News

Major Championship Changes Hands At NXT Deadline

By Faiz Ahmed • Published Dec 06, 2025 19:33 EST
NXT Deadline
NXT Deadline

The latest edition of NXT Deadline is underway, with the night beginning with a blockbuster match for the NXT Championship. It was the first time in the brand’s history that the top prize was defended in the opening match of any PLE.

NXT Champion Ricky Saints was challenged to a match for his title by former champion Oba Femi at Deadline, which Ricky accepted. The match not only decided the current champion of the brand, but also had huge repercussions for next week’s Saturday Night’s Main Event.

As announced on last night’s episode of SmackDown, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes is set to face the current NXT Champion, and the American Nightmare finally got clarity tonight on who he’ll face next Saturday.

Oba Femi crowned the new NXT Champion

Ricky Saints took the match to Oba Femi right from the very beginning, despite the obvious difference in size. Saints targeted Oba’s limbs to take control of the match and got the first pin attempt as he hit a missile dropkick for a two-count.

However, Oba Femi wasn’t on the back foot for long as his brute strength helped him turn the match around. From then on, he dominated Saints for the majority of the time, but the NXT Champion tried to come back into the match at every point possible.

He hit Oba with a Spear and a modified Stunner for a near count and almost fainted him out with a Guillotine Choke, as he looked to retain his title. He almost got a count-out win as well after hitting a suicide dive on Oba, but he managed to sneak back into the ring just before the referee counted 10.

Just when it seemed Ricky was about to seal the win with the Ro Sham Bow, Oba reversed it into a Fall From Grace which Ricky kicked out from at the last second. Ricky was about to go for another Spear on Oba, but The Ruler caught him midway through for another Fall From Grace, which sealed the win for Oba Femi.

The two wrestlers then shared a moment of respect as Ricky Saints shook hands with the new NXT Champion.

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