WWE NXT Review - February 18, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

TNA X-Division Champion Moose Confronted NXT Champion Oba Femi

This was a pleasant surprise! Femi was calling out the masked men who attacked him at Vengeance Day but was confronted by Moose instead. This is a face-off I've been eagerly anticipating since the NXT and TNA partnership first started last summer. They kept it short and sweet, but the crowd treated it like a big deal. Honestly, I'd much rather see Femi vs. Moose at Stand & Deliver over Femi vs. Trick Williams, which is why I've been expecting after it wasn't booked for Vengeance Day.

Karmen Petrovic def. Kelani Jordan and Jaida Parker in an NXT Women's North American Champion No. 1 Contender's Triple Threat Match; NXT Women's Champion Giulia, NXT Women's North American Champion Stephanie Vaquer and Jordynne Grace Attacked Fatal Influence

This was a good Triple Threat that simultaneously served as a nice showcase of NXT's stacked women's division. I would've been excited to see any one of these ladies challenge Vaquer for the Women's North American title, but Petrovic is a fine choice considering Jordan and Parker are already feuding. The post-match chaos with Giulia, Vaquer and Grace fending off Fatal Influence successfully set up the six-woman tag team main event.

Sol Ruca and Zaria def. The Meta-Four (Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson)

Meta-Four previously beat Ruca and Zaria ahead of challenging for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship, but since they were unsuccessful, it made sense for Ruca and Zaria to go over in the rematch. Ruca and Zaria are gelling really well as a team and Meta-Four have been improving as well, so this was an enjoyable outing and I appreciated that they received as much time as they did.

Ethan Page and Wes Lee Interrupted Ricky Saints' NXT Contract Signing

Official: Ricky Starks will now be known as Ricky Saints. I'd love to know the reason as to why he had his name changed when so many ex-AEW stars have been able to keep theirs (including Page, who was also involved in this segment), but I have to assume it's because he didn't want to hand over the trademark. At least Ricky Saints isn't too bad and sounds similar enough to Ricky Starks. As for the contract signing, it was solid. They furthered the feud between Page and Je'Von Evans and established that Lee will be Saints' first feud.

Shawn Spears def. Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo

As I've said before, I like the idea of Spears leading his own Raven's Flock-esque faction, but I am not remotely interested in any of the members, including the newly-added Izzi Dame. Then again, I'm willing to give it more of a chance than the wannabe Shield/Retribution that debuted at Vengeance Day. The match itself between Spears and Lorenzo was decent and it was logical for Spears to win if Spears challenging for the NXT North American Championship again soon is the endgame.

Eddy Thorpe def. Andre Chase

It's been extremely evident to me that the powers that be at NXT haven't had a damn clue what to do with Chase since the Chase U stuff ended. It's one thing that he's down on his luck, but what the hell happened to Riley Osborne and Thea Hail (I know Duke Hudson was unfortunately fired)? At any rate, this was a good match that gave Thorpe another win after beating Trick Williams at Vengeance Day. Speaking of Williams, he popped up on the big screen afterward and made it clear that their feud isn't over. Based on what he said, I'm willing to bet they're going to have an NXT Underground matchup.

Jordynne Grace, NXT Women's Champion Giulia and NXT Women's North American Champion Stephanie Vaquer def. Fatal Influence (Jazmyn Nyx, Jacy Jane and Fallon Henley)

Fatal Influence never stood a chance. Okay, I kid, but seriously, this was all about the dominant trio of Grace, Giulia and Vaquer. This was a very well-paced main event with entertaining action. Grace eyed both of their titles afterward, so I'm curious who she'll ultimately set her sights on come Stand & Deliver. The show actually ended with the aftermath of Robert Stone being laid out by the masked men elsewhere in the building.

Overall Show

This was quite the newsworthy show with Moose showing up, Ricky getting his new name and multiple matches being announced for next week's episode in Cincinnati, including The Hardy Boyz. Hell yes! All in all, this was an above-average edition of NXT that felt must-see by the usual standards. The road shows have helped give the brand new life in 2025 and I'm looking forward to next week. The build to Stand & Deliver is off to a strong start.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews