NXT No Mercy 2025

'No Mercy' as a premium live event has been around since the noughties, but it was only in the last few years that the name was given to NXT, where the WWE's third brand has created their own solid wrestling legacy with it. This year's event had a really solid build, as well as some exciting looking matches on the card. This year has been one of NXT's best in a long time, and I was hoping that this would be another hit for the developmental brand.

The show started off hot with the popular Je'Von Evans taking on Josh Briggs, as part of their recent, physical, rivalry. This was a classic David versus Goliath match, but with a personal twist. Both men have really broken out of the NXT mid card this year, and it's been great to see. I really enjoyed this back-and-forth match, which saw Briggs hit some mean-looking power moves, while Evans sprang all over the place with such ease. The final few minutes were particularly strong, as both men looked to deal the killer blow, and when that blow came, it was very cool to see. Both men deserve praise for their performance in this one, and I foresee its only a matter of time before one or both win singles gold in NXT.

Next up was supposed to be Sol Ruca's defence of the Women's Speed championship against Lainey Reid, but after the challenger wasn't medically cleared to compete, the opportunity fell the way of Jaida Parker instead. Speed title matches are capped at just five minutes, so this was sure to be wrestled at a frenetic pace. Sol Ruca has developed so much, not only as a wrestler, but as a persona, and this match was a great example of just that. The match was, inevitably, a little rushed, and the outside interference definitely didn't help, but I still had fun with it, and the right woman won.

Following this up was the 'weaponised steel cage' match between Jordynne Grace and Blake Monroe. This was one of the matches I had been looking forward to the most coming into the event, with both women seemingly ready and willing to do anything to entertain the audience and to inflict violence upon their opponent. I have to commend these women for their creativity in the match, not only for what they did wrestling-wise, but with the weapons and props they used as well. I really enjoyed how Monroe in particular worked her persona into the match, she has been a great addition to NXT. The finish was a little predictable, but still very effective. This was a great match, that really solidified the position of both women in the company.

Tavion Heights challenged Ethan Page for the NXT North American Championship as the show rolled past its halfway point, in the match that I was personally least excited for. Ethan Page has established an excellent and devious heel persona for himself, not just in NXT, but before that too, whereas Heights is right at the beginning of his journey as a singles wrestler. As such, Tavion didn't have a whole lot of character work, with his only real personality trait being that he was an American patriot - he really needs more than that. The actual wrestling the two men displayed was fine, but it never felt like the result was going any other way than it ended up doing. Hopefully, this will spark something new in Tavion's character, because he definitely needs it.

In the fifth match of the evening, Jacey Jayne defended her NXT Women's Championship against Lola Vice - another match I had been looking forward to quite a bit. The in-ring action wasn't quite as compelling as I had hoped - it wasn't bad or anything, but I was hoping for it to be fought at a higher pace. However, the drama was absolutely what I wanted to see. The crowd were firmly behind the challenger, and that definitely elevated the emotions of the match, but the two women in the ring more than played their part. The ending was intriguing as much as it was surprising, and created a tantalising sense of mystery for next week's NXT.

It was now time for the main event match, which saw the dominant Oba Femi defend his NXT Championship against Ricky Saints in undoubtedly one of the bigger title matches for the brand this year. This was a clash of two of NXT's most popular and talented stars - the immense physique and dominance of 'The Ruler' and the charisma and athleticism of 'Absolute' Ricky Saints. The match was all about the power of Femi playing against the quickness of Saints, and it worked really well in creating a foundation for the action and storytelling to build on. This was a really solid title match, and one that I was able to invest in very easily. There were a few really good false finishes towards the end, capped off by a great, relatively unexpected, ending. I really enjoyed it, in the end, and believe the future looks very bright for both men.

Overall, I thought this was a very decent NXT premium live event, which delivered a number of very good matches, with my personal favourite being, perhaps surprisingly, the opener between Evans and Briggs. Only one match underdelivered, which still left five very enjoyable matches on a night that continued NXT's trend of good shows in 2025. I for one can't wait to see what the third brand does to end the year, particularly with how the evening's events ended up going.