SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NXT TV RESULTS
SEPTEMBER 23, 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
-Tonight’s show, a go-home show for No Mercy, opened with recaps from last week’s special Homecoming episode.
(1) MYLES BORNE vs. LEXIS KING – Lights Out match
The two fought outside the ring before anyone could be properly introduced, and the ref didn’t call for the bell until they got to the ring, with a chair and a trash can. Vic mentioned this is the third Lights Out match in NXT history. I’ve seen every match they ever aired, so apparently I’ve blocked the other two out. Tonight’s match is just a street fight in low light, and both guys can very clearly see one another, so I’m not sure what good the stipulation is doing (but it’s something different to look at, which is fun enough). The chair got involved early and often, with both men taking bumps off of it within the first two and a half minutes.
King slowed it down with a chinlock, then slammed Borne onto the chair for two. King repeatedly pasted Borne with the trash can as Vic tried to justify the match stipulation by saying “you can hardly see these two at times,” which was completely false. Borne caught King with a scoop slam leading to the first split-screen break. [c]
Upon return, Vic said “we can hardly see right in front of us.” I have my issues with Vic, but there is no way he’d say something so blatantly idiotic without being fed to do so. The action spilled outside, where Vic’s candy stash had somehow been strewn about the announce table side. The two jockeyed for position until Borne monkey flipped King into a corner post, where King had trapped a chair between ropes. King quickly took the power back by charging Borne into the steel steps. There was a “this is awesome” chant by a…very generous crowd. King trapped Borne’s head in a chair and went to slam on it, but Borne moved, then charged King into and through a barricade, drawing the chant that CW loves to mute to kill the momentum for those of us at home.
King set up the lower steps inside the ring, then went out to get Borne, who repeatedly used a leather belt on King. King managed a superkick and walked Borne up the small steps, where a table was set up nearby. He tried to suplex Borne through the table, but Borne switched and hit a DDT on the steps. Borne hopped up onto the steps and hit Borne Again on King through the corporate branded table, after which Vic said “He snapped into it!” Oh boy. Borne got the pinfall victory.
WINNER: Myles Borne at 11:48.
(Wells’s Analysis: It was a standard street fight, except the lights were low. It had plenty in common with every other semi-short-form street fight, and with the face winning, maybe the feud is over now. It’s great that Borne has had something to do to continue getting TV minutes, but it would be nice to see him move up the card again, as he did some really good stuff with Oba Femi. King was strong throughout the feud as well, and feels as if he’s in his final form of being a more irritating Miz on the main roster before long)
-Rob Stone and Stevie Turner talked about TNA wrestlers arriving at the show. They tried to ask Ava via phone whether she invited them, but Ava’s phone was apparently cutting out and she said “I trust you two to figure it out.” [c]
-Ethan Page hit the ring. Fans chanted “asshole,” which CW bothered to mute. Nobody cares about that word, CW. El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. was at ringside, and Page called him out as having “screwed him out of his victory” at Worlds Collide. He personally invited the “hombre,” as he called him, to No Mercy, but called for him to hit the ring now. Wagner did so, and he throttled Page easily, and a ref showed up to count a tapout by Page. Was that a real match? Wagner ripped off his mask, and it was actually Tavion Heights, who had the upper hand ahead of their match at No Mercy.
-Jordynne Grace and Arianna Grace, among others, were in the women’s locker room. Arianna was blathering about makeup and said something about wanting to make sure people knew she and Jordynne weren’t related, and Jordynne said later on, they can show people just how different they are in the ring. Arianna freaked out as Jordynne walked off.
-Candice Lerae was introduced ahead of the Speed Tournament final. [c]
-NASCAR’s Cole Custer, who forgot to bring a personality, introduced the women in the next match. After one awkward pause, Vic said “Hell of a racer…hell of a ring announcer.”
(2) CANDICE LERAE vs. LAINEY REID – Winner faces Sol Ruca for the Speed Championship next week at No Mercy
Sol Ruca and Zaria were on the perch. Ruca held up a “boo” sign when Reid was introduced. Lei Ying Lee (formerly Xia Li in WWE) and Xia Brookside were shown walking through the back. Action was fast and furious as the backdrop demands, and midway through the match, Lerae trapped Reid in a crossface. Reid broke free, then broke a pinning combo with a bridge, and they each went for pins and cot two counts. Reid hit a flash knee for the victory.
WINNER: Lainey Reid at 2:25.
(Wells’s Analysis: Not much to say when the matches are so short, but the knee looked like it connected pretty good. The invitational tournament ends with the NXT wrestler winning, but she doesn’t have much of a personality yet beyond snotty. That’s genuinely a great start, but hopefully we start to see something more now that she’s got a match with Ruca lined up)
-Jaida Parker cut a pre-recorded promo on Lash Legend. She said she gave her the reality check she needs, and this ain’t over by a long shot.
-Lyra Valkyria and Tatum Paxley bonded in the back over losing friends. Paxley started playing with Valkyria’s hair, and Valkyria said “you’re weird, but you’re consistently weird, and I need that in my life.” Izzi Dame showed up with one of Paxley’s Barbie dolls and said she dropped it. She said Valkyria left her once, and would do it again.
-Jordynne Grace was introduced ahead of her match with Arianna Grace. [c]
-Vic promoted John Cena’s last appearances in Boston and New York City.
-Kale Dixon and Uriah Connors were checking up on a banged-up Andre Chase and Chase brought in Sam Mayer and Cole Custer to talk about going fast while being safe. Custer had a racing helmet on. Mayer teased saying Joe Hendry’s name but couldn’t remember it. Finally Dixon mentioned it, and “Custer” took off his helmet, and it was Hendry. DarkState said they’d meet in a six-man tonight. Cutler James looked at Mayer and said he’d see a car crash tonight.
(3) JORDYNNE GRACE vs. ARIANNA GRACE
Arianna jumped Jordynne before the bell for a cheap leg up. The ref got separation and called for the bell. Arianna worked Jordynne over with some basic slowed-down offense but Jordynne trapped her and slammed her against the corner. She hit the Direct Effect shortly afterward. This was shorter than the Speed match that preceded it by a couple of seconds.
WINNER: Jordynne Grace at 2:23.
Outside, Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo was checking on Arianna in an obviously semi-sensual manner, continuing the background tease where they were flirting a couple of weeks ago. The camera focused elsewhere, and Blake Monroe showed up and brawled. Stone and Turner showed up and Turner called out that they’d have a Weapons match on Saturday, and Stone raised the stakes by putting it in a cage.
-Kelly Kincaid talked to Lainey Reid, who had a basic but decent promo about her match with Sol Ruca on Saturday. Fatal Influence walked by, and Jacy Jayne congratulated Reid and wished her luck Saturday. She then left Fallon Henley and Jazmyn Nyx behind her and said she’d handle Lola Vice herself. Henley turned to Nyx and said “She can’t be serious.” [c]
[HOUR TWO]
-Jacy Jayne cut a promo in the ring mostly on the fans, saying they called her a third wheel, beatable, and a transitional champion. She said it was funny that Lola Vice could possibly be the one to knock her off. She said Vice had improved immensely, but shouldn’t be holding the Women’s Championship. (True, but Vice isn’t exactly alone there). She said Lola isn’t the underdog in this story – Jayne is. She said while Lola was shaking her ass, Jayne was busting her ass.
Vice hit the ramp and said Jayne was just another person talking about her ass, but at least she has an ass to shake. Is this World Championship material yet? Vice did indeed call Jayne out as a Toxic Third Wheel. She said a year ago she was emotional when she got a shot against Roxanne Perez, but this time it’s different. She said she’s more than a fighter – she’s a professional wrestler. She pandered to the crowd and said it’s for the people who always believed in her. She said it’s fitting that it’s called “No Mercy” because that’s what she’ll show Jayne when she beats her ass.
Jayne said she knows she’ll get beat up, but Vice is too preoccupied with pleasing everyone and somehow, Jayne will walk out with the title. She said afterward, Vice will look her parents in the eyes and all the sacrifices they made for her were for nothing. She said she’d walk out knowing she was her family’s biggest disappointment. Vice swiftly rotated and backfisted Jayne, who sold it like death and lay motionless as Vice held up the Women’s Championship belt. This was a pretty okay hype segment, but the match is still Jacy Jayne vs. Lola Vice.
-The six-man tag is up next. [c]
-In a branded segment, Josh Briggs cut on fans, “damn seat-fillers,” who said he didn’t connect with people. He said people just don’t get it and want approval, like JeVon Evans. He said the approval he’s chasing makes him weak. He said he doesn’t care if he connects with you as long as his boot connects with Evans’ face. He said all he cares about is the 1-2-3. Another in a series of strong promos for Briggs.
(4) JOE HENDRY & KALE DIXON & URIAH CONNORS (w/Andre Chase) vs. DARKSTATE (Dion Lennox & Osiris Griffin & Saquon Shugars) (w/Cutler James)
For a third time tonight, heels jumped before the bell. We settled into Connors being the early face in peril as DarkState nade frequent tags. Dixon made the tag and he and Lennox had a nice sequence as the audience tried on a “Chase U/DarkState” dueling chant that was honestly about 50-50. Andre must be wondering where it all went wrong. Hendry tagged in and soon after, everyone got involved. The faces cleared the ring of the heels and Dixon hit Shugars & Lennox with a plancha. Hendry and his partners all did a Hendry twisting pose and the match went to commercial with no split-screen. [c]
Dixon apparently played face in peril throughout the break, and Shugars was working him over. Griffin tagged in and darted him into the heel corner as Lennox was tagged. Lennox covered for two. Mike Santana showed up on the screen walking up to the venue. DarkState continued to make quick tags to keep up the work on Dixon. The faces made a pin save, but got taken out on the outside. Finally, Dixon ducked a lariat and rolled to the hot tag to Hendry, who dominated all of DarkState. Headscissor takedowns and scoop slams for all. He did another twisting pose. He set up the Standing Ovation but DarkState hung up the ref and ran over Hendry. Out past the barricade, Chase fired up Connors, who had been selling there since the outside attack before the commercial, and sent him up for a tag. Connors fought his way there and took out everyone, including James, who tried to take out Chase outside. However, another distraction happened and Connors was hit with an assisted powerslam and Shugars covered for the pin.
WINNERS: DarkState at 11:36.
(Wells’s Analysis: DarkState still isn’t completely popping or anything, but they’re certainly being given a win-loss record to do so. Their matches remain very similar to one another, which I suppose is by design, but the act needs to evolve somehow to avoid feeling stale. Chase U loses again, which has been their job for a very long time)
-Ricky Saints is up next. [c]
-The Saints segment saw him walking around New Orleans and talking about making it past New Orleans and making it big. It was a segment meant to humanize Saints, who mostly goes for a larger-than-life aura. He said it doesn’t matter if it’s Oba or Trick, it matters if he gets it done. He said he’s ushering in a new era, because he has to.
-Vic ran down the card for No Mercy: Femi or Williams vs. Saints, Jayne vs. Vice, Heights vs. Page, Ruca vs. Reid, Briggs vs. Evans, and Jordynne Grace vs. Blake Monroe in a Weaponized Steel Cage match.
-Kelly Kincaid caught up with Je’Von Evans, who said Briggs took their last match, and Briggs is still talking like he knows the Young OG, but he’s winning this time. There was a commotion somewhere and we saw Jazmyn Nyx laid out by someone. Henley and Jayne wondered who it was, but said it was time to drop her anyway, and only the strong survive. So after all that teasing, it happens in a quick backstage segment after an offscreen attack? I know it’s only Jazmyn Nyx and she has a long way to go, but a bigger segment than this wouldn’t have been a bad thing.
-During Trick Williams’s entrance, many TNA talents were shown in the audience, including the ones already shown tonight, plus Moose and Steve Maclin.
(5) OBA FEMI (NXT Champion) vs. TRICK WILLIAMS (TNA Champion) – Unification match
Strangely, though they’ve been talking about the TNA talent showing up all night, the announcers really haven’t mentioned this match at all, which seems a mistake given the kayfabe gravity of the situation. Vic said this match would alter either No Mercy or Bound for Glory. Femi got full entrance after the return from the break.
Mike Rome handled formal introductions and the bell sounded at just 13 minutes to the hour. They jockeyed for position early and both guys missed some impact shots as they either evaded or absorbed everything the other threw at them. Williams missed a pump kick in the corner and they reset.
Williams landed a roundhouse kick but got shoved when he posed afterward. Femi blocked Williams after a rope run and clotheslined him to the floor. Zachary Wentz was shown in the audience also, as was the former Billie Kay, who Vic just called “one half of the Iinspiration.” Action went outside, where Trick ended up near the announce table. Mike Santana jumped the barricade and feigned an attack, then asked Vic if he could sit in on commentary. In a bit of unintentional humor, they went to split-screen commercial right after Santana put on the headset. [c]
Matt Cardona also showed up to a pretty big reaction, and Williams hit a Rock Bottom that got just one. Femi hit a chokeslam. Both guys hit lariats in opposite corners. Running uppercut by Femi. Femi landed a slam for two. After a few misses, Williams hit a roundhouse and flopped backward onto Femi for two. Eric Young was shown. Femi threw a right. Williams returned with a kick. Femi hit a high-release slam, then tried a Fall From Grace, but Williams rolled him up for two. Trick Shot got a long two, but I don’t think the audience bought the false finish.
Williams tried something, but Femi hit the Fall From Grace, which got…a long two?! I know it’s Trick, but that move is very protected. The former Peyton Royce was shown. “TNA/NXT” dueling chant. Both guys ran the ropes for blocks. There isn’t much time to finish this match here. The two spilled to the outside. Okay, here’s your screwjob finish. Williams got in the face of Santana, who attacked. There was a quick bell, but the audience had no chance to boo because all of TNA stormed the ring, as did much of NXT to face off with them. As the mass of humanity battled behind them, Saints and Femi had a moment in the foreground to give a few last moments of hype to their No Mercy match.
WINNER: No Contest (or possibly Williams by DQ) at 11:49.
(Wells’s Analysis: With both titles being on the line in important coming matches for the respective brands, it felt inevitable as the match wore on that neither man would be absorbing the other championship. The segment very much succeeded, I think, as it threw much of the TNA roster at me at once and actually made me want to see some of what was going on there, in addition to giving a last bit of sizzle to No Mercy.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: Well, it felt odd that the show didn’t really promote the unification match, but given that they weren’t actually delivering on unifying the championships, it makes sense in retrospect that they didn’t overpromise. The segment as it aired was much better than a clean finish, though, as it helped promote matches on both brands and the timing of the segment allowed the fans to feel like they were really seeing something special, even if it wasn’t what they had hoped to see. No Mercy is looking like a decent enough show, but I find myself curious to see Bound for Glory as well. Nate Lindberg and I will cover the happenings on PWT Talks NXT.
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