Our WWE NXT Deadline results for tonight include Men’s and Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge matches featuring Je’Von Evans taking on TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater, Joe Hendry, Dion Lennox, and Myles Borne, also Sol Ruca battling Lola Vice, Kelani Jordan, Jordynne Grace, and Kendal Grey, Ricky Saints defending the NXT Championship against the former champion Oba Femi, Tatum Paxley clashing with The Culling’s Izzi Dame, and AAA’s Mr. Iguana challenging Ethan Page for the NXT North American Championship. Here’s our review and grades for tonight’s show, live from the Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas.
WWE NXT Deadline Card:
- Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge Match: Je’Von Evans vs. Leon Slater vs. Joe Hendry vs. Dion Lennox vs. Myles Borne
- Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge Match: Sol Ruca vs. Lola Vice vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Kendal Grey
- NXT Championship Match: Ricky Saints (c) vs.Oba Femi
- Tatum Paxley vs. Izzi Dame
- NXT North American Championship Match: Ethan Page (c) vs. Mr. Iguana
WWE NXT Deadline Results:
The NXT Champion Ricky Saints and the former champion Oba Femi are getting ready for their match.
NXT Championship Match: Ricky Saints (c) vs.Oba Femi
(The winner will face Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes are Saturday Night’s Main Event)
Saints manages to grab an armbar. Femi counters with a backbreaker. Femi works over Saint’s arm. Saints retreats to the corner and ends up getting run over by Femi. Snake eyes by Femi. Saints blocks a Samoan drop and lands an armDT. Saints walks the ropes and drops an ax handle. After a series of takedowns, Saints stomps Femi’s injured arm. Femi dodges a sliding knee and almost chokeslams Saints. Saints counters and catches Femi with a missile dropkick. Only a two count.
Femi press slams Saints, Ultimate Warrior-style. Femi works over Saints. Tossing suplex by Femi. Saints kicks at two. Femi continues his assault. Saints fires up and tells Femi to bring it. Saints lands a flurry of strikes. Rope walk rana by Saints. Spear by Saints! Femi kicks out! Femi tries a lariat. Saints counters with a stunner! Kick out by Femi. Guillotine by Saints. Femi managed to drop Saints on the top rope to break the hold. Saints low bridges Femi, sending him to the floor. Dive by Saints. Femi is almost counted out. Saints catches Femi with a Famouser for another nearfall. Femi fires up with a series of strikes.
The Finish
Saints counters the Big Ending with a roll up. Femi kicks out. Saints throws an enziguri. Femi ducks and deadlifts Saints into the Big Ending! Kick out by Saints! Femi charges in and eats the post. Saints tries a dive, but Femi chops Saints into oblivion. Saints trips Femi into the ring steps. Tornado DDT by Saints on the steps! Saints brings Femi back in the ring and hits another DDT! Femi kicks out! Saints sets up the Rochambeau. Femi slides out and lands the Fall from Grace! Saints kicks out! Saints and Femi charge at each other. Femi hits a pop-up, sit-out Fall from Grace for the win!
Winner and NEW NXT Champion, Oba Femi!
After the match, Saints and Femi shake hands.
Grade: B-
This one started out slow, but built to a great finish. Both men gave everything they had here tonight, but Femi was the right winner. Saints vs. Rhodes is interesting, but Femi vs. Rhodes could be star-making for Femi. This writer is going to say it right here, right now, Oba Femi needs to pin Cody Rhodes at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge Match: Sol Ruca vs. Lola Vice vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Evolve Women’s Champion Kendal Grey
Kelani Jordan and Kendal Grey start the match. Grey and Jordan trade quick pin attempts. Slingshot double stomp by Grey. Jordan kicks out. Grey kicks out of a northern lights suplex from Jordan. Grey avoids a frog splash and snaps Jordan over in a modified suplex for a quick three count. Jordan goes to the penalty box.
Ruca 0| Vice 0| Jordan 0| Grace 0| Grey 1|
Jordynne Grace is out next. Grace unloads on Grey with a flurry of offense for a series of near falls. Grey won’t stay down. Jordan is released from the box while Grace has Grey in a modified stump puller. Grey and Jordan trade rolls ups. Jordan holds Grey down for three. Grey heads to the penalty box.
Ruca 0| Vice 0| Jordan 1| Grace 0| Grey 1|
Grey hits a super German suplex off the top to Jordan. Vice tries to steal the pin. Grey breaks that up with a double stomp. Jordan tries a crossbody off the top. Grace rolls through and gets the pin. Sol Ruca is out last. Before heading to the penalty box, Jordan chop blocks Ruca’s injured knee into the ring steps. Ruca is helped to the back before she ever gets into the match.
Ruca 0| Vice 1| Jordan 1| Grace 1| Grey 2|
Ruca lands a flurry of one-legged offense. Grey gets put in a double submission by Grace and Ruca. Vice breaks it up with kicks. Grey hits Grace with Shade of Grey. Jordan breaks it up with a frog splash. Jordan pins Grace.
Ruca 2| Vice 1| Jordan 2| Grace 1| Grey 2|
The Finish
Everyone left in the ring brawls. Grace pins Jordan after a spinning powerbomb. Vice pins Grey.
Ruca 2| Vice 2| Jordan 2| Grace 2| Grey 2|
Vice works over Ruca while Jordan and Grey fight in the penalty box. Ruca hits a Sol Snatcher off the steps. Jordan gets released from the box and kicks out Ruca’s leg. Grace breaks up Jordan’s pin after a 450. Grey dives off the top and hits Shades of Grey for the deciding pinfall.
Ruca 2| Vice 2| Jordan 2| Grace 2| Grey 3|
Winner and NEW Number One Contender, Kendal Grey!
Grade: B
Fun, chaotic match. Not sure about the winner, with Grey seemingly getting more opportunities than, let’s say, the previous Evovle Women’s Champion, but I digress.
NXT North American Championship Match: Ethan Page (c) vs. Mr. Iguana
Page lands a shoulder block. Mr. Iguana does iguana things. Page lands a nasty DDT. Page gets angry and tosses Mr. Iguana’s iguana out of the ring. Mr. Iguana fires up and lands a tornado DDT. Page sets up a top rope Ego’s Edge. Mr. Iguana counters with a rana. Page rolls out. Mr. Iguana dives over the top into a rana. Diving headbutt by Mr. Iguana. Page kicks out. Mr. Iguana goes up top. Page slams Mr. Iguana off the top and hits the Twisted Grin for the win.
Winner and STILL NXT North American Champion, Ethan Page!
Grade: C+
This match was a bit too silly for this writer’s taste, but Mr. Iguana is a fun act that meshes well with Page’s gimmick of being a d*ck.
Tatum Paxley vs. Izzi Dame
Vance and Spears surround an emotional Paxley. They walk off, but Dame slides in the ring. Dame caresses Paxley’s face. Paxley starts to cry. Dame laughs. PAxley gets serious, and Dame tries to back off. Paxley lands a few strikes. Dame runs over Paxley with a clothesline. Front flip leg drop by Paxley. Dame begs off. Paxley is conflicted. Paxley and Dame hug. Dame smiles before sending Paxley into the ring steps. Dame works over Paxley. Paxely fires up and lands a slingshot German suplex. Dame kicks out of Paxley’s splash.
Paxley dives off the top into a dropkick from Dame. Dame hits her finish. Paxley kicks out. Paxley sends Dame flying to the floor with a low crossbody. Paxley beats down Dame outside the ring before clearing the commentary desk. Paxley hits her finish on the commentary desk. After Paxley sends Dame back into the ring. Spears and Vance hand Paxley two dolls. Paxley is distracted. Spears rips the head off of the doll with Black Hair. Paxley slaps Spears and rolls back into the ring. Dame lands a big boot followed by a spinebuster for the win.
Winner- Izzie Dame
Grade: B-
There was a lot going on here, but it all worked for the most part. Paxley had no chance here; if this is going to continue, Dame had to win here. Paxley will win out in the end, but this is a good start to what will be a solid series of matches.
Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge Match: Je’Von Evans vs. Leon Slater vs. Joe Hendry vs. Dion Lennox vs. Myles Borne
Je’Von Evans and Leon Slater are the first two competitors up to start the match. Evans tries the OG Cutter, Slater blocks it. Head kick by Slater. Slater goes up top. Evans rolls away to avoid whatever Slater was planning. Handspring back elbow by Slater. Evans kicks at two. Bouncy rana by Evans. Dropkick by Evans. Slater kicks out. Evans gets a pinfall after a rana. Slater heads to the penalty box. Myles Borne is out next.
Evans 1| Slater 0| Hendry 0| Lennox 0| Borne 0|
Evans and Slater suplex each other over the top and both land on their feet. Borne flattens both men with a dive. Slater and Evans both kick out of Borne’s pin attempts. Dion Lennox is out next. Lennox tosses everyone in the ring around, getting a few nearfalls. Evans and Slater stomp Lennox out in the corner. Lennox and Evans drop Slater with a Doomsday Device. Lennox hits a slam on Evans and gets a pin. Evans has to go to the box.
Evans 1| Slater 0| Hendry 0| Lennox 1| Borne 0|
Read More: WWE NXT Wins Another TNA Title At Final Resolution
Evans goes coast to coast on Hendry. Slater sends Evans out of the ring and crushes Hendry with a swanton 450 for the pin. Hendry heads to the box.
Evans 1| Slater 1| Hendry 1| Lennox 1| Borne 0|
The Finish
Borne hits Lennox with Borne Again for the pin. Lennox heads to the booth, but he stomps out Hendry just because he was in there.
Evans 1| Slater 1| Hendry 1| Lennox 1| Borne 1|
Hendry slams Lennox’ head into the box before exiting. Everyone lands a big move. Evans tries a dive, but Lennox sends Evans and the outside official into the box. Lennox locks the door. Evans climbs the box and lands a dive off the box onto Lennox. Slater dives over the top onto Evans. Everyone lands a series of big moves again. Evans rolls up Borne with 8 seconds left in the match for the pin and tie breaker.
Evans 2| Slater 1| Hendry 1| Lennox 1| Borne 1|
Winner and NEW Number One Contender, Je’Von Evans!
After the match, NXT Champion Oba Femi walks out on the stage. The lights go out, and Tony D’Angleo appears behind Evans. Evans goes to shake D’Angelo’s hand. D’Angelo drops Evans with a spinebuster.
Grade: B
Crazy match that somehow managed to be even more chaotic than the women’s match earlier in the night. Everyone had several moments to shine in this one, with Evans getting the win, which is the right call. Rumor has it that both Saints and Femi may be heading to the main roster soon. If that’s the case, Evans is the right man to take the title off of Femi, cementing Evans as the face of NXT.
WWE NXT Deadline Review:
Deadline was an overall fun show, with hard-hitting and extremely chaotic action. Oba Femi regaining the NXT Championship was the right call heading into the big champion vs. champion match at SNME against Cody Rhodes. If this is done right, Femi will instantly be a star on the main roster before even debuting officially. Kendal Grey and Je’Von Evans are the Iron Survivors, with Grey being a bit of a surprise given everyone else in that match.
If anything, having NXT Champion Jacy Jayne face a new challenger is the right call, but this writer and most others wanted to see Sol Ruca elevate to the main titles in NXT. Tons of storylines heading out of this one, with the head between Joe Hendry and Dion Lennox being the story of the Men’s Iron Survivor match, and Kelani Jordan and Jorydnne Grace being the story in the Women’s Iron Survivor match. All in all this was a solid night of action. Let us know what you thought of the show in the comments!
Rating: B-
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