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NXT HEATWAVE REPORT
AUGUST 24, 2025
LOWELL, MASS. @ LOWELL MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM
AIRED ON PEACOCK
REPORT BY KELLY WELLS (@spookymilk), PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
NXT Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
Backstage Correspondent(s): Sarah Schreiber
-As usual, tonight’s stars were shown walking around the city and arriving ahead of the show. The US contingent, made up of actual American Olympians, was booed while the heels facing them were cheered. I thought it was dangerous to put Tavion Heights and Tyra Mae Steele in there with Ethan Page and Chelsea Green and hope the crowd played along, but last week’s talk segment ended up going very well. The crowd didn’t seem to carry over to Massachusetts, however.
(1) KELANI JORDAN vs. LOLA VICE vs. JAIDA PARKER – Triple threat for #1 Contendership to the NXT Women’s Championship
Here’s the first of two triple threats tonight; this brand just adores them. They jawed briefly before they went to a three-way brawl. Parker got dumped early so the others could pair off for a rollup and nearfall by Jordan. Parker threw a couple of body slams and tookover on offense, then banged her opponents’ heads together. Parker blocked Jordan in the corner a few times, then draped her on the second turnbuckle and nailed her midsection with a palm strike. She stacked Vice on top of Jordan, threw some palm strikes, and then hit the teardrop on both opponents, which was an inevitable spot in this one.
Jordan got dumped and Parker hit Vice with a suplex for two. Jordan got back inside and peppered Vice with a few kicks, and somehow Parker had ended up outside. Jordan got a nearfall and Parker yanked her out of the ring. Parker and Jordan brawled on the outside, and Jordan tried a rana, then hit it on a second effort as Parker tried to reverse to a powerslam. Jordan reentered the ring and hit a DDT on Vice for two.
Jordan went up but Parker knocked her from the top, then closed in on Vice. Vice trapped Parker in a triangle choke and Parker tried to fight her way out, and Jordan flew in and hit the pile. All three sold on the mat, which feels early, but they’ve packed a lot into less than five minutes. Parker and Jordan fought on the apron and Jordan ended up inside, and she superkicked Parker to the floor. She hit a corkscrew plancha on both opponents.
Jordan rolled Vice into the ring and did the splits as she hit a stunner on Vice. Jordan worked a half-crab but Vice escaped pretty quickly. The two went to a series of kicks, and Vice hit her rapid-fire combo on Jordan, and then on a returning Parker. “I’m a Latina” hip attacks were next; Vice ran station-to-station and hit each woman three times. She covered Jordan for two. Vice trapped Jordan in a hold but Parker ran the ropes and hit Vice with a blockbuster for two.
Parker dumped Vice to focus on Jordan, who got in a few shots until Parker reasserted control with a spinebuster for two. “Miss Parker” chant. Parker charged Jordan to a corner and nailed her into the turnbuckle a couple of times. Parker set up Jordan on top and threw some strikes to remain in control. Vice returned to the ring and they did the powerslam/suplex totem pole that WWE triple threats almost never seem to skip.
The three got to their knees and threw forearms. They hit their feet and Parker took Vice down with a back elbow. Jordan put Parker down and went for her split-legged moonsault finisher, but Parker got her knees up. Parker went for Hipnotic but Vice cut it off with a kick, eliciting boos, as Parker has been cheered a lot tonight. Jordan went for a 450 splash and Vice was supposed to trap her, but it somehow wasn’t clean and they awkwardly got into position. Parker ran in with Hipnotic, intended for Vice, but she hit Jordan. Vice rolled up Parker for the win to a pretty tepid response, but this is a pretty muted crowd so far, so it’s hard to say whether they were into it or not.
WINNER: Lola Vice at 11:53.
(Wells’s Analysis: I figured Vice to win this match, mostly because she doesn’t seem like she belongs in it, so there’s no other reason unless she’s being booked to win. This brand is really trying to make Lola Vice happen, but as long as she’s been there she feels like she hasn’t really improved either in the ring or on the mic – she’s still a nice wrestler and a shaky talker. Here’s hoping this opportunity really energizes her, but a Vice-Jayne match simply doesn’t feel like championship material)
-Peacock Premium subscribers got hype videos for Evolve talents, plus a video of The Culling.
(2) HANK & TANK (c) vs. DARKSTATE (Dion Lennox & Osiris Griffin) (w/Saquon Shugars & Cutler James) – NXT Tag Team Championship match
I went one for two in predicting this one; I had Shugars in and Lennox out. DarkState messed with Hank & Tank before the bell, baiting them in with Shugars, then having Shugars slip out of the ring as he wasn’t in the match after all. They battered Hank & Tank and the bell rang. The faces got a bit of early offense but the early attack left them open to an early heat spot as DarkState slowed it down. About a minute and a half in, all four guys got involved and the referee dealt with the outside guys. Hank & Tank were able to hit stereo shots on their opponents. DarkState went outside, and Hank & Tank hit a pair of DarkState members each with a couple of tope suicidas.
The heels took over on offense shortly after as the sizable Griffin used some power stuff on Hank. Lennox battered Hank with some ground & pound as Hank was draped on the steel steps. Lennox went back into the ring and tagged Griffin, who kept up the attack on the outside of the ring. Griffin tried to hold Hank back from getting in the ring, as he was trying to tag. Griffin reentered and held back Hank as he and Tank were both reaching out. Griffin caught Hank with a powerslam and tagged Lennox.
Lennox & Griffin charged Hank to a corner and Lennox covered for two. Lennox worked a brief chinlock but Hank broke free. Lennox charged Hank to a corner, but Tank blocked so he wouldn’t eat turbuckle. Hank made the hot tag to Tank, who entered and dominated both members of DarkState. Tank bumped the two illegal men from the apron to the floor. Tank hit a Bubba Bomb on Lennox and covered for two, broken up by Griffin.
On the outside, James worked over Hank as Tank ate a lot of offense from the legal men. They hit Tank with a powerbomb and Griffin got two. Tank made it a plausible nearfall as he kept his eyes closed until the last moment. DarkState set Tank up in the corner, but he fought them off, dumping Griffin to the mat and then dropping Lennox on him. Swanton by Tank onto both men. Outside, Shugars and James both missed big shots on Hank, allowing him to make the hot tag.
Bossman Slam for Lennox. Plancha onto the illegal men. Tank tagged in and Hank & Tank pancaked him, but the outside men yanked Hank nuts-first into the corner post and the opening allowed DarkState to hit their finisher.
WINNERS: DarkState at 10:16.
(Wells’s Analysis: The Hank & Tank title run was a pretty massive L for the tag division, as they were shown to be losers for months, they then beat all the other teams to define them as losers, and went on the hold the titles for months despite only…one? Two?…defenses. I still think they can be very popular underdog guys on the main roster, though. DarkState really had to win here to keep from being totally neutered, though the faction is still iffy)
-Lexis King annoyed Ava and talked himself up for “blinding” Myles Borne on NXT last week. Ava said she should fine and suspend King, but she said Borne was demanding a match this week. Ava said since King took Borne’s vision, she’s taking King’s, and making it a blindfold match.
-No Mercy will be in Fort Lauderdale on September 27th.
(3) MASHA SLAMOVICH vs. ASH BY ELEGANCE (w/The Personal Concierge & M & Heather) vs. JACY JAYNE (c) (w/Fallon Henley & Jazmyn Nyx) – Triple threat match for the TNA Knockouts Championship
I can’t tell if there’s a near-total lack of response for all three or if this crowd is just mic’ed badly. If the mic is fine, this is literally the quietest crowd I think I’ve ever heard at a PLE.
The three threw rights and then went to a series of rollups. Jayne tried to dump Ash, who stayed on the ramp, but Slamovich charged Ash and took her out. Jayne nailed Ash with a lariat outside, and she and Fatal Influence partied until Slamovich nailed the trio with a tope suicida. Slamovich and Ash fought inside as Jayne sold outside. Slamovich got a couple of nearfalls, then threw some rights. Jayne ripped Slamovich to the outside on a rope run, drawing boos.
Inside, Jayne hit a bulldog for two. Back kick and a standing senton by Jayne. Slamovich got involved again and hit a side slam on Ash for two. The Elegance Brand briefly distracted Jayne and Ash got her shine next, hitting a few suplexes and side slams for nearfalls. Somersault back elbow by Ash to Jayne. Ash hit a sitout powerbomb for two. Slamovich got involved and dominated briefly, but Jayne got in a kick of her own. Slamovich regained control and hit each with corner elbows, then laid out Jayne using Ash and covered for two.
Slamovich missed a charge on Jayne, who used the opening to put Slamovich down for a cannonball. She ran to the opposite corner for a cannonball to Ash. Slamovich caught Jayne on the next attempt and lifted Jayne to cannonball Ash in the corner with both of their bodies. She covered Jayne for two.
There was a dueling chant for Masha and Jacy. Sorry, Ash. The two paired off and exchanged slams and rights. Slamovich put together an extended run of strikes, but Jayne caught Slamovich with a knee. Jayne hit a neckbreaker on Slamovich and covered, but Ash broke it up at two, then took Jayne out and dumped her. Ash missed a top-rope move on Slamovich, then ate a top-rope senton from Jayne. Jayne covered for two.
Jayne put Slamovich up in a corner and went up to attempt a superplex. Jayne hit a high kick and then a top-rope Frankensteiner. She covered, but Ash flew off the top with a meteora to break it up. Ash covered Jayne, and Henley set Jayne’s foot on the bottom rope to break. Fatal Influence and The Elegance Brand almost fought on the outside, so the ref got a big reaction by tossing Fatal Influence.
Slamovich took over on offense, laying out Jayne on the outside. Ash flew in and hit a plancha on both of them. This is where they hit a “holy shit” chant? Okay. Ash covered Slamovich for two. The two of them exchanged kicks and Ash hit a big leg-slapper of a kick to take control. Ash hit a dropkick and covered, and Jayne flew in and nailed Ash, then covered for two. M and Heather yanked Jayne outside. Ash hit a moonsault on Slamovich in the ring and covered, and she won back the TNA Knockouts Championship for their own roster. So…a heel is who finally took the belt from the interloping heel? It was cool to see Ash win a championship on WWE programming, but that’s a really surprising decision.
WINNER: Ash by Elegance at 12:19.
(Wells’s Analysis: I suppose I just covered the strange booking, so I’ll just say that having two triple threats in the first three matches really drives home the gimmicky formula of the match style. There was nothing wrong here, but also nothing to set it apart from the triple threat pack, and it probably fell a bit short of tonight’s opener)
-Ricky Saints gassed up Je’Von Evans ahead of his match with Oba Femi. He said he hopes Evans can pull it off, and he’ll be first in line for a shot if he does. He called Evans “champ” and Evans liked the sound of it.
-They outlined the feud leading to the next match.
(4) JORDYNNE GRACE vs. BLAKE MONROE
Monroe slapped Grace, then ran when Grace gave chase. Monroe tried to escape over a barricade, then ran and hid behind the announce team. The pair went inside and Grace grounded Monroe and nailed her with a long series of forearms. Suplex by Grace. Monroe backed off Grace briefly, but Grace hit a kind of exploder suplex using Monroe’s leg for two.
Action spilled outside and Grace hit a suplex on the floor. Grace walked to a corner, put Monroe on her back, and walked up the stairs. Monroe slipped out and she yanked Grace spine-first onto the top step. Grace fought her way back in, but Blake hit her with a series of kicks, then worked some ground & pound. Monroe covered for just one. Monroe face-washed Grace against the bottom rope. A dueling chant was pretty loud for Monroe, which is weird considered she’s a very nasty heel and also hasn’t yet shown the kind of promise to get a great response.
Monroe caught Grace in a submission but Grace rolled her up to break. Grace charged Monroe to a corner but then ate a kick. Sling blade by Monroe got two. Monroe tried an arm submission but Grace stood up with her and used Monroe’s body to hit her with a springboard suplex for two.
The two fought to their knees, then feet, and threw rights. Big boots by both. Grace got a big flurry that went to a corner, and she slammed Monroe front-first into the corner a few times. Spinebuster by Grace, then a jackhammer for two. Grace tried to yank Monroe from the corner, and Monroe held on long enough to pull off one of the bottom turnbuckle pads. Well, we can fast-forward to the finishing sequence now. Grace hit a suplex for two. Monroe escaped a couple of shots and hit a DDT into an arm submission with a bridge. Grace rolled her up with a crucifix for two. Flash knee by Monroe got two.
Backdrop by Grace. Grace put up Monroe and hit her with the electric chair and slammed backward while holding Monroe’s arms, getting two. Monroe went and clung onto a bottom rope, but Grace booted her a bit and then lifted her up. Monroe escaped and hit a headbutt. Back elbow by Grace. Another headbutt and a running knee by Monroe. Side suplex by Monroe got a long two. Monroe sold frustration while we got a mild “this is awesome” from a mild-sounding crowd.
Monroe went up for a Frankensteiner in the corner, but Grace caught her and hit a super-powerslam for a long two. I know they still have to use the exposed corner, but it really doesn’t feel believable that Monroe kicked out. Monroe sat herself in the exposed buckle corner, and of course moved and tried to bait Grace into it. Grace actually caught herself, but Monroe booted her into the exposed part. Monroe hit a DDT and got the three.
WINNER: Blake Monroe at 12:45.
(Wells’s Analysis: Part of this build was Grace recognizing that she keeps losing big matches, and…here we are. They protected her as much as possible with the exposed turnbuckle finish, but maybe…have her just win some of these matches? Monroe for me hadn’t yet lived up to anywhere near the hype, but this was by far her best match on the brand, while Grace is seemingly in the middle of a long unbroken streak of good matches)
-Jaida Parker complained to a trainer about the rollup finish in the opener. Hey, I agree there; Vice hasn’t been winning enough on TV for a rollup finish to do her many favors. Lash Legend came in and talked smack to Parker, and the two got into each other’s faces until they were pulled apart.
-Sarah Schreiber caught up with Fatal Influence and Jayne wasn’t happy about everything. She said Jazmyn got Fatal Influence kicked out, and the three of them bickered until Lola Vice showed up and kind of laughed at the infighting. Zaria and Sol Ruca did the same and the babyfaces essentially bullied Fatal Influence until it was clear a six-woman tag was on for likely this Tuesday.
(4) TAVION HEIGHTS & TYRA MAE STEELE vs. ETHAN PAGE & CHELSEA GREEN (w/Piper Niven & Alba Fyre) – mixed tag team match
It’s hard to imagine a much stranger match on an NXT PLE than this, but they got there with quite a bit of funny TV. Green and Page got separate entrances to allow them their predicted positive and negative reactions. The two teams were wearing gear inspired by their country’s flag, as the hype has been all around USA vs. Canada. Of course, this is all being ignored by the fans, who chant “Chelsea.”
The women started. Chelsea was dominated early and the crowd booed literally everything Steele was doing, just completely neutering the match. The crowd booed loudly as the US team dominated and hit stereo suplexes to the outside. “Canada” chant. It’s not so much fandom as a building full of trolls. Page did his best to turn it around by grabbing a mic and saying that no matter how much they chanted for Canada, they weren’t going to be given citizenship.
Page then got booed as he started working over Heights in the ring, so at least he’s gotten somewhere. The crowd just kept going back to chanting Chelsea, ignoring the action in the ring. Page hit a suplex and grounded Heights with a headlock. “Secret Hervice” chant. Heights hit a big ax-handle to get back to it and the reaction was mostly negative. The men nailed each other with headbutts. Steele tried to tag in but Green nailed her with a tope to cut it off, not wanting to face Steele again. However, she allowed Page to tag her in immediately after, so what was the point?
Steele hit a spear on Green to boos. Page distracted Steele and Green booted Steele against the ropes, then the turnbuckle. Green charged Steele to a corner. The two ran at each other and hit the world’s most awkward-looking double cross-body in the middle of the ring. The men tagged in and Heights was booed as he completely eviscerated Page. Seriously? Heights has been a pretty good babyface in the making (though they could use this to possibly make a big heel). Page got left alone and Steele hit him with a suplex to boos. Steele fired up and dominated Green to boos. Fyre got involved and Steele hit both Page and Fyre with a suplex, and the spot at least got a good reaction. Shortly after, there was a flood of activity, and Green ended up hitting the UnPrettyHer to win and get the loudest pop of the night.
WINNERS: Chelsea Green & Ethan Page at 9:29.
(Wells’s Analysis: If you’re NXT, do you even want to return to Lowell after this response? Oh boy. It was just a mess and it had almost everything to do with the crowd reaction; the work was as good as you’d expect with Steele being green and Chelsea being Chelsea, but it would have been a lot of fun if the crowd hadn’t been so impossible to ignore)
-Josh Briggs walked in on Oba Femi as he prepared for his title defense. Briggs talked tough to Femi, who thanked him for his “irrelevant opinions.” Briggs told Femi to win tonight so he could have the next shot.
-Schreiber talked to Ava, who said she was officially bringing the Men & Women’s Speed titles to NXT. Holy heck, this show does not need more championships. Ava said Sol Ruca would defend the title at No Mercy against the winner of a multi-brand tournament starting on the first Tuesday in September.
-Vic promoted this week’s NXT weekly show.
(5) JE’VON EVANS vs. OBA FEMI (c) – NXT Championship match
Evans was selling his ribs, and Vic referenced the table spot from the Philadelphia show. Evans got a nice reaction but there was a big “Oba” chant as the champion entered. Mike Rome handled formal introductions, where Evans got a nice but mixed reaction while there was a good respect pop for Femi. With Evans being an underdog by necessity, this crowd might again not do the match any favors. This one is easier to understand, though, as Femi almost never loses and rarely acts like a heel.
Evans escaped a few early shots and kept resetting to measure his next attempt. He tried a German suplex but Femi whipped his body around to swat him. He blocked Evans to the mat and Evans again took a moment before his next move. Evans got in a chop and there was an “ooooohhh” response. Femi hit some bigger chops, then caught an attempt at a big kick. Evans got in a right and then evaded a slam and threw an uppercut. He tried the bouncy stunner but Femi caught him and set him up for a big block.
Femi battered Evans with rights in a corner, then slowed it way down as he kicked Evans around the ring. “Young OG/Hoo!” dueling chant. Femi caught a superkick attempt, but ate a second effort. Evans smiled as Femi showed that he was in for a fight. Evans came off the top, and stopped short as Femi got his knees up. Kicks and dropkicks from Evans. Vic got into Evans’ chances with hype words so much that I was almost expecting the commercial break to hit.
Outside, Evans missed a PK and then got hit with Oba’s huge palm strike and bumped to the apron and then the floor. Femi press-slammed Evans over the top rope (he got hung up on the rope a bit, but it didn’t go sideways). Femi slowed it down again with some corner shots and slams. He pressed Evans and hit a gutbuster for two. Evans immediately sold his stomach.
Femi put on a headlock. Evans went up for a suplex, but Femi saw it coming and hit his own for two. “Oba Femi/Young OG” dueling chant seemed to favor Femi, but they both had great responses. Evans fought off some shots but ate a spinebuster for two. After selling some frustration (and replays of the last spots), Femi charged Evans to one corner, then another. Femi flexed at the crowd, and they booed. Wow. NXT wanted that response for a long time, but really never got it until now.
Evans peppered Femi with a series of running forearms, but Femi caught him with a backbreaker and a chokeslam for two. They went to a large number of replays as Femi slowed it down in the ring. Femi beat Evans around the ring a bit and Evans clapped rhythmically to get the crowd to do the same. Evans ducked some rights andhit a long series of them. He put Femi in a corner and hit a bunch more. Evans hit a huge springboard splash across half the ring. Evans hit a couple more acrobatic spots and covered for two.
After a near reversal, Evans hit a big DDT. He went up in the corner – slowly, selling the issues – and he hit a splash but sold his leg on the way and it looked awkward as it happened. Evans went up and hit another frog splash, but this one looked right. He covered for a long two, and the false finish seemed to work on a lot of the crowd. The two exchanged rights and boots. German suplex by Evans, but Femi hit a big lariat and then a couple of corner elbows. He ran himself right into a cutter. Evans went up but Femi threw a huge right that smacked him out of the air. Evans covered and got a very long, convincing two. There was an “NXT” chant after the awesome sequence and of course a “this is awesome” shortly after.
After some time selling, the two went up in the corner. Femi shoved Evans off the top, and Evans ran into the ref, bumping him. Evans hit a Frankensteiner, then a huge cutter. Here comes his visual three? A new ref ran in as Evans covered, and he got the three, but Femi had a leg under the ring. The original ref called off the three. Shortly after the match restarted. Femi caught a charge and launched Evans onto the table, flattening it. Back in the ring, he hit the Fall From Grace.
WINNER: Oba Femi in 18:00.
(Wells’s Analysis: That’s one hell of an interesting finishing sequence. Evans was heavily protected as a result, getting a truly visual three while allowing Femi to continue on. Honestly, I think Josh Briggs might end up taking it. This was one of NXT’s best PLE matches in a long while, as the two told an absolutely perfect big-small story)
After the result, Ricky Saints’s music played and he walked out to get in Femi’s face. He said this was nothing but a test before Saints, and the real test is Saints. They kept talking ad-libbed smack – fairly artfully – as the show faded out.
FINAL THOUGHTS: While there were a couple of genuine developments here, I think the show is likely to be remembered for the crowd completely failing to play along with the USA vs. Canada tag match, which was always a possibility with Green being so established nationally and so charismatic, no matter how much she acts heelish. Setting that aside, the tag match ended the Hank & Tank long reign of inactivity and, NXT’s hoping, established DarkState as a true force. Follow-up will be key, as it’s kind of weird that “agents of chaos” now just want titles like anyone else. The Ash victory felt like an odd booking choice and Grace & Monroe told the kind of story leading to this match that really only works if it ends in a babyface win. But, many weird booking results aside, there’s nothing to complain about with the main event, which kept itself simple in build and still resulted in another great match for both. Nate Lindberg and a friend who attended tonight’s show will post a VIP roundtable soon.
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