The night kicked off with the eerie presence of The Culling, as Mike Rome introduced only Tatum Paxley, an odd move but okat. Shawn Spears handled mic duties while “TATUM TUESDAY” chants echoed through the Performance Center.
Paxley seemed torn between her joyful, fan-favorite persona and the dark whispers of her allies. She admitted last week’s chaos was on her. But Izzi Dame quickly reframed the conversation: the fun-loving champion needs discipline if she wants to stay champion.
Izzi bluntly warned Paxley to stop handing out free title shots “like candy at Halloween.” Tatum, predictably, tried to keep things light, insisting she wanted to face everyone in the locker room. Izzi wasn’t amused: “Not everyone deserves a shot.”
Enter Jacy Jayne and Fatal Influence, here to remind everyone who runs this locker room with or without gold. Jayne empathized with Paxley’s struggle but demanded a rematch, claiming her loss at Halloween Havoc was a fluke. Izzi cut her off, taking pleasure in reminding Jayne she lost that title to Tatum.
After a tense back-and-forth, Paxley promised Jayne her rematch, but not tonight. “In New York,” she declared. “Next week.”
Backstage, Ava continued juggling half the roster’s ambitions. A group from EVOLVE thanked her for selecting Sean Legacy for Gold Rush, right before Ethan Page, Chelsea Green, and Alba Fyre strolled in.
Green, as always, overstepped. Ava, equally unfazed, floated the idea of Alba wrestling tonight, and before long, it became official: Alba Fyre vs. Thea Hail.
Elsewhere, Thea hyped herself up (with some help from Joe Hendry, who magically appeared upon hearing his name). The chemistry between them was undeniable and absurdly entertaining. Hail promised to make Hendry proud and the NXT crowd roared its approval.
In Ava’s office, Sol Ruca and Zaria celebrated Ruca’s medical clearance while Ruca requested a match with Blake Monroe next week.
Later, Monroe appeared where she argued, well, with herself. Two versions of Monroe battled verbally: one glamorous, one sinister. The promo delivered a haunting duality that blended ego and insecurity, ending with the line, “Spotlight needs Darkness.”
Thea Hail vs. Alba Fyre
Thea came out firing, but Fyre quickly grounded her with methodical arm work and corner offense. Thea answered back with a quick roll-up, followed by a Thesz Press that fired up the crowd.
A tilt-a-whirl from Fyre was countered into a dropkick that sent her to the floor. Hail followed with a daring bottom-drop off the apron. Outside interference from Chelsea Green shifted the tide—Green tried to cheap-shot Hail, but Thea caught her hand before Fyre crashed through the ropes with a flying Tope.
Back from break, Thea rallied with forearms and a flurry of clotheslines, hitting a Strongest Slam but missing a follow-up splash. Fyre countered with a Tornado DDT for two. Thea fought back, hit a Michinoku Driver, and nearly sealed the deal.
Then chaos broke loose: Ethan Page hit the apron, only to be dragged down by Hendry. Green swung for Hendry and nailed Page instead! Thea capitalized with a suicide dive, then rolled Alba back in for a Destroyer that scored the clean pin.
Winner: Thea Hail
The crowd erupted in “HAIL YEAH!” chants as Joe Hendry applauded from ringside.
Backstage, Jordynne Grace addressed Kelani Jordan’s comments from last week. Grace dismissed Jordan as unoriginal and promised to add another Knockouts Title to her collection.
WWE Speed Women’s Title Tournament Qualifier: Fallon Henley vs. Skylar Raye
A brisk but sharp match, a lot of fast paced action here. Henley opened methodically, but Raye used her agility to frustrate the veteran, connecting with multiple roll-ups, counters, and a crisp rana for near falls.
Momentum shifted when Raye went high-risk and got caught. Henley dropped her on the top rope, connected with a flying back elbow, and hit the Fameasser for the decisive pin.
Winner: Fallon Henley
A solid showing, Raye’s energy was electric, but Henley’s composure and ring IQ carried her through.
Post-match, Fatal Attraction looked confident backstage. Jacy Jayne promised to reclaim the NXT Women’s Title next week, while Fallon Henley aimed to capture the Speed Women’s Championship. And Lainey Reid? Well we didn’t have to wait long, backstage Evolve Women’s Champion, Kendal Grey was backstage in General Manager Ava’s office alongside Wren Sinclair. Lainey appeared and said she had something she wanted to say to Kendal *SLAP*, cue backstage brawl.
Not a ton of in-ring time for the women, but every segment counted. Thea Hail vs. Alba Fyre delivered on intensity and chemistry, while Blake Monroe’s split-persona promo hinted at something much darker coming soon. With Gold Rush around the corner, all signs point to a wild two-week stretch of title clashes and ego collisions.
Leave your thoughts in the comments below, who’s leaving with gold when the dust settles?