NXT continues to roll forward towards New Years Evil. Nick already covered Blake Monroe vs. Thea Hail and the shock title win that opened the show, so let’s dig into everything else that followed.Nothing here screamed reinvention, but a lot of it quietly reinforced direction, which is never a bad thing. Let’s dive in!
Izzi Dame, Shawn Spears, and Niko Vance of The Culling were shown backstage in a dimly lit area, where three stools sat in front of them, one occupied by a doll. Dame said she had taken care of the problem, brushing off the setup as mind games. Spears, however, lingered on the visual, openly wondering if Tatum Paxley cried after losing to Dame at Deadline.
It was brief but sometimes letting the visual do the work is the point.
Ava Books U.S. Title Match for Next Week
Sol Ruca and Zaria were in Ava’s office discussing business when Ethan Page barged in, irritated after being interrupted earlier by Moose, Stacks, and Arianna Grace. Before that situation could fully spiral, Chelsea Green entered, flanked by her two championships and Alba Fyre, and immediately began airing grievances.
Green complained. Ava calmly responded that the bad things happening to Chelsea weren’t her fault. Naturally, this did not help.
Ava then announced that next week, Chelsea Green will defend the WWE Women’s United States Championship against Sol Ruca, citing Sol’s win over Bayley at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Ethan Page and Chelsea Green protested in unison, because of course they did.
Fatal Influence vs. Wren Sinclair & Kendal Grey
NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne joined commentary for this one, which made sense given that Evolve Women’s Champion Kendal Grey is set to challenge her for the NXT Women’s Title at New Year’s Evil on January 6th.
Fatal Influence wasted no time, attacking immediately at the bell. Grey tripped Reid and connected with a crisp dropkick before tagging in Wren Sinclair. Sinclair and Grey worked quickly, landing sharp strikes on Reid, capped by Grey’s German suplex for a near fall. Sinclair followed with a running bulldog, but a blind tag from Henley flipped the momentum. After Sinclair suplexed Reid, Henley blasted her from behind, sending Sinclair crashing to the floor as the show cut to commercial.
Coming back from the break, Fatal Influence firmly controlled the match. Reid drilled Sinclair with a Cutter for a two count before Sinclair finally slipped free and brought Grey back in. Grey exploded with an overhead suplex, then launched herself over the ropes with a stomp to Reid’s chest. Reid recovered just enough to send Grey hard into the turnbuckles, followed by a neckbreaker. Henley tagged in and planted Grey with a spinning facebuster, again only getting two.
Grey fought back, catching Henley with a powerslam, but Reid broke up the pin. Grey transitioned seamlessly into an armbar on Henley’s left arm, prompting Jayne to climb onto the apron. Grey shut that down with a punch, sending the champion to the floor. Sinclair followed with a picture-perfect crossbody off the top rope onto both heels outside.
Back inside, Grey countered Henley once more and locked in a cross armbreaker on the damaged arm. Henley had no choice but to tap.
Winners by submission: Wren Sinclair & Kendal Grey
A strong, purposeful tag match that continued positioning Kendal Grey exactly where she needs to be heading into her title shot. The Sinclair crossbody was the highlight, but the real takeaway was Grey’s consistency.
Thea Hail Enjoys the Moment… Briefly
Backstage, NXT Women’s North American Champion Thea Hail spoke with Kelly Kincaid, still visibly stunned by her championship win. Hail said she’s always dreamed of holding a title and admitted she was still processing the moment.
Jordynne Grace entered and told Hail she figured it out faster than she ever did. Hail smiled and said all it took was thinking positive. Blake Monroe soon joined them, clearly not in the same emotional space, insisting she kicked out and demanding a rematch. Grace cut her off, telling Blake to let Hail have her moment.
Blake snapped, calling it the worst day of her life, and sarcastically told Hail to enjoy her new “Muscle Muffin,” a callback to her nickname for Grace. Hail hugged Grace, who sold the embrace as deeply awkward. Check out the full match below showing Thea’s title win if you haven’t watched yet!
In the women’s locker room, Izzi Dame entered while talking on her phone and immediately noticed a doll placed inside her locker. Lola Vice approached, the two exchanged sharp words.
Kelani Jordan was nearby getting her gear together and confidently declared herself the best crossover star in the locker room. Vice dismissed that outright, telling Jordan that gymnastics is nothing like MMA and that she’d find out soon enough.
No punches thrown, but plenty implied.
Announced for Next Week on NXT
- WWE Women’s United States Championship: Chelsea Green vs. Sol Ruca
- Lola Vice vs. Izzi Dame