Continuing a big week for the company, WWE NXT is in Los Angeles tonight for its first episode of 2025.
NXT New Year’s Evil takes place from Shrine Expo Hall and will feature three championship matches. Iron Survivor Challenge winners Giulia and Oba Femi are both getting their title shots. Giulia is challenging Roxanne Perez for the NXT Women’s Championship, while the NXT Championship will be up for grabs in a triple threat between Trick Williams, Femi, and Eddy Thorpe.
The Heritage Cup Championship will also be contested in a rematch between Lexis King and Charlie Dempsey. It will be a sudden death round instead of the traditional multi-round format.
Fatal Influence (Fallon Henley, Jacy Jayne & Jazmyn Nyx) are set to compete in a six-woman tag team match as they take on Gigi Dolin, Tatum Paxley & Shotzi. And there will be a four-way bout between Stephanie Vaquer, Kelani Jordan, Cora Jade, and Lola Vice.
Plus, following his appearance on Raw’s Netflix premiere, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will be in the building for NXT tonight.
Join us for live coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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New Year’s Evil from inside the Shrine Auditorium in LA on the air, and various wrestlers are seen arriving to the building. That includes The Rock arriving in a pickup truck, and he gets out popping the top on a beverage just before putting his custom title belt over his shoulder.
Corey Graves is back on commentary in NXT for tonight, as he joins Vic Joseph and Booker T at the announce booth.
Opening the show is a women’s title match.
Giulia defeated NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez to win the title
Giulia pinned Perez clean to win the title, in what was a helluava match. Superb. Great opener.
Great wrestling from the start with counters and reversals. The mood shifts when Perez slaps Giulia across the face. Giulia fires up and answers back with a headbutt. The intensity picks up from there. Just before the show cuts to its first commercial break, Perez stomps on Giulia’s arm with Giulia draped on the bottom turnbuckle.
The show returns from the break with Perez executing a Frankensteiner off the ropes, and she gets a near falls on Giulia. They trade strikes, until Perez goes back to targeting the arm. Perez with a tope suicida. Moments later, Giulia has turned the tide. Giulia with a super butterfly suplex off the top rope. Great action here, and Giulia strikes with a sit-out tombstone piledriver.
Perez counters Giulia, and Perez locks in a crossface. Perez breaks the hold and goes for Pop Rocks, but Giulia escapes, only to eat a dropkick as the action spills outside. At ringside, Giulia drops Perez with a Northern Lights Bomb on the floor. They tease a double count-out. Cora Jade runs down to ringside, and she rolls Perez into the ring. Somehow this is not a DQ, and referee keeps counting on Giulia, who barely breaks the count.
As they go home, Perez applies a Fujiwara armbar. Giulia escapes the hold, and she hits Perez with a knee strike. Giulia follows up with a Northern Lights Bomb, and Giulia hooks a leg for a three count. And new…
Eddy Thorpe was supposedly injured as the victim of another sneak attack, but this is like the boy that cried wolf. NXT GM Ava does not believe him this time, and she leaves his laying there selling for the trainers.
A video package has Je’Von Evans speaking through clinched teeth, as he vows revenge on Ethan Page. Evans jaw is wired shut after he head was Pillmanized by Page in an angle from late-December.
Stephanie Vaquer defeated Kelani Jordan, Cora Jade and Lola Vice in a fatal four-way match to become the number one contender for the NXT Women’s North American Championship
Vaquer pinned Jordan to win the match. Plethora of high spots and fast-paced sequences throughout the match, but especially in the closing moments. Vaquer does a dive to the floor, followed by Jordan doing a moonsault off the top turnbuckle to the floor.
Just before the finish, Vice takes a knee from Jade. Vice falls outside. Jade takes an Olympic slam from Jordan, and Jordan climbs to the top rope. 450 splash, but no water in the pool. Vaquer follows up, and she executes her finisher on Jordan. Vaguer then scores a pinfall.
In a backstage skit, Oba Femi admits to Ava that he did in fact attack Thorpe. Ava still seems indifferent.
Triple H and Nick Khan are seen on camera in the front row.
A video package sponsored by an insurance company features OTM cutting a promo on NXT Tag Team Champions Nathan Frazier & Axiom. The two teams meet next Tuesday in a tag title match.
Gigi Dolin, Tatum Paxley & Shotzi defeated Fatal Influence (NXT Women’s North American Champion Fallon Henley, Jacy Jayne & Jaxmyn Nyx) in a six-women tag team match
Shotzi pinned Henley to win the match, which may set up Shotzi as a potential challenger.
The match goes through a commercial break. Breakneck pace just before cutting to commercials, and everybody is down selling when the show cuts away. Back from the break, and they are working over Paxley. Hot tag to Dolan.
For the finish, Shotzi tags in for some tandem moves. Paxley also helps with double-team moves. Her and Dolan jump off the apron with stereo quebradas. Meanwhile, Shotzi with a senton bomb on Henley. Shotzi goes on to cover the North American Champion for a pinfall.
Ethan Page is arguing with Ava in a backstage skit, as Page is upset like Dennis Stamp. He is not booked. In walks The Rock, and he interrupts Page. Rock and Page meet and shake hands. Rock has heard some things about Page, and it was not all good.
Rock brings up Page breaking someone’s jaw, and Rock tells Page that payback willl be a bitch. Nonetheless, Rock tells Page to that he can come to him if needs anything. Rock goes to give Page a warning about Rock’s daughter Ava, although she is never referred to as his daughter on television. Rock tells Page he will see him on the main roster, and Rock slaps Page on the buttocks like an old school football coach.
Rock then asks Ava for advice with the crowd. Sure, like he needs it. Ava tells him the NXT crowds are different. Rock says he will speak from the heart.
Lexis King defeated Heritage Cup Champion Charlie Dempsey (with No Quarter Catch Crew) to win the trophy
King pinned Dempsey in what was a good match. This show has yet to have a bad match. Really good so far.
The match goes through a commercial break. They traded submission holds at times. They also traded stiff strikes. They collides together a few times. The second time, Dempsey went for a leap frog. King inadvertently headbutts Dempsey in the groin. Dempsey sells big. King then delivers The Coronation, and King covers Dempsey for a three count.
A backstage skit sets up a number one contender match between Shotzi and Stephanie Vaquer. That is set for next week.
Oba Femi defeated NXT Champion Trick Williams and Eddy Thorpe in a triple threat match to win the title
Femi pinned Williams, thanks to some unintentional help from Thorpe. Good match, but the subplot with Thorpe detracted from the fight between Femi and Williams. However, Thorpe’s involvement allows Trick to save face despite the finish.
No Eddy Thorpe to start the match, and it begins as a singles match with Trick squaring off with Oba. Thorpe would run in later to join the match. Not long after the start of the match, the show cuts to a commercial break.
When the show returns from the break, Thorpe is making his way through the backstage area, and Thorpe is wielding a metal folding chair. Meanwhile, Femi and Williams are having a slugfest in the ring.
Trick gives Femi a Rock Bottom off the middle rope for a near fall. They continue to trade strikes. Trick fires up and is on a roll, until Femi blocks Trick’s knee strike finisher. They go on to trade near falls. Trick counters Femi’s finisher, and Trick lands a big boot for yet another near fall.
Sit-out powerbomb by Femi on Trick, followed by a cover. Thorpe suddenly appears a ringside, where Thorpe pulls the referee out of the ring to break up a pin. Thorpe still has the chair. Femi with biel throw, brings Thorpe into the ring. Femi then mauls Thorpe, beating him from pillar to post. Thorpe got nothing.
Great false finish as Trick lands his jumping knee strike out of nowhere, but Femi kicks out. Trick measures for another kick, but Femi dodges and Trick is hit by Thorpe with a chair. Pop-up powerbomb by Femi, and he covers Williams for a pinfall. And new…
Rock closes the show
Closing the show is an appearance by The Rock. Huge pop of course. Rock shake hands and interacts with the fans in attendance on his way to the ring. His entrance took forever, and the crowd chanted his name once the music finally stopped blaring over the house speakers.
Rock has goosebumps and he shows them off as he paces around the ring. Rock even talks about having chills as he begins his promo. He pauses so the crowd can chant his name again. Rock looks towards the timekeeper, and says we have six minutes left. He has hardly begun to speak yet.
Rock says he has a lot of nicknames, and he talks about a few. He also does some catchphrases. Rock says the crowd is feeling it, and they need to help The Rock out. Rock addresses the hug with Cody Rhodes the night before on Raw. Rock mocks the fans for having a problem with it. Rock says to shut your mouth and enjoy the ride he is taking them on.
Rock keeps cursing and keeps getting bleeped out. He does apologize for the language after saying they have a few minutes left. Rock says he wanted to go see NXT, but Rock did not know what to say.
Rock wants to tell the fans something important, which wants to thank them. He puts over the fans for coming to NXT, and the crowd chants “N-X-T.” Rock tells the fans they are important to the show. Rock talks about depending on the crowd. Rock says he loves NXT and does his “can you smell” catchphrase as the show goes off the air. What a haphazard promo that went nowhere.
