WWE NXT Vengeance Day 2025 Review
We're on the road to NXT: Stand and Deliver! Here are my thoughts on this weekend's PLE. Does anybody else still say PPV?
WWE NXT Vengeance Day Card:
NXT Championship Match: Oba Femi (c) vs. Grayson Waller vs. Austin Theory
NXT Women’s Championship Match: Giulia (c) vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Bayley vs. Cora Jade
NXT Women’s North American Championship Match: Fallon Henley (c) vs. Stephanie Vaquer
NXT Tag Team Championship Match: Fraxiom (c) vs. Josh Briggs & Yoshiki Inamura
Strap match: Trick Williams vs. Eddy Thorpe
Je’Von Evans vs. Ethan Page
NXT Women’s North American Championship Match: Fallon Henley (c) vs. Stephanie Vaquer
Jaida Parker, Kelani Jordan and Karmen Petrovic are in the crowd. Fallon Henley is accompanied by ‘Fatal Influence’ members Jacy Jayne and Jasmine Nyx. This bout was a clash of strength, strike force and technicality with several roll ups, strikes and banter. Henley’s exploder suplex is a thing of beauty. Vaquer wears her down with a rope hung dragon screw and locks in an STF. Vaquer wards off Fatal Influences interference attempts then hits Henley with an SVB and follows up Spiral Tap for good measure ending Henley’s 3-month reign becoming the new NXT Women’s North American Champion.
Grade: B
I loved having the division spread out among the crowd, really elevates the belt. I didn’t expect Fallon Henley’s title reign to end so shortly, but I think a short run and being paired with Jacy and Nyx in the spiritual successor to Toxic Attraction has worked wonders for all three ladies. Vaquer winning gold in NXT was always a matter of when, not if.
A triple threat number one contender’s match is announced for Tuesday. Will it be Jaida who’s still gunning for her first taste of gold, Kelani the inaugural Women’s NA Champ or Karmen Petrovic another rising upstart looking to cash in her golden ticket to NXT Roadblock, the final stop before NXT: Stand and Deliver. Personally, my money’s on Miss Parker.
NXT Tag Team Championship Match: Fraxiom (Nathan Frazer and Axiom) (c) vs. Josh Briggs & Yoshiki Inamura
Fraxiom starts off the match hot with tandem double team offense, but Inamura and Briggs slow down their offense with a combination chokeslam and backbreaker. The powerhouses toss Fraxiom around for a good little bit in this quality tag team match. Axiom fakes out Inamura with a Golden Ratio early on and I was thoroughly entertained. Inamura’s sumo chops and momentum bounces on the top rope make him one of the most entertaining newcomers on the brand and the crowd was HOT the entire match. Briggs nearly puts Frazer away with a nasty avalanche chokeslam, but like every story this run, Fraxiom persists, hitting a Hi-Lo and successfully defending their tag team titles.
Grade: B+
Josh Briggs shows out every NXT PLE appearance NXT: Vengeance day was no different. His NOAH excursion and alliance with Yoshiki Inamura has been golden. Keep these guys as a tag team. These two squaring off shouldn’t be a one and done. I was also unfamiliar with Inamura’s game, and I am now a fan. Fraxiom works best fighting from underneath, and even when they miscommunicate they’ve pulled it together time and time again, but they are running out of tag teams to beat in a tag team division that’s hardly cohesive.
Post-match they are jumped by a mystery faction in Shield/Retribution adjacent gear, entrance, and lighting. The members are Osiris Griffin, Dion Lennox, Cutler James, and Saquon Shugars FKA Lucky Ali. Funny Note, Saquon’s bio confirms that this he’s wrestling under his government name.
A faction of young upstarts looking to “takeover” and take the opportunities they feel they deserve is a trope that oversaturated the 2010’s, but I will give them a chance because I like these guys together, I just don’t like their fits because the presentation is too recent for comparisons to other groups which will drive the conversation. But hey, there’s less executive meddling going on and more room for folks to stand so give these guys a chance. As long as the first promo doesn’t turn into a “Take a Shot if _____” game of buzzwords they’ll be fine.
Trick Williams vs Eddie Thorpe
Trick and Eddie brawl outside of the ring before the match can officially begin. I love both of their entrances, but missed Eddies. I’m not paying for premium, brother. Trick gets the first lashings of the night, but quickly returns the favor and quite literally “Whoops that Trick” to a chanting crowd. Trick chokes Eddie with the strap in an STF. Trick hits his patented Trick Shot, but Eddie is knocked out of the ring so no pinfall victory for Trick Willie. After a low blow Eddie steals Trick’s finisher and delivers a running knee strike. Eddie Thorpe wins his first NXT PLE match.
Grade: B-
An African American wrestler and a Native American wrestler in a strap match during Black History Month is terrible optics, but I’ve seen worse, I just like to get these jokes off. You can always tell when a wrestler is waiting to be called up and since Trick is established it helps that he’s putting over other credible acts because the men’s division is lacking the depth. Pros and Cons of a constant rotation of talent.
Eddie Thorpe has grown on me. He’s conniving, whiny, and an opportunist. All traits of a great style of heel he’s leaned into the last few weeks. Let the guy cook, there’s something special there and he’s tapping into it.
Gimmick aside this match was just fine. Trick is kinda like Cena and Orton in that they play off of who they are in the ring with. Sometimes it’s really great, sometimes the only thing that’s remembered is the result.
‘The Young OG’ Je’Von Evans vs. ‘All Ego’ Ethan Page
This blood feud started with Page breaking Je’Von’s jaw. Evans signed a liability waiver and with a heavy duty mouth guard and eyes of fire he rushes to the ring. The boy wasn’t just bouncy, he was brawling. Page played into Evans anger taking over the match. Evans kicks out of Ego’s Edge. Evans almost touches the ceiling with a springboard cross body. Evans hits a nasty cutter onto the ringside apron. Page has a bloodied nose and the pop of color adds so much more to this bout. Sometimes wrestling fans get feral over blood, but I get it. Page looked like he was about to snap. Evans misses the big cutter and Page knocks out his mouth guard. Page hits the Twisted Grin, a modified twist of fate, and earns the dub.
Grade: A
Don’t sleep on the wrestler formerly known as Jay Malachi. Je’Von Evans switched up his offensive style for this blood feud which is much welcomed from face wrestlers in these heel/face dynamics. Ethan Page finds his smile at the expense of The Young OG and it’s only a matter of time before he’s back on top. The guy is so good at everything he does but that’s expected. Fans were calling for him to sign to WWE when he was still in the Impact Zone as 1/2 of The North. AEW Wrestlers and WWE wrestlers switching companies is good for wrestling, keeps things fresh.
A clean victory win doesn’t mean the feud is over (Wish that was more frequent). Je’Von is still owed his pound of flesh, so a loss is only going to motivate him. Two hot heads in an explosive feud could very well end in a Hell in a Cell match at NXT Stand and Deliver. Somebody give me $50 bucks if this actually happens and one of them gets tossed off the cell. (Looking at you Ethan Page, among the potential stars to be called up after Wrestlemania 41 he’s one of the brightest).
NXT Championship Match: Oba Femi (c) vs. Grayson Waller vs. Austin Theory
Austin Theory barely makes it up the steel steps before Grayson Waller interrupts his entrance and the cracks only deepen the longer this match goes. Theory rolls into the ring and hits his picture perfect dropkick. They jump Oba Femi early on, but Oba is no stranger to 2-on-1 situations. They aren’t as disadvantages as much as they are minor inconveniences for The Ruler of NXT. Case in point, Oba military presses Theory into Waller and later on in the match caves both of their chests in with heavy chops effortlessly.. Theory and Waller take advantage of the no DQ stipulation with chairs, but Oba quickly overpowers them again with hands.
Oba brings out a table and as the Wrestling Trope goes, he who brings the table out goes through it courtesy of Grayson Waller hitting a springboard crossover elbow drop. Theory pins Oba instead of checking on his tag partner. He doesn’t get the win, but he does get tossed around like a bag of ice along with Waller after they argue about it. Oba recovers and sends Waller through the announce table. RIP. Theory hits A Town Down and Waller pulls out the ref just before he can count to three. Waller accidentally hits Theory with a rolling stunner and takes a Fall From Grace, Oba’s pop up powerbomb. “The Ruler” Oba Femi wins. This is a win for Black History Month.
Grade: A
If Oba Femi wasn’t primed and ready for a main roster call up I would say make him the longest reigning NXT Champion. NXT is as close to a proper third brand as a developmental system can be, and if they were to have another long tenured champion its this guy. Everything about Oba Femi screams push him toward WWE Championship ala 2000s Brock Lesnar. This guy has IT.
Oba Femi didn’t exactly laugh off Dion Lennox when the latter said he’d be challenging for the NXT championship one day, but Dion is definitely on his radar now that the new faction jumped him right after his successful defense.
Their match at NXT Roadblock is all but confirmed.
A Town Down Under hasn’t received a lot of TV time lately, so the cracks in their team spreading was utilized great here. Personally, I thought the team still had legs and could’ve popped into that Edge and Christian lane as a successful heel tag team, but that’s just a larger note on the mismanagement of the tag team division on both brands since revamping the title belts. Waller being a glory hog has been a constant bonus to his character and thorn in Theory’s side. It’s cost them time and time again so the split is more imminent now than ever before. Once the duo inevitably implodes Wallers path is clear, but I wonder what direction Theory’s will take. Once touted as the future of WWE, it’s high time Austin Theory looks inward. An Austin Theory face run seems promising.
NXT Women’s Championship Match: Giulia (c) vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Bayley vs. Cora Jade
You put four hoopers in the ring, they will hoop. Loved Bayley’s throwback gear. We got the typical wrestling tropes of the multi-person tower of doom and repeated roll-ups and reversals. This match was fast paced and the crowd was hot the whole time. Bayley and Roxanne formed a temporary alliance and hit dual suicide dives before brawling it out in the ring. Bayley and Giulia stare down. (I always sing “Julia I’ll never make a fool of ya when I hear her name”) Clash of the Eras. Cora and Roxanne get the jump on them, but the alliance breaks soon after. A best friendship will never get in the way of a world title win. Roxanne takes out Bayley with Pop Rocks, a modified sunset flip, outside of the ring. Cora rolls up Roxanne and eats an Arrivederci knee strike from Giulia. Giulia hits another Arrivederci knee strike and a Northern Lights Bomb. Giulia wins the fatal four way and Beautiful Madness reigns supreme.
Grade: A+
Stephanie Vaquer arrives and the ladies raise their titles together. Vaquer eyes the NXT title teasing our potential NXT Stand and Deliver main event when “The Juggernaut” Jordyn Grace Arrives! Truly the worst kept secret of the last year, but a treat nonetheless. A triple threat match between these ladies would blow the roof off any arena and Wrestlemania 41 worthy.
This match was a testament to how good women’s wrestling is when given the time an opportunity. When you have some of the best wrestlers on the planet on payroll, you let them wrestle. “The Prodigy” Roxanne is likely moving up after Wrestlemania 41 as she’s already booked for main roster matches and locked into an ongoing feud with Bayley. The Role Model vs the Prodigy is another Big Four caliber exhibition I hope to see one day. Bayley has arguably done the most out of the 4HW to help the newest stars of today and I hope The Role Model continues to get her flowers. Cora Jade will definitely look to add gold to her collection since her return from injury so I expect her to challenge for the world title again real soon. Her best friend has left her behind, but she has the potential to become a huge star all on her own. Giulia has been one of the best recent additions to NXT and with a Royal Rumble debut this year along with Grace and Vaquer, she’s going to have a lasting legacy in WWE.
Thoughts
NXT PLE’s hardly miss and this one was no exception. Quality wrestling, character direction and progression. Momentum is big before your big go home show and the seeds planted for NXT Roadblock are promising.
NXT constantly rotates its wrestlers so it keeps the product fresh, but the sore spots like the tag team division are evident. We could point out choppy spots all day, but some of these wrestlers started anywhere between 2017-2020 and I get winded going up stairs too frequently to judge these athletes. The fallout from Vengeance Day will be must see tv come Tuesday. Ha.
Announcements for NXT 2/18/25
Meta-Four (Jakara Jackson & Lash Legend) vs. ZARIA & Sol Ruca
Shawn Spears vs. “Stacks” Channing Lorenzo
Karmen Petrovic vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Jaida Parker in a Triple Threat Match to become the #1 Contender for the NXT Women's North American Championship
Ricky Starks Contract Signing (They still haven’t said this man’s name it’s not like he’s Joe He-