Ciocco’s WWE NXT Review 12.16.25

NXT Universe! NXT Gang! It’s Tuesday, which can only mean one thing! We are going to get two hours of easy, breezy, beautiful, NXT!

(It makes sense if you have heard the jingle for Cover Girl lol).

At any rate, we are officially in the Post Cena Era of WWE, and as such, it will be even more important for the future stars of NXT to be ready to take on the mantle of the next big superstars for the WWE over the coming weeks, months, and years. The unacquainted saw a glimpse of this promise with the matches that took place on SNME. Sol Ruca not only looked amazing in the ring, but she defeated former NXT star turned WWE star Bayley. The Ruler, NXT Champion Oba Femi, went to a no contest with WWE Champion Cody Rhodes thanks to Drew McIntyre. And even though they lost, Je’Von Evans and Leon Slater proved that they are ready for the big time.

And so, the beat goes on, as tonight we will determine the new number one contender for the NXT Champion Femi. The other four men who were involved in the Iron Survivor, that being Joe Hendry, Leon Slater, Myles Bourne, and Dion Lennox, will compete in a 4-way match to determine who will face Femi next. The Women’s North American Title will be on the line, as The Glamour Blake Monroe will defend her title against Thea Hail.

Elsewhere, we will have a pair of tag team matches, the first one being the continuation of the feud between OTM and Hank & Tank. In addition, Evolve Women’s Champion Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair will face Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid of Fatal Influence. All of this and, of course, so much more in store for us tonight!

So, how is everyone doing on this Tuesday Night? While I am happy that the Eagles shutout/blew out the Raiders on Sunday, it had to be expected, especially after losing three straight games. But a win is a win, and hopefully we keep that momentum going as we head to Washington on Saturday. Apparently, the Flyers have taken up the mantle of three straight losses, although they went to Overtime/Shootout in all of them to earn the pity point lol.

Enough about me, let’s get ready to go to the N(E)XT level!

We are LIVE tonight from the Mother Base, the NXT Performance Center in Orlando, Florida! Vic Joseph and Booker T will be on the call tonight!

THEN!

NOW!

FOREVER!

TOGETHER!

Highlights from Saturday Night’s Main Event start us off. They kind of sort of gloss over the Cena match, but it makes sense, since he’s not in NXT.

Highlights from last week, as we see Ricky Saints “betray” Je’Von Evans in his NXT World Title match against Oba Femi.

Earlier today, we see Je’Von Evans waiting outside the arena for Ricky Saints. Ava comes out and asks him to come inside and talk about this. Evans says he isn’t going to and he’s waiting for Ricky. Ava says, “Great start to my night”. LOL!

GLAMOUR IS FOREVER! YES!

NXT North American Women’s Title Match: Blake Monroe (C) vs. Thea Hail

Mike Rome with the in-ring introductions for this match. I mean, a match with someone as awesome as Thea and someone has glamorous as Blake deserves it!

Straight away, Monroe tries to kick Thea’s head off, but she misses. Hail looking for the Kimura, but Monroe takes her to the mat and cranks on her arm. Hail with the advantage, but she eats a John WOOOOO dropkick from Blake. Monroe stomps on Thea as the fans get behind her.

Short Irish Whip from Monroe once, twice, and into a spinning sidewalk slam. The cover for a two. Mone with another whip, Hail escapes and hits a snapmare. A PK and a cover for a two for Thea. Hail goes back to arm control, but Monroe takes her to the ropes. Hail into a wheelbarrow and an arm drag. The dropkick sends Monroe to the floor, as Hail takes flight with a dive!

Back in the ring, Exploder from Hail sends Monroe to the corner. Hail moves in, though, and Monroe drops Hail face first in the corner. Monroe with a variation of the tarantula on Hail. She poses seductively as we head to PIP Break.

Monroe keeps Hail grounded with arm control and an arm bar variation as we return from break. Inset, we see Joe Hendry doing pushups and watching the match. Double headbutt between Hail and Monroe, and Hail takes over. Nice standing splash from Hail.

Okay, so Hail hit the senton back splash and pinned Monroe. The referee counted three, but then no one rung the bell. Everyone is confused, but eventually, Thea is awarded the title. That was interesting.
WINNER: Thea Hail (NEW CHAMPION!)
TIME: 7:20
THOUGHTS: That was an interesting ending of the match. I’m guessing that, if it wasn’t an actual error between someone in the match, then this is a pick me up for Hail, and Monroe wins her title back soon. If not, then maybe Monroe goes after Jacy? At any rate, congrats to Thea!
RATING: ***1/4

The Progressive Spotlight is on the three members of The Culling. They see a figure on the far-left stool, and Izzi Dame says she took care of the problem. This is just petty minds games, while Shawn Spears wonders if Tatum cried after her loss to Izzi at Deadline.

Ethan Page is walking with his two titles!

COMMERCIALS!

Vic shills the Smackdown-SNME in Montreal on January 23 and 24th as we return from break. We get the ending from the Hail and Monroe match. Vic says that Blake Monroe did NOT kick out and we have a NEW North American Women’s Champion. Glad he is President Jack Tunney lol.

All-Ego Ethan Page is here in the arena! He looks happy for a guy who is going to call out The Don.

AHEM! Page is absolutely appalled that the wrestling world is concerned with which wrestler cried during their title match instead of the man who got attacked from behind. He has a back so strong that he can carry the entire industry. His back was almost broken last week, and no one cares. Why was he attacked? Was it jealousy? HUH? Or is it because he is generational, and he has taken the NXT North American Title and left everyone else in the dusk. He wants answers, so get out of the shadows and get your ass down here!

But Stacks and Ariana Grace are here instead! Stacks says that he doesn’t give a damn about Tony D’Angelo, and he is out here because Ariana has great taste, apparently, and they think the AAA Mixed tag team titles would look great around their waists.

Ethan says this is exactly what he is talking about. But we don’t know what he is talking about because freaking MOOSE is here!

Once again, an NXT talent has a TNA title, says Moose. And the boys in TNA are pissed, so he is here to do something about it. Stacks, someone is going to deal with you, and today is your lucky day, because he is laser focused on Ethan Page.

Wait, what?

Moose says he is here to take one of the most prestigious titles from Page back to TNA. Page says that is not how things work around here, you need to talk to Ava. Moose says that he already talked to Ava and Santino, and on December 30th, Moose is going to take care of Page.

Page goes for the cheap shot, but Moose sends him packing.

Evans is still waiting outside. Enter Leon Slater. He wants Evans to come back in and focus on Slater’s number one contender’s match tonight. After some persuasion, Evans gives in and leaves with Slater.

THE BELLY BOYS ARE BACK!!!!!

COMMERCIALS!

Hank and Tank vs. OTM

The bell rings, as Tank and Bronco start us off. Tank with the go-behind, but Bronco elbows his way out and flattens Tank with a shoulder tackle. Tank takes Bronco to his corner so the Belly Boys can work Nima over some. Nima gets out of the corner and drops Hank like a bad habit. He takes in Price. Kitchen Sink into a stomp gets OTM a two.

Price screams for a bit and eats an up kick for his troubles. Hank with the tag, Tank off the second rope with a flying back elbow for a two. We go inset as a Chevy has arrived. We don’t see who it is before the picture goes back to the match. Hank with some arm wringers to Price as he tags Tank in. Double team arm snap follows.

Hank with a corner smash as he tags in Tank. He, too, hits a corner smash on Price. Price reverses it with an arm drag and a big slap. He tags in Nima, he gets a two on the cover. Hank throws Nima to his team’s corner and they work over Nima. Price comes in, but he eats a double team suplex.

Hank and Tank with corner mounted punches, but OTM do a double powerbomb collision reminiscent of The Authors of Pain before throwing Hank and Tank to the mat. That’ll take us to commercial break.

Tank with a suicide dive to Nima in front of the announce table as we return from break. Price cuts off Hank on the top rope though and hits a big superplex! Tank and Nima get the tags. It looked like the rope monster tripped up Bronco lol.

Both men trade forearms. Tank ducks the lariat and hits a big knee, but Bronco eats it and wants to be fed like Ryback lol. Tank with an interesting arm bar submission, but Price saves his partner. We see Myles Bourne working out in the back because sure, why not. OTM hit a double team Samoan Drop! That’s interesting. Tank kicks out at two, though.

OTM looking for a Pendulum Bomb through the announce table on Hank. Booker T tells them to do it lol, but Hank saves his partner and hits a CANNONABLL to OTM on the floor. Back in the ring, Tank with a Swanton Bomb! The tag, the shirts come off! Smash in the middle of the ring, but Nima is back as he hits a pump kick to Hank! Double team collision in the middle of the ring leads to Hank rolling up Price for the win.
WINNER: Hank and Tank
TIME: 13:40
THOUGHTS: I mean, it was fine, I guess. It looked like it was going to pick up after the commercial break, but it became a little bit janky at the end, especially the pinfall setup.
RATING: **1/2

Vic shills the #1 contenders match main event for tonight. We cut back outside to see that it was Ricky Saints in the Chevy, as he gets out, and Vic says he has some explaining to do! I didn’t know Vic was Ricky Ricardo.

COMMERCIALS!

Ava is in the back with Jasper Troy, as she rambles on about her problems. Troy says that he should have destroyed Ricky and Je’Von when he had the chance. Ava says let’s put aa pin in it, and she tells him that there is a new Men’s Speed Tournament coming up. Troy says he doesn’t care, because there will be nothing but destruction.

Speaking of destructive, Ricky Saints is here! How they relate I’m not sure, but it seemed like a decent enough segue.

Ricky says first thing’s first. He is not out here to apologize. The day he stepped foot in this ring, he said he was bringing the Absolute Era. He came to NXT because he wanted to let everyone know that he is who he says he is. He can carry any brand. He takes a gamble on himself because he has no other options. Everyone was searching for the man who was going to beat Oba Femi. That man was me, and I did. But here is where it kind of gets confusing to me. You enjoyed it, for a minute, but you really wanted someone else. You wanted Je’Von Evans to beat Femi. That’s why no one cared when young OG jumped the line in front of me for his title shot. That’s why I had to check him and let his narrow ass know he isn’t the man until I say so.

He has played it very safe, he has been passed over and stepped on, but no more! He will get whatever he wants, whenever he wants. And if that means he has to stab you from the front or the back, it doesn’t matter. He tried to give Evans some sound advice, to wait, and your day will come. This is Ricky’s time! How many titles has Evans won? Zero. When he allows Evans to get into his ring, he will prove that he is so far below me. You have superstars in the back chasing clout, and I have it. I am the charismatic one, I am the right guy in the right time. The revolution is televised because you are living in it. There is no one who will go to the levels that I will, there is no one who will do the things I will do to get to the top.

Je’Von Evans is here! He grabs Saints by the legs even though Ricky had security with him. Saints sneaks around his security and slams Evans into the ring steps on the outside. Ricky hits the Rochambeau through the table on Evans!

We see Wren, Kendal, and Fatal Influence all walking in the back! That tag team match is up next!

COMMERCIALS!

Ava, Sol Ruca, and Zaria are in the back, but before the can get going, here is Ethan Page! He says he gets attacked by Tony D’Angelo, he is being challenged by Stacks, and worst of all, there is a Moose on the Loose! Chelsea Green is here! She goes into her own set of problems. Ava says that Green’s problems are not Ava’s fault. Ava says in two weeks Page will face Moose, but next week, Green is defending her US Title against Sol Ruca, because she beat Bayley and she deserves a shot.

Wait, isn’t that a WWE title? The NXT Commissioner can make title matches involving the WWE titles? Okay then.

Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair vs. Lainey Reid and Fallon Henley

Jacy Jayne will be on commentary, and she says Vic has a crusty little butt lol.

Reid and Henley attack before the bell. They hit a double team flapjack on Grey and then hit a double team rolling cutter. A double team baseball slide keeps Sinclair out of the ring. Reid and Henley take Grey to their corner and work her over. Grey turns the tide with a roll-up on Reid for a two.

Sinclair in the match now, as they double team Reid. Grey with the tag and she hits a bridging German for a two. Grey rolls up Reid in an effort to roll to her corner and tag in Sinclair. Henley gets the blind tag, but Sinclair hits a double arm suplex on Reid. Sinclair follows Reid out to the floor, Jayne gets up and berates Sinclair, allowing Henley a chance to attack Sinclair. That’ll take us to the break.

Fatal Influence are in control as we return. Henley with a sliding German to Sinclair in their corner and Henley gets the tag and the cover for a two. She talks smack to Grey, and Reid misses her elbow drop. We see Leon Slater in the back getting ready for the main event as Grey gets the tag.

Grey with an overhead suplex to Reid and Henley. Grey springboards back in and hits a senton splash to Reid. Reid manages to snap Grey face first across the top rope, allowing her tag in Henley. Grey hits a snap powerslam on Henley. The cover, but Reid breaks it up. Grey with an arm bar. Jayne gets up on the apron to cause the distraction. Grey knocks her off the apron, and Sinclair hits a splash from the corner, taking out Reid and Jayne! Grey goes back to the arm bar, and Henley taps out.
WINNER: Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair
TIME: 9:30
THOUGHTS: A good match, and Sinclair and Grey winning by tapping out Henley makes sense, since Grey is the one challenging for the NXT Women’s Title at New Year’s Evil.
RATING: ***1/4

In the back, Thea Hail is still over the moon about her title win. She has no more tears to cry. She has been here since she was 18, can you believe it? She’s had friends, she hasn’t had friends, but she has this title now, it is all hers! Jordynne Grace is here. She says congrats, Thea, it looks like you figured it out before I did. Hail says all you need to do is remain positive! Blake Monroe appears on the right side. She is mad that she lost her title and that is her baby. Grace says give it a break, Hail has been champion for 30 minutes, let her have this time and go lick your wounds. Monroe calls Grace a giant and says she will get her rematch and she will win her title back.

COMMERCIALS!

Izzi Dame arrives in the women’s locker room as we return. She is on the phone, and there is a doll in her stall. Lola Vice says maybe you deserved this for what Shawn Spears did to Tatum. She leaves, and we see Kelani Jordan putting stuff in her stall. Lola wants to know what she is doing, and she says she is back in the locker room. It must have been disappointing, Lola, you were the one who kept me out of here, but now Kelani is back. Lola says that it will take more than gymnastics to make an impact in this room.

Shiloh Hill and Skylar Rae are in the back talking about racoons and stuff. Here comes Stacks and Ariana Grace. Stacks says Moose is here in Florida. Hill says that is weird because Moose usually don’t show up this far south. Stacks asks if he is stupid and tells him to fix his teeth. Rae tells them to go to couples’ therapy. The short of it is that Ariana and Stacks challenge them for a mix tag next week.

This is interrupted by DarkState, as they walk on through, as Lennox leads the way to take his place in the main event tonight.

Vic runs down the matches for next week’s episode of NXT.

Obligatory commercial break before the match!

We get replays of the end of the Hail-Monroe match and of Ricky putting Je’Von through the announce table. Vic says that voting for the Year-End Awards are now open.

#1 Contenders 4-Way Match for an NXT World Title Shot: Myles Bourne vs. Leon Slater vs. Joe Hendry vs. Dion Lennox

It’s everyone going at it to start the match. Big powerslam from Bourne to Lennox, Hendry with a lariat to Bourne as he lines up Slater. Slater misses a clothesline, DDT from Hendry scores him a two. Slater picks off Lennox, Hendry goes after Slater, but he eats a springboard back elbow for his trouble. Slater with a springboard crossbody to Lennox for a two.

Lennox grinds the match to a halt with some power moves to Slater. Leon picks up the speed with a reverse of the Irish Whip and hits a running forearm smash. Slater can’t whip Lennox though, so he settles for a knife edge chop instead. Slater mounts Lennox with some corner punches as the fans cheer him on. Another springboard crossbody to Lennox for another two.

Slater goes to the top rope, but Lennox rolls out of the ring. Slater eyes him up with a crossbody, but Lennox sneaks back into the ring, as Slater sells his knee after the fall. Slater back into the ring, Lennox on the attack, but Bourne is back and he goes after Lennox. Slater uses the back of Hendry and leaps into Bourne, but he catches Slater, and Lennox off the top with a flying lariat! Bourne with a dropkick to Hendry, as all four men are down in the ring as we hit the break.

We see Hendry and Lennox hit each other with lariats as we return form break. Slater tries to shake some feeling back into his leg as he goes to the top. Lennox grabs him by the leg to crotch him on the top rope. Lennox picks up Slater, but here comes Bourne, who hits Lennox in the splash zone. Here comes Hendry now as the censor has shut off the noise lol. Slater sneaks out over the top and to the mat. CLUSTERPOWERBOMB!

Slater pins Hendry for a two. He pins Bourne for a two. He rolls over Lennox and pins him but still gets a two. THIS IS AWESOME chants as Slater with forearms and kicks for everyone else in the match. Slater manages to kick everyone down to the mat, but like Zombies, they keep raising lol. Bourne with a powerslam to Slater, Lennox hits him with a release German. Hendry going for the Standing Ovation to Slater, but Slater fights out of it.

Slater and Lennox end up on the floor, as Leon sends Dion back into the ring. Slater with the slow climb to the top, as Lennox rolls away. He thinks he is out of harm’s way, BUT HE ISN’T, AS SLATER HITS THE SWANTON BOMB ANYWAY! Bourne dropkicks Slater out of the ring. He goes after Hendry, but Joe with a counter suplex to Myles. Hendry with punches and lariats for Bourne, that leads into the Fallaway Slam! Hendry dishes one out for Lennox as well! Hendry with the Olympic Slam to Bourne! Hendry sends Lennox from the ring and hits the Standing Ovation on Bourne! Here comes Slater, but Hendry catches him and he throws him out of the ring and onto Lennox!

Lennox pulls Hendry out of the ring, and they end up fighting up the ramp, leaving Slater and Bourne in the ring. Leon to the top rope, he hits the Frog Splash! The cover, Leon is moving on!
WINNER: Leon Slater
TIME: 16:20
THOUGHTS: I’m not sure anyone in this match will knock off The Ruler so soon after he won his NXT World Title back from Ricky Saints, but Slater presents a fresh match-up and the vintage big guy-little guy formula for when they meet at New Year’s Evil. The match was really good, it had the expected lulls in the action typical for a multi-person match, but it stayed fairly active and interesting throughout.
RATING: ***3/4

Post-match, Slater celebrates his win, as The Ruler comes out to have a stare down with his opponent for New Year’s Evil.

And with that, we are done!

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

A fairly decent show tonight. The one true letdown was the OTM-Hank and Tank match, but everything else was good to pretty good. The ladies, as usual, put in the work and they showed out. Props to NXT for going with Leon Slater to challenge Oba Femi at New Year's Evil. We know Leon isn't winning, but good on him for getting that shine.