WWE NXT Review - August 5, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Kelani Jordan def. Blake Monroe by Count-Out

No, Monroe shouldn't be losing this early into her NXT run, but I didn't have an issue with the way this went down since it was basically used to further the feud between Monroe and Jordynne Grace with Grace chasing off Monroe. The match itself was short and sweet. Jordan has been directionless for a while, but at least she picked up a win, even if it was an afterthought.

NXT Tag Team Champions Hank Walker and Tank Ledger def. Chase U (Kale Dixon and Uriah Connors)

What a random waste of time this was. I had zero interest in Chase U being resurrected earlier this year and so far the group has served zero purpose beyond getting Andre Chase, Dixon and Connors on the show semi-regularly. This didn't last long, but they managed to botch the finish badly and it was pretty embarrassing. Yikes. DarkState laid waste to everyone afterward, so they'll get their shot at the NXT Tag Team Championship at Heatwave.

Myles Borne def. Lexis King

As I've said before, Borne's new entrance music is awesome, but they definitely need to give him an updated entrance wall (or whatever you'd call it) and gear so he doesn't look so generic. The match was solid and gave Borne another momentum-building win. This is the role King has had pretty much since he debuted in NXT two years ago, so I wasn't surprised in the slightest by the outcome.

Nia Jax def. Thea Hail

This marked Jax's first singles match on NXT TV since 2016, and she's a completely different performer these days. She and Hail worked really well together here and had a fun match. I wish more was being done with Hail, but she was the perfect opponent for Jax in her first bout back on the brand. Jax and Lash Legend brawled afterward and will go one-on-one next week.

NXT Champion Oba Femi, TNA World Champion Trick Williams, Je'Von Evans and Moose Attacked DarkState

Based on everything we've seen from Femi, Williams and Evans in recent weeks, it looked like they were building toward another Triple Threat with them over the NXT Championship, and then I thought it might turn into a Fatal 4-Way at Heatwave once Moose emerged in this segment. Instead, this was designed to set up Evans vs. Williams in a number one contender's match in two weeks and hype Williams vs. Moose for the TNA World Championship at Emergence next Friday. The eight-man tag team match with all four guys facing DarkState on next week's show seems unnecessary, though.

Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo def. Yoshiki Inamura

For those curious, there was no update on Tony D'Angelo on this episode after he was seemingly "knocked off" last week. Meanwhile, Lorenzo is moving on from The D'Angelo Family (finally!), but apparently he's still the NXT Heritage Cup Champion despite not having the trophy in his possession? I won't bother to label him as such right now because I get the feeling the title is on the verge of being discontinued. Anyway, there wasn't much to this because it was so short, but Josh Briggs attacked Inamura to cost him the win and Arianna Grace showed up in support of Lorenzo (her real-life fiancé), which was intriguing.

Tavion Heights Attacked NXT North American Champion Ethan Page

I'm sure Heights isn't going to be more than a one-off challenger for Page, but I appreciate the effort to extend the storyline by getting Chelsea Green and The Secret Hervice involved and building to a mixed tag team match first. That's what made this a good segment. Page and Green forming a Canadian alliance has the potential to be very entertaining, so we'll see if it sticks.

NXT Women's North American Champion Sol Ruca def. Tatum Paxley

Ruca and Izzi Dame had a nice match for the NXT Women's Championship at The Great American Bash last month, but I enjoyed this more. Paxley has improved immensely over the last year and I'm glad she's getting more meaningful television time. She shined in the main event spot, but Ruca retaining was the right call, especially if a feud between her and Zaria is going to be the endgame.

Overall Show

This was very much an average edition of NXT. There was a ton of build throughout the show for next week, the week after, Heatwave and even TNA's Emergence event, so they have to be careful to not confuse or overwhelm fans. All of the short matches were uneventful, but I did like Jax vs. Hail and the main event, along with whatever they're doing with Page, Green and Heights.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews