WWE NXT Review - March 18, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Women's United States Champion Chelsea Green def. Sol Ruca

It wasn't always pretty, but this was a fun opener overall. It was a big opportunity for Ruca to showcase her skills against a main roster star and I thought she made the most of it. This obviously wasn't her time to take the title, but I thought she looked credible in defeat. How long until she and Zaria challenge for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship given all the wins they've racked up in the tag team ranks?

NXT Women's Champion and NXT Women's North American Champion Stephanie Vaquer Was Interrupted by Jordynne Grace and Confronted by Jaida Parker

Vaquer's promo was short and sweet, but it's clear her English is improving. That's encouraging, especially if she's going to be positioned as the top star in NXT's women's division for the foreseeable future. I like how it was established that Parker is next for Vaquer but that Grace is on the horizon, presumably for Stand & Deliver. Vaquer will defend the NXT Women's Championship against Parker next week and the NXT Women's North American Championship against Fallon Henley on the same show.

Yoshiki Inamura and Josh Briggs def. Tank Ledger and Hank Walker

Inamura and Briggs really impressed me with the showing they had against Axiom and Nathan Frazer at Vengeance Day. The problem is that they've barely wrestled on NXT TV since then (if at all), so at least they were able to bounce back a bit here in what was a solid match despite being brief. Meanwhile, Ledger and Walker continue to come off as an undercard tag team with minimal development. It's worth noting they beat the now-released O.C. last year, a win that ultimately amounted to nothing.

The Culling (Niko Vance, Brooks Jensen and Izzi Dame) def. The D'Angelo Family (Luca Crusifino, Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo and Adriana Rizzo)

As much as I'm ready for this rivalry to be over, this was a logical match to do now that Dame has joined Shawn Spears' stable (now collectively known as The Culling). This was a well-worked mixed tag team affair with everyone getting some time to shine and the heels stealing the win after the babyfaces were distracted by Tony D'Angelo getting attacked by the masked men backstage.

Jacy Jane def. Karmen Petrovic

Petrovic hasn't had anything interesting going on since she and Ashante Adonis officially became an on-screen item, so teasing a heel turn for her with Adonis offering her the chair during this match (that she refused) was a step in the right direction. This didn't last very long at all, but what we got was perfectly passable. It also gave Jane her first televised win since October (yes, seriously).

Ricky Saints def. Ridge Holland

As Saints' first singles match, Holland was a good opponent for him. Holland peaked during his NXT Championship feud with Trick Williams late last year, so he's settled nicely into his new role as a stepping stone for the up-and-comers. This wasn't the most exciting outing, but it was what it needed to be. I thought we might get Saints vs. Wes Lee at Stand & Deliver, but based on his backstage interview afterward, it looks like he might be challenging Spears for the NXT North American Championship instead. That's quite the upgrade.

Trick Williams def. Eddy Thorpe in an NXT Underground Match

I know Thorpe previously won two NXT Underground matches and even beat Williams at Vengeance Day, but I don't think anyone actually thought Thorpe stood a chance here. That said, I had no issue with Williams squashing him within minutes. The post-match brawl with Williams, Oba Femi, Je'Von Evans and the masked men was made for a chaotic close to the show. Williams vs. Femi is where we're headed for Stand & Deliver, but will Evans factor into that somehow, too?

Overall Show

Needless to say, this was always going to be a comedown show following last week's outstanding Roadblock special, but the key is that they set up several storylines with Stand & Deliver fast approaching. This episode can easily be skipped as you won't be missing much, but it was still an adequate edition of NXT on the whole and I appreciated that the filler was kept to a minimum.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews