NXT Deadline 2025

Deadline is one of the most exciting NXT events every year, but it's actually one that I had never seen properly before, so it's safe to say I was intrigued by this year's edition of the event. Unfortunately, despite my excitement, I wasn't actually able to until a few days after the fact. Regardless, when I finally was able to watch it, I was still extremely hyped to see what would happen, particularly in the two 'Iron Survivor' matches.

The night kicked off in awesome fashion, with Ricky Saint's defence of the NXT Championship against the returning Oba Femi. This is a match that could headline any NXT event, so to see it kick off the show was a surprise, but an exciting one at that. The match followed a similar formula to most Femi matches initially - the classic David versus Goliath narrative - but quickly became something more even. I liked the internal conflict that Saint showed during the match - it really sold the story they were going with very well. The outcome was a little surprising in some ways, but it made a lot of sense in others - I certainly wasn't against it.

Next up was the first of the 'Iron Survivor' matches, with the women going first. As I alluded to above, this was my first time watching an 'Iron Survivor' match, so much excitement was paramount. It began with two of NXT's best young talents in Kelani Jordan and Kendall Grey, both of whom I have enjoyed a fair amount the last few months. From there, the match ramped up and up and up, as the rest of the field; Jordynne Grace, Lola Vice, and Sol Ruca, joined the match and the time whittled away. I really liked the intensity and unpredictability of the match, particularly in the final ninety seconds, which were very exciting. I loved the choice of winner too - it was unexpected, it was different, and it was deserved.

Following this was the NXT North American Championship match, which saw Ethan Page defend his gold against Mr. Iguana - the biggest hit since the acquisition of AAA. The match began with the more comedic side of the two wrestlers involved, which was pretty fun, if a little silly, but we did get some serious wresting too. This was a lot shorter than I thought it might be, but it was fun while it lasted. I didn't exactly doubt the result, but I didn't mind seeing it play out.

It was now time to see Tatum Paxley seek revenge against her former best friend Izzi Dame, in what was a highly intriguing match on paper. From a character dynamic point of view, this match gave us a lot to dig our teeth into, with the clearly intense emotional arc of Paxley in particular. I kind of knew how this one was going to go, but I still thought both Paxley and Dame gave a decent account of their abilities. The psychology of the match was its real strength, and whilst there were a couple of repetitive spots, most of it was done well.

Main eventing was the men's 'Iron Survivor' match, which, much like the women's version, was absolutely stacked with talent. Starting the match with two of the best young wrestlers on the planet right now in Leon Slater and Je'Von Evans was such a cool choice - those two are just electric, and have so much athleticism and charisma. Myles Borne has been improving month-on-month, and he once again showed progress here - he is so smooth with what he does. Deon Lennox has also been improving as of late, and some of the promos he had in the build-up to this match were very good. Joe Hendry had the whole crowd on side, and boy did he know how to use that. I really liked the way these men pieced the match together, and the drama they built in the last three minutes was great. I particularly loved the frenetic final thirty seconds, with the finishing sequence being absolutely thrilling. I was very happy with the winner, and was very hopeful for his subsequent title opportunity. The shock post-match segment was slightly random, but I quite enjoyed it either way.

Overall, I thought this was a pretty solid event, which had a really strong pair of 'Iron Survivor' matches. The rest of the matches felt a little short for my liking, but they were still enjoyable. My hope is that NXT's next premium live event; 'New Year's Evil', will be even better. 2025 has been a very respectable year for WWE's third brand, and it has been so good to see NXT rebuild itself after the dreadful 'NXT 2.0' era, which put the brand back several years. Either way, 'Deadline' was a fun show to end the year on, and set-up NXT in 2026 fairly well.