WWE NXT: New Year's Evil Review - January 6, 2026

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Blake Monroe Attacked NXT Women's North American Champion Thea Hail; Ricky Saints Addressed NXT Champion Oba Femi

Hail was scheduled to defend the NXT Women's North American Championship against Monroe on this show, but they instead had Monroe attack Hail here with Hail defending her title in an open challenge later in the night. It was a weird choice, but I can only assume it's because Monroe is indeed main roster bound and they don't want her losing again on her way out. Saints' impromptu promo was good, and it makes sense for him to go back after the NXT title coming off his win over Je'Von Evans last week.

Tatum Paxley def. Izzi Dame

Their last match at Deadline was decent but was made better by the story told. The story wasn't as strong here even though the feud has progressed since then, but it was another average outing with nothing really standing out as special. The key was Paxley avenging her loss to Dame and getting back on the right track, and I'm glad the rest of The Culling didn't interfere.

NXT Women's Champion Jacy Jane def. Evolve Women's Champion Kendal Grey (Evolve Women's Championship Was Not Defended)

As has been said several times already, Grey is damn impressive and is putting the pieces together fairly quickly. She looked like a natural in there with Jane and honestly outclassed her at multiple points, though Jane has improved immensely in her own right. I can't say I was a fan of the finish, but I also can't say I didn't see it coming. The fact 2026 marks five years Jane has been down in developmental is wild. It's time for WWE to either move her on up or cut bait because there are plenty of others who could benefit from being in the spot she's in.

Izzi Dame def. Thea Hail to Win the NXT Women's North American Championship

Ugh. First of all, I hate the approach NXT takes to a lot of its open challenges. I realize everyone on the roster racing to the ring to answer it is more realistic, but it's also underwhelming, and Dame being the one to not only get the title match but also win the title was even more underwhelming. Dame has come a long way, but there are many more options that would have been more compelling than her. Worse yet, I imagine this might be leading to another Paxley vs. Dame match, this time for the title, and that doesn't do a ton for me, even if Paxley ends up winning it. The matchup itself was fine, but the quietness of the crowd spoke volumes in my opinion.

NXT North American Champion and AAA World Mixed Tag Team Champion Ethan Page, WWE Speed Champion Jasper Troy, Josh Briggs, TNA International Champion Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo, Shiloh Hill and Tavion Heights Brawled

I'm not going to lie: My first thought watching this segment was that if this is what's left of NXT's men's roster after all of the recent call-ups, NXT might be doomed. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but not entirely. Page is an established star, but that's about it. Hill and Heights are works in progress and Troy, Briggs and Lorenzo just aren't all that interesting. It didn't help that this was a very basic segment with everyone interrupting each other before breaking out into a predictable brawl.

NXT Champion Oba Femi def. TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater (TNA X-Division Championship Was Not Defended)

The recent vignettes that have been airing for Femi on Raw and SmackDown actually made this match more unpredictable. Granted, I didn't think Slater would win, but I'd be lying if I said the nearfalls down the stretch weren't suspenseful. This was great stuff, though I wish it got more time because it felt like it ended just as they were hitting that next gear. Femi leaving the NXT Championship in the ring afterward confirmed that he'll be vacating the title ahead of his main roster call-up. I wish he had just been beaten for it, but whatever.

Overall Show

It's worth noting that, unlike last year, NXT wasn't on the road for New Year's Evil this year, which makes me think the brand might be scaling back on road shows in 2026. Time will tell. Anyway, this was a mixed bag of a special. They ended the show on a high note and the NXT Women's Championship clash was enjoyable, but I didn't like what they did with the NXT Women's North American Championship and the brawling segment was weak. With so many people moving to the main roster at once, a lot of fresh faces will need to step up and fast.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews