The last WWE PLE of the year was a fun one.
NXT PLE’s don’t currently have the sizzle that old NXT TakeOver events used to have, but they regularly feature strong work because the shows are filled with talent working hard to level-up and get noticed.
That was the story of NXT Deadline. Both the men’s and women’s Iron Survivor Challenge matches were stocked with top NXT talent and both the matches were crisp efforts, with exciting moments, and booking that made sense.
Was one better than the other? Sure, but more on that later.
Here are my Brass Ring Ratings for the event and here’s how they work … I call it like I see it and grade accordingly. Period.
Ricky Saints vs. Oba Femi - NXT Championship
A fun opener. The match was built around the psychology of Saints just not being able to put Femi down even though he had chance, after chance, after chance to do so. Femi was too big of an obstacle to get around. They did a nice job working through that narrative with Saints hitting a variety of different DDT’s and not getting the win. Saints showed some fighting spirit kicking out of one power bomb by Femi. Saints couldn’t kick out of the second and Femi became the new NXT Champion. Femi vs. Cody Rhodes on Saturday Night’s Main Event is an exciting match and it’ll be interesting to see how they book it. Surprised to see Femi with the belt again. Hopefully it’s a sign that they want him really strong for the main roster and not that he’s destined for a longer stay in NXT.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO
Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge: Sol Ruca vs. Kendal Grey vs. Lola Vice vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Jordynne Grace
Wow. Just a fantastic match. Everything was crisp and the action was exciting from the moment the bell rang. What really worked was the pace at which each woman scored points. It made sense and was logical. Things didn’t just happen and it didn’t feel like falls were awarded too often or without good reason. Sol Ruca hit two incredible Sol Snatchers in the match, but the standout star was the winner. You couldn’t stop watching Kendal Grey. Everything she did was compelling and now she’s going to wrestle for the NXT Women’s Championship.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOOO 1/2
Ethan Page vs. Mr. Iguana - NXT North American Championship
Very straightforward and just not a ton of depth in this one. Page got some heat by spitting on the iguana that Mr. Iguana brought to the ring. Mr. Iguana hit some flashy moves, but was beat cleanly by Page. It was a match to get Page a win and some heat. With that goal in mind, this worked well.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO 1/2
Tatum Paxley vs. Izzi Dame
This one had an intensity to it that I didn’t expect. The early story was Paxley being unable to fight Dame because of their friendship. It was smart to not have that last long as it would have made Paxley look weak. She sold really well throughout the match and made the Dame offense look a lot better than it probably should have. Dame got the win because The Culling cheated and this feud is certainly going to continue.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO 3/4
Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge: Je’Von Evans vs. Leon Slater vs. Myles Borne vs. Joe Hendry vs. Dion Lennox
Just like the women’s match, this was absolutely action-packed. I liked the women’s match better because the psychology and layout was smoother. A lot of the match was structured around heat for Dion Lennox, but he came up a little short on delivering in that role. Lennox was fine, but didn’t have the actual presence in practice that the match needed him to have given all he was going to do. Je’Von Evans stood out. Not only is he exciting, but he’s also smarter with when he uses the exciting stuff he does. The guy is going to be a player and since he won, he’s in line to face Oba Femi for the NXT Championship. That title scene got a little more crowded with Tony D’Angelo making his return. Will his gimmick change? Let’s hope so. The mob boss thing can’t work in a credible way on the main roster.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOOO
What did you think of NXT Deadline 2025? Let us know in the comments!
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