Look, it’s the holiday season. Office parties, family get togethers, college football playoffs, and writing Santa wish lists are high on the priorities ladder. I get it.
Weekly NXT viewing may not be in the cards, especially with countless hours of wrestling programming to soak in across WWE, AEW, and elsewhere. I get that too.
Now, if there is a gap in the schedule or an evening without plans, the 2025 NXT Deadline event on Saturday December 6 will likely deliver in a way that’s worth the two and half hours of your time.
Yeah, it’s a good card. More important than that, the card features most of the right now in NXT. Nearly all of the regular NXT main players are on the show in some capacity. It’s a good card from a match perspective, but also an excellent reset for fans not on the up and up with the NXT brand.
Ricky Saints vs. Oba Femi
Saints and Oba Femi are going to open the show in an NXT Championship match. Saints shocked the world and beat Femi for the championship and now Femi is back to reclaim his crown. Pretty simple story and I’m looking for the match itself to live inside that same narrative.
With the rumors of NXT call ups happening soon, you have to assume Femi is headed to the main roster. Because of that reality he won’t be winning this match. Plus, NXT has worked hard to plant some seeds for a Saints vs. Je’Von Evans program down the road. Saints needs to keep the championship in order for that match to mean as much as possible.
Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge
The Iron Survivor Challenge concept is a fun one and the women’s match is loaded with talent that will be chomping at the bit to take advantage of the innovation available to them. Sol Ruca, Jordynne Grace, Kelani Jordan, Lola Vice, and Kendal Grey are the combatants in this and there is opportunity for madness.
Look for Ruca to do a wild spot and don’t take your eyes off Grey either. She’s picked up some momentum in recent weeks and has a fast-paced style that will play well in this Iron Survivor Challenge environment.
Jacy Jayne is the NXT Women’s Champion and the winner of the Iron Survivor Challenge will face her for the championship at New Year’s Evil. I’m reading the tea leaves on this one. Jayne is likely a main roster call up sooner than later and it was announced on Smackdown this week that Sol Ruca would challenge Bayley at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13. That’s a big push for Ruca. She’s getting the Iron Survivor win to go along with that push. Don’t be surprised if she dethrones Jayne and wins that championship either.
Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge
The Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge match is set to feature Je’Von Evans, Myles Borne Dion Lennox, Joe Hendry, and Leon Slater. A good lineup, but not as loaded with potential like the women’s match.
This will be a lower key match than it’s women’s counterpart. Evans and Slater will steal the match with tons of action and high flying, but it’s hard to see how guys like Lennox, Borne, and Hendry stand out.
Unlike the women’s match, the Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge won’t be a launching point for the winner. Ricky Saints is firmly planted at the top of the card as champion and won’t be losing that title anytime soon. So, I’m looking at Myles Borne to be the Iron Survivor this year. He’s an up and coming talent who needs some big victories. At the same time, he’s a talent that Saints can face, but beat, on a lower level NXT television special.
NXT Deadline 2025 airs live on Peacock on Saturday night. The full card and full prediction show from The Takedown on SI is below.
NXT Deadline 2025 Full Match Card
Ricky Saints vs. Oba Femi - NXT Championship
Je’Von Evans vs. Myles Borne vs. Joe Hendry vs. Leon Slater vs. Dion Lennox - Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge
Sol Ruca vs. Lola Vice vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Kendal Grey - Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge
Izzi Dame vs. Tatum Paxley
Ethan Page vs. Mr. Iguana - NXT North American Championship
NXT Deadline 2025 Preview
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