By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
NXT TV
Orlando, Florida, at the WWE Performance Center
Aired live September 9, 2025, on The CW Network
[Hour One] Arrival shots of Zaria and Sol Ruca, The Culling, and Fatal Influence were shown…
Vic Joseph and Booker T were on commentary. Mike Rome was the ring announcer…
Vic’s intro was cut off by Je’von Evans with a mic. Evans called out Briggs. Briggs came out and ate a Spiderman Asai Moonsault. A referee ran out and started the match once both men were in the ring…
1. Je’von Evans vs. Josh Briggs. Evans hit Briggs with a Frog Splash for a two count. Briggs ended Je’von’s momentum with a right hand. Briggs caught Evans with a running crossbody for a nearfall. Briggs followed up with a Bossman Slam for a two count. Briggs slowed things down with a modified Cobra Clutch. Evans escaped and hit Josh with a huracanrana.
Evans followed up with a springboard seated Huracanrana and dropkick. Evans pulled the rope down to dump Briggs to ringside. Briggs yanked Evans off the apron to ringside. Evans landed on his feet to block a chokeslam on the table. Evans hit Briggs with a Suicide Dive over the announce table. Evans did a roar over the table heading into the break.[c]
Back from break, Evans caught Briggs with a Superman Forearm. Evans threw hands at Briggs with Briggs covering up. Briggs ended Je’von’s momentum by throwing him into the 2nd rope and following up with a forearm drop for a nearfall. Je’von shook up Josh with a few right hands, a superkick, and flying punch. Evans caught Briggs with a slingshot crossbody for a nearfall.
Briggs caught Je’von off a springboard. Je’von hit Briggs with a modified Stundog Millionaire. Evans hit Briggs with a PK for a nearfall. Briggs turned Je’von inside-out with a clothesline. Evans came right back with a flip overhead kick. Je’von hit Briggs with a Coast-to-coast Swanton Bomb (barely hit, but it’s a hard move and at least the feet caught Josh). Briggs recovered and tossed Je’von into the ringpost at ringside.
Jevon hit Briggs with a superkick when he went for a chair. Briggs punched Je’von out of the air with a right hand and then pinned him.
Josh Briggs defeated Je’von Evans via pinfall in 12:45.
The instant replay showed Josh wrap his chain around his neck to give him the dirty win…
John’s Thoughts: While I did suspect the chain would be used because it stood out like Checkov’s necklace during the match, Briggs did a good enough job to subtly wrap it around his fist, to the point where I didn’t catch it and had to do a 10 second rewind to double check. Happy they gave Briggs the win. Key is still making sure to book him consistently strong as I’m sure Je’von will get his win back sooner or later, but I don’t want Briggs to become yet another mid card big man that gets parity booked. Away from the finish, that was a great opener and Josh was able to match Je’von’s speed for a fun opener.
Ava was standing between Ricky Saints and Oba Femi who were bickering. Ava said they have a lot to get off their chest and they can say their words on the Grayson Waller Effect. Trick Williams showed up and confirmed something involving DIY with Ava. Trick then told Oba that they aren’t finished yet…
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa were shown walking backstage…[c]
DIY made their entrance to their generic-ass Def Rebel theme (can they not use their old royalty free theme?). Tommaso Ciampa took the mic and talked about how special it is for him to be in an NXT ring again. He said what makes this more special is that it’s his and Johnny’s 10 year anniversary in terms of first teaming in NXT. Gargano said people never forget where they came from, and he means he was NXT for life. He said they may be on Smackdown, but NXT will always be their home.
Ciampa said he knew and hoped that his last match in NXT wouldn’t actually be his last. TNA World Champion Trick Williams made his entrance. Trick said that DIY got the best of him last week, but what they forgot to mention is that it all went down due to jealousy. Trick said DIY is jealous that their NXT crew can’t hang with his NXT crew. Johnny dared Trick to get in the ring to remind him what they did for NXT.
Trick said he will, but he’s not alone. “HIM”, Carmelo Hayes made his entrance. A “Melo” chant ensued. Melo confronted Trick first. Melo said that since he left, Trick said a lot of things that were and weren’t true. Melo said Trick keeps saying it’s his house, but he’s saying that in the ring with two guys that built the house in Johnny and Tommaso. Melo then told Trick that Trick is just squatting in all their house and rent is due.
A “you’re a squatter” chant ensued. Trick tried to talk, but Melo cut him off. Melo said the next time Trick is in the ring with NXT greats like Melo, Johnny, and Tommaso, he better take his high heels off at the door and be quiet while OGs are talking. Johnny started to clown on Trick. Trick said he gets it, especially with how things been going after Melo left. Trick said it’s true that he’s been talking trash about Melo, and that isn’t right.
Trick said you can’t get it twisted, he squats where he squats, and he can do whatever he wants. Tommaso then clowned in and made fun of Melo’s height. Melo brought up how Ciampa was the first one that turned on Johnny. Johnny said all that is right, but people want to see two generations of NXT in the biggest match of NXT history at Homecoming. Johnny proposed Trick and Melo vs. DIY for Homecoming…
Vic hyped the WWE Speed tournament for after the break…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Awesome to see Melo back in NXT, away from Melo don’t Miz, and great to see him surprise everyone with a solid segment. I was about to grumble a bit about Trick and Melo making up in a heartbeat, as we’ve seen in wrestling too many times (Look at DIY). I was pleasantly surprised when Melo turned on Trick in the middle of the ring and it added layers to both characters in the process. Ciampa jumping in with the height joke was a bit forced (especially given how he and Johnny aren’t tall either), but I get that they were trying to set up the NXT vs. NXT 2.0 matchup. I appreciate that they took several weeks to do it and Melo turning on Trick instantly this week in the promo made things even more fun.
Lainey Reid came out to her goofy sounding banjo music (I kinda like it in a goofy way). AAA’s Faby Apache made her entrance. Both women got hype promos. “Nattie Neidhart” was shown sitting in the front row. Vic wondered if we’ll see “Natalya” or “Nattie” at World’s Collide?…
2. Lainey Reid vs. Faby Apache in a WWE Speed Tournament Match. Faby dumped Lainey to ringside and hit her with a cannonball. Lainey got a two count after a sunset flip. Both women traded quick pins. Faby ran through Lainey. Faby caught Lainey with a superkick for a two count. Lainey caught Faby in the chin with a kick for a two count. Faby hit Lainey with a Bridged German Suplex for a two count.
Nattie Neidhart got on the apron for the distraction. Lainey dodged a swanton and hit Faby with a running knee for the victory.
Lainey Reid defeated Faby Apache via pinfall in 2:41 to advance to the finals of the Speed Tournament.
Zaria and Sol Ruca were chatting backstage. Sol was hyping up Zaria to win their upcoming match. Hank and Tank showed up saying that Sol and Zaria deserve to be tag champions. Both teams got hyped and shared a Honk Honk…[c]
John’s Thoughts: When comparing the two WWE time limit championships, the Speed title has definitely been built better than the Heritage title (which I hope is still dead with the fishes? I hope Penn and Teller don’t teleport it again). It’s a harmless 3 minutes and offers something different with the wrestlers moving at a different and rushed pace. Let’s see if they can get those titles going outside of Twitter (did their Twitter TV deal die or something?). What I do hope even more gets to WWE television is the “Nattie Neidhart” which has been very cool! Sadly, unless you’re watching indie shows or AAA you won’t see it. We just get to see her vanilla alter-ego “Natalya” on WWE television.
A dark Blake Monroe promo aired. She was in the bathtub with red lighting, bleeding eye shadow, and a dark tone. Monroe said Grace ruined everything, but Grace brought something back. Blake said Grace awakened her. She said she’s hungry and even Blake Monroe can make the devil blush. A creepy shot was shown of Blake pressing her body against a opaque shower door…
Entrances for the next match took place…
3. “DarkState” Dion Lennox and Osiris Griffin (w/Saquon Shugars, Cutler James) vs. Hank Walker and Tank Ledger for the NXT Tag Team Championships. Griffin and Tank jawed with each other. Tank knocked Dion off the apron. Tank hit Osiris with a shoulder tackle. Hank and Tank hit Griffin with their Honk Honk and High Low power slam. Dion broke up Tank’s pin. Hank tagged in. Griffin sent Hank’s throat into the top buckle.
Both teams traded hands in the center of the ring. Hank and Tank dumped DarkState to ringside. Hank and Tank hit Griffin and Lennox with Suicide Dives heading into break.[c]
Back from break, DarkState cut the ring in half on Tank for a few minutes. Griffin used a Tug o War to prevent a hot tag. Tank broke away and brought in Hank who gave Dion a body slam and standing Splash. Hank Bulldogged Griffin on Dion. Hank hit Dion with an Inside Out Backpack Slam for a two count. Tank tagged in. Hank gave Dion a Superplex. Tank gave Dion a Swanton for a nearfall.
[Hour Two] James and Shugars prevented Hank and Tank from hitting the Honk Honk. Joe Hendry then made his entrance bursting from the crow’s nest after Cutler said his name. Hank had the pin at one point on Griffin, but Dion hit a crossbody on Hank to roll Griffin on Hank for the win.
DarkState defeated Hank Walker and Tank Ledger via pinfall in 10:58 to retain the NXT Tag Team Championships.
A hype package aired for the upcoming US vs. Canada Flag Match…
Tavion Heights made his entrance…[c]
John’s Thoughts: A solid tag match from both teams which actually did a good job boosting DarkState a bit. They were fledgling out the gate, but seem to be catching on in the last two months with solid matches and Cutler’s booty warrior antics. They seem to be going deep on the meme with Joe Hendry in NXT. That’s how he started in TNA, so it’s no big deal, and the fans love it. Joe has his toes dipped in both companies at the moment and NXT is treating him like a new debuting wrestler (even though he’s been in NXT main events the last year or so). Speaking of white booty warrior Cutler James, it was him who summoned Joe Hendry this week, and he ate the loss last week. I wonder if he’s going to be the fat that DarkState ends up trimming to elevate up the card?
The NXT_Anonymous Twitter account showed Ethan Page giving Myles Borne some advice backstage…
Lexis King was gloating in the locker room about Myles Borne losing to a blindfolded man. Myles turned off the lights in the locker room and beat up King with a chair…
Ethan Page made his entrance and went for the flag before the bell. Heights dragged Page down and the match started…
4. NXT North American Champion Ethan Page vs. Tavion Heights in a non-title Flag Match. Heights dominated early on and both men spilled to ringside. Heights slammed Page to the mat. Heights went for the flag, but Page hit him with a modified Detonation Kick. Heights and Page brawled to the US Flag area. Page dragged Heights down by the hair. Heights took down Page with a leg lariat. Heights sent Page into the ringpost.
Page tripped Heights over the top rope and tossed Heights into into the steel steps. Page went for the Canadian Flag, but was crotched on the top rope by Heights. Heights hit Page with a Top Rope Belly to Belly. Heights recovered the US Flag.
Tavion Heights defeated Ethan Page in a Flag Match in 6:49.
Heights took down the Canadian Flag and covered Page with it. Suddenly, former NXT Tag Team Champion made his entrance and took a selfie over the knocked out Page…
Vic hyped Part 2 of Lola Vice’s profile video for after the break…[c]
The show cut to Part 2 of the Lola Vice documentary. She talked about being a very shy girl at a catholic school growing up. She said her focus has always been to get the life and future she wanted. She then pulled up to her dad’s Tae Kwon Do school. Vice got cheers from the students and her dad. Vice’s dad hyped up Vice being a strong martial artist. Vice’s sister talked about being proud of her knockouts and post match dances.
Vice said people made fun of her for being a pretty face, until she knocked them out. Vice said this next match is for herself. Vice’s sister said she can’t wait until she beats Jacy Jayne. Vice’s dad called Vice the real deal. Vice said she’ll win close to where she knows best, Vice City…
Fatal Influence were warming up backstage. Jayne wanted all three of them to be draped in gold. Before leaving, Jayne gave Nyx some advice on her makeup…
A hype video aired for NXT Homecoming…
Zaria and Sol Ruca made their entrance…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Simple and effective way to prop up Lola Vice for her title match. A bit late, but better late than never. She’s been fledging as a babyface since they abruptly turned her to become Roxanne Perez’s challenger-of-the-week many months ago. This video was a good way to connect her with the audience and was something we use to see a lot more of back in the Black and Gold days. They’re easy to do? As long as the background is different, there isn’t diminishing returns. I hope WWE brings back doing more documentary pieces to introduce wrestlers (and even retrofit it to any over-the-top characters).
Fatal Influence made their entrance. The Culling were already in the ring…
5. “Fatal Influence” Jazmyn Nyx and Fallon Henley (w/Jacy Jayne) vs. “The Culling” Tatum Paxley and Izzi Dame (w/Shawn Spears, Niko Vance) vs. Sol Ruca and Zaria in an elimination match. Zaria choked Nyx on the top rope. All three teams swarmed each other. Zaria and Izzi had a big woman standoff where they traded hands. Both women traded headbutts and kicks. They took each other out with clotheslines. Fallon hit Izzi with a sliding forearm. Nyx hit Zaria with a springboard strike. Izzi broke up Nyx’s pin.
Sol tagged in and hit Fallon and Izzi with a slingshot dropkick. Sol slammed Nyx on Tatum. Sol rode Tatum and Nyx like a surfboard. Henley dragged Sol to ringside and hit her with a headbutt. Henley hit Niko with a crossbody. Izzi hit Fallon with a kick. Zaria hit Spears with a Spear. Sol hit The Culling with a Corkscrew Moonsault.[c]
Back from break, Zaria was joining the crowd in a wave. Sol, Fallon, and Izzi were in the ring. Nyx tripped Sol off the slingshot. Jayne hit Zaria with a superkick and tossed her into the steel steps. Henley hit Izzi with a blockbuster. Fatal Influence flapjacked Sol on Izzi. Nyx hit Sol with a Northern Lights for a two count. Izzi grabbed Nyx. Sol hit Nyx with a Super Blockbuster. The other three tagged in.
Saria hit both opponents with Saito Suplexes. Zaria hit Nyx with a spinning back suplex. Zaria backdropped Paxley. Izzi broke up Zaria’s pin. Sol and Zaria hit The Culling with Stereo Spears. Sol accidentally hit Zaria with a Sol Snatcher in the commotion. Nyx pinned Zaria or the elimination
Fatal Influence eliminated Zaria and Sol Ruca in 12:39
Jayne gave Tatum a forearm. Nyx rolled up Tatum for a good nearfall. Nyx kickd Tatum. Henley got a two count on Tatum. Izzi slammed Nyx on the apron. Fallon hit Izzi with a Tiger Feint. Tatum hit Henley with a Gamengiri. Tatum missed a 450. Izzi tagged in and hit Fallon with a legsweep Yakuza Kick and Sky High for the victory on Henley.
The Culling eliminated Fatal Influence via pinfall in 15:02 to become number one contenders to the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships.
Jacy Jayne took the mic and berated Nyx and Henley for embarrassing her. The show abruptly cut away to the parking lot where a car pulled up. Vic wondered “who just arrived?”…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Having Jacy enter the ring to yell at Nyx and Henley was a bit much given the match told the breakup story much better and subtle. Back to that in a bit. Great elimination match with lots of good logic. I’m happy they gave the women time and they kept the action up and crowd engaged, even during the commercial break. What I do like is that it looks like two of these teams might be ending. Fatal Infelunce has been more trouble than it’s been worth to try to recoup on Toxic Attraction (Though I give them a little credit recently with Jayne as Champion making them somewhat relevant). What I’m really happy to see is Sol Ruca hitting Zaria with the Sol Snatcher. Here’s hoping they finally get to that breakup because Zaria is being held back from being a top monster heel.
Jayne continued to berate Nyx and Henley in the ring and said she is sick and tired of carrying this group on her back. She said it’s pathetic she doesn’t get credit. While Jayne was gloating, Stephanie Vaquer made her entrance. Stephanie said she’ll give Jacy credit for beating her for the NXT Women’s Championship. Stephanie brought up being a double champion herself, and did it by herself. She said she’s going to win the women’s title at WrestlePalooza.
Jayne brought up that it’s 3 vs. 1 now. Steph asked what time it was? WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton made her entrance. Tiffany said it feels great to be home. She brought up being WWE Women’s Champion, the longest current reigning champion. She brought up how she even beat Fallon Henley before too. Jayne said she sees Steph and Tiffany as Super Seniors coming back to high school.
Out next was former WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley. A “Mami” chant ensued. Rhea said she doesn’t think Jacy is the greatest NXT Women’s Champion of all time. Rhea pointed out the three women on both sides. Rhea said “see you at Full Sail”. Fatal Influence were cleared from the ring with the NXT Alumnas standing tall…
Vic Joseph ran through the NXT Homecoming card to close the show…
John’s Thoughts: There’s a part of me that wanted to see Tiffany Stratton vs. Blake Monroe in a fighting-game clone match. I semi-kid. A fun set of returns after the bell, especially with Rhea Ripley, who’s always down it seems to do work on NXT when she can. Solid and effective stuff to set up yet another old school vs. new school NXT match for the Homecoming show. It’s interesting seeing when Vince was booking how much they tried to make NXT 2.0 look better than Black and Gold, and when Hunter is booking it’s the flip.
Yet another solid weekly episode of NXT with the sole goal of setting up next week’s themed show. They didn’t really need to build any storylines for the matches next week as this is more of a anniversary themed show as opposed to a storyline event. The highlight of the show to me was, interesting enough, Carmelo Hayes still beefing with Trick Williams when he made his NXT return, which was a nice attention to detail and attention to continuity. Looking forward to see if they have more surprises in line for next week’s Full Sail return.