‘WWE NXT’ Review (Dec 16th 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: NXT Women’s North American Championship – Thea Hail def. Blake Monroe
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Thea Hail shocked the NXT Universe by winning the NXT Women’s North American Championship from Blake Monroe. The challenger immediately went for her signature Kimura Lock, but The Glamour withstood the early storm and planted her with an innovative spinning sidewalk slam. Hail hyped herself up and hit her signature backwards drop from the second rope and locked Monroe’s legs up long enough to score the win.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: Hank & Tank def. OTM
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Former NXT Tag Team Champions Hank Walker and Tank Ledger returned to NXT with a bang as they took down Bronco Nima and Lucien Price. OTM looked dominant early on, crushing The Big Belly Boys after the duo hyped up the NXT Universe. Price and Nima rallied and derailed an attempt at the Honk Honk, but a heads up move from Ledger allowed Walker to roll up Nima to score the win.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #3: Kendal Grey & Wren Sinclair def. Fatal Influence
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Evolve Women’s Champion Kendal Grey made a statement by leading herself and Wren Sinclair to a win over Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid. NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne sat in on commentary and watched her opponent at New Year’s Evil go to work against the rest of Fatal Influence. Sinclair took out Lainey Reid and Jayne with a massive crossbody splash to the outside, allowing Grey to submit Henley with an incredible flying armbar.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #4: Leon Slater def. Myles Borne, Dion Lennox and Joe Hendry
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater punched his ticket to NXT New Year’s Evil as he won the NXT Championship No. 1 Contender Fatal 4-Way Match. All four Superstars looked for their opening, but no one could buy enough time to earn the winning fall. After an incredible amount of action, Hendry hit a Standing Ovation on Borne and tossed Slater out of the ring, but Lennox pulled him out of the cover. The two battled up the ramp, allowing Slater to hit a Swanton 450 to win the match.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3/5
Last night’s NXT was an episode defined more by what it set up than how consistently it delivered. There were meaningful developments throughout the card, but the execution often felt uneven, leaving the show hovering between noteworthy and merely serviceable. The biggest headline was a title change, with Thea Hail defeating Blake Monroe to become the new NXT Women’s North American Champion. While the switch itself added intrigue to the division, the finish felt messy and distracted from what should have been a breakout moment. Elsewhere, Hank Walker and Tank Ledger picked up a straightforward win over Bronco Nima and Lucien Price, while Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair overcame Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid, both matches doing their job without pushing beyond expectations. The main focus came with the Fatal Four-Way to determine the number one contender to the NXT Championship, where Leon Slater outlasted Joe Hendry, Myles Borne, and Dion Lennox to earn a future shot at Oba Femi. It was a strong closing statement that at least gave the episode a sense of direction. Overall, this week’s show advanced key stories and crowned new challengers, but inconsistent finishes and a lack of standout moments kept it from feeling essential viewing.
