‘WWE NXT’ Review (Jul 22nd 2025)
Welcome to this week’s review of NXT, right here on Nerdly. Let’s get straight into it and see what went down on this week’s show!
Match #1: The Culling def. Hank & Tank, Sol Ruca and Zaria
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Tatum Paxley picked up a major win for The Culling as the devious group defeated NXT Tag Team Champions Hank & Tank, NXT Women’s North American Champion Sol Ruca, and Zaria in an Eight Person Tag Team Match. The action started before the bell as the two teams came to blows on the outside, setting the tone for the hard-hitting, personal affair. The action broke down in a major way as just Zaria and Paxley were left in the ring, but that’s when Shawn Spears creepily handed his teammate a doll. Just then, the lights went out and DarkState appeared but didn’t attack. When the lights came on, Zaria was unconscious as Paxley pinned her for the win.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: Jasper Troy def. Ricky Saints
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The brutish Jasper Troy beat Ricky Saints so forcefully that the match ended via countout. Troy used his incredible power to toss Saints around the ring, utilizing multiple slams and splashes to torture his opponents back and midsection.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #3: Blake Monroe def. Wren Sinclair
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
“The Glamour” Blake Monroe shined in her singles debut in NXT by defeating the very game Wren Sinclair. Sinclair gave it her all, but a Butterfly DDT from Monroe gave her the win. After the match, Jordynne Grace attempted to attack Monroe, but she too was hit with a Butterfly DDT, this time onto a steel chair.
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #4: NXT Championship – Oba Femi def. Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
The Ruler reigns supreme as Oba Femi retained the NXT Championship in epic fashion in a Triple Threat Match. Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura put their friendship aside in the match, but they struggled in doing so as they kept breaking up each other’s pinfall attempts. Inamura nearly had the match won with his signature splash, but Briggs hit a gravity-defying Moonsault to break it up, although he wasn’t able to dethrone Femi. A massive lariat from Briggs took out Inamura, but The Ruler pounced and hit a Fall From Grace to win the bout and remain NXT Champion.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3/5
This week’s episode of NXT continued a curious trend that’s becoming harder to ignore — the black-and-gold brand is starting to resemble AEW: Dark more than its own storied past. With the influx of former AEW talent, the show felt overstuffed with familiar faces from Jacksonville. While a couple matches delivered solid action, the focus on long-term NXT talent feels like is is being diluted, and the identity of the brand feels increasingly muddled. There’s still entertainment value here but I can’t help think NXT is being used as a holding pen for AEW alumni rather than a developmental platform or true third brand – which to be fair seems to be what Evolve and LFG are for these days! If WWE wants to maintain NXT’s legacy and credibility, it needs to stop feeling like a recycling center and start building stars again from the ground up.
