NXT wasted no time keeping the energy high on the July 2, 2025 countdown to Evolution continues. With the biggest women’s wrestling event of the year looming, Jacy Jayne defending the NXT Women’s Championship at Evolution is still a sentence we’re all getting used to saying out loud. More on that later.
Also, a quick programming note from me: I’ll be out of the country for the next two weeks (vacation mode activated), so Nick will be holding down the recap fort while I’m away. The Flawless Faceoff will pause briefly but will pick right back up after I return.
Let’s get into it.
We opened with a continuation of last week’s ringside drama. Tatum still doesn’t seem to grasp why Sol and Zaria dragged her away from Izzi’s match. Izzi storms in—equal parts fired up and oddly sentimental—insisting she knows Tatum wasn’t trying to hurt her. “I may have lost the match, but I won your friendship,” she says with full tween-drama sincerity.
Zaria’s response? A hard pass. She warns Tatum not to fall for this. Izzi suggests maybe she and Tatum should team up. Tatum, forever impressionable, agrees. This’ll end well.
Thea Hail vs. Lainey Reid
Thea Hail started this match like she was shot out of a cannon, but Lainey Reid quickly reminded her that enthusiasm alone doesn’t guarantee wins.
We opened with a lockup, into the ropes, and Reid cut off the momentum with a knee right to the gut. Hail answered with a takedown and some ground-and-pound, capping it off with a standing moonsault for two.
Hail kept the pressure on with corner strikes, but Reid blocked a suplex attempt and countered with a nasty back suplex followed by a full-on stomp session. Reid stayed in control with a boot choke in the corner and an elbow to the back of the head that sent Hail reeling.
A back elbow off the ropes and a double underhook shoulderbreaker gave Reid another near fall. She missed on an elbow drop, giving Hail a second wind. Hail fired up with a single-arm DDT and a diving clothesline, followed by a somersault neckbreaker for two.
Reid took back control with a punch to the gut, setting up for a suplex—blocked into a Kimura attempt from Hail! Reid powered out, went for a pin with her feet on the ropes (caught by the ref), and after a series of rollups and counters, Reid ultimately scored the pin by holding the ropes… while Hail’s hand was clearly under the bottom rope.
Not the cleanest win, but a win nonetheless.
Winner: Lainey Reid
Sol Ruca & Zaria vs. Izzi Dame & Tatum Paxley
Tatum’s first test as Izzi’s new “partner” came faster than expected.
Sol opened the match trying to reason with Tatum. Zaria was less interested in talk and more interested in fighting. Once Izzi tagged in, this turned into a scrap, with Sol sending both Izzi and Tatum flying.
Sol grabbed Tatum with a waistlock, taking it down to the mat, but Tatum flipped out and caught her in the ropes. Izzi tagged in for a double-team beatdown on Sol, trapping her in the corner. Tatum got her shots in with gut kicks, but Sol caught one and flipped Tatum into a jackknife cover for two.
Sol and Zaria tagged in and out, working Tatum’s shoulder and hitting a double-team elbow drop for another near fall. Tatum escaped, tagged Izzi, and things devolved again—Zaria and Izzi shoving and slugging it out in center ring. Izzi scored with a boot for two.
Momentum swung back and forth: Tatum hit a top-rope crossbody for two, Zaria countered with a slam, and Sol re-entered the fray with a springboard facebuster to Izzi. The sequence where Sol climbed onto Zaria’s back for a double dive onto Izzi? Absolute chaos, in the best way.
Coming back from break, Tatum and Izzi had Zaria fully isolated. Tatum missed an enzuigiri but bounced back with a dropkick and a crossbody into the corner. Izzi stayed aggressive, hitting a big chokeslam for another close fall.
Zaria kept fighting back, nearly scoring a comeback until Tatum caught her with a somersault legdrop. Zaria still wouldn’t stay down, eventually getting the knees up to block Tatum and making the hot tag to Sol.
Sol cleaned house with back elbows, strikes, and a big corner splash to Izzi. Zaria tagged back in for a bodyslam-handstand splash combo—easily the closest near fall of the match, broken up by Tatum just in time.
Outside the ring, Sol yanked Tatum face-first into the apron. Inside, Izzi hit a Codebreaker on Zaria, went for the tag… but Tatum was down. Zaria lined up for the spear on Izzi—but Tatum shoved her out of the way and Zaria accidentally speared Sol.
That opened the door for Izzi to land a sitdown bomb on Zaria for the win.
Winners: Izzi Dame & Tatum Paxley
Jordynne Grace came out next, and what started as a heartfelt moment quickly turned into a target for Fatal Influence.
Grace spoke from the heart, admitting that just getting here has been the toughest climb of her life. Last week reminded her she thrives under pressure, and at Evolution—a landmark event not just for WWE but for women’s wrestling—she plans to thrive again. She acknowledged something rare for her: vulnerability.
Grace wondered aloud if she truly belonged in WWE. She didn’t grow up saying she was destined for this, but she worked until she became undeniable. And now, at Evolution, she’s going to prove she’s exactly where she’s supposed to be… by beating Jacy Jayne.
Cue Jacy and Fallon, cutting off the emotional catharsis with their usual blend of mockery and delusion. Jacy calls Grace’s speech the “highlight” of her career (technically not wrong… Evolution is huge for Grace), but then pivots into classic heel denial: “You’ll never carry this division like I do.”
Jacy made sure to get in her usual line about being the most “beatable” champion who’s still, somehow, undefeated. The irony writes itself at this point.
Fatal Influence dragged Blake Monroe into the conversation too, taking shots at both Grace and Blake for thinking they could just waltz into NXT and take over.
Grace finally snapped. She told Jacy to shut up (thank you), and made it clear: Jacy shocked the world when she won the title, but no one will be shocked when Grace beats her at Evolution.
The brawl was inevitable. Grace fought back but the numbers game took over until Blake Monroe hit the ring like a human sledgehammer—Sling Blade for Fallon, Spinebuster for Jacy.
Ava showed up on stage and, trying her best to be the adult in the room, laid down the law: at the Great American Bash, it’ll be Jacy and Fallon vs. Jordynne and Blake.
Fatal Influence tried for one last cheap shot, but Blake and Grace stood tall to close the segment.
We’re less than a month away from Evolution and, like it or not, Jacy Jayne will walk into that event as NXT Women’s Champion. Next week, Nick will have you covered while I’m off trying to figure out how to watch Evolution whilst riding on a Swedish Ferry.. Thanks as always for reading—The Flawless Faceoff will pick back up after I return. See you then.