WWE NXT Review - July 22, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Culling (Tatum Paxley, Izzi Dame, Shawn Spears and Niko Vance) def. Zaria, NXT Women's North American Champion Sol Ruca and NXT Tag Team Champions Hank Walker and Tank Ledger

This was a logical match to do given all of the bad blood between the two teams as of late, but I didn't think the crowd would be as into the action as they were. They definitely benefited from being in the opener, but I think the crowd could also sense that the babyfaces in particular were having fun. DarkState causing the lights to turn off right before the finish (only to not do anything) was random, but it did allow Paxley to pick up the victory for The Culling.

Lash Legend and Jaida Parker Confronted and Attacked Fatal Influence

I still can't bring myself to care about Jacy Jane holding both the NXT Women's Championship and the TNA Knockouts World Championship, but I admire the effort to get her over and attempt to establish her as the ace of both divisions. I liked how it was immediately made clear that Legend and Parker are waiting in the wings for a shot at the NXT Women's title while simultaneously setting up a future tag team match with them taking on Fatal Influence.

Jasper Troy def. Ricky Saints by Count-Out

Troy has had some standout showings so far, but he couldn't continue to lose and expected to be taken seriously. Thus, this was a necessary win for him, even though it was by count-out and not by pinfall. It's unfortunate the spot on the steel ramp was botched, but at least they tried to correct it to the best of their ability. It was a quality contest up to that point. Starks may as well as be called up to the main roster, provided they have a plan in place for him. If he's staying put in NXT for now, I have no issue with him putting over Troy in the meantime.

The Undertaker Attacked TNA World Champion Trick Williams

I know TNA was probably already planning on having Williams retain the TNA World Championship at Slammiversary long before this segment was announced, but I can absolutely see officials wanting to keep the belt on Williams just so the belt could have exposure in a segment featuring Undertaker. And it ended exactly how I envisioned it would with Undertaker laying out Williams with a chokeslam, because why the hell wouldn't it? While I wasn't a fan of that, their verbal exchange prior to that was solid and Williams more than held his own. This felt like it was designed to be a plug for LFG more than anything else.

Blake Monroe def. Wren Sinclair

Sinclair was a good debut for Monroe in her singles debut in NXT considering she's a Texas native. This was a fairly basic bout that didn't last long, but it was what it needed to be with Monroe on offense for a majority of it. The post-match angle with Jordynne Grace showing up afterward despite being "banned" from the building was well done as, a lot like last week, it successfully made her look like a badass before being DDT'd on the chair on the outside by Monroe.

Santino Marella Interrupted Ethan Page's Unveiling of the New NXT North American Championship Belt

It would've been nice to hear what the hell Page was saying without the audio constantly cutting out because of the crowd chants. Man, that was unbearable. The rest of the segment was entertaining, though. Page plays his role perfectly, but I'd be lying if I said this didn't remind me of when MJF rebranded the AEW International Championship as the AEW American Championship for a brief period last summer. I might be in the minority on this, but I'm actually looking forward to Santino Marella challenging him for it on next week's episode, if only for old times' sake.

NXT Champion Oba Femi def. Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura in a Triple Threat Match

Femi has been a bit of an afterthought as NXT Champion since Stand & Deliver back in April, so it was a pleasant surprise that this headlined the show. Granted, the outcome felt obvious and they weren't given a ton of time, but they made the most of it and had a well-worked Triple Threat. The tease at the end of the episode seemed to suggest Je'Von Evans will be going back after Femi's title, so I assume that'll be the Heatwave main event next month.

Overall Show

These road shows always make a big difference for NXT TV and the atmosphere is a noticeable improvement (no offense to the faithful fans at the WWE Performance Center). This wasn't the most newsworthy show by any means, but it was enjoyable enough as they begin the build toward Heatwave. I still think NXT relies a little too heavily on the nostalgia (i.e. Undertaker, Marella, etc.) most weeks, but this show delivered.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews