. Just excellent from bell to bell.)
-Oba Femi and Ricky Saints were bickering in Ava’s office. She told them that next week at Homecoming they could talk about all their big feelings on the Grayson Waller Effect. Trick Williams came and and asked Ava if she was okay with what he had in mind before he went out to confront DIY.
-DIY were shown walking down the hallway of the Performance Center. [c]
-Back from the break, DIY were already in the ring. Ciampa and Gargano talked about their love of NXT. Trick Williams’s music hit and he joined DIY in the ring. He said they got the better of him last week, but tonight he’s not alone. Amazingly, Carmelo Hayes came out. He stared down DIY, then turned his attention to Trick.
He said Trick spoke some truth, but he also said some things that weren’t true. He told Trick that he was saying this was his house while standing in the ring with two people who built this house and one who rennovated it. He said Williams was squatting in this house and he came to remind him that rent is due. He told Williams to be quiet while OG’s were talking. Ciampa stirred the pot by asking which one of them was the big brother and which was the little brother. Melo took exception to that and said this was between him and his bro. He went on to remind them they had no room to talk with them being the biggest back stab in NXT history. Gargano challenged Carmelo and Trick to a tag team match. [c]
(2) LAINEY REID vs. FABY APACHE – Women’s Speed Title Tournament Match
Natalya was shown sitting in the crowd. Per Speed rules, the 3 minute time limit was in effect. AAA’s Apache blasted out of the corner with a dropkick to knock Reid on her backside. She hit a cannonball to the outside before taking it back into the ring. Apache was in firm control for the first two minutes of the match. Reid came back briefly, but Apache executed a perfect German suplex. As she climbed to the top turnbuckle, Natalya came to ringside, which distracted Apache long enough to give Reid time to recover and move out of the way of Apache, who crashed down to the mat. One well-placed knee to the face later and Reid scored the victory.
WINNER: Lainey Reid at 2:41 to advance.
(Miller’s Take: There’s not much rhyme or reason to these Speed matches. It’s just full speed (pun intended) ahead for 3 minutes or until someone scores a pin. No surprise to see Reid win, as she’s NXT and Apache is AAA, which means she’s going to be seen by WWE as lower-tier talent, despite the fact that they now own the promotion. The jury is still out for me on this Speed thing.)
-In the back, Hank & Tank and Sol Ruca & Zaria got each other geeked up over winning tag team gold. [c]
-What started out looking like another overproduced, over-the-top Blake Monroe promo turned into something completely different. It took a dark turn and got kind of Wendy Choo-ish as Monroe was in a bubble bath talking about Grace awakening something within her. The red-lit bathroom with candles added an eerie touch as Monroe flashed an evil grin that would make Karen Black proud. She said she’d see Grace in hell. I’m actually interested.
(3) DARKSTATE (c) vs. HANK & TANK – NXT Tag Team Championship Match
Osiris started the match with Tank, who immediately went after Lennox and knocked him to the floor. The challengers executed their finisher for an early near-fall. It didn’t take long for Darkstate to take the advantage, though. A slugfest ensued mid-ring between both teams. With the champs on the floor, Hank & Tank both dove through the ropes onto their opponents. That was, of course, the cue for a commercial break. [c]
Back from the break, Lennox was battling Tank and getting the better of him. He and Osiris hit a double chokeslam for a two-count. Tank began to fire up, but it was cut short by a thunderous powerslam. Osiris started running his mouth as Tank reached for the tag. He finally got it and Hank went to town and hit some kind of crazy, indescribable move on Lennox for a two-count. They hit a combination superplex/top-rope senton for a very near-fall.
As they went for the Hank & Tank sandwich, the other members of Darkstate pulled them to the floor, which, for some reason, did not result in a disqualification. As Cutler grabbed Tank, he told him that Joe Hendry wasn’t coming tonight. Bad move. The name was said, and Hendry burst through a wall as his music hit. As the referee was preoccupied with Hendry, Osiris ran in and reversed a rollup by Tank, with Lennox grabbing a handful of tights for a little extra insurance.
WINNERS: Darkstate at 10:51 to retain the NXT Tag Team titles.
(Miller’s Take: Again, no surprise here. Darkstate losing the titles this early would greatly hurt their credibility. The appearances of Joe Hendry as Darkstate mentions his name is actually hilarious. Usually not my kind of thing, but this is somehow highly entertaining. Decent match with a predictable finish.)
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
Check out the latest episode of “PWT Talks NXT” with Kelly Wells and Nate Lindberg, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “pwtorch” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
[HOUR TWO]
-The Progressive NXT Focus was on…..drum roll, please…..the upcoming flag match between Tavion Heights and Ethan Page. Ugh.
-Tavion Heights made his ring entrance before they cut to commercial. [c]
-An X post from NXT Anonymous showed footage of Ethan Page trying to convince Myles Borne to wake up. He played footage on a laptop of him receiving the Coronation from Lexis King and asked him if he was going to stand for this much longer.
-In the locker room, King was watching it and admitted that whoever NXT Anonymous is, they have some pretty good footage. He started badmouthing Borne to Charlie Dempsey, who said Myles doesn’t get the benefit of his advice anymore. Suddenly, Borne appeared in the doorway with a chair and said, “You thought we were through, Lexis?”. He flipped off the light switch and you could hear a scuffle going on. Seconds later, the lights were turned back on to show King lying on the floor gasping for breath as Borne told him he wasn’t done with him yet.
(4) TAVION HEIGHTS vs. ETHAN PAGE – Flag Match
Page went for his flag before the match even began, but Heights dragged him down. He speared Page through the second and top rope and both men tumbled hard to the floor. Height went for the stars and stripes, but Page didn’t allow it to happen. He went for an Ego’s Edge, but Heights slipped out. Tavion got his hands of the flag, but Page climbed up and yanked him to the mat by his hair.
On their knees, they slugged it out mid-ring. Heights nailed some good punches and avoided a kick to take down Page. Both crawled to their respective corners. Page charged Heights, who moved as his foe struck the turnbuckle shoulder-first. After a brief scuffle on the floor, Page went for the maple leaf, but Heights hit an incredible overhead belly to belly suplex off the top rope. He climbed up his corner and secured the American flag. He also grabbed the Canadian flag and covered Page with it.
WINNER: Tavion Heights at 6:55.
(Miller’s Take: I can’t even begin to describe the level of disinterest I have for a flag match, especially when the evil foreign heel is a Canadian. When is the last time we went to war with Canada? Silly, outdated concept that should have died off with Hacksaw Duggan’s retirement, but here we are. Heights and Page are great athletes, but enough with this USA vs. Canada nonsense.)
-After the match, Tyler Breeze, of all people, selfie stick in hand, came to ringside and slid in the ring. He took a selfie with Ethan Page, who was still laid out with the Canadian flag covering his carcass. [c]
-Part 2 of the exclusive look at Lola Vice aired. She talked about how ironic it is that she was so shy growing up, seeing who Lola Vice is now. She was shown visiting her Dad’s Taekwondo school. Her dad, Frank Loureda spoke glowingly of her. Her sister Natalie said nobody pushed her harder than her sister. Lola said nobody knew what to think of her in MMA because she was girly, wore pink, and danced. She said she was made fun of for it until she knocked them out. Her father was especially fired up about her challenging for the NXT Women’s championship. This was a really good piece and I’d like to see more biographical videos like this.
-Fatal Influence were warming up before their match. Jacy Jayne said Lola had a great story, but it’s too bad she’s going to lose. She talked of all of Fatal Influence holding gold, and then suggested Jazmyn Nyx touch up her makeup a bit.
-Zaria & Sol Ruca made their ring entrance before the commercial break. [c]
(5) ZARIA & SOL RUCA vs. IZZI DAME & TATUM PAXLEY (w/Shawn Spears & Niko Vance) vs. FALLON HENLEY & JAZMYN NYX (w/Jacy Jayne) – Triple Threat Tag Team Elimination Match to determine the No. 1 contenders to the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
Zaria, Paxley, and Nyx began the match. Zaria picked up Paxley by the neck while perched on the top turnbuckle. Henley and Dame battled for a bit, then Zaria and Dame thumped on each other for a while. Fatal Influence got it together for some great teamwork. Ruca tagged in and did a double surboard posed on Paxley and Henley. Fallon dove over the ropes and onto Niko Vance. Zaria dove onto Shawn Spears. Ruca did a twisting moonsault Sol Ruca kind of thing onto some people on the outside, taking them all out even though she actually hit only one person. [c]
-Back from the break, Ruca, Henley, and Dame were all flat on their backs in the ring. They rose to their feet at the same time, with Ruca going for a springboard, but she got tripped up by Nyx. Ruca went to the top, but was followed up by Nyx. Dame lifted Nyx onto her shoulders and stepped away from the corner while Ruca nailed a blockbuster from the top rope. Zaria got into the ring and commenced to beating the hell out of everyone. Zaruca hit a double spear, then Ruca accidentally hit her own partner with a Sol Snatcher when Paxley got pushed out of the way. Ruca looked horrified. Zaria was easily pinned by Nyx.
ELIMINATED: Zaria & Sol Ruca at 12:38.
Jacy Jayne danced on the outside in celebration. Dame hit a codebreaker off the top rope onto Nyx for a two-count. Jayne slugged Paxley, but Nyx was only able to get a two-count out of it. Dame and Nyx fought on the outside. After a little double teaming by The Culling, Dame dropped Henley with a sitout powerbomb. Jayne looked disgusted.
WINNERS: Izzi Dame & Tatum Paxley at 15:01 to become the No. 1 contenders to the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship.
(Miller’s Take: To say this was wild would be an understatement. How these women maked this match look coherent is beyond me, but they did it. This was just bodies flying all over the place, but it was a heck of a lot of fun. I’m not crazy about them continuing to tease the breakup of Zaruca, but if they’re going to do it, now is the time. Zaria would be a good bet to win Ruca’s North American championship.)
-After the match, an enraged Jacy Jayne entered the ring and said she didn’t care who dropped the ball, both Nyx and Henley embarrassed her. As she was screaming at her teammates and ranting about how she runs this division, three cars were shown pulling up in the parking lot at the same time. Vic Joseph wondered aloud who it was as the cut to a commercial break.
-Back from the break, Jayne was still flapping her gums, saying there was no way Fatal Influence would not be a part of Homecoming. She said she was sick of carrying the group on her back. Henley and Nyx glanced at each other when Jayne said all she ever needed was herself and she was the greatest NXT champion of all time.
-All three of their jaws hit the mat when Stephanie Vaquer’s music hit. The crowd popped huge for the Dark Angel. She told Jayne she gave her credit for beating her, but she had both the NXT and North American titles at the same time and she was going to be champion again at Wrestlepalooza. Jayne pointed out that Vaquer was outnumbered. Vaquer asked her if she knew what time it was. With that, WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton came out. Another huge pop from the crowd.
-Stratton compared her belt with Jayne’s and ran down the other members of Fatal Influence. Jayne called Vaquer and Stratton the super seniors who already graduated and want to come back to high school to be cool again. Stratton said she didn’t know how Mami would feel about being called a super senior. Sure enough, Rhea Ripley joined Stratton and Vaquer as Fatal Influence looked like they were about to cry. Ripley laughed about Jayne calling herself the greatest NXT champion of all time and challenged Fatal Influence to a six-woman tag team match at Homecoming. The three super seniors rushed the ring and cleared the ring of Fatal Influence, much to the crowd’s delight.
FINAL THOUGHTS: What a couple of great bookends to this show! The opening match was out of this world good, and seeing Vaquer, Stratton, and Ripley return to their roots to challenge for a match at Homecoming was a great surprise. Tyler Breeze was announced as Page’s challenger for Homecoming, which I’m looking forward to. With the lineup they have for Homecoming, it’s easy to forget that No Mercy is just around the corner as well. On a side note, Ava is really growing on me as a GM. Some of her remarks lately have been really humorous, such as telling Femi and Saints they can talk about their big feelings next week. It will be interesting seeing two heels such as LeRae and Reid battling in the Speed finals next week, and I think this would be a good opportunity to push Reid in the direction of Sol Ruca. Overall, a really good and newsworthy show! See you for Evolve!
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