WWE NXT Review - May 6, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

DarkState (Cutler James, Dion Lennox and Osiris Griffin) def. NXT Tag Team Champions Tank Ledger and Hank Walker and TNA World Champion Joe Hendry

The presentation of DarkState was questionable early on, but it's certainly improved and they're quickly proving they can hold their own in the ring. Hendry, Hank and Tank made for a fun team and thus this was a solid six-man tag team opener. Trick Williams costing Hendry the win was logical and DarkState pinning one-half of the NXT Tag Team Champions might earn them an opportunity at the titles.

Zaria def. Kelani Jordan

Jordan wants another crack at the NXT Women's North American Championship, but the champ Sol Ruca's tag partner and best friend Zaria stood in the way of that. This was a nice match, but I don't know where it leaves us. Jordan needs to move on from the Women's North American title picture and I'm not sure if Ruca and Zaria still have the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship in their sights. If not, then the Ruca and Zaria split should be coming sooner rather than later.

Myles Borne Won an NXT Championship No. 1 Contender's Battle Royal

This was easily one of the best Battle Royals I've seen in some time in any company. I love that this had a mix of talent from NXT, EVOLVE, LFG and TNA, including the returning Elijah (f.k.a. WWE's Elias). That was a cool moment. This got a ton of time and several stories were told simultaneously. Borne winning was a total shock, but I'm all for featuring someone new in the NXT Championship scene, even if the outcome to him challenging Oba Femi at Battleground feels like a foregone conclusion.

Jaida Parker def. Karmen Petrovic

Parker threw it back in Petrovic's face that she was right about Ashante Adonis not being trustworthy. That was pretty much the story behind this bout. It was fine, but these women feel like they're in a holding pattern at the moment. What's the point of making Petrovic and Thea Hail allies? I'd rather see Parker feuding with a more notable name after she was just involved in the main mix with Stephanie Vaquer, Giulia and Jordynne Grace during Stand & Deliver season.

Jordynne Grace def. Giulia in an NXT Women's Championship No. 1 Contender's Match

This was a hell of a hard-hitting affair and I can only hope both women emerged unscathed. Giulia has been a regular on Raw the last several weeks, so Grace getting the shot at Battleground seemed obvious, but that didn't make this any less excellent. If this was Giulia's NXT swan song, she went out on a high note. Grave was already involved in the Fatal 4-Way for the NXT Women's Championship at Stand & Deliver, but I'm wondering if Grace may beat Vaquer at Battleground so Vaquer can move up to the main roster as well.

Overall Show

This was basically a two-match show and both of those bouts delivered. I really enjoyed the Battle Royal and Grace vs. Giulia is well worth checking out if you missed it. The rest of the show breezed by. Battleground is coming up quickly, but I'm glad three matches have been confirmed for the card. This was a strong show from NXT with minimal filler and a lot to like.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews