Bryan Alvarez and Filthy Tom Lawlor return with tons to talk about, mainly the situation with Raja Jackson and the assault on Syko Stu, and what matches you should watch from a very busy weekend. A PACKED show, so check it out~!
Tag: Nxt Heatwave
TNA title match set for WWE NXT Heatwave
Two new matches are set for WWE NXT Heatwave, including a TNA Knockouts title bout.
A pair of new bouts for the Sunday, August 24 event were announced during Tuesday’s WWE NXT TV show, one of them a battle for the TNA Knockouts World Championship.
Jacy Jayne will defend her title at Heatwave against Masha Slamovich and Ash by Elegance (the former Dana Brooke) in a triple threat match. Both Slamovich and Ash have challenged Jayne for the Knockouts title on recent TNA Impact programming, with each costing the other their opportunities.
Jayne also holds the NXT Women’s Championship, and her next challenger for that title will be decided at Heatwave in another new match set for the show.
As announced on NXT TV Tuesday, Jaida Parker, Kelani Jordan, and Lola Vice will square off in a triple threat at Heatwave for the number one contender’s spot.
The updated card:
WWE NXT Heatwave, Sunday, August 24 —
- NXT Champion Oba Femi defends against Trick Williams or Je’Von Evans
- NXT Tag Team Champions Hank Walker and Tank Ledger defend against two members of DarkState (Dion Lennox, Cutler James, Saquon Shugars, Osiris Griffin)
- TNA Knockouts World Champion Jacy Jayne defends against Masha Slamovich and Ash by Elegance in a triple threat
- Jordynne Grace vs. Blake Monroe
- NXT Women’s Championship number one contender’s match: Jaida Parker vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Lola Vice
WWE reveals date and location for NXT Heatwave 2025
WWE has officially confirmed the date and location for NXT’s next PLE.
During this afternoon’s Great American Bash event, WWE announced that NXT Heatwave will emanate live from Lowell, Massachusetts on Sunday, August 24. The Lowell Memorial Auditorium is the venue for the show.
On the road again.
— WWE (@WWE) July 12, 2025
See in you in Houston on July 22nd, and see you in Lowell, MA on August 24th for WWE Heatwave! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/oLkK4vouzN
August 24 is the same day that AEW & NJPW are running their Forbidden Door pay-per-view in London, England. While the shows are happening on the same day, it doesn’t look like they’ll be going head-to-head. The Heatwave graphic lists a 6:30 p.m. Eastern start time for ticket holders. Forbidden Door will be taking place in the afternoon due to the time difference between the United States and United Kingdom.
Tickets for Heatwave are going on sale to the general public this coming Wednesday (July 16).
Heatwave has been an annual event for NXT since 2022, first starting as a TV special before becoming a PLE. The show will stream live on Peacock in the United States and on Netflix elsewhere.
Ahead of Heatwave, NXT is heading on the road for a TV episode in Houston, Texas on July 22. WWE has announced that the coaches of WWE LFG — The Undertaker, Michelle McCool, Booker T, and Bubba Ray Dudley — will be appearing on that episode. LFG is a reality competition series that airs on A&E.
Report: WWE NXT Heatwave set for same day as AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door
The strategy of WWE and NXT premium live events going head-to-head or on the same day as AEW pay-per-views will apparently continue in August.
According to WrestleVotes Radio on Thursday, WWE has scheduled NXT’s annual Heatwave premium live event to run in South Carolina on the same day AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door runs in London, England: Sunday, August 24.
WWE has yet to announce the show, but if accurate, that could come as soon as this Saturday when NXT Great American Bash goes head-to-head with AEW All In: Texas. WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event will run after All In as well followed by Evolution on Sunday.
In May, NXT Battleground took place against AEW Double or Nothing, preceded the night before by Saturday Night’s Main Event. If accurate, Heatwave will come the same week NXT runs in the former ECW Arena in Philadelphia just eight days before AEW begins a residency there.
Filthy Four Daily: Smackdown, MITB, Heatwave, Diaz vs. Masvidal
FILTHY FOUR DAILY with Bryan Alvarez and Tom Lawlor is back and we’ve got a lot to talk about including thoughts on MITB and NXT Heatwave, our weekly Smackdown report, plus Tom reviews the Nate Diaz fight this past weekend. Plus more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
Wrestling Observer Live: Money in the Bank, Heatwave, Cena retires
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including full reviews of WWE Money in the Bank, NXT Heatwave, the retirement of John Cena over the next nearly 2 years, and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Wrestling Observer Radio: Heatwave, new WWE belts, G-1 update, more
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including the NXT Heatwave show, a new champion, new WWE titles likely coming, more notes from the press conference Saturday night, the G-1 update, mailbag and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: NXT Heatwave recap
22:56: Lineups for the next week
24:19: Possible new WWE belts coming, notes from Money in the Bank Press Conference
30:55: Riho arm injury, Atlantis Jr./ROH
32:07: G1 Climax updates
39:33: Mailbag
Subscriber exclusive: Bryan Alvarez’s WWE NXT Heatwave report & match ratings
Image: WWE
Subscribers can now read my thoughts and match ratings from Sunday’s WWE NXT Heatwave which saw a new champion crowned, some solid in-ring action, and a cameo at the end of the show.
Bryan & Vinny & Craig: NXT Heatwave 2024
The Bryan & Vinny & Craig Show is back with tons to talk about including our full review of NXT Heatwave, a show that was, in fact, superior to Money in the Bank on Saturday. All the matches and angles, a new NXT Champion, and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Joe Hendry video clip plays at end of WWE NXT Heatwave
WWE NXT fans might just be getting their chance to believe in Joe Hendry again very soon.
At the end of Sunday’s NXT Heatwave main event that saw Ethan Page leave Toronto as NXT Champion, a quick clip of the TNA star’s famous swivel and smile aired as the show closed.
In mid-June, Hendry was quickly eliminated from an NXT no. 1 contender’s battle royal by the other 24 men in the match. Afterward, Hendry was showing arguing with Shawn Michaels backstage as he was leaving, claiming it was himself against NXT and that, “I can show up anywhere, anytime, on any show. All you gotta do is say this name.”
That was Hendry’s lone NXT match and appearance to date.
On a media call this week, Michaels said that “nothing would thrill me more than to have the opportunity to work with Joe Hendry in the future. I think he would tell you the same thing.”
Until his next NXT move is revealed, Hendry will be preparing for his TNA World title match as he competes in a six-way at this month’s Slammiversary with champion Moose, Steve Maclin, Nic Nemeth,
WWE NXT Heatwave live results: Fatal four-way title match
The NXT title will be on the line in a fatal four-way that headlines Sunday’s WWE NXT Heatwave from Toronto, Canada’s Scotiabank Arena (7 PM Eastern on Peacock/WWE Network).
Champion Trick Williams will defend the title against Ethan Page, Je’Von Evans and Shawn Spears in the main event.
NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez will defend against Lola Vice who is getting her first title opportunity. This will be Perez’s fifth title defense.
NXT men’s North American Champion Oba Femi will defend against Wes Lee with the stipulation that if Lee loses, he can’t challenge for the title again as long as Femi is champion.
Inaugural NXT women’s North American Champion Kelani Jordan will defend her title for the second time as she takes on Sol Ruca while the squabbling Axiom & Nathan Frazer will defend the NXT Tag Team titles against Chase U’s Andre Chase & Duke Hudson.
In a women’s division showcase, Karmen Petrovic & Arianna Grace will battle Jacy Jayne & Jazmyn Nyx.
**********
PRE-SHOW
– Megan Morant & Sam Roberts were the hosts of the pre-show and they teed up all the matchups we’d see tonight on Heatwave.
– Lola Vice was interviewed about her NXT Women’s Championship Match against Roxanne Perez. She said that she’d be the first Cuban-American NXT Women’s Champion.
– Sarah Schreiber was at Scotiabank Arena to report that Nathan Frazer hadn’t arrived to the building yet, as we saw Axiom presumably trying to call his tag partner. Schreiber suggested that Axiom might have to defend the NXT Tag Team Championships against Chase U alone if Frazer didn’t make it in time.
– They showed a clip of Kelani Jordan and Sol Ruca working out together ahead of their NXT Women’s North American Championship match.
– Separate clips of Ethan Page and Je’Von Evans talking about the fatal four-way for the NXT Championship were shown.
– Chase U were preparing for the NXT Tag Team Championship match and got a call from Ridge Holland, who wished them luck for their match.
– Morant and Roberts interviewed NXT General Manager Ava about Heatwave. She talked about how the five championship matches we’ll see tonight could change the landscape of NXT as a whole. When asked about making the NXT Championship match a fatal four-way, Ava said that she didn’t regret making that decision and that she was looking forward to seeing the action go down in that match.
– We now got remarks from Shawn Spears and NXT Champion Trick Williams as they talked about the NXT Championship fatal four-way.
– Vic Joseph and Booker T welcomed us inside Scotiabank Arena as the Kickoff match was about to begin.
Tag Team Match: Karmen Petrovic & Arianna Grace defeated Jacy Jayne & Jazmyn Nyx
Hometown stars Grace and Petrovic got a good reaction from the Toronto crowd as they made their way to the ring together as a team.
Grace and Jayne started off the match while the fans chanted for Grace. Joseph pointed out that Petrovic was in Toronto Raptors-themed attire, noting that she was trying to “out-Toronto” Grace.
Grace and Petrovic showed some nice chemisry with an assisted clothesline on Jayne. Nyx got tagged into the match, but found herself in trouble in the corner of Grace and Petrovic.
Jayne was the legal woman and regained the advantage as she attacked Petrovic with a nice neckbreaker, followed by the clothesline. The heel team began to work over Petrovic in their corner.
Petrovic fought out of a chinlock by Jayne, but got rattled by a kick to the jaw. Nyx entered the match as she and Jayne hit the double-team suplex on Petrovic.
Nyx and Jayne tried for another double-team suplex, but Petrovic escaped and eventually found enough separation to tag Grace into the match.
Grace was a house of fire as she took down both Nyx and Jayne with a flurry of offense. Petrovic and Grace hit a nice double team dropkick, but Nyx broke up the count.
The finish saw Nyx’s roll-up attempt on Petrovic being reversed into a roll-up against her as Grace pulled at her hair to cause it. Petrovic got the victory here.
An okay opener, but seeing the hometown girls pick up the victory was nice to see and a good way to get the crowd hot for the main Heatwave show.
**********
– Nathan Frazer finally arrived, but Axiom was still unsure about their unity as a team.
– Morant and Roberts wrapped up the kickoff show by talking about the fatal four-way match for the NXT Championship.
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NXT HEATWAVE 2024
– The cold open for the show ran down the five championship matches we’ll see this evening.
NXT North American Championship: Oba Femi (c) defeated Wes Lee
The stipulation for this match was that if Lee failed to defeat Femi, he’d be no longer be able to challenge for the North American title as long as Femi was the champion.
Lee started off with kicks to Femi, but he got swept down. Femi overpowered Lee and pushed him in the corner. Lee quickly reversed and tried to punch away at Femi in the corner.
Femi continued to get shelled by kicks from Lee, including a springboard kick. Femi stopped the momentum of Lee by catching him, as he then hit him with a hard right that sent Lee to the outside.
Femi used his impressive strength to spin Lee around with a modified version of the F10. Femi then threw Lee to the outside near the commentary table. He taunted Lee in front of Booker T, as he then threw Lee right into the uncovered ring apron. Lee struggled to get back up, but he made it before the count of ten.
Femi continued his assault on Femi with a fierce backbreaker. We got dueling “Let’s go Wes Lee / Oba Femi” chants from the Scotiabank Arena crowd. Lee’s back got crushed by Femi’s foot, which was followed by a vicious strike to the head.
The back of Lee remained the target for Femi as he was trapped in a Tree of Woe position. Lee avoided a spear, which caused Femi to ram right into the ring post. Femi attempted to throw Lee out, but he got sent outside instead.
On the apron, Lee got felled with a hard and loud chop to the chest by Femi. Lee found himself trapped in a back stretch by Fem in the middle of the ring soon after. Femi sent him down with a chop that only got a two count.
Femi taunted a kneeling Lee, but he paid for that with a kick to the head, which stunned him. Lee followed that up with a series of kicks and punches that managed to leave Femi dazed. Tornado DDT by Lee on Femi got a close near-fall.
The action spilled to ringside with Lee hitting Femi with two consecutive suicide dives. Lee’s Meteora attempt got caught by Femi, but he turned that into a roll-up pin for a close near-fall. The fans started to get on their feet for this one.
Lee connected with a Meteora to Femi’s back, but his attempt a diving springboard forearm was intercepted by a Femi forearm. Lee barely kicked out at two.
Femi hoisted Lee on his shoulders and he ascended to the top rope. Lee escaped and tried for a hurricanrana. Femi’s powerbomb was turned into a modified avalanche X-Factor. Down in the ring, Kardiac Kick by Lee, but Femi kicked out at two.
Lee’s frog splash was caught by a choke from Femi, but Lee turned it around and the action headed outside again. Lee tried for another Kardiac Kick, but his back gave out. Another attempt was caught by Femi, who threw him upwards and dropped him on his back.
Femi finished off this match with his Fall From Grace finisher, and that’s it, over. Femi retained in near-dominant fashion and ended Lee’s North American Championship dreams.
I quite enjoyed this opener. As it began to pick up, we got a good underdog story of Lee trying his best to stop the onslaught of Oba Femi, but ultimately failing. Femi continues to be an impressive bulwark of NXT and he can only get even better from here.
**********
NXT North American Women’s Championship: Kelani Jordan (c) defeated Sol Ruca
Ruca and Jordan made a gesture of respect as both women started to show off their impressive athleticism with a set of flipping dodges that got applause from the crowd.
Ruca swept Jordan and locked her in a sleeper hold, but that was short-lived. X-Factor attempt by Ruca got reversed with a unique handstand reversal from Jordan, who followed with a splash for a one count. Ruca’s second X-Factor managed to hit its mark.
Ruca locked Jordan in a surfboard stretch for a brief moment. In the middle of the ring, Ruca and Jordan once again had an exchange of blows. Ruca got sent outsde and knocked down with a spinning vaulting press by Jordan.
Jordan stepped it up with a DDT for a near-fall. Ruca created separation with a superkick on Jordan, followed by two consecutive springboard crossbodies. Ruca leapt off the rope for a 450 clothesline on a standing Jordan for a two.
Jordan took advantage with a kick to the head of Ruca, then taking her down with a poison rana that sent Ruca outside the ring again. Jordan kept the foot on the gas with a moonsault to Ruca.
Ruca recovered and took Jordan out with a diving move. Both women struggled to make it back to their feet but they made it before the ten-count.
Ruca and Jordan with an exchange of repeated pinfall attempts, but neither woman could get the decisive one, two, three. Ruca floored Jordan with an impressive powerbomb for the two-count.
A fight on the top rope ended with Ruca sent down as Jordan had her in position for a 450 Splash. Ruca got her knees up to block it. Ruca tried for a Sol Snatcher, but Jordan reversed it for a near-fall.
Jordan’s poison rana got blocked and turned into a reverse Alabama Slam into the turnbuckle by Ruca. As Ruca tried for an avalanche move from the top rope, Jordan finally got an avalanche Poison Rana on Ruca, as she soon followed that with the split-legged moonsault for the pin and win.
An entertaining match that managed to get the crowd on their feet, as Ruca and Jordan got to show off their athletic acumen in style. Lots to like about this match, and the face versus face nature didn’t take away from how competitive things got.
**********
– We saw comments from Gallus in response to recent tweets that Tyson Dupont and Tyriek Igwe made about the group. They said that they would see Dupont and Igwe this coming Tuesday.
– After a recap of the Kickoff match, we saw Karmen Petrovic & Arianna Grace with NXT GM Ava. Grace took credit for the win, despite Petrovic having made the winning pin. Ava booked Grace to face Petrovic on this Tuesday’s NXT.
NXT Tag Team Championship: Axiom & Nathan Frazer (c) defeated Chase U (Andre Chase & Duke Hudson)
Axiom and Chase started off for their teams. The masked Axiom had Chase trapped in a head hold as he had the clear advantage for a bit. Chase escaped and things seemed to be at an impasse.
Armdrag and dropkick by Axiom only got a one-count. Chase reversed a pin by Axiom for a long two-count. Frazer finally tagged himself in but found himself the victim of consecutive armdrags by Chase. Frazer fought back with a kick to the head as Hudson tagged himself in.
Hudson caught Frazer and threw him with an overhead belly-to-belly toss. He continued to work on Frazer as Chase U had the momentum on their side at the moment.
Axiom got tagged in and took back the advantage as he worked Chase over with a clothesline. Axiom and Frazer nailed Chase with a double-team superkick for a near-fall.
Frazer’s attempt at a springboard dive was intercepted by Chase’s neckbreaker. Both men down, but Frazer was able to make it to his corner and Axiom stopped Chase from tagging out.
Axiom kept Chase grounded with a leglock submission right in the middle of the ring. Chase escaped by sending Axiom into his own corner, which allowed him to tag Hudson in.
Hudson launched his offensive flurry on both Axiom and Frazer, managing to hold his own. A gutbuster on Frazer by Hudson got a near-fall. Frazer used his speed to kick Hudson to the outside. His attempted dive was stopped at the past by Hudson, who hit a cool-looking German suplex.
Frazer avoided the Razor’s Edge from Hudson as Axiom found himself back into the match. The NXT Tag Champions unleashed a barrage of suicide dives on Chase U outside the ring.
With Hudson isolated, Axiom and Frazer bombarded him with consecutive splashes, but that only got a close two. Frazer’s attempted top rope move was foiled by Hudson paying tribute to Toronto’s own Trish Stratus with a Stratusfaction. Hudson’s subsequent slam got a two.
Frazer floored Hudson with a missile dropkick as Axiom tagged himself in. Axiom slammed Hudson with a Spanish Fly, as Frazer followed that with a Phoenix Splash. Chase stopped the two count by stepping on Frazer and hitting Axiom with a Canadian Destroyer.
Axiom found himself hit with an accidental superkick by Frazer. Chase rolled him up, but Axiom managed to kick out at two.
Outside the ring,. Hudson got dropkicked against the stairs by Frazer. Back in the ring, Chase got his C-H-A-S-E stomp on Axiom. Frazer with the last-minute save after Chase’s crossbody on Axiom.
Frazer took Chase out with a superplex, as he then dived to the outside to take Hudson out of the equation. Axiom, meanwhile, capped this match off with the Golden Ratio kick on Chase for the one, two, three.
What a fantastic tag team match. We saw some great action from all four competitors and as the intensity ramped up, we were in for an excting finish. So far, Heatwave has exceeded expectations, and this match just continues the roll.
**********
– We got remarks from Wes Lee after his loss to Oba Femi. He lamented how tonight was supposed to be the culmination of his plan to reclaim the NXT North American Championship, but he failed. Lee was at a loss for words and left, saying needed some time to think.
– A vignette for Josh Briggs was shown, followed by one that focused on Carlee Bright, and another for Dante Chen.
– NXT’s Great American Bash returns on Tuesday August 6th, on SyFy (due to USA Network airing Olympic coverage)
NXT Women’s Championship: Roxanne Perez (c) vs. Lola Vice
Perez and Vice began with a lockup before a slap in the corner broke things up. Vice took down Perez with a shoulder block, then she tried to go for an armbar. Perez fought out of that attempt.
Vice had the advantage with knee strikes on Perez, followed by a throw. Perez avoided Vice’s backfist by rolling out of the ring. Perez regained control by sending Vice into the middle turnbuckle. She choked Vice with her foot along the bottom rope.
Vice recovered and fought back with strikes of her own, but Perez regained momentum by pulling at Vice’s hair. Perez took Vice down with a Russian leg sweep for the two count.
Vice once again tried to take advantage, as she rocked Perez with kicks and knees to keep the NXT Women’s Champion grounded. Perez’s gut continued to be the target of Vice’s attack. She trapped Perez in a sleeper hold, as Perez rolled outside the ring to avoid a tapout.
Perez dodged a backfist attempt by Vice, which caused the challenger’s arm to hit the ringpost painfully instead. This gave Perez a new target as she began to work on the injured hand of Vice.
Vice was kept grounded by a back suplex from Perez, but she avoided a moonsault and caught Perez in a headscissor submission. Vice finally hit Perez with the backfist using the hurt arm, which sent the champion out of the ring. The pin attempt was broken up by Perez putting a foot on the bottom rope.
Perez sent Vice shoulder-first into the ring post to keep her stunned. Pop Rox attempt was reversed by Vice, who shelled with some strikes. Another attempt at Pop Rox by Perez connects, but Vice managed to kick out at two.
An angered Perez swept aside the commentary table cover and mocked Vice before hitting Pop Rox right across the table. Vice got rolled back into the ring and got pinned, but she kicked out yet again.
Perez locked in the Crossface, but Vice escaped it. This angered Perez even further as she hit three consecutive Pop Roxes on Vice to retain her NXT Women’s Championship.
The match was fine for what it was, and things did get a bit dicey at the end, but it did the job of establishing Perez as a crazed heel willing to go to whatever lengths she can to win.
**********
– We got a clip of Shawn Michaels addressing the recent behavior of Brooks Jensen. He invited Jensen to sit down with NXT GM Ava on Tuesday to discuss what’s to happen next for his future on NXT.
– A clip of Lexis King challenging Tony D’Angelo for the Heritage Cup was shown, as well as D’Angelo’s response to said challenge. The match was made official for Tuesday’s NXT, as well as Petrovic vs. Grace. OC vs. OTM, Igwe & Dupont vs. Gallus was also advertised for Tuesday.
NXT Championship Fatal Four-Way: Ethan Page defeated Je’Von Evans, Shawn Spears, and Trick Williams
Page walked out with a ring jacket that said “Resident of the U.S.A.” on the back. Champion Williams, naturally, got a huge reaction from the Toronto crowd as he wore Harlem Heat-themed attire.
Page left the ring, but got crushed by an Evans suicide dive. Inside the ring, Williams and Spears were mixing it up until the NXT Champion sent his foe out side the ring.
The two Canadians took turns slamming Evans and Williams aginst the steps before they stared down in the ring. They took each other out with simultaneous thumbs to the eye as Evans and Williams re-entered the match and took down Spears and Page.
Williams and Evans slapped hands in respect and began their faceoff. Evans got an impressive springboard hurricanrana on Williams, followed by a rollup for a two-count. Williams slammed Evans with a scoop slam, as he then carried it on with a dropkick.
Williams avoided a Spears hair shot and he kept the two Canadians at bay with sidekicks and a two-for-one slam. Evans rejoined the match with a crossbody that flattened both Spears and Page.
Spears sent Williams to the outside, but he got caught with the body of Evans as he was being suplexed by Page. The action has been fast and furious so far.
Page with the powerslam on Evans for the two-count. Everyone save for Page was down on the mat, but Spears recovered and began to chop away at Page. Evans threw Spears away and Williams caught Evans as we saw a combo Doomsday Device on Evans and a simultaneous DDT on Spears. Double pin by Williams and Page got only two.
Page and Williams’ fight was interrupted by Spears cracking the latter in the back with his chair. Spears smacked a springboarding Evans with a chair shot as he set up the chair into the corner. He planted Williams with a C4 onto the chair. That only got a two.
All four men ended up on the mat after a brief superkick exchange. The fans chanted “this is awesome” at the action they were seeing.
Outside the ring, Williams cleared the commentary table, but he got thrown into the post by Page. He escaped an Ego’s Edge attempt, but he got sent through the barricade by Evans, who leapt over the ring post for a tope con hilo.
Back in the ring, Spears hit an avalanche C4 on Evans as Page ran in and threw him out the ring. Evans just kicked out at two for the dramatic near-fall.
Page climbed up to the top rope, but Spears met him at the pass. Williams recovered and sent himself and Spears out the ring. Evans ran up with an explosive avalanche Spanish Fly, followed by his springboard cutter. Williams broke up Evans’ pin at the last second.
After an exchange of words, Williams and Evans fought with one another and took each other down with a double-down kick.
Spears grabbed Evans and looked towards somewhere. Evans countered and caught him with a cutter, followed by the splash from the opposite end. Williams again broke up the count.
Evans’ attempted springboard was stopped by Williams, who pushed him away to send him flying into the commentary table. Williams seemed to be remorseful at having to do that.
Spears avoided a Trickshot Knee and locked in the NXT Champion into the Sharpshooter. Page kicked Spears away and connected with Ego’s Edge on Williams. Evans managed to crawl to his feet to put Williams’ feet on the bottom rope to disrupt the count.
The finish saw Williams hit the Trick Shot knee on Page, but he fell on an unconscious Evans for the pin as Spears held Williams to stop any sort of breakup. We have a new NXT Champion.
NXT Heatwave ended with Page celebrating his win while Williams was heated. The very last thing we saw on the broadcast was a brief glimpse of Joe Hendry.
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A heck of a main event to cap off what has been an amazing NXT Heatwave show. Page earning the win the way he did fits into his All Ego character and how they follow it up should be interesting. That last-second tease of the ever-popular Joe Hendry is also going to be something to watch for in the coming weeks.
Overall, NXT Heatwave was a great show from start to finish, with every match delivering and proving why Tuesday nights are becoming one of the highlights of WWE’s weekly programming.
Daily Update: John Cena, CM Punk, WWE NXT Heatwave
Daily Update
Latest News
- WWE announces storyline suspension for Drew McIntyre
- Dominik Mysterio & Liv Morgan vs. Rey Mysterio & Zelina Vega set for WWE Raw
- Subscriber exclusive: Where John Cena ranks among world champions, box office draws
- WWE Money in the Bank review: The road to SummerSlam begins
- Five matches set for next AEW Rampage
- Mystery ‘Holo.grm’ vignette airs during AEW Collision
- Update on plans for CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre at WWE SummerSlam
Latest Audio
- Wrestling Observer Radio: John Cena retiring, MITB, Collision, Owen Hart Cup, tons more
- Bryan & Vinny Show: WWE Money in the Bank 2024
Latest Free YouTube Video
This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Among the topics covered in this issue:
- Full Forbidden Door coverage
- Early notes on how the PPV did
- Arena business and what historical achievement took place this past weekend
- How the poll for the show had a unique and noteworthy result
- Looking at AEW going into All In
- A look at Money in the Bank, Heatwave, and ticket demand for the three WWE shows this week in Toronto.
- A look at the playoffs for the G1 tournament
- UFC 303 coverage of one of the shows where they had to change everything over and over again
- Thoughts on the WrestleMania documentary, what was talked about, and what wasn’t.
- A look at all the TV ratings info from the past week including rankings for the night and week, the competition, the whys behind the numbers, segment-by-segment and more
- Chris Jericho returns to Arena Mexico
- A look at Friday’s show including the Altantis Jr. ROH TV title win
- AAA TV time notes
- AAA Verano de Escandalo card
- Major changes in Stardom
- New Japan pushes a big open to 2025 for both their promotion and Stardom with dates for tourists
- Minoru Suzuki vs. Sanshiro Takagi rematch on the bullet train
- Notable sight gags on the match
- Update on Marigold’s first major show with Iyo Sky
- Rematch of one of the best bouts of the year set for the RevPro anniversary show at the Copper Box Arena
- WWE stars at TNA TV tapings and at Bloodsport
- More on Britt Baker’s return
- Tony Khan talks about media rights negotiations, the Juneteenth rating, a milestone Eric Bischoff could never do
- Will Ospreay opens up about his autism
- Advance ticket sales for all the WWE & AEW shows over the past week
- Biggest merch sellers in WWE & AEW
- Dana White makes a claim that will blow your mind
- More on the Bloodline angle
- SmackDown issues with FOX
- Notes on WWE departures
- WWE investing in new business with notable partners including the NFL
- Dijak talks more about his contract not being renewed
This Week’s Wresting Observer Newsletter Back Issue
Sunday Update

– Bryan and I were up last night covering John Cena, Money in the Bank, Smackdown and Collision and we’ll be up again tonight talking about all the weekend news plus NXT Heatwave coverage.
– At last night’s press conference, just to clarify what Paul Levesque did say this but many misinterpreted it, last night’s show was the largest arena gate in the history of Canadian wrestling. It was not the largest gate, as there were WrestleMania shows in 1990 and 2002 that were larger, although the gate was ahead of the 1986 Hogan vs. Orndorff stadium show because of much higher ticket prices. Levesque said it accurately but it was reported wrong in a lot of places.
– We have a major article on John Cena’s return and where he stands among the all-time greats up on the site.
– Also at the press conference, John Pollock asked a question to Cena about Vince McMahon and his thoughts. Cena was very nice, but didn’t answer after encouraging people to ask anything, saying he had talked about it before (in a Howard Stern interview) and to look that up to get his thoughts. We do know that Cena is one of the few people who, at least as of a month or two ago, that Vince was still considered friends with and in contact with. Brandon Thurston asked Paul Levesque about the investigation of Vince McMahon and Levesque just said he couldn’t comment on legal matters. Nobody else even came close to asking anything about McMahon.
– Regarding the idea of C.M. Punk vs. Drew McIntyre at SummerSlam, Punk didn’t want to comment on it and obviously wanted to wait for the angle on television. He talked about maybe not being cleared but didn’t say that he wasn’t. Those close to the situation called Punk wrestling McIntyre at SummerSlam, which had been hoped for for months, “very hopeful.”
– I didn’t see the Nate Diaz boxing match with Jorge Mascival. Diaz won a majority decision that most seemed to score for Masvidal. The fight was said to be very exciting with a lot of close rounds that weren’t easy to judge. Stats showed Masvidal landed more and harder punches but Diaz was busier. Diaz then said he wanted rematches with Jake Paul and Leon Edwards. Conor McGregor claimed that he bet $500,000 on Diaz, and it was noted that if so, he’d have made more money on the fight than Diaz as Masvidal did. The judges had it 98-92 and 97-93 for Diaz with a third judge having it 95-95 even. Chris Avila beat Anthony Pettis under boxing rules 59-55, 59-55 and 58-46. Avila is a teammate of Disaz from Stockton CA. They announced a sellout of 18,040 on the air. We should have PPV numbers later this week.
– The funeral for Sika Anoa’i was this weekend in Pensacola, FL.
– NXT Heatwave pre-show first match should be around 6:40 p.m. Eastern with the main card at 7 p.m.
- Karmen Petrovic & Arianna Grace vs. Jacy Jayne & Jazmyn Nyx (pre-show)
- Kelani Jordan vs. Sol Ruca for women’s North American title
- Oba Femi vs. Wes Lee for the men’s North American title
- Nathan Frazer & Axiom vs. Duke Hudson & Andre Chase for NXT tag titles
- Roxannne Perez vs. Lola Vice for NXT women’s title
- Trick Williams vs. Ethan Page vs. Shawn Spears vs. Je’Von Evans for NXT title
– We’re looking for your thoughts on last night’s MITB and tonight’s Heatwave shows, so you can leave a thumbs up, down or middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
– Also regarding last night, Damian Priest didn’t kick out of the pin by Seth Rollins right before the interference by Drew McIntyre. Usually referees are told that if the guy doesn’t kick out, you call it as a shoot. This clearly, based on the plans in place, was not a situation where the ref could do so. Â
– For Google searches for the week, the Nate Diaz vs Jorge Masvidal boxing match last night had 500,000 searches and was second yesterday behind the death of Kyhree Jackson of the Minnesota Vikings in a car accident. Money in the Bank did 200,000 searches which is the normal range of a major WWE PPV these days. John Cena had 100,000 searches. The only other topic regarding wrestling, MMA or boxing to trend this past week was Ryan Garcia being kicked out of the WBC being No. 6 on Thursday with 100,000.
– Adam Pearce did a clear knock at Tony Khan on Twitter when talking about a backstage incident after the show saying, “I personally apologize for the interruption to the show post show and my anger. Poor Jackie feared for her life. Understatement.”
– Throughout the month of July, Bojangles is giving away collectible WWE cups to customers who buy a WWE Sandwich Comob (including Bo’s Chicken Sandwich). he offer is valid while supplies last (thanks to Barry Werner)
– Jeff Jarrett has been doing some of his best promo work ever.Â
– Shark week premieres tonight with Cena as host on The Discovery channel.
– There is no A&E biography tonight to avoid going head-to-head with Heatwave.
– GCW runs tonight in Montreal on Triller TV with an IWS vs. GCW show with Crazy Manny vs. Nick Gage in a death match, Mance Warner vs. Green Phantom for the GCW title, Karl Jepson vs Gringo Loco for the IWS title, Katrina Creed vs. Masha Slamovich vs. Kristara for the IWS women’s title and Gabe Kidd vs. Joey Janela vs. Benjamin Tull vs. James Stone.
– Winnipeg Pro Wrestling announced 800 tickets sold for an upcoming Rumble in the Burt show with Donovan Dijak vs. Mustafa Ali.
– JJ Gale vs. Tomohiro Ishii has been added to the 8/24 RevPro show in London at the Copper Box along with Michael Oku vs. Luke Jacobs for the British title.
Fight Game: Who wins the WWE Money in the Bank briefcases?
John LaRocca and I are back to talk about the major topics in the world of professional wrestling on this week’s Fight Game Podcast.
We kicked off the show with our Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down winners and losers of the week. Then, we went through our Top Five topics of the week which included discussions on the following:
- The MJF/Will Ospreay/Daniel Garcia angle from Dynamite
- Hangman Page as the wildcard and possible winner of The Owen Cup
- Thoughts on WrestleMania XL: Behind the Curtain
- Money in the Bank preview
- NXT Heatwave preview
Click Here to Listen (sub needed)
Shawn Michaels NXT media call: Drew Gulak & Gable Steveson, TNA, CW debut, main roster readiness
Shawn Michaels spoke to the media for an hour on Wednesday to help promote Sunday’s WWE NXT Heatwave, answering questions about recent crossover events, the rise of Ja’Von Evans, the departures of Drew Gulak & Gable Steveson, and more.
Asked if there will be a TNA presence on Sunday given that they are heading to Toronto, Michaels couldn’t give any specifics but did talk about the interactions they have had with the likes of TNA, Bloodsport and NOAH. He later said he hopes some of these arrangements lead to more opportunities for their young talents to work elsewhere given the lack of more house shows and such.
When asked about Drew Gulak and Gable Steveson no longer being with WWE, Michaels said from his understanding, Gulak’s contract was up and there was no plan for him to go to the main roster. He put over Steveson’s athleticism as he is someone who lands on his feet no matter what. They say they use people to best of their ability but if it’s determined there is no real future on the main roster with a few years of them being around, it’s his understanding that management chooses to move on.
He doesn’t feel like it’s realistic for NXT to go out on the road every week for TV and wasn’t sure if that would be the case for The CW premiere show.
Michaels loves the attitude of Evans and said he is living his best life in NXT and doesn’t have the immediate desire to go to the main roster. He put over his future as unbelievable and has to remind him and others that there’s a lot more to learn, even at the “ripe old age of 23 or 24.”
He also sees Lola Vice as someone who could be a main roster star. He also clarified that means a lot more than just getting there, but that they want to prepare them to be people who can draw crowds and earn money.
For more on Michaels’ thoughts on getting to the main roster, dealing with the mentality of losing a spot and where they may have erred in the Brooks Jensen storyline, click below to listen.
Click here to listen (free)
WWE NXT Heatwave live results: Carmelo Hayes vs. Wes Lee

It’s a special edition of WWE NXT as Heatwave takes place tonight.
The NXT Championship will be contested when Carmelo Hayes defends against Wes Lee. Last week, Lee earned the title shot by defeating Dijak in a number one contender’s bout.
Trick Williams is set for action, battling Ilja Dragunov in a grudge match.
Judgment Day’s Dominik Mysterio & Rhea Ripley will be teaming up in a mixed tag match against Dragon Lee & Lyra Valkyria. Ripley recently interfered to help Dominik retain the NXT North American Championship against Dragon Lee.
The Heritage Cup is set to be defended as Nathan Frazer takes on former champion Noam Dar. Frazer won the cup from Oro Mensah this June when Dar claimed to be too injured to compete.
Ava will have her first-ever televised singles match when she faces off with Ivy Nile tonight. Baron Corbin vs. Von Wagner has also been announced for the episode.
Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

NXT Heatwave begins with a skit at a pool where Tony D’Angelo and Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo run down some of tonight’s card. There is some comedy and also some interactions with others at the pool.
Opening the show, live from a soundstage at the Performance Center in Orlando, is a grudge match.
Ilja Dragunov defeated Trick Williams
Dragunov pinned Williams in a good opener. This looked stiff at times, as they seemed to lay it in, especially Dragunov. Hard hitting in safe places, though. Williams rose to the occasion, but little was done to protect him. Dragunov dominated much of the match. Williams fought from underneath, despite being the larger of the two.
Dragunov takes the fight to Williams soon as the bell sounds to start the match. Williams finally fights back after taking a lot of punishment. When the fighting spills outside the ring, Dragunov gives Williams a German suplex on the floor. Dragunov is again taking the fight to Williams as the show cuts to its first commercial break.
Williams fires up after the show returns from commercial, and a comeback is soon underway. They trade strikes, and Williams drops Dragunov to his knees. Dragunov begs for more and motions for Williams to bring it. Williams does as he hits Dragunov with a running knee strike. That leads to a really good near fall.
Dragunov counters Williams, and Dragunov delivers some DDTs. Near fall for Dragunov. They go on to trade more near falls. Williams gets a really close near fall after giving Dragunov an avalanche Rock Bottom off the top rope. Dragunov kicks out, and he answers back with a powerbomb. Dragunov then delivers an elbow smash like he was falling timber. Williams gets a shoulder up at the last second.
Dragunov climbs the turnbuckles, and he leaps off to deliver a flying elbow smash on a prone Willaims. Dragunov covers Williams for a three count, and giving Dragunov the win.
Nathan Frazier in a skit asks Tyler Bate to be his second tonight, and Bate agrees. Frazier promises to give Bate the first shot at the Heritage Cup if he wins tonight.
Mustafa Ali walks in on Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio in a locker room. There is some bickering, and Ripley orders Ali to get out of their locker room. Ali leaves, but he makes a sexual joke at their expense on his way out.
Ivy Nile defeated Ava (with Joe Gacy & The Dyad)
Nile submitted Ava with a standing Dragon sleeper. This was kept short, and it was okay in that regard. This was also Ava’s first singles match on television, after making her singles debut recently on a house show as part of the NXT loop.
Ava was pummeling Nile, while Nile bumps and feeds into Ava’s offense. Nile counters a scoop slam, and she slid behind Ava to lock in a Dragon sleeper. Ava taps out to give Nile the win via submission.
Masked members of The Schism surround the ring after the match. Nile is seemingly alone is an army of Schism. She grabs Ava and again puts her in a Dragon sleeper, as masked Schism members one-by-one charge into the ring. Nile mows them down. Gacy and The Dyad direct traffic.
Ava is pulled out of the ring and carried on out on someone’s shoulder. Ava flashes a sinister smile as she is carried away.
Dragunov and Wes Lee exchange words in a locker room skit. Lee vows to win the NXT title tonight.
Noam Dar (with Oro Mensah, Jakara Jackson & Lash Legend) defeated Nathan Frazier (with Tyler Bate) to win the Heritage Cup
Dar wins 2-1 in match that goes six rounds. No falls in the first round. The second round begins during a split-screen commercial break. During the break, Dar scores a pinfall to win the second round after outside interference. Dabbo-Kato comes down to ringside, and he chokeslams Bate on the ring apron. That distracts Frazier, and Dar rolls him up for a pin.
Third round ends with no falls, so Dar is still up by one. Dar with a cheap shot after the bell sounded to end round three. Frazier is also alone with no one in his corner.
Some good action throughout, but they really turned things up a notch as the fourth round began. Frazier evens the score after a great high spot. Dar takes a superplex, and Frazier floats over to lift Dar into a twisting neckbreaker. Frazier then covers Dar for a pinfall, evening the match at two falls apiece.
Fifth round starts during a commercial break, Under 30 seconds remain when the show returned from the break. Frazier does a senton on Dar and Mensah on the floor. Dar is rolled back into the ring with seconds remaining, as Frazier goes to capitalize. Lash Legend grabs Frazier’s leg, keeping him from making a cover. Frazier kicks free, but he runs out of time as Dar kicks out as time expires.
Great action in the sixth and final round. It comes down to Frazier going for a Phoenix Splash. No water in the pool. Dar capitalizes with a shining wizard, and Dar covers Frazier for a three count. Dar wins two falls to one to become the undisputed Heritage Cup Champion.
Ava in a promo dares Ivy Nile to come find her under the Schism’s tree, which is mystical or something like that. Ava is flanked by the two masked men that carried her away. This skit would continue later in the night, with a reveal of the Creeds.
NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton is in the ring for a live monologue. She proceeds to brag on herself and her reign as champ. Stratton proclaims she will become the greatest women’s champ in NXT history.
Gigi Dolan interrupts her, which leads to bickering between them. Dolan roasts Stratton for tapping out, and the crowd chants that she tapped out. Out comes Kiana James to join the party. Blair Davenport is next to interrupt. More bickering and whatnot.
Stratton goes to leave, but there is one more interruption. Roxanne Perez comes out to confront the other four. Perez says she has something to tell Stratton. The champ steps forwards and begins to speak when Perez waylays her with a forearm. That ignites a brawl that erupts. The four contenders brawl as Stratton slips out of the ring. This seems to set up a four-way number one contender’s match.
Charlie Dempsey chokes out a student in a skit, while Drew Gulak berates the student. Damon Kemp also looked on with a grin.
Ava is still under the Schism tree, and she is still cutting a promo on Nile. In walks Nile, and Ava orders the two masked men to attack Nile. Instead, the two unmask to reveal themselves as the Creed Brothers. They announce they will face The Dyad in a cage match next Tuesday. If the Creeds win, they are reinstated in NXT.
Meta-Four are backstage celebrating Dar’s win. Dar is served with paperwork from the Heritage Cup committee. There will be a eight-man tournament, and the winner gets a Heritage Cup match against Dar at NXT No Mercy.
WWE World Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley & NXT North American Champion Dominik Mysterio vs. Dragon Lee & Lyra Valkyria in a mixed tag team match
Dragon Lee pinned Mysterio to win the match. That should also set up a singles title match in the future between the two. Raquel Rodriquez ran in just before the finish, and she brawled with Ripley.
There were some mixed spots, but the men mostly worked with the men and vice versa. Dragon Lee and Valkyria do stereo high spots just before the show cuts to a another split-screen break.
Valkyria is worked over by Ripley, building to a hot tag. Valkyria and Ripey do a cool spot with an ugly landing, where Valkyria counters a suplex and spikes Ripley with a DDT. Valkyria then drops Ripley with a kick. Tags are made. Dragon Lee runs wild on Mysterio. Double stomp by Lee for a near fall.
Lee counters a 619, and Lee delivers a Liger bomb. Ripley jumps in to break up a pinning attempt by Lee. Moments later, Valkyria is caught on a dive, and Ripley slings Valkyria into the barricade.
Suddenly, Raquel Rodriguez runs down to ringside to attack Ripley. Rodriquez and Ripley brawl their way backstage. Mysterio is distracted, and he falls prey to a tilt-a-whirl DDT from Dragon Lee. Mysterio is then covered for a three count.
In an interview with McKenzie Mitchell, NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton announces the number one contender’s fatal four-way that was evident by the angle from earlier tonight. That fatal four-way takes place next Tuesday.
Thea Hail is upset about her lose from last week. She is confronted by Jacy Jayne, who gives her some unsolicited advice.
Von Wagner (with Mr. Stone) vs. Baron Corbin ends before it begins
Corbin jumps Wagner before the bell, and they fight around ringside. They never got into the ring to officially start the match. The ring steps and the announce desk are used as props.
Corbin goes to attack Stone, but Wagner makes a save. Wagner teases putting Corbin through the desk. Wagner is stopped in his tracks when Bron Breakker runs in to spear Wagner. Breakker lets our a primal yell as he stands over a fallen Wagner. The match is ruled a no-context, or something like that, as the show simply cuts away.
Joe Gacy and The Dyad cut a promo on the Creeds, and Dyad accepts the challenge for the cage match next Tuesday.
NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes defeated Wes Lee to retain his title
Hayes pinned Lee in an exciting match, although the bout seemed rushed for time. While the action was great, it never captured the feel of a main event title match. Given more time, it likely could been much better. It was still really good for what it was, and Hayes looked strong in winning.
They started off at a rapid pace. Could have possibly been short on time, given how fast they were going. The match goes through a commercial break. There are lots of cool high spots throughout.
Lee is being worked over when he starts a comeback. Lee with a package Michinoku Driver for a two count. Another near fall when Lee does a twisting corkscrew senton off the top rope. Hayes kicks out at two and half.
First 48 (codebreaker) by Hayes for a near fall. The fighting spill outside for a wild high spot. Hayes springboards off the middle rope and jumps backwards into a DDT that smashes the announce desk in a wild spot. Hayes rolls Lee back into the ring, and Hayes climbs the turnbuckles.
Hayes goes for his guillotine legdrop finisher, but Lee moves out of the way. Lee connects with a Cardiac Kick, but Hayes rolls out of the ring before Lee can capitalize. Lee then goes for a tope, but he crashes and burns. Lee smacks the barricade hard, and the barricade even comes apart upon impact. They tease a countout, but Lee is able to break the count. As he gets back into the ring, Hayes is perched on the turnbuckles. Nothing But Net by Hayes, and Hayes covers Lee for a pinfall.
The show goes off the air soon as the bout is over.