Gold Rush 2025 concludes tonight with part two airing on WWE NXT.
Taped last week at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the card for tonight’s special includes four title matches — including one where a new champion is guaranteed to be crowned. Zaria and Fallon Henley are set to meet for the vacant WWE Speed Women’s Championship. Zaria is attempting to win the title that her friend Sol Ruca had to relinquish due to injury.
Kelani Jordan defends her TNA Knockouts Championship in a triple threat match against Jordynne Grace and Lei Ying Lee.
The Evolve brand gets into the Gold Rush mix with its men’s and women’s titles both on the line. Men’s Evolve Champion Jackson Drake is defending against Sean Legacy, while Kendal Grey is putting the women’s Evolve Championship up for grabs against Lainey Reid.
Along with that, Trick Williams and Myles Borne go one-on-one in a grudge match.
Join us for coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern.
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NXT Gold Rush is on the CW with a taped episode from The Theater at Madison Square Garden.
The show opens with a title match from the WWE ID program. Peter Rosenberg is a guest on commentary as the “Evolve analyst” for the opening match. He joins NXT regulars Vic Joseph and Booker T on commentary.
Jackson Drake (with Brad Baylor & Ricky Smokes) vs. Sean Legacy for the WWE Evolve Championship
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The tag team called Swipe Right are in the corner of the champion.
Sean got several close near falls that wowed the crowd. One included a Spanish Fly of sorts that involved a backflip into a suplex. Drake came back soon thereafter with a guillotine knee drop, followed by a running knee strike Drake calls “The Unaliving”. Drake then hooked a leg and locked his arms for a three count on Legacy. Great opener.
Match result: WWE Evolve Champion Jackson Drake defeated Sean Legacy to retain his title via pinfall.
— NXT North American Champion Ethan Page offers heelish advice to Sol Ruca. In walks Myle Borne to confront Page. This plays on Borne against Trick later, but they also tease another match between Borne and Page.
— Clips from a sit-down interview hype John Cena’s final match on Saturday Night’s Main Event next month.
Zaria vs. Fallon Henley (with Jacy Jayne & Lainey Reid) in the finals of the WWE Women’s Speed Championship Tournament
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This match for the vacant Women’s Speed title is the culmination of a tournament that played out over a few weeks on NXT. It also plays to an angle involving Sol Ruca, who vacated the Speed title due to a supposed injury.
They went Broadway after going to a three-minute time limit. Zaria got to shine in the match, and she applied a Texas cloverleaf at one point. However, Henley got a rope break. Henley went for a high cross off the top rope, but Zaria rolled through and deadlifted Henley with 30 seconds remaining in the match.
DDT by Henley counters Zaria for a two count with 15 seconds remaining in the title bout. As the time clock ticks down, Zaria is going for her finisher with Henley in a fireman’s carry.
Out comes NXT General Manager Ava to order the match must continue with sudden death, meaning the first to score a pin or submission wins the match. The show cuts to a commercial break as the match restarts.
Back from the break, Henley is in control as Zaria takes a bump off the ropes. Rings of Saturn applied by Henley, but Zaria escapes the hold. Henley takes a press slam off middle rope, and Zaria fires up.
Zaria spears Henley out of the ring, and gives chase. Zaria goes for a spear on the floor, but she instead collides with the ring steps after Lainey Reid saves Henley. Back in the ring, Henley delivers a shining wizard. Henley follows with a famouser, and she covers Zaria to score a pinfall. Good match. And new…
Match result: Fallon Henley defeated Zaria in a tournament final to win the vacant WWE Speed Championship.
— Shiloh Hill is featured in another vignette where he talks about being a long time wrestling fan. Hill tells a story about playing wresting with his dad, and he broke his dad’s nose. He talks more about his dad, and then Shiloh talks about his missing tooth. He makes a remark about forgetting his wire cutters, and that ends the vignette.
— Booker T ribs Vic Joseph during a plug for the relaunch of the WWE LJN figures.
John Cena picks the men’s Iron Survivor participants
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Cena chooses the participants in a pre-taped segment that mixes Cena’s monologue with video clips of those chosen by him.
The participants for the Men’s Iron Survivor:
- Joe Hendry
- Je’Von Evans
- Dion Lennox
- TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater
- The winner of tonight’s main event between Myles Borne and Trick Williams
— Izzi Dame cuts a promo on Tatum Paxley after turning on her last week. Dame promises to explain her actions next week on NXT.
— TNA President Carlos Silva is on camera sitting front row ringside, alongside Tommy Dreamer, for the next title match on the card.
Kelani Jordan vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Lei Ying Lee in a triple threat match for the TNA Knockouts Championship
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While Jordan and Grace have been programmed together as rivals on NXT, this was a big match for Lei Ying Lee (who was formerly Xia Li in NXT).
The title bout goes through a commercial break. Just before cutting to commercials, the defending champ is standing tall. Jordan does an Asai moonsault just before the break. When the show returns from the break, the three wrestlers return to triple threat spots.
Wild Spanish Fly spot by Jordan and Grace, with little room for error. They do some creative spots playing off each other’s strengths. In the closing moments, no water in the pool for Jordan as she misses a 450 splash. Lee is capitalizing on the missed splash when Grace throws her outside. Grace then executes a finisher (Torture Rack turned into a sit-out powerbomb), and Grace goes for a pin. Lee strikes with a flying spin kick, and she covers Jordan for the deciding pinfall. And new…
Clever finish, and apropos for Lee to win her first title on NXT television. She was in tears after putting on the TNA Knockouts title belt.
Match result: Lei Ying Lee defeated TNA Knockouts Champion Kelani Jordan and Jordynne Grace in a triple threat match to win the title when Lee pinned Jordan.
— Fatal Influence is backstage celebrating Henley winning the Speed title. NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne and Lainey Reid are talking up Henley when in walks Ava. The GM announces that Jayne and Henley are barred from ringside tonight when Reid challenges for the Evolve Women’s Championship.
— NXT Champion Ricky Saints sits down with Sarah Schreiber for an interview. Saints talks about facing Oba Femi and the challenge that presents. Saints addresses the doubt he and other feel about his upcoming match against Femi. Saints basically says he will use the doubt and criticism to motivate him in beating Femi again.
Kendal Grey (with Wren Sinclair) vs. Lainey Reid for the WWE Evolve Women’s Championship
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The title bout goes through a commercial break. They have a very competitive match, and it was quite good. The style of the match was very different than a typical WWE match, except for a dumb run-in.
Despite being barred from ringside, Reid’s cohorts in Fatal Influence run down to the ring. Jayne and Henley jump on opposite sides of the apron, and the referee is beside himself on what to do. Sinclair decks Henley with a punch, and Henley takes a bump off the apron. Jayne charges towards Grey, only for Grey to sidestep her. Jayne then crashes into Sinclaur, who goes flying off the apron into the arms of Charlie Dempsey. He appeared out of nowhere to catch Sinclair. She screams in celebration of Dempsey’s return. The referee ejects all involved from ringside.
For the finish, Grey counters Reid to execute an avalanche overhead suplex. Grey pulls down straps on her gear like she is hulking up at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis. Grey then leaps into a flying flatliner, and she covers Reid for a pinfall to retain the Evolve title.
Match result: WWE Evolve Women’s Champion Kendal Grey defeated Lainey Reid via pinfall to retain her title.
— Darkstate are featured in a backstage promo. Dion Lennox, who is wearing a NXT tag team title belt, says he is going for singles gold when he wins the Iron Survivor. Darkstate then leaves in search of Myles Borne.
John Cens picks the Women’s Iron Survivor participants
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Similarly to the earlier segment, Cena voices over a video package that mixes his promo with video clips of the participants announced by Cena.
Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge participants at NXT Deadline:
- Sol Ruca
- Lola Vice
- Jordynne Grace
- Kelani Jordan
- Kendal Grey
— Announced for next Tuesday on NXT on the go-home episode ahead of Deadline is a summit with the women’s participants.
— Also announced for next Tuesday is Josh Briggs against Tavion Heights in a grudge match a few weeks in the making on NXT.
Trick Williams vs. Myles Borne in an Iron Survivor qualifying match
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The main event match goes through a commercial break. The show cuts to commercial after Borne gets a close near fall. They do some clever spots, like a double neck breaker spot at one point late in the match.
The fight spills outside, where Trick delivers his signature flying kick. He goes for another attempted kick, but Borne dodges him. Trick crashes his knee into the ring steps. Borne then follows up by giving Trick a Zig Zag (now called “The Borne Again’) on the floor. Back in the ring for the finish, as Borne executes another Borne Again. Trick had kicked out earlier in the match after a Borne Again, but not this time. Borne hooks a leg and covers Trick for a three count.
Match result: Myles Borne defeated Trick Williams via pinfall to qualify for the Iron Survivor Challenge.
After the match, Borne is celebrating when the arena lights go dark. Spotlights then illuminate the entrance of Darkstate, as they stalk Borne. Darkstate enters through the crowd, and they surround Borne. Borne’s fellow Iron Survivor participants run down to back up Borne. Je’Von Evans, Leon Slater and Joe Hendry join Borne in the ring to face off with Darkstate. Credits roll as the two groups face off. This seems to build up an eight-man tag match for the go-home show next Tuesday.
