NXT Review – 06.17.25

Tonight’s show is all about the Women’s division, so we open with the champion Jacy Jayne narrating the story of how we got to tonight’s show. She beat Stephanie Vaquer to win the title and then a LOT of folks lined up to try to get the next shot. We’ll have four qualifying matches tonight with the winners advancing to a fatal four-way on next week’s show to determine the number one contender for the NXT title match at Evolution.

We are LIVE at the Performance Center.

Evolution Eliminator: Jaida Parker vs Thea Hail

Hail attacks from behind as Parker is making her entrance, but Parker responds in kind and trash talks. Parker hauls Hail into the ring, the bell is sounded, and we’re off. Parker dumps Hail on the ropes and goes to work with right hands. Our announce team is Vic Joseph, Booker T, and Corey Graves. Hail dumps a charging Parker to the floor and hits her with a tope, then jams Parker back-first into the ring apron. Hail ascends and hits Parker with a cross-body, and then an Exploder suplex for two. Booker claims that Hail no longer being associated with Chase U is a good thing as Parker hits Hail with a sidewalk slam for two. Parker works a chinlock as escape attempts are blocked. Parker spins Hail around by the neck and drops her for a two count, and then goes back to the chinlock. Hail escapes and gets hit with a double thrust, a snap suplex, and an overhead suplex gets two. Hail blocks a suplex attempt and hits a short lariat as Parker bails. Parker charges and Hail slips it and runs Parker into the ring steps as we go to picture-in-picture commercials.

During PIP Hail ascends and eats it on a crossbody attempt. Parker takes control and works Hail over in the corner. Parker hits a neckbreaker for two. Parker puts Hail in an abdominal stretch but Hail escapes with a back elbow. Parker gains control with a kick and then drops an elbow on Hail’s back for two. Parker goes back to the abdominal stretch, but Hail escapes and gets a roll up on Parker for two. Hail throws rights, and hits a headbutt, but Parker reverses a charge and lays Hail prone in the corner across the ropes. Parker charges and drops Hail with a BUTT ATTACK, but doesn’t go for the pin.

Back live and Hail rolls Parker up into a Kimura. Parker tries for the ropes but Hail gator rolls her back to the middle. Parker makes it to her feet and rams Hail into the corner, which breaks the hold temporarily. Parker does this twice more as Hail keeps leaping on her and re-applying the Kimura. Parker taps Hail on the leg to indicate submission and Hail celebrates, but the referee did not see the tap. Parker hits the Hipnotic on a baffled Hail for three. Parker is now in next week’s fatal four-way.

Hail got very little offense in this contest, as Parker basically used size and strength to control things. On the surface that’s fine but Hail didn’t look like she belonged here in terms of the storyline. Mostly a squash. 1.5*

Winner – Jaida Parker (Hipnotic)

Backstage, here’s Josh Briggs, Yoshiki Inamura, and Elijah. Briggs and Inamura think it’s hard to believe someone could be more annoying than TNA champion Trick Williams, but then AJ Francis and KC Navarro came along. Elijah agrees that First Class are the worst and that he’s still really annoyed that Trick is the TNA champ and doesn’t actually work for TNA. Here are NXT Tag Team Champions Hank & Tank to let Briggs and Inamura that they have a title match after tonight’s proceedings, as NXT Men’s Champion Oba Femi stops by. Hank and Tank compliment Femi on his win over Jasper Troy last week and Femi says him being The Ruler is not going to change anytime soon. He turns around and here’s TNA Men’s World Champion Hollywood Trick Williams. Femi tells Trick his money is on Briggs and Inamura tonight and Trick tells him he’s going to be a “broke Ruler” then.

Here’s another Blake Monroe vignette. She looks in a mirror, she’s wearing high heels, she puts on perfume, she picks out clothes! Monroe signs her NXT contract tonight and I’m sure it will all go super well.

Evolution Eliminator: Kelani Jordan vs Lash Legend

Legend dumps Jordan and trash talks her, but Jordan fires back with rights. Legend lifts a knee, bodyslams Jordan, and then ragdolls her by the hair. Legend misses a splash attempt and Jordan boots her down. Jordan slips while doing her rolling buttdrop but she hits it and grabs a headlock. Legend breaks free and runs the rope, but Jordan hits her with a rana and a dropkick. Legend bails and Jordan hits her with an Asai moonsault as we go to commercials.

Back live with Jordan getting a rollup on Legend for two. They slug it out in the corner and Legend fights out of a pin attempt and dumps Jordan. Legend hits a big pump kick for two. Legend puts Jordan over her shoulder in a modified backbreaker as Graves talks up Legend’s gameplan to target Jordan’s lower back. Jordan finally slips out and gets a Codebreaker on Legend as both combatants are down. Jordan hits a couple of forearms and a dropkick and ducks a clothesline attempt. Jordan hits a swank cartwheel elbow and nips up. Jordan hits Sliced Bread and ascends for a frog splash that gets two. Jordan looks for a single leg crab, but Legend breaks it up and chops Jordan in the chest. Jordan chops Legend down and tries for the split-legged moonsault, but Legend clubbers her to break it up. Legend tries for a big back suplex from the second rope but Jordan rolls over in mid-attempt and gets two off the splash. Jordan is frustrated, so she ascends again and goes for the 450 splash, but Legend gets her knees up. Legend hits the Lash Extension for three. Legend is the second competitor in next week’s four-way.

Kelani is slipping, there’s no other way to put it. She needs a big win at some point because it’s felt all downhill since she lost the women’s North American title. Lash was solid tonight and I’m not surprised at this result. The match work was competent by both. 2.25*

Winner – Lash Legend (Lash Extension)

We’re given a look at the D’Angelo Family falling apart. Backstage, here’s a pensive Tony D’Angelo as Luca Crusifino walks up talking to someone on his phone. The Don questions Luca about where’s he’s been and then tells him he’ll see him in the ring as we go to commercials.

Back live, and Tony D’Angelo is in the center of the ring with a microphone. D’Angelo says as the Don, you have to be constantly aware. He mentions Stacks betrayal and Rizzo going into hiding, and Luca getting apparently “clipped”. Since Crusifino re-appeared, the Don has been very confused. All Tony wants from Crusifino is his trust and loyalty, and he’s not getting it. Crusifino makes his entrance as D’Angelo says if he’s going to lie, he’s going to lie to him and THESE PEOPLE. Crusifino says he’s not lying about the desert story, he was zip-tied, tossed in the trunk of a car, and then was….freed. Stacks apparently told Luca it was his lucky day and let him go. D’Angelo says if he were to believe that, why did Luca come to Battleground and stare at D’Angelo “like an idiot”? Crusifino says D’Angelo can trust him, but D’Angelo wonders why Crusifino didn’t hit Stacks at Battleground and help the Don out. Crusifino says maybe he should have, but he’s a consigliere who usually guides other people’s decision making, and this was the first time he had to make his own call. D’Angelo tells Crusifino to look him in the eye and tell him if he’s with Stacks. Crusifino starts to promise the Don something and here’s Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo with some backup. Stacks, who’s dressed like he’s a mannequin at the So You Want To Be A Mafioso Outlet mall, asks Crusifino if he has ever questioned Crusifino the way D’Angelo is right now. Stacks says there’s a reason he saved Crusifino from the desert and tells Crusifino he knows what to do. Stacks’s goons advance and a brawl erupts. Crusifino pulls Stacks off D’Angelo and goes to clothesline him, but Stacks ducks and Crusifino waffles D’Angelo. This was good.

Here’s Hollywood Trick in the locker room and in walk AJ Francis and KC Navarro. Apparently Navarro is not medically cleared for tonight so Wes Lee, who’s just walked into frame with Tyson Dupont and Tyriek Igwe, will be their partner. Trick apologizes (!) to Lee for previous indiscretions in their long feud and everyone daps it up. We go to commercials.

Back live and the NXT Spotlight is on Chase U. Andre Chase formally introduces Kale Dixon and Uriah Connors as Chase U students. Dixon repeatedly interrupts Chase as he’s trying to teach so Chase tells him to “get tough” because Chase U doesn’t bend to him. Dixon and Connors leave in a huff and Connors says it’s a shame. Booker tells Joseph and Graves that no one likes Andre Chase.

Here’s a look back at Men’s North American champion Ethan Page dropping Ricky Saints throat-first on the chair with his Twisted Grin. Graves says that Saints will be cleared to return for next week’s show. The aforementioned Ethan Page is backstage with Swipe Right and Men’s Evolve champion Jackson Drake of The Vanity Project. They all agree that dropping Saints is Page’s “best work”. “Hundos” says Brad Baylor. In walks Ricky Saints to whisper to Page that he will be cleared next week and coming for Page. Drake snickers at this and tells Saints he clearly hasn’t learned his lesson and that if he wants to get to Page, he’s going to have to go through The Vanity Project. Ashant’e Thee Adonis has been listening in and as Page and crew leave, he tells Saints that he used to think they had a lot in common. Adonis tells him it’s a numbers game and the odds are not in his favor, but Saints says he’ll see him soon too.

Here’s noted TERRIBLE PLACE the NXT Parking Lot as Blake Monroe arrives.

Elijah sings his way to the ring, and brings out his partners Briggs and Inamura. We go to commercials.

Back live here’s Je’von Evans hanging out with Tavion Heights and Wren Sinclair of the No Quarter Catch Crew. Heights asks Wren about potentially leaving NQCC and Sinclair says that talking with Charles Dempsey “requires nuance”. I notice that Heights is wearing a sweatshirt with his actual real name on it which would be a WAY better wrestling name than his current one. Jasper Troy ambles in and Evans bounces over to him. Evans congratulates Troy on his match with Oba Femi last week, but Troy doesn’t appreciate Evans attempts at humor and leaves. While that breaks up, Charles Dempsey has entered and is happy to see Evans. Dempsey says Heights can leave NQCC if…he beats Evans in a match. They dap it up in agreement. Evans tells Dempsey he needs a hug, which Wren applies awkwardly as Dempsey is aghast.

Blake Monroe is having photos taken! Briggs, Inamura, and Elijah have been lounging in the ring this entire time.

AJ Francis, Wes Lee, and TNA Men’s World Champion Trick Williams vs Elijah, Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura

Inamura starts with Lee. Lee hits two running low dropkicks on Inamura but the third one is met with a big Inamura shoulder tackle. Inamura looks to be wearing velvet gear and well, that’s just swank as hell. Inamura chops Lee and tags in Briggs. They double team Lee with chops and Briggs gets a two count. Briggs backdrops Lee who lands on his feet and tags in Francis, who waffles Briggs with a shoulder. Briggs, who’s wearing Kevin Nash-like fringey pants, hits a charging Francis with a big boot 4 LYFE. Francis tags in Trick who Briggs snatches up immediately for a sidewalk slam and standing splash. Briggs yanks Williams up and runs him into his team’s corner. Elijah tags in and chops Williams as Briggs holds him. Williams acrobatically reverses a wristlock and Elijah responds accordingly, as Graves talks about Elijah being in the ring with Roman Reigns, John Cena and the Undertaker. Elijah hits Williams with a running clothesline and does his Walk With Elijah rope walk-double knee strike for two. Williams fires up and hits Elijah with a big leaping leg sweep, and Elijah, who’s favoring what looks to be a casted left wrist, bails. Inamura and Briggs check on him as Williams poses. Elijah yanks Williams out of the ring and launches him into the barrier, as Wes Lee attempts to tope Briggs and Inamura. They catch Lee and Francis teases coming over the top rope but stops and points at the crowd to say NOPE NOT THIS TIME MICHAEL COLE as Graves calls him “Top Dolla” and Briggs and Inamura wipe him out with elbows. What a sequence. Elijah ascends and drops a Savage elbow to Francis as we go to picture-in-picture.

High Ryze and Navarro are at ringside, by the way. During PIP, Briggs chases down a retreating Williams and whips him into the ring. They slug it out but Briggs gets the advantage as Williams begs off. Briggs hits a back elbow for two. Inamura tags in and chops Williams in the corner, and then grabs a shoulder lock. Williams reverses it and tags in Lee. Lee misses a dive and Inamura turns him inside-out with a big chop. Inamura hits his sumo strikes as Lee is just getting pummeled. Inamura puts Lee on the top turnbuckle and ascends but High Ryze interfere and Lee drops Inamura face first. Lee gets a couple of high kicks in and then hits a springboard double stomp to Inamura’s back which gets two. Inamura stupidly charges the heels corner and gets trapped there as Francis tags in. Francis whips Lee into Inamura and then Francis drops Inamura with a big boot. Francis rocket launches Lee onto Inamura and then hits a standing senton on him for a LONG two.

Back live and Inamura fires up with chops and elbow strikes to Francis. Inamura shoulders Francis who fires off the ropes with an ENORMOUS spear that gets two. Francis hits a running knee on Inamura (with an obvious leg slap) and flips over the top rope effortlessly, lands on the floor and talks shit to the camera. Well then, take THAT Michael Cole. Damn. Francis apparently tagged in Lee, who springs over the top rope and splashes Inamura for two. Lee works over Inamura with rights as Inamura appears to be firing up again. Inamura ducks a charge but eats a couple of rights and a huge enziguri from Lee. Lee charges but Inamura yanks him up, spins him right round like a record, and slams Lee on his back. Inamura gets the tag to Briggs as Lee tags in Williams. Briggs hits a high boot and as they run the ropes, Williams goes down way too early for what was going to be a Briggs crossbody. Briggs tags in Elijah who works Trick over in the corner, while clearly wrestling one-handed. He puts the boots to Williams as the referee finally yanks Elijah away. Elijah hits a rolling neckbreaker on Williams for two as it’s broken up by Francis and Lee. Briggs and Inamura come in and it’s all six in the ring. Briggs sends Lee flying but eats a high boot from Williams. Elijah whips Francis out to the apron and then waffles him with a high knee. Lee ascends as Williams is holding Elijah. Briggs moves Elijah out of the way and Williams very much scrambles to get into position as Lee hits him “accidentally” with a twisting splash. Lee doesn’t realize he hit Williams and as he turns to see this, Elijah scrambles over and tosses Lee out onto High Ryze. Inamura ascends and hits Williams with a frog splash for three(!).

So I liked this a bunch even with Trick not quite having the match of his life. Francis, I have to say it, was GREAT here. Briggs and Inamura work a very strong style and I am enjoying it more and more. Full credit to Elijah for wrestling one-armed, too. Fun television match. 3.0*

Winners – Elijah, Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura (Inamura frog splash to Trick Williams)

Making their way to the ring are Women’s North American champion Sol Ruca and Zaria. As they’re chatting Tatum Paxley emerges from a rolling case (?) to stare after them. Was she sleeping in there? We go to commercials.

Back live and we are in NXT GM Ava‘s office with Robert Stone and Stevie Turner. There’s an argument outside the door and it’s Tony D’Angelo and Luca Crusifino discussing the evening’s events. D’Angelo wants Crusifino to face Stacks in a match but Stacks has a match next week against Noam Dar for the Heritage Cup. D’Angelo questions this but Ava mentions that Stacks pinned a Heritage Cup champion (D’Angelo at Battleground) so he gets this match and Stacks’s consigliere signed off on it. D’Angelo assumes this means Crusifino and leaves in a rage.

Evolution Eliminator: Zaria vs Izzi Dame

Sol Ruca seconds Zaria. Dame is seconded by Niko Vance and Shawn Spears. Dame gets an immediate rollup for two, then hits a big boot as Zaria needs to reset with Ruca in the corner. Zaria ducks a charge and starts clubbering. They slug it out and Zaria knocks Dame into the corner and then hits her with a big charge. Zaria hits a back suplex for two. Zaria runs Dame’s head into the turnbuckle THRICE but her F5 attempt is slipped. Dame’s back bodydrop is pulled into a rollup by Zaria for two, but Dame responds with a big knee. Dame pushes Zaria into the corner and rams her with shoulderblocks as the ref scolds Dame for not breaking. Zaria fires up and waffles Dame with a headbutt, and then ascends. Zaria puts Dame in a sleeper and dangles Dame from the second rope. Zaria hits a second rope leaping lariat for two. We go to picture-in-picture commercials.

During PIP Zaria ties Dame up in the ropes for some torture, then Saito suplexes Dame for two. Zaria ties Dame up in a submission hold but Dame slips it and it turns into a chinlock. Dame slips another F5 attempt but Zaria grabs her legs and gets two. Dame reverses for two. Zaria reverses for two, and Dame kicks her in the midsection to break this up. They trade two counts again before Dame tries a chokeslam which Zaria slaps away before hitting Dame with a back elbow strike. Dame pounds Zaria with elbows while she’s draped in the ropes and then hits a rolling neckbreaker for two. Dame hits another rolling neckbreaker for two. Dame hits Zaria with a backbreaker over her knee and glares at Ruca. Dame launches Zaria onto the ropes throat-first and then talks shit.

Back live with Zaria firing up and attempting a German, but Dame runs her into the corner and then hits a leaping Codebreaker and corner charge. Dame chops Zaria and then hits a big boot and bodyslam for two. Dame hits her chokeslam for a LONG two and Dame can’t believe it. Zaria pulls the top rope down as Dame charges and Dame tumbles to the floor. Zaria brings her back in with a flip slam and then hits Dame with two clotheslines and a big boot. Zaria slams Dame and then hits her with a German as Tatum Paxley comes from out of nowhere to sneak up on Ruca. Paxley hugs Ruca around her midsection and Ruca screams, which distracts Zaria because of course. Zaria runs right into Dame’s Sky High sit-out powerbomb and that gets three. Dame becomes the third competitor in next week’s four-way.

It was a bit punchy-kicky but I think that’s probably what I would have expected from this matchup. Dame works kind of hoss style and Zaria still feels green, but this worked overall. Zaria will be okay with a loss and I’m sure there’s stories coming out of this with the Paxley deal. No major complaints with this one. 2.5*

Winner – Izzi Dame (Sky High Powerbomb)

Post-match sees Zaria glaring at Paxley as Ruca tries to make peace.

Here’s Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura as Briggs says Inamura has earned a TNA title shot by pinning Trick Williams earlier. Inamura says he wants Briggs to have his TNA title shot because Inamura wants to think bigger – Briggs as TNA champion and himself as NXT champion. Briggs, in the least shocking development ever, is very okay with this.

Evolution Eliminator: Lola Vice vs Jordynne Grace

I’m realizing that this is the main event and the contract signing is going to close the show and I die a little. The bell sounds and we’re off. They grapple to start but it leads to nothing, and then as they run the ropes Vice catches Grace with a rana. Grace dumps Vice to the outside and goes to the apron as Vice crawls in. Vice grabs Grace in a sleeper but Grace pulls her throat-first on the top rope. As Grace stalks in, Vice hits her with a roundhouse kick and then her rapid-fire kicks to the legs which back Grace into the corner. Vice hits Grace with her “hip” attack and puts some stink on it. We go to commercials.

Back live with Vice having a guillotine choke cinched in on Grace. Grace breaks out of it and hits a charging Vice with a big boot. Grace hits Vice with her rolling driver and big forearm for two. Grace slams Vice down in the corner and ascends for the Vader Bomb, but Vice catches her in an armbar. Grace shows a ridiculous amount of strength in pulling Vice off the ground and dropping her on her back. Grace hits a few forearms and goes to put Vice up, but she blocks it so Grace whips her into the corner. Joseph is right when he says that all of the women’s matches tonight have been hard-hitting physical affairs. Grace is looking for a superplex but Vice is slugging her in the kidneys to break it up. Vice grabs an armbar and then hits a sit-out drop that looked like it could have easily broken Grace’s arm. Vice hits her spinning roundhouse head kick for the LONGEST of twos. Vice is yelling at Grace to get up and as she does, Vice goes for a kick that Grace catches. Grace dumps Vice in a tilt-a-whirl “unique suplex” (as it’s called later by Graves) and then hits the Beast Mode (Juggernaut Driver is apparently out of the nomenclature now) for three. Grace is the final competitor in the four-way next week.

The finish came out of nowhere but this was a hell of a battle. None of the women’s matches got a lot of time tonight, which is a bummer, but everyone really went all out (save for poor Thea Hail who basically got run over). Jordynne has always been able to withstand punishment. Vice, as I keep mentioning, could really use a signature win that isn’t over the departed and missed Shayna Baszler. Solid, hard-hitting television main. 3.0*

Winner – Jordynne Grace (Beast Mode driver)

Post-match sees Grace favoring her elbow after that huge sit-out armbar slam. Hope she’s okay.

Highlights of all the Evolution Eliminators are shown as the match is now official for next week: Jaida Parker vs Lash Legend vs Izzi Dame vs Jordynne Grace. That should be tasty.

Here’s Zaria complaining to Tatum Paxley about costing her earlier. Izzi Dame walks up to remind Paxley that Ruca and Zaria are not her real friends. Dame says if they were her real friends they’d include Paxley, and Dame leaves. Paxley follows her. Blake Monroe is on her way to the ring and gives the stink-eye to Ruca and Zaria. We go to commercials.

After commercials, here’s a pre-tape on the Heritage Cup as narrated by Noam Dar. He faces Stacks Lorenzo for the Cup next week. Also next week in BREAKING NEWS, Trick Williams will defend the TNA Men’s World Title against Josh Briggs. Well then, we are STACKING this show kids.

Ava is in the ring and proclaims that NXT has the BEST WOMEN’S DIVISION, and here’s The Glamour Blake Monroe to sign her contract as Booker says “it’s about to get hot around here, dawg”. Monroe says BEST WOMEN’S DIVISON because she has to, and that WWE has always been her dream (HI TONI AND TONY!). This is coming off like she’s K-Mart Tiffany Stratton. Monroe signs the contract and here’s NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne along with Fallon Henley and Jazmyn Nyx to interrupt things. All three have microphones, yippee.

Jayne asks Ava why she’s “out here kissing the newbie’s ass like this”? LANGUAGE JACY. Nyx tells Monroe that if she thinks she can take what Fatal Influence has built she’s delusional and all three heels do the “you’re cuckoo” hand motion. Monroe calls them insecure “bitches” (LANGUAGE BLAKE SHEESH!) Jayne says the division doesn’t need Monroe, she’s a flavor of the month. Monroe’s had enough and slaps Jayne, which brings on Henley and Nyx. Monroe slugs Henley down but Jayne wipes Monroe out with her spinning discus punch. Jayne and Henley goozle Monroe through the table. Guys, it’s her first night for crying out loud. Jayne grabs her belt and the three pose over a prone Monroe.

We go over next week’s card one more time and we’re out.

Really solid in-ring stuff tonight with the women’s matches and the trios tag. Thumbs up from me. Thanks for reading and I’ll be back Saturday morning with Smackdown. Catch you on the flipside, dude-meisters.