WWE NXT Deadline Review - December 6, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Oba Femi def. Ricky Saints to Win the NXT Championship

I actually enjoyed this more than their original encounter at No Mercy, which may not be too surprising given this had higher stakes with the winner advancing to Saturday Night's Main Event to face Cody Rhodes in a non-title match. I thought Starks was retaining for that exact reason, so Femi getting the belt back was a genuine shocker. This was a strong start to the show. If I was booking, I'd have Femi beat Rhodes clean, but I'm well aware that's not going to happen.

Evolve Women's Champion Kendal Grey def. Jordynne Grace, Kelani Jordan, Lola Vice and Sol Ruca in an NXT Women's Championship No. 1 Contender's Iron Survivor Challenge Match (Non-Title)

The Iron Survivor Challenge matches have yet to disappoint and this was no exception. It helped that this had more star power than the men's one later on and that the outcome felt unpredictable. Ruca was my pick to win, but I have no issue at all with them having Grey go over to continue riding her wave of momentum. I appreciated the innovation and the 25 minutes were entertaining as always.

NXT North American Champion and AAA World Mixed Tag Team Champion Ethan Page def. Mr. Iguana

This match literally just came together on Tuesday's NXT when Ava told Page during a quick interaction outside of the building that he'd be defending against Iguana. Page and Chelsea Green beat Iguana and La Hiedra for the AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship, but that's about the only buildup this had. Iguana remains a fan favorite with the WWE crowds and thus him being over helped make this a fun match, even if the outcome never felt like it was truly in doubt.

Izzi Dame def. Tatum Paxley

Although this was the weakest match on the show from an in-ring standpoint, it had the best story with Dame betraying Paxley last month and a full-of-grief Paxley wanting to prove herself by beating Dame. The pace was slightly slower than I would've liked, but this was largely what it needed to be and the crowd really rallied behind Paxley. She didn't fall for Dame's manipulation tactics, but Dame picked up the win in the end to keep the feud alive. This was good stuff on the whole and Dame benefits more from the victory here than Paxley would have.

Je'Von Evans def. Dion Lennox, Joe Hendry, Myles Borne and TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater in a an NXT Women's Championship No. 1 Contender's Iron Survivor Challenge Match (Non-Title)

As noted, the women's installment from earlier was superior, but I loved that they kicked this one off with Evans and Slater, who had one of the best bouts all year at TNA's Bound for Glory pay-per-view. It didn't pick up again until after Hendry came out as the fifth and final entrant, but the action was excellent, nonetheless. Evans barely winning right before the clock expired was exciting and sets up a huge rematch between him and Femi for the NXT Championship on the New Year's Evil edition of NXT next month. Tony D'Angelo returning afterward was foreshadowed on Tuesday's NXT if you were paying attention, and although he looks cool, I have no idea what there's left for him to do in NXT. He's been on the brand for over four years!

Overall Show

Deadline remains one of NXT's top premium live events all year, largely thanks to the Iron Survivor Challenge concept. Both installments this year delivered, and in addition to those, the NXT Championship changed hands in a newsworthy swerve. Page vs. Iguana and Paxley vs. Dame weren't groundbreaking by any means, but they were perfectly fine and filled out the card nicely. Two thumbs-up for this event.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews, NXT PLE Reviews