wrestling / TV Reports
Jeremy’s WWE NXT Review 9.23.25
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...Hello everyone, and welcome to our live WWE NXT coverage on 411! Jeremy Thomas here as always and we have a big match on tap as Oba Femi will battle Trick Williams in a winner-takes-all NXT and TNA World Championship match! Certainly no chance of tomfoolery there considering how many TNA stars complained about it in a way that both TNA and NXT highlighted. In other bouts, we’ll see Candice LeRae vs. Lainey Reid in a WWE Speed Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match and an (ugh) Lights Out Match between Myles Borne and Lexis King. And a couple of NASCAR guys will be here, so yay for that?
Here at the Thomas homestead, I have been very busy but still have some movie-watching I got done. I watched and reviewed the excellent Lunatic: The Luna Vachon Story out of Fantastic Fest and you can see my review of that here. Some more Fantastic Fest reviews are coming soon. I also subjected myself to Madame Web for an upcoming appearance ob Rob Stewart’s podcast, and watched the classic White Zombie and the stellar Gerald’s Game for my Hooptober Viewing Challenge for 2025. Finally, I watched the very decent true crime/horror mockumentary Strange Harvest and did a watch of Trick ’r Treat for an upcoming Final Ghouls of Horror episode.
On the TV side — I got nothing. I’m even behind on Alien: Earth. Like I said, it was a busy week.
Meanwhile, you can check out the latest episode in the Final Ghouls of Horror below as Holly, L and I look at the mother of all shark movies in Jaws! You can subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, including YouTube.
As a reminder, the GoFundMe for Larry’s kids is still active and if you can make a donation, that would be awesome. Thank you so much to everyone who’s done so thus far.
* TUDUM.
* We get a recap from last week’s NXT Homecoming including plenty of the opening segment with HBK, ‘H and Regal, Roberty Roode and Joe Hendry’s moment, Sami Zayn giving Je’Von Evans advice, Finn Balor’s distracting Lexis King so Myles Borne could take him out, The Miz helping Melo and Trick beat #DIY, the announcement of tonight’s match, and the six-women tag team match main event.
* Trick Williams arrives at the PC, as does Oba Femi.
Lights Out Match
Myles Borne vs. Lexis King
Borne attacks King during his entrance and they start brawling around the ring. Borne rolls King in and slides in a chair and garbage can, which hits King and the bell finally rights.
Borne with mounted punches to King and then a chair edge to the face. Dropkick by Borne and kicks in the corner, he grabs King and hits a belly to belly onto the chair. Cover gets two.
Borne sets up the chair and picks it up, but King hits a kick and then a clothesline to the back of the head, cover gets two. King with mounted punches for a four-count and then sends Borne into the ropes — knee lift and then a chair shot to the back. He drives the edge of the chair into the gut, then grabs Borne for a suplex onto the chair. Cover gets two.
Straight-jacket sleeper from Borne, who gets to his feet and fights out but gets knocked down and then bodyslammed onto the chair. King talks shit and sets up the trash can — Borne sent into the corner and holds him there while kicking him in the head. King waffles a downed Borne multiple times with the trash can and then grinds it in, backs up and charges — Borne with a powerslam onto the can as we go to break.
We’re back and King took over during the break including a Coronation onto the table. King pulls a table into the ring and sets it up — but Borne has his belt and whips King with it. King grabs the belt but is kicked to the floor — Borne goes to dive but gets nailed by King with the belt.
King sets up the chair in the ringpost and grabs Borne, going to throw him into the chair but Borne blocks it and knocks King down, slingshotting him into the steel chair. He goes to whip King into the steps but King reverses it, then grabs a chair to crack over Borne’s back.
King sets up the ring steps and wraps the chair around Borne’s head and neck — he goes to stomp but Borne moves! Borne SPEARS King through the guardrail!
Borne grabs King and rolls him into the ring, where he’s brought the steps, but King clotheslines Borne to the floor. King sets up the steps next to the table and goes out to the apron, but Borne trips King, whips him with the belt over and over! King in, Borne whips at him, King dodges a shot and hits a superkick.
KIng goes for the Coronation off the steps through the table but Borne blocks it and DDTs King into the steps! BORNE AGAIN through the table and that’s it!
Winner: Myles Borne (11:47)
Rating: ** 3/4
Thoughts: I hate this stipulation match, it’s just a street fight but harder to see. The two worked hard and hopefully this feud is done, and that’s the good I’ll say about it.
* Ava is in the UK taking care of business talking to Robert Stone and Stevie Turner by Facetime. Stone says they’ve got it and asks if she invited TNA wrestlers here. Ava can’t hear due to the connection and hangs up. Stevie says the Prime Minister is charge and Stone says they’re both in charge.
* Ethan Page WALKS backstage and has a quick staredown with Myles Borne.
* Ethan Page is here and coming to the ring. El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. is in the crowd watching. Page says he needs a second from the foul-mouthed fans and says he should be celebrating his giant victory over so-called Canadian Tyler Breeze. But apparently we have a very special guest from “Aaaah” in Wagner. He welcomes Wagner to NXT and says he’d be a two-belt champion if he didn’t get screwed out of his victory at Worlds Collide. He says Mr. Wagner can lock eyes with this gorgeous North American, but he would like to invite him to No Mercy where he can see him face Tavion Heights.
Wagner stands up and Page suggests they have a match now. Wagner in the ring and we have a match! Wagner dodges a shot, knocks Page down and locks in an ankle lock — Page taps! Wagner holds up the title and takes off the mask — it’s Tavion Heights!
* Earlier today, Jordynne Grace is watching Blake Monroe’s from last week and says the mask had to slip at some point. Arianna Grace says she’d be scared if she was JG. Grace says it’s weird that Grace is trying to give her advice when she was talking with Grace recently. Arianna clarifies that she was just making sure Blake knew they weren’t related, and Jordynne says let’s make sure of that tonight.
WWE Speed Women’s Title #1 Contender’s Match
Candice LeRae vs. Lainey Reid
NASCAR’s Cole Custer fumbles through the ring announcing for this one. Sol and Zaria are watching from the podium.
LeRae with a drop toe hold, fumbles a springboard and then misses it. The Angel Warriors are walking backstage as LeRae and Reid end up on the apron where Reid hits a kick and goes for a suplex, but LeRae counters. Candice tries to suplex Lainey off the apron but she escapes and knocks LeRae to the floor. LeRae back up and hits a springboard off the ropes to Reid on the floor, gets her in and locks in a crossface.
Reid breaks it up with a pin, LeRae with a pin attempt countered into a backslide, into a rollup by LeRae and Reid hits a BIG knee for three.
Winner: Lainey Reid (2:25)
Rating: N/A
Thoughts: That was…not a good match. They rushed hard to fit the time limit and there were a number of slips as a result.
* Jaida Parker says she hopes everyone enjoyed Homecoming, but she didn’t. And two words why: Lash Legend. Lash got Jaida thinking because Lash got one up on her, and she’ll let her have that. She says Lash can celebrate, but she can tell people how it felt when she put her through the barricade. She sees through Lash and tells her to keep her little moment warm, because next time there will be no barricades to break. It isn’t over by a long shot — clock it.
* Lyra is backstage and talking with Tatum. She says every time she makes a friend they start to lose their head. Is it her fault. Tatum says nothing is her fault, ever! Lyra says that Tatum is weird but consistently weird. Izzi walks up and says that Lyra dropped her once before and is smart enough to know that she’ll do her again. She drags Tatum away as Tatum smiles and says it’s good to see Lyra. Lyra: “Rude…”
* Uriah and Kale are looking at Andre Chase, who’s nose is apparently broken. He says they were going too fast and brought in a couple guys who can go fast. One of the guys says he loves it when the guy who they say his name he appears and asks if it’s real. DarkState show up and act threatening, Joe Hendry’s name is said and he shows up in a NASCAR suit.
Hendry says they keep running into each other and Dion says they’re not doing it again. That leads to a six-man tag team match being set up.
Jordynne Grace vs. Arianna Grace
Arianna attacks Jordynne before the bell and keeps it up, but Jordynne chops her and then hits charges into her in the corner. Bodyslam drop, Jordynne goes for a Vader-style bomb but Arianna moves. Arianna with a splash off the ropes for two and hits a dropkick to the back of the head.
Arianna bends Jordynne back against the second rope and then yanks her into the middle of the ring, misses an elbow drop and then charges at Grace but gets hooked around the back. Jordynne slams Arianna into the turnbuckle, hits a couple short arm clotheslines, spinebuster off the ropes and a Direct Effect bomb for three.
Winner: Jordynne Grace (2:23)
Rating: N/A
Thoughts: RIP Arianna Grace.
Post-match, Stacks Lorenzo checks on Arianna at ringside — Blake is here! She has a pink kendo stick and Jordynne has a chair! Black gets struck down — but she cracks the stick across JG’s cut and back! They end up on the mat and officials are out to break it up.
Stevie Turner is out here with Stone and Stevie says Ava left them in charge, so at No Mercy they’ll have a Weapons Match! Stone says it’ll be bigger than that; Saturday this ends because it’ll be in a steel cage!
* Kelly is backstage with Lainey. Lainey says she got the opportunity she asked for and looked what happened. She beat an AAA star and knocked off an NXT icon. And after she beats Ruca, she’ll be champion. Fatal Influence walks by and Jacy wishes her luck. Jacy then tells Fallon and Jazmyn she can handle Lola by herself and walks off.
* Back from break and Jacy Jayne comes down to the ring. Jacy gets a mic and says that let’s pretend last week never happened, Rhea didn’t pin her and Lola didn’t backfist her to cost her the match. Because none of that really matters and at the end of the day, she’s been standing in our face for over 100 days as NXT Women’s Champion. She’s gotten rid of every label people tried to put on her: third wheel, most beatable champion, transitional champion, all wrong.
She says it’s absolutely laughable that people live in this fantasy that the one who will dethrone her is Lola Vice. Let’s be real: Lola Vice? A crossover star who’s playing in her division. She’s flashy and has followers on Instagram, and Jacy will give her her flowers: she’s improved immensely, but she’s not ready to hold the title. Lola has momentum, but Lola, wake up. That’s the Jacy Jayne story! She shocked the world, been there done that. She says Lola isn’t the underdog in this story, she is. She was told she would never make it and while Lola was shaking her ass, she was busting her ass. No hometown advantage will make Lola win, and no one’s going to ruin this for her.
LOLA IS HERE! She wouldn’t expect anything less. Another person talking about her ass, but at least she has an ass to shake, Mama! 100 days as champ, that’s impressive. But she’s barely surviving and always needed someone to help, she wasn’t. And while Jacy was being a toxic third wheel, she was knocking people out to earn her shot.
Lola says a year ago she was doing this in front of Roxanne. That’s not who she is anymore and this time it’s different. She stands in front of her a completely different person. More than a fighter; a wrestler and a WWE superstar. And as much as she wants to win the title for the family, the culture and herself, this is for the people here who have always had her back!
At No Mercy — and she’s glad it’s called No Mercy, because that’s what she’ll do as she knocks her out and becomes champ!
Jacy calls the fans fickle and says Lola is likely to beat her ass on Saturday. But she sees Lola and knows her. She’s been looking for validation since she came here. She wants her Mommy and Daddy and sisters to be proud. But Jacy says somehow, some way, she’ll be walking out as champion. Her reality may be a broken nose or broken jaw, but Lola’s will be looking her family in the eye and telling them all their sacrifices were for nothing. Jacy will walk out as champion and Lola will walk out as her family’s biggest disappointment.
LOLA KNOCKS OUT JACY! She grabs the title and holds it up.
* Josh Briggs says he can do things in the ring that can most people even dream of. Big guy who moves fast, hits hard, etc. But he keeps getting told he’s not relatable and can’t connect with the fans. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get that connection and he stopped caring what fat podcasters and fans care. He says we’re all hypocrites that tell him to go away but chant “This is Awesome” at the end of matches. They don’t get it, just like Je’Von. Je’Von puts his body on the line against people who don’t care. At No Mercy he’s going to show Je’Von and everyone and that the fans can chant want they want; the only chant he cares about is 1-2-3.
DarkState vs. Joe Hendry & Chase U
Dark State attacks during Hendry’s entrance. THe bell rings with Shugars and Connors in the ring, Osiris tags in and runs over Connors. Splash in the corner, Dion tags in and Connors whipped into a bodyslam for two. Connors sent into the ropes, Dixon tags in and Dion knocked down, Dixon hits a splash for two.
Dixon with a crucifix pin for two. Dion fires back and Dixon goes over Dion in the corner, takedown for another two-count. Hendry tags in, Dion into the ropes for a double back elbow. Hendry gets Dion in the corner for chops, Dion dodges one but gets put back in the corner for a final chop. Suplex attempt, Shugars in to block it and Kale sends him to the floor. Dion sent to the floor, Osiris is in and sent over the top. Dixon DIVES onto Shugars and Dion! And Hendry and Chase U to the Hendry turn as we go to break.
We’re back and Shugars is in control of Dixon in the ring in a sleeper. Dixon tosses Shugars off by going into the ropes but DarkState trade quick tags and Dion runs over Dixon. Dixon tries to fight back in the corner but Shugars tags in and hits a dropkick to Dixon, who is whipped into Osiris’ arms for a powerslam. Cover but Hendry breaks it up.
Hendry knocked to the outside as Dion tosses Connors over the guardrail. Osiris batters Dixon in the hostile corner and Shugars tags in. Dixon gets the hot tag to Hendry through! He batters Darkstate, Osiris in and Hendry into the ropes — BIG rana! He catches a diving Dion into a fallaway slam! Hendry turn-around! Hendry grabs Dion for the Standing O but Shugars distracts the ref and Cutler runs over Hendry.
Hendry takes down Dion but both men are down. Chase psyches up Connors, who gets the hot tag and knocks down Dion. Up top, he leaps but rolls when Dion dodges. Kick to Osiris’ head, DDT to Shugars — Connors dives onto Cutler when he gets into it with Chase! Stunner to Dion, cover but Cutler breaks it up! They set Connors up for the big powerbomb for three.
Winner: DarkState (11:35)
Rating: *** 1/4
Thoughts: Surprisingly good match that made Chase U look strong-ish while building up DarkState a bit. The foursome is starting to get some heat behind them and that’s a good thing.
* We learn a bit about Ricky Saints and how he embodies everything that is New Orleans, where he grew up. He says he doesn’t know if he was ever supposed to make it. He’s standing where his childhood home used to be, but it was blown away by Katrina. He talks about how your perspective changes as an adult, and he’s proud enough and man enough to come back so folks can say “That’s the guy who made it through.” He says he made it because he had no other choice.
He says people see the style and glamour, but he represents everyone down to the street vendors and he was supposed to slip through the cracks but didn’t. EVery day he progresses a little more and makes sure he doesn’t slip back. He’s never let a circumstance define him and he loves going back to NO because it reminds him it’s not about him. Every single person he talks to, every hug, you see a reflection of Ricky Saints. He couldn’t be any more proud of that.
Saints says Saturday isn’t just about winning the title; it’s about proving to all the doubters and making everything pay off. It doesn’t matter if it’s Oba or Trick, he’s getting it done and he will usher in a new era because he has to.
* Vic runs down the No Mercy card.
* Kelly is backstage with Je’Von and asks about No Mercy. He says Josh won their last match but this week he will. And Briggs is talking like he knows the OG — some crash is heard, and Je’Von continues talking.
Someone calls for help and we go see Jazmyn Nyx down. Jacy and Fallon ask what happened, and Jacy says it was time to drop her anyway. Only the strong survive.
TNA World & NXT Championship Match
Trick Williams vs. Oba Femi
TNA stars are all over the arena in the audience for this match. Trick goes for the kick right off the bat but gets caught. Trick with chops, Irish whip reversed into an Oba punch. Trick escapes a power bomb, Oba blocks a kick and chops Trick. Whip across the ring, Trick goes up and over, Oba dodges a knee strike.
Trick with a wristlock, tries a snapmare to no effect but hits a kick — so Oba shoves him down. Oba runs over Trick a couple times off the ropes, Trick leapfrogs but gets knocked down again. Oba sends Trick to the outside and Oba follows. Goozle and a chokeslam to the apron countered, Trick on the apron but gets slapped down!
Back in the ring, Oba charges but Trick rolls back out of the ring. He goes to climb in but gets knocked to the floor. Oba out and goes after Trick but a flapjack sends Oba into the apron. And Mike Santana is out in the ringside area! He puts the headset on and sits at commentary as Trick looks on angrily, then chops Oba against the guardrail as we go to break.
Back from break and Trick has Oba in a sleeper, but Oba powers out and gets a shot to the back. Bodyslam by Trick as Maclin watches from the stands — MATT CARDONA IS HERE IN THE STANDS! Rock Bottom by Trick, cover gets two-plus.
Trick with chops but Oba is Oba-ing up — CHOKE SLAM by Oba! He charges into the corner with uppercuts over and over, but Trick comes back for a kick. Oba lays out Trick, takes him down with a drop off the shoulder for two. Irish whip, powerbomb but Trick leaps over. BIG kick from Trick and a spinning kick! Cover gets two-plus!
Eric Young is watching as is Cardona as Trick goes to the second rope and leaps into a goozle. Trick flips over but gets nailed with a forearm. Oba ducks a kick and tosses Trick! Fall From grace countered into a rana with a pin attempt for two-plus. TRICK SHOT! Cover gets Thre–NO!
Mounted punc by Trick and the audience chants “WHOOP THAT TRICK!” Trick pulls Oba up — INTO A FALL FROM GRACE! Cover gets almost three. Both men are down now as Mance Fucking Warner watches from the stands, as does Maclin. Cassie Lee is watching as Oba and Trick trade shots on their knees. They’re up now trading blows — kneelift from Trick, who runs into the ropes and gets hit. Trick does the same, and then Oba does it again as they fall to the ringside area. Trick sends Oba into the ringsteps but turns to talk shit to Santana. He slaps Trick and Santana fires back for the DQ.
Winner: Trick Williams by DQ. (11:52)
Rating: ***
Thoughts: The match itself was quite good, though it was merely a prelude to the brawl and the constant cutting to the TNA stars showed that. I would have liked to see this get more time to add to the suspension of disbelief that we might have a clean finish, but ah well. Good work even with those relatively minor annoyances.
And now we have the all-out TNA and NXT brawl! Everyone in the roster is out here battling! Ricky Saints walks up to the NXT Title belt and looks at it as Oba gets to his feet and grabs it away.
And with that, we’re done for the night!
