The John Report: WWE NXT 04/15/25 Review
This week on WWE NXT featured a big 4-way between Ethan Page, Lexis King, Wes Lee & Eddy Thorpe, plus a tag team gauntlet match.
The NXT Stand & Deliver PLE is this Saturday in Las Vegas with a 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT start time. There are a lot of title matches on that show. It will be fun to watch even with an early start time.
I’ll go summary style for most of the show and play-by-play for a match or two.
They are at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando for this week’s show. Follow me on Twitter/X @johnreport and check out my NXT TV review archive. Let’s get to it.
The commentary team was Vic Joseph, Booker T & Corey Graves as usual for NXT.
The NXT North American Champion Ricky Saints walked out to ringside to watch the opening match. Saints joined commentary for the match.
Ethan Page vs. Lexis King vs. Wes Lee vs. Eddy Thorpe
It’s a #1 Contender’s Match where the winner faces Ricky Saints for the NXT North American Title at Stand & Deliver. No countouts and no disqualifications.
The three guys worked together to strike Page and they sent Page out of the ring. Thorpe hit a German Suplex along with strikes. Lee worked over Thorpe with kicks and a double foot stomp on the back. Lee hit a scissors kick on Page’s back. Page hit a running splash on Thorpe and Lee at the same time. King missed all three guys since they avoided him and King hit the ring post. Page sent Thorpe out of the ring. Page kicked Lee on the apron and Page hit a double knee attack on Lee for two. They set up on the turnbuckle leading to a Tower of Doom spot out of the corner. It was Thrope and Page suplexing King while Lee did the Powerbomb part of the move. The fans chanted “NXT” for them. Lee hit a running SSP on Page for two because Thorpe broke up the pin. Thorpe kicked Lee into the ropes. Lee kicked Thorpe toward Page, who sent Thorpe out of the ring. Lee knocked Page out of the ring. Lee hit a suicide dive onto King on the floor. Page avoided Thorpe and Page shoved Thorpe onto Saints at ringside. Saints shoved Thorpe down so the referee tossed Ricky from ringside. They went to break for some fans as the action continued. Thorpe and King chopped eachother a few times followed by King hitting Thorpe with a knee to the jaw. Thorpe hit a back body drop and Lee kicked Thorpe. Lee stomped on King against the turnbuckle. Lee worked over King with forearms to the face. The four guys all took part in a chinlock party. King did a jawbreaker, so they all took a bump.
Page hit a pump kick on King and Page gave Lee a body slam onto King. Page sent King crashing into Thorpe on the apron. Page applied a Boston Crab on King. Thorpe pulled Lee out of the ring and Thorpe gave King a Crossface submission, but Lee caught King’s arm to prevent the tap out. Thorpe kicked Lee and Page. Thorpe went up top, King went after him and hit Thorpe with a forearm. They did this creative spot where Page DDT’d Thorpe while Lee hit a cross body block on King. That led to two counts for Page and Lee. Crazy spot that was very creative. Page and Lee exchanged strikes until Lee hit a jumping kick. King shoved Lee off the top rope. King hit a Swanton Bomb off the top on Page. Thorpe jumped off the top with an elbow drop on King. Lee hit a Meteora on Thorpe. King hit the Coronation on Lee and Page hit Twisted Grin for the pinfall win after 12 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Ethan Page
Analysis: ***1/2 That was a great 4-way match with a lot of creative spots and many nearfalls throughout the match. I liked some of the combo moves they did because they were more creative than some of the ones we see on a regular basis. Page winning was the right call since he attacked Saints in the past, so that was obviously going to set up the S&D match.
Ethan Page said that makes him the number one contender. Page said that Ricky Saints didn’t want him to win tonight. Page said that he ruined Ricky’s first title win celebration. Page said he’ll ruin Ricky’s first title defense too. Ricky arrived at ringside, he went into the ring and Ricky hit Page with a Spear.
Analysis: I expect Ricky Saints to win at S&D. I feel like Ethan Page is a guy who will be on the main roster either right after WrestleMania or in May, assuming that’s when the WWE Draft is.
A video aired about Jordynne Grace talking about her career. Grace said she was trying to fit and Grace had self-awareness. They showed images of Grace going from being overweight into somebody who became very muscular. Grace said that she turned her body into an atomic bomb while talking about her training regimen. Grace spoke about how working out was a way to make her stand out. Grace talked about how she dominated in TNA and made people believe in her. Grace said now she gets to become NXT Women’s Champion and she knows what she has to do to leave Vegas with her first championship in WWE.
Analysis: Good job by Grace talking about her body transformation over the years. It’s impressive. I like Grace as a wrestler, and I think she’s a future champion in NXT for sure.
There was a commercial for WWE Evolve on Wednesdays.
(Commercial)
A commercial aired for the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony on Friday. Brutal start time for those of us in the Eastern time zone at 1 A.M., so I’m not reviewing it live.
Sol Ruca, Zaria and Kelani Jordan were backstage talking while other women were in the background. Kelani Jordan claimed she would win the NXT Women’s North American Title again. Izzi Dame walked in to say she would win the title and bring it to The Culling. After Jordan and Dame left, Ruca & Zaria said one of them would win.
NXT Women’s North American Title Qualifying Match: Lola Vice vs. Tatum Paxley (w/Gigi Dolin)
There was a double leg takedown from Vice, so Paxley ran away and Paxley hid under the ring. Paxley pulled Vice’s left shoulder into the steel bar under the ring. They went to break for some fans as the action continued. It remained an even matchup during the break. Paxley countered a Vice submission attempt with a Powerbomb.
Paxley got some momentum after an enziguri kick and a neckbreaker. Vice blocked a running attack by getting her knees up to knock Paxley down. Vice worked over Paxley with kicks followed by Vice’s running booty attack against the turnbuckle. Paxley hit a cross body block against the turnbuckle. Paxley hit a superplex off the middle turnbuckle for two. Vice blocked a move and Vice got a sleeper until Paxley rolled out of it. Vice kicked a leaping Paxley in the ribs and Vice hit a spinning back fist for the pinfall win after about 10 minutes.
Winner by submission: Lola Vice
Analysis: **3/4 It was a solid match that got plenty of time. Paxley got a lot of offense and nearly won, but I wasn’t surprised by Vice getting the victory since she’s a singles wrestler while Paxley is usually featured in a tag team with Dolin. Good finish to the match with Vice kicking Paxley in the ribs before Vice finished her off.
A video aired featured Giulia talking about her NXT Women’s Title match opportunity at Stand & Deliver. Giulia spoke in Japanese while the translations were shown on the screen. Giulia said she showed Stephanie Vaquer what Beautiful Madness was all about. Giulia also had words of warning for Jaida Parker & Jordynne Grace. Giulia said in English that losing the NXT Women’s Title made her more dangerous. Giulia said she introduced herself at Stand & Deliver last year and this year she’ll leave as the Women’s Champion again.
Analysis: I like Giulia a lot, but I don’t expect her to get the NXT Women’s Title back. It wouldn’t surprise me if Giulia is on the main roster in the next WWE Draft.
Trick Williams was shown in a sports car as he arrived at the building.
(Commercial)
There was a backstage segment where NXT GM Ava had to deal with the arguing of several women. It was Meta-Four (Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson), Fatal Influence (Fallon Henley, Jacy Jayne & Jazmyn Nyx) and Tatum Paxley & Gigi Dolin. Ava announced a triple threat tag team match at Stand & Deliver on the pre-show where the winners get a shot at the Women’s Tag Team Titles on Tuesday after S&D. Roxanne Perez walked in complaining about it. Ava said if Perez can find a tag team partner then Ava will make it a four-way match.
Analysis: It gets more people on the S&D show, which is good for the talent.
Tag Team Gauntlet Match #1: Hank Walker & Tank Ledger vs. Tyson Dupont & Tyrike Igwe (w/Wes Lee)
It was mentioned by Vic that Hank & Tank had a 7 match losing streak going into this match. Tyson and Tyreke were in control of Tank early on. After Hank tagged in, he ran over Tyriek with a shoulder tackle. Hank & Tank hit a double team splash on Tyriek followed by a Powerslam/shoulder block double team move for the win.
Tyson & Tyriek have been eliminated
Tag Team Gauntlet Match #2: Hank Walker & Tank Ledger vs. The Culling – Brooks Jensen & Niko Vance
Hank and Tank hit running corner splashes on their opponents three times in a row. Hank & Tank did a double splash on Vance and Hank sat on Jensen’s chest for a two count. The Culling boys isolated Hank Walker for several minutes. Vance & Jensen hit a double team powerslam move on Hank for a two count. Tank got the hot tag leading to a clothesline and overhead suplex. Tank went for a move off the turnbuckle, but Jensen nailed him with a spinning heel kick. Jensen went for a move off the top, but Hank turned it into a powerslam for the pinfall with Hank pinning Jensen.
The Culling – Brooks Jensen & Niko Vance have been eliminated
Tag Team Gauntlet Match #3: Hank Walker & Tank Ledger vs. No Quarter Catch Crew – Myles Borne & Tavion Heights
Heights and Borne were in control of Hank early on with Borne hitting an impressive dropkick. Hank was fired up with a bulldog on Borne. Hank ran around the ring and tackled Heights with a cross body block on the floor. Hank & Tank did their double splash on Heights on the floor. Borne hit an impressive somersault dive over the top onto Hank & Tank. The show went to a break for a few minutes as NQCC took over. After working over Hank, Tank got the tag when the show returned from a break. Tank hit a belly-to-back suplex and Heights hit one of his own. Hank was a bit slow on a pin kickout by Tank, but I think Tank got his shoulder up. Hank pulled Borne out of the ring while Tank did a ROLLUP OF DEATH~! on Heights for the pinfall win.
No Quarter Catch Crew – Myles Borne & Tavion Heights have been eliminated
Tag Team Gauntlet Match #4: Hank Walker & Tank Ledger vs. Josh Briggs & Yoshiki Inamura
This was the last match in the Gauntlet Match. Briggs hit Hank with a sidewalk slam and a splash. The NXT Tag Team Champions Nathan Frazer & Axiom were watching on a TV backstage. Briggs and Inamura hit a Chokeslam/backbreaker combo move on Hank for two because Tank made the save. Briggs hit a big boot on Tank to send him out of the ring. Hank shoved Briggs into Iwamura, Hank did an inside cradle to Briggs and Iwamura was too slow to save. It went 21 minutes.
Josh Briggs & Yoshiki Inamura have been eliminated
Winners: Hank & Tank
Analysis: *** It was solid for a Gauntlet Match with Hank & Tank finally getting a big win after losing several matches over the last few months. There was a women’s tag team gauntlet match on Smackdown last Friday where the first team in the match got the win, so we saw that again here. I predicted Hank & Tank winning since they’ve had a long storyline while others in the division didn’t have much going on. Props to Hank & Tank going over 20 minutes against four teams and putting on an entertaining match.
The win by Hank & Tank means that they will challenge Nathan Frazer & Axiom for the NXT Tag Team Titles at Stand & Deliver.
The NXT GM Ava was in the office with Mr. Stone and Stevie Turner. Ava said that she has found a final qualifying entrant for a match later and they’ll find out when the music hits.
NXT Champion Oba Femi was shown arriving in a car. Darkstate was shown walking in the background.
(Commercial)
Jaida Parker was featured in a video talking about her path to Stand & Deliver while in her hometown of Port St. Lucie. Parker said she’s the only homegrown talent in this match. Parker said she knows pressure. Parker talked about how her dad coaching her in soccer while saying she knows how vicious a women’s locker room can be. Parker said none of them want her to succeed before she does. Parker talked about how her uncle was her best friend, he supported her and when she lost him, she learned she could trust nobody. She was in tears talking about him. Parker said that life made her hard, she doesn’t need friends in the locker room, she needs the moments that make or break you. Parker said she’s going to show the world that she doesn’t pay and she’s going to leave with the NXT Women’s Title.
Analysis: I am a huge fan of Jaida Parker. She has improved so much in the last two years, and at some point, she’s going to be the NXT Women’s Champion. I don’t expect Vaquer to lose her title so soon after winning it, though.
Parking Lot Fight: The D’Angelo Family and Darkstate
There was a parking lot scene with Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo, Luca Crusifino and Adrianna Rizzo, along with some other guys in hats. Stacks said that Tony D didn’t sign off on this fight. Stacks said he didn’t need to justify his decisions. Luca said that he’s with Stacks. Rizzo went on her phone and we assume she was calling Tony D.
The Darkstate boys were in the parking lot, so they got into a fight with The D’Angelo Family. It was Dion Lennox and Saquon Shugars fighting with Stacks & Luca. Cutler James beat up some security guys. Stacks & Luca put Cutler through a table. Stacks & Luca tackled Osiris Griffin through what looked like a fake wall, but it sounded good. Lennox threw Stacks into a locker. Shugars sprayed everybody with a fire extinguisher. They left the building again, so James slammed Stacks into a garage door. Lennox and Shugars slammed Luca onto the hood of the car. Tony D’Angelo showed up with a crowbar that he used to hit James, Shugars and Lennox, so they ran away.
Tony D picked up Stacks, who mentioned the cops were coming. Tony said that he called them and they were his people. Tony yelled at Stacks for doing something that Tony didn’t sign off on. Tony said he had a plan and Stacks should have listened. Tony said he was handling business the way it was supposed to be handled. Tony said that they are going to handle Darkstate at Stand & Deliver, not in a parking lot. Tony said he knows what is best for this family. Tony told Stacks not to question him again. Stacks said he understood. Tony hugged Stacks.
Analysis: The brawl was okay. It was a bit cheesy in terms of how it was filled and some of the spots they did, but when you only have a few minutes in different locations, that’s going to happen. I mentioned in the past that I think Stacks is going to turn heel on Tony to reveal that Stacks is running Darkstate and I think that’s very likely to happen at Stand & Deliver. It’s an easy story to tell with Stacks saying he was sick of taking orders from Tony D. Anyway, a six-man tag team match as Stand & Deliver is fine with me.
(Commercial)
The NXT Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer was shown traveling back home to Chile. She was shown doing interviews, visiting family and visiting people in the city. They showed Stephanie presenting her dad with replicas of the two titles that she won. Vaquer said she promises to continue to represent Chile.
Analysis: That’s cool that Stephanie got to go home to visit family and friends as the NXT Women’s Champion. I like her a lot.
Hank & Tank were interviewed by Kelly Kincaid backstage. Hank talked about how they’ve got a lot of advice from other tag teams. Tank said they learned who they are and they learned who they are not. Tank said now they have a chance at the titles at Stand & Deliver. The NXT Tag Team Champions Axiom & Nathan Frazer walked in. Axiom congratulated them. Frazer claimed that he always believed in them and Axiom said that Frazer was rude to them in the past. Hank & Tank shook hands with Axiom while Frazer left.
Analysis: I think there might be a title change at Stand & Deliver. I’ll save my official prediction for when I do a preview.
Roxanne Perez was in the NXT GM office with Ava, Stevie Turner and Mr. Stone. Perez kept complaining and Ava wondered if Perez found a tag team partner. Cora Jade walked in wondering if Perez would say she is sorry. They cut away at that point.
Analysis: That means Jade will be Perez’s partner, which is a good call.
Karmen Petrovic entered with Ashante Thee Adonis for singles action.
(Commercial)
There was a rundown of the NXT Stand & Deliver lineup:
* NXT Championship: Oba Femi (c) vs. Trick Williams vs. Je’Von Evans
* NXT Women’s Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Giulia vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Jaida Parker
* NXT North American Championship: Ricky Saints (c) vs. Ethan Page
* NXT Tag Team Championships: Nathan Frazer & Axiom (c) vs. Hank & Tank
* Six-Man Tag Team Match: The D’Angelo Family vs. Darkstate
* Ladder Match for the vacant NXT Women’s North American Championship: Zaria vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Sol Ruca vs. Izzi Dame vs. Lola Vice vs. one more opponent
* 4-Way Tag Team Elimination Match: Meta-Four (Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson) vs. Fatal Influence (Fallon Henley & Jacy Jayne) vs. Tatum Paxley & Gigi Dolin vs. Roxanne Perez & Cora Jade
Analysis: Good lineup. I’ll have a preview up on Thursday night or maybe Friday morning.
Andre Chase was shown talking to Urijah Connors & Kale Dixon. Chase said he was just scared about ruining their lives like everybody else’s lives. Thea Hail walked in to tell Andre Chase that he should do it. Connors asked if she was back in and Hail said no, but she’ll be a proud alumnus. Hail made her entrance for her match.
Analysis: It sounds like Chase U is coming back. Welcome back to Thea Hail.
NXT Women’s North American Title Qualifying Match: Thea Hail vs. Karmen Petrovic (w/Ashantee Thee Adonis)
This is Hail’s first match since last July. Hail hit some impressive suplexes early on. Karmen came back with a kick and a neckbreaker for a two count. Hail got some offense going with a clothesline, along with a neckbreaker. After Hail hit a front slam, Hail jumped off the bottom rope with a senton splash. Hail hit a double underhook suplex and a Kimura Lock submission, so Karmen tapped out. It was under three minutes.
Winner by submission: Thea Hail
Analysis: *1/2 A dominant win to put over Hail and put her in the Women’s Ladder Match at Stand & Deliver. I am glad to see Hail back. She’s in her early 20s with a very bright future.
After the match, Thea Hail looked around at her Stand & Deliver opponents in the building, including Sol Ruca, Zaria, Izzi Dame, Kelani Jordan & Lola Vice.
Analysis: That’s a tough match to predict. I think Jordan being a two-time champion is unlikely. My lean right now is to go with Zaria or Ruca, but Hail winning would be cool too.
The main event promo segment was next.
(Commercial)
Let’s Hear from Oba Femi, Trick Williams & Je’Von Evans
Trick Williams made his entrance with the fans singing “Woop That Trick” for him while Booker did the adlibs for his entrance. Trick said that he’s been thinking a lot about who he is. Trick said that the Young OG said he was like Carmelo Hayes. Trick said that you either die the hero or live long enough to become the villain, but he is still alive. Trick told Oba he’s coming back for his title.
The NXT Champion Oba Femi made his way down to the ring. Femi said that Trick talks about how he’s the man around here. Femi said that Trick is a broken record playing the same hits over and over again, but nobody is playing along because Trick is the only one whooping that Trick. Femi said that the spotlight is moving on, so he suggests Trick does the same. Femi said when he’s done with him, he’ll be moving on. Trick said that they still chant “Whoop That Trick” around the world, so the fans chanted it. Trick said Oba is still calling himself the Ruler and said it takes more than a few Black Panther chants to be the man around here. Trick told Femi he’s going to take that title back on Saturday.
Je’Von Evans interrupted to tell Trick to shut his ass up. Evans said he was right about Trick a couple of weeks ago, while Trick is here talking about a match he deserves. Evans said they are tired of that. Evans mentioned The Ruler now. Evans said that he was groomed to be a champion since he got to NXT since he was a success. Evans talked about how he was hyped when he dropped Oba twice since he dropped the NXT Champion. Evans mentioned we’ve heard about Oba main eventing WrestleMania. Evans said he’s from the University of Alabama, so Femi said “Roll Tide” and Evans said that Femi is supposed to go to Raw, Smackdown, and be great. Evans said this kid from North Carolina wasn’t supposed to make it to WWE, but Evans did that. Evans said that Femi thinks he’s the favorite, but that’s the way Evans likes it.
Femi said that this is what The Young OG looks like at 20 years old, referring to Evans. Femi said that Evans is the future of this business, but Femi is the present. Femi said that this place revolved around him because he has this NXT Title, he’s the top dog and Evans can’t handle this because he’s a child. Trick said when they’re done giving compliments, Trick is going to get that title. Evans said that neither of them can touch him in the ring because Evans can wrestle circles around both of them.
Trick and Femi tossed Evans out of the ring. Trick and Femi exchanged punches, Evans was back in the ring and they tossed Evans out of the ring again. More punching from Trick and Femi, but this time Evans jumped off the top rope with a springboard Cutter on Femi & Trick at the same time! That was awesome.
Je’Von Evans picked up the NXT Title and held it up in the air while Femi and Trick were down on the mat. Evans stood tall with the title in the air. That was the end of the show.
Analysis: It was a cool way to end the show with The Young OG Evans standing tall with the NXT Title. We see those kinds of show endings a lot with a guy holding a title even though he didn’t officially win it. I’ll save my prediction for the preview. I am looking forward to the match, and I really like all three guys, so I expect it to be an excellent match.
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Three Stars of the Show
- Hank & Tank
- Thea Hail – Welcome back after a long break.
- Ethan Page
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The Scoreboard
This week: 7.25 out of 10
Last week: 7.25
2025 Average: 7.47
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Final Thoughts on WWE NXT
I thought it was an entertaining show in terms of building up the NXT Stand & Deliver card. If you saw this show then you know all about the six matches at S&D.
The four women in the NXT Women’s Title match were featured in video packages that told us more about them, while the six-woman ladder match was finalized. Welcome back to Thea Hail. There’s also a four-way women’s tag at S&D, so S&D has seven matches and three of them involve the women. That’s great to see.
I liked the four-way match to start this show. Ethan Page winning was the right call while the other three guys did a good job. Hank & Tank won big in a 20-minute-long Gauntlet Match that put them over in a big way. The main event promo with Femi, Trick & Evans got me more excited about their match too. I look forward to Stand & Deliver on Saturday.
The next WWE NXT PLE is Stand & Deliver on Saturday, April 19th in Las Vegas. Here’s the lineup so far:
* NXT Championship: Oba Femi (c) vs. Trick Williams vs. Je’Von Evans
* NXT Women’s Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Giulia vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Jaida Parker
* Ladder Match for the vacant NXT Women’s North American Championship: Zaria vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Sol Ruca vs. Izzi Dame vs. Lola Vice vs. Thea Hail
* NXT North American Championship: Ricky Saints (c) vs. Ethan Page
* NXT Tag Team Championships: Nathan Frazer & Axiom (c) vs. Hank & Tank
* Six-Man Tag Team Match: The D’Angelo Family vs. Darkstate
* 4-Way Tag Team Elimination Match: Meta-Four (Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson) vs. Fatal Influence (Fallon Henley & Jacy Jayne) vs. Tatum Paxley & Gigi Dolin vs. Roxanne Perez & Cora Jade – PRE-SHOW
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John Canton
Email mrjohncanton@gmail.com
Twitter/X @johnreport