NXT Stand and Deliver 2025 Review


NXT North American Championship - Ricky Saints vs Ethan Page

Somehow Ethan Page had better chemistry with Ricky Saints (Starks) than he ever did with Trick Williams. This match was surprisingly good, with excellent back and forth action. Ricky Saints was definitely the right choice to go over here, given Ethan Page is getting a shot at the TNA World Championship next week at TNA Rebellion. This was just an excellent way to open the show, as it woke the crowd up with exciting action. Excellent start to Ricky's first title reign in WWE, too!

★★★★

NXT Tag Team Championships - Fraxiom vs Hank and Tank

Expected outcome due to the story they were trying to tell, but still a great matchup between these two teams, which is now to be expected when it comes to Fraxiom. I'm not the biggest fan of Hank and Tank, but I've got to admit, them winning the titles was a good moment. You'd get everything you'd expect from a Fraxiom title defense, with heated back-and forth action and high flying action. I'm honestly surprised that Hank and Tank were able to keep up.

★★★★½

Ladder Match for the NXT Women's North American Championship - Kelani Jordan vs Lola Vice vs Thea Hail vs Zaria vs Izzy Dame vs Sol Ruca

Such a fun ladder match, which seems to be a yearly tradition for this show. Everyone got time to shine here. One storyline that stood out the most was between Zaria and Sol Ruca, as they tried to keep their friendship throughout this match. But eventually they had to come to blows, which led to an incredible Sol Snatcher off of the ladder. I knew this match was going to lead to a spot like that, and it sure didn't disappoint. 

★★★★

The D'Angelo Family vs Darkstate

The worst match of the night. Darkstate is just not working for me. They're supposed to be this big threat, running roughshod over NXT, but they're willing to play by the rules in regular matchups? I'm sorry, but that kind of ruins their image to me. At least have a stipulation or something. Stack's betrayal of D'Angelo is why I gave this an extra half star, as it was probably the only interesting thing in the match. I wonder how this'll play out on NXT TV.

★★★

NXT Women's Championship - Stephanie Vaquer vs Giulia vs Jaida Parker vs Jordynne Grace 

Not as good as I was expecting from these for, but this match was fun enough. Everyone got time to shine here, especially Vaquer and Giulia who had a good focus. Jordynne Grace especially got a good showing, her chemistry with Vaquer especially was really good. The one spot with Jordynne and Jaida hitting a double doomsday device on Vaquer and Giulia was incredible. I'm honestly surprised that Vaquer retain with how chaotic it got at the end.

★★★★

NXT Championship - Oba Femi vs Trick Williams vs Je'von Evans 

I was not expecting this, but this was definitely match of the night. The action in this match was just insane, and the story told throughout it was just incredible. And to think, two of these guys are just relative new comers. That's just insane. I'm just impressed with Oba every time he defends his title. You expect his matches to be normal hoss affairs, but they always take it to the next level. Je'von especially made a star making performance tonight. Everyone here walked away looking better.

★★★★★

PPV Grade:

Match Quality: 81/100
Show Structure: 80/100
Atmosphere: 78/100
Story: 95/100
Production: 80/100

Overall: B- (82/100)

Despite one hiccup, this was such a fun night, and an excellent way to start off WrestleMania weekend. Oba Femi, as usual, stole the show, and is on route to be one of the greatest NXT champions of modern memory. Stephanie Vaquer continues an impressive title run, and Sol Ruca has a promising start as the new Women's North American champion. Just like WrestleMania season to be the end of big fueds, but the beginning of others.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WWE Royal Rumble 38 Review

Image
30-Women Royal Rumble Match A genuinely good Rumble for a majority of the runtime, with plenty of stories weaved throughout that can play out on not only Raw and SmackDown, but NXT as well, that is until we got into the last 5 entrants. The final 4 was absolutely terrible. Charlotte Flair not only returning, but winning was just bad. It felt like booking that would've happened in a Vince McMahon era show. The Royal Rumble should be an opportunity for new stars to shine, not for old ones to hog the spotlight. This took the winds out of the sails for a highly anticipated show. Luckily the show recovered from this low. ★★★½ 2 out of 3 Falls Match for the WWE Tag Team Championships -#DIY vs Motor City Machine Guns A really entertaining match between these two, with both teams getting to showcase why they are so special in the ring. The interference laden finish in a Big 4 PPV match was kind of ridiculous, but it made sense in the context of the story...
Read more

Previously In the DCU

Image
  An Estimated Timeline of the DCU By John Williams Given that I've been hearing a lot of confusion over the timeline specifics with James Gunn's new DCU, I thought it would be fun to put together a quick guide as to what's canon and what's not. Based on interviews and on-screen evidence, let's take a journey through this new expansive DC Universe. Do you wanna taste it? Source: The Suicide Squad (2021)/Warner Brothers Pictures 1. The Suicide Squad (2021) While not 100% canon, since according to Superman (2025), that movie was the first time Superman lost. So it's impossible for Bloodsport to be in prison because he shot Superman with a kryptonite bullet. But, other projects frequently reference this movie, like Creature Commandos name dropping "Project Starfish" and Peacemaker constantly referencing Rick Flag's death. I think its safe to say that a version of the events of this movie took place in this new DCU. Source: Peacemaker (2022)/Warner Bro...
Read more

WWE Elimination Chamber Toronto 2025 Review

Image
Women's Elimination Chamber - Liv Morgan vs Alexa Bliss vs Roxanne Perez vs Bayley vs Naomi vs Bianca Belair I guess we know why Jade Cargill didn't return at the Rumble now, her taking out Naomi and trash talking Bianca. That insanity aside, this match was an okay chamber. Good action from everyone, but nothing too mind-blowing, which is kind of a shame. Wish anyone other than Bianca won (because she always wins), but her versus Rhea or Iyo at WrestleMania is bound to be a great match. ★★★½ Tiffany Straton and Trish Stratus vs Nia Jax and Candice LaRae A fine match, but one that felt like it was going on for way too long, with a lot of meandering. The women really got the short end of the stick for this PPV. I did like that Tiffany got the pin on Nia to close the book on them before her WrestleMania match with Charlotte, but this match was just OK. ★★★ Unsanctioned Match - Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens  Match of the night, in my opini...
Read more