The John Report: WWE NXT The Great American Bash 2025 Review

This is WWE NXT Great American Bash featuring title defenses from Oba Femi, Ethan Page, Sol Ruca, and a big women’s tag team match.

This show took place on Saturday, and I am writing this on Monday because it’s been a crazy weekend full of shows. If you missed any of my reviews, just visit “The John Report” section on TJRWrestling and it’s right there for you.

The version that I’m watching on Netflix in Canada says “Edited from a previous livestream” with a runtime of 1:56:54, so if you feel like I missed something then I apologize. I believe it was a 2.5 hour show, so they likely edited some stuff out. I’m reviewing what is shown. Let’s get to it.

WWE NXT The Great American Bash
From Center Stage in Atlanta, Georgia
Saturday, July 12, 2025

There was some pre-show walking shown of Oba Femi, Yoshiki Inamura with Josh Briggs at the airport, Ricky Saints, Trick Williams, Jacy Jayne with Fatal Influence, and Jordynne Grace with Blake Monroe.

A video package aired about how the first Great American Bash took place 40 years ago and it’s still going in NXT today. The video focused on the stories involving today’s NXT stars.

The commentary team was Vic Joseph, Booker T, and Corey Graves. The ring announcer was Mike Rome.

There was a ramp connecting the entrance to the ring, so no flips or dives outside of the ring on that side of the building. It’s not a huge building, but the crowd was loud early on.

Je’Von Evans vs. Jasper Troy

Evans has his ribs taped up to sell an injury. Evans hit some punches, but Troy came back with a knee to the ribs. Evans was sent to the ramp where he kicked Troy, but Troy tossed Evans on the other side of the apron. Evans went for a springboard attack, Troy caught him, Evans broke free and Evans hit a dropkick. Evans was on Troy’s back, so Troy went to the ropes and they bumped to the floor. Troy tackled Evans into the side of the ring apron. Back in the ring, Evans hit a spin kick. Troy grabbed Evans by the throat and tossed him over the top to the floor. Booker was shouting about Troy being a monster. Troy sent Evans into the barricade. Troy slammed Evans into the ring. Troy hit a running splash. Troy hit a running splash on Evans’ back. Troy sent Evans hard into the turnbuckle. Troy hit a body slam, but Evans avoided an elbow drop. Evans hit a punch to the jaw. Evans hit a superkick. Evans jumped off the ropes, but Troy caught him and Troy hit a backbreaker, followed by a toss across the ribs to continue the attack on Evans’ ribs. Troy tossed Evans across the ring again. Evans broke free and hit a kick to the face. Evans hit another kick to the face. Evans went to the ropes for a move, but Evans collapsed while selling the rib injury.

Troy went to the turnbuckle and tried a Vader Bomb, but Evans avoided it and Troy hit the mat. Evans worked over Troy with punches, along with two kicks. Troy went for a Chokeslam, Evans avoided it and Troy blocked a German Suplex attempt. Evans hit a springboard cross body block for a two count. Evans went for a springboard Cutter, Troy caught him and Evans hit a spinning kick to the head for two. Troy went for a kick, Evans avoided it and sent Troy to the floor. Evans dove over the top onto Troy on the floor. They were back in the ring with Evans hitting a German Suplex on the 300-pound Troy. Evans went up top and hit a Frog Splash for just a two count. Good nearfall. Evans jumped off the top, Troy caught him and hit a Chokeslam. Troy hit a running body attack to knock Evans down. Evans countered Troy with a sunset flip pin for the three count. Troy kicked out right after the three count. It went 13:37.

Winners by pinfall: Je’Von Evans

Analysis: ***1/4 It was a solid big man-athletic guy match with Troy using his power throughout the match, but Evans kept on coming back and found a way to win. These guys have bright futures. I thought Evans winning was the right call because I think he’s the guy that should beat Oba Femi for the NXT Title, and Evans must win a match like this to get to that level. Troy is still so early in his carer, but he’s been impressive so far. Putting Evans in the opener is a smart move because he’s so fun to watch, so he’ll set a tone for the rest of the show.

Sol Ruca was interviewed backstage by Sarah Schreiber and Zaria was there too. Sol said she is riding high after making her SmackDown debut and now she’s focused on retaining the NXT Women’s North American Title. Zaria said her best friend is a workhorse and there was a Darkstate graphic interruption. Zaria said she’ll make sure nothing goes wrong in Sol’s match. Zaria said that at Evolution, they’ll be the Women’s Tag Team Champions. Sol said that she’ll have three titles to go along with the Women’s NXT North American Title and Women’s Speed Title.

NXT Women’s North American Championship: Sol Ruca (w/Zaria) vs. Izzi Dame (w/Tatum Paxley)

Paxley smacked Zaria in the mouth, so Zaria chased after Paxley. Dame capitalized with a Sky High for a two count because Sol’s foot was on the bottom rope. Dame hit a spinning slam off the shoulders. Dame charged at Sol’s boot and Sol hit a missile dropkick. Sol hit a hurricanrana on the floor. Back in the ring, Sol hit a running knee for two. Dame caught a leaping Sol and sent her into the top rope. Dame slammed Sol into the double knees. Dame hit a knee to the ribs for two. Dame hit a backbreaker onto the knee. Dame splashed Sol against the turnbuckle. Sol got a rollup for two, and Dame was back up with a clothesline for two. Sol hit some elbows, but Dame came back with a big boot to the face. Sol hit a flying clothesline. Sol went for a knee, Dame avoided it and got a rollup. Sol hit a Backstabber with two feet to the back. Sol jumped off the turnbuckle with a moonsault that saw Sole kick Dame in the head. Rough landing for Sol too. Sol hit a springboard somersault into a clothesline on Dame for two. Dame shoved Sol off the top to block a move, and Dame hit a Codebreaker off the turnbuckle for a two count. Sol slipped jumping to the top while Dame was on the top, and Sol hit an X-Factor from the top. Dame dropkicked Sol in the back to knock Sol out of the ring.

Dame got a hold of Sol and hit a Chokeslam into the ring. Dame went for a back body drop move that she turned into a Cutter for two. Dame jumped off the top, Sol hit a superkick and Sol went up top. Dame smacked Sol in the back. Dame went for a slam off the top, but Sol backflipped onto her feet. Sol hit a Spear for two because Paxley put Dame’s left foot on the bottom rope. Zaria saw it and hit a Spear on Paxley on the floor. Dame hit a slap to the face. Sol ducked a clothesline, jumped off the ropes, and hit a Sol Snatcher for the pinfall win at 11:43.

Winner by pinfall: Sol Ruca

Analysis: ***1/4 The match was good and better than I expected. There were some spots where they seemed off a bit, but they fought through it. Both women are relatively early in their careers, so they will continue to improve as they gain more experience and learn how to work more effectively in these longer matches. Dame is improving every time I see her since she’s using a lot of power moves, and it makes sense for her to do those since she’s a taller wrestler. The Sol Snatcher by Ruca remains one of the coolest moves in all of WWE. Sol usually does the Sol Snatcher off the turnbuckle, but this time she jumped off the ropes, and it still looked great.

A video package aired about the Ethan Page-Ricky Saints match for the NXT North American Title. Page won the title from Ricky after a cheap attack with a steel chair, so Ricky was going for revenge in this match.

Falls Count Anywhere Match for the NXT North American Championship: Ethan Page vs. Ricky Saints

The Falls Count Anywhere rules mean that it can end anywhere. Anything goes in the match.

Ricky attacked Page with punches and hit a Spear before Page was ready. They left the ring where Ricky hit Page with a kendo stick. Page sent Ricky over a barricade and Page hit Ricky with a trash can. They were fighting by the fans as Ricky worked over Page repeatedly. They went out to the main concourse, where Ricky hit Page with a trash can to the back. Page picked up Ricky and ran him back-first into a pillar backstage. Page applied a Boston Crab in the concourse area. They were near the bar area where Ricky countered Page and sent Page into a pillar. They made their way over to the WWE Shop area where Ricky slammed Page through a table for a two count on the floor. Ricky sent Page into a wall. They returned to the ringside area, where Page sent Ricky into the steel steps. Page put a chair around Ricky’s neck and sent Ricky into the ring post, so Ricky was selling the throat injury that Page caused on Ricky two months ago. Page went for a chair shot on the floor, but Ricky moved and Page hit the barricade. Ricky sprayed some fire extinguisher spray into Page’s face. Ricky hit Page with the fire extinguisher to the back. Ricky threw a steel barricade onto Page’s back. Ricky hit Page in the back with a chair. Ricky stomped on Page’s face. Ricky set up the barricade against the ropes in the ring. Page rammed Ricky’s neck into the top turnbuckle. Page opened up two chairs in the ring. Page tried a slam onto the chairs, but Ricky countered with a bulldog into a chair for a two count. Ricky put two chairs back to back, but Page countered Ricky and hit a back body drop onto the edge of two chairs. Page suplexed Ricky onto the steel guard rail for just a two count. Good nearfall.

Page remained in control with a chair to Ricky’s back. They went to the top turnbuckle where Page teased a superplex onto four chairs, but Ricky blocked it and Ricky bit Page’s head. Ricky gave Page a Powerbomb onto four chairs for a two count. That’s another good nearfall. The fans got into it with a “This is awesome” chant. Page walked to the backstage area where Ricky followed him. Ricky kicked Page. Ricky hit Page with a flip flop. Page shoved Ricky into Jasper Troy in the backstage area and Troy hit a Black Hole Slam onto an equipment case. Page saw it and sent Ricky back towards the ring. Page tried a chair shot, but Ricky was ready and punched Page out of the ring and to the ramp. Ricky gave Page a back body drop on the steel ramp. Ricky hit an impressive Tornado DDT by the stage area. Page countered Ricky and hit a back body drop on the stage. Page came back with an Ego’s Edge off the stage and through four tables that were conveniently placed on the floor. Page crawled over and covered Ricky for the pinfall win while Ricky was laying on the broken tables. It went 14:46.

Winner by pinfall: Ethan Page

Analysis: **** Great match with an incredible finish that was perfectly done and it also looked painful. It was probably one of the better NXT PLE matches this year. They brought the intensity right away and had an entertaining match full of weapons. The other matches on the show were regular matches, so the stipulation allowed this match to stand out more. This match felt like a fight from the moment the match began. They did a nice job of bringing the intensity. I thought Ricky might win the title back here, but I don’t mind Page holding onto it. I’m not surprised that they spent so much time outside the ring because it allowed them to use different weapons throughout the match. Also, I think Jasper Troy attacking Ricky during the match is going to lead to a rivalry between them.

After the match, Ethan Page yelled at Ricky, saying that they are done. That’s likely the end of this rivalry.

TNA World Title Contract Signing: Trick Williams, Joe Hendry & Mike Santana

Ava, the NXT GM, was in the ring to host the TNA World Title Contract Singing for the championship match at Slammiversary on July 20th. Mike Santana was up first, followed by Joe Hendry and the TNA World Champion Trick Williams was last. The TNA President, Carlos Silva, was shown in the crowd.

Santana asked Atlanta, “What’s Good?” The fans cheered and chanted “TNA” for them. Mike said that being in the ring as the standard of TNA on a WWE PLE means something to him. Mike said that Trick takes the TNA World Title for granted. Mike said that the title means the hustle, dedication and respect. Mike told Trick he thinks that Trick has gotten soft. Mike said we’ll find out if Trick is all sizzle and no steak. Mike told Joe he respects what he’s done and how he reps the TNA brand. The fans chanted “We Believe” for Joe. Mike said at the end of the day, Joe is standing in Mike’s way, so they need to throw hands. Mike said that TNA was built on the back of some of the best pro wrestlers. Mike said at Slammiversary, he’ll bring it back to the roots. Santana signed the contract.

Joe Hendry said he respects that Mike wants to bring TNA back to its roots. Joe said he wants to go back to taking TNA to extraordinary heights. Joe said he never should have lost the title in the first place. Joe claimed that Trick would use anybody he could to do his dirty work. Joe told Trick he’ll be behind enemy lines, and he’ll face a man on a mission, and he’ll make Trick believe in Joe Hendry. The fans cheered.

The TNA Champion Trick Williams spoke up, saying he wanted them to enjoy this moment on NXT with Trick. Trick told them to put some respect on his name. Trick said he’s the one with the stroke around here because he’s got the steak and the sizzle. Trick claimed he was the man carrying two brands. Joe signed the contract at that point. Trick said that this is about getting the job done and that’s why he’s the greatest TNA Champion of all time. The fans chanted “AJ Styles” at him. Trick said he knows they are upset because Trick needed help to defend the title. Trick said he won’t need help to beat their ass. Trick said it’s Trick-NA and always will be Trick-NA. Trick signed the contract.

Trick tried to leave, but Joe grabbed Trick by the arm. Joe said that the TNA Championship is coming home to a TNA superstar. Mike said Trick talks too much. They punched Trick. Joe and Mike picked up Trick for a double team Powerbomb through the table. Joe and Mike argued while holding the TNA World Title.

Analysis: It was the typical contract signing with trash talk and a table getting broken. It was about as typical as it gets for a contract signing. I don’t think that kind of segment should be on a PLE because it’s more of a TV segment. I understand wanting to promote TNA Slammiversary and that’s fine. I just think they could have put a different match in that spot instead.

There was a plug for WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, which I reviewed here. Good show. Not great.

The Darkstate foursome went into the ring while the lights flashed in the building. They attacked Hendry and Santana. Joe was beaten down with punches. Darkstate launched Santana in the air and hit a Powerbomb on him. That was it.

Analysis: A quick attack by the Darkstate boys. I think that means they could get involved at Slammiversary, so maybe Trick will retain the title. I think Santana winning the title is the best move they can make.

Yoshiki Inamura was backstage as Josh Briggs hyped him up. Briggs told him to win by any means necessary. Yoshi said he’ll be champion, and he’ll do it with honor.

NXT Championship: Oba Femi vs. Yoshiki Inamura (w/Josh Briggs)

Femi has been champion for 186 days and is 7-0 in NXT Title matches. Femi knocked down Yoshi with a shoulder tackle. They battled over a headlock. Yoshi tackled Femi into the turnbuckle. Femi caught Yoshi and tossed him over his head across the ring. Yoshi got in a sumo stance, leading to a toss into the air. Yoshi splashed Femi and Yoshi hit a shoulder tackle. Yoshi hit an elbow drop. Femi left the ring, so Yoshi went to the apron, but Femi was ready with a hard slap to the chest. Yoshi tossed Femi off the apron to the floor, which led to Yoshi hitting a shoulder tackle that knocked Femi down on the floor. Back in the ring, Yoshi hit a spinning body slam for two. Femi caught Yoshi on his shoulder, leading to a slam like a Big Ending that Big E used to do. Femi stepped on Yoshi’s chest while they were by the ropes. Femi suplexed Yoshi across the top rope for a two count. Femi hit a gutbuster for two. Yoshi shifted his weight to counter a slam and landed on top for two. Yoshi got a crucifix pin attempt for two. Femi hit an impressive spinebuster for two. They battled over a suplex, which led to Yoshi connecting on a suplex. Yoshi hit sumo-style palm strikes to the chest and some chops to the chest. Yoshi hit a rolling elbow to knock Femi down.

Yoshi hit a German Suplex on Femi for a two count. Yoshi went up top, tried a splash, but Femi avoided it and Femi hit an uppercut that hit Yoshi and the referee. Briggs grabbed the NXT Title and hit Femi with it. Yoshi didn’t see it, but it was clear that Briggs did it on purpose. Yoshi wondered what Briggs was doing and Briggs shouted that Yoshi can win. Yoshi ran the ropes, leading to a shoulder tackle. Yoshi went up top, shook the ropes and hit a Yoshiki Splash for a cover, but the referee was down, so there was no count. Briggs had a chain that he wanted Yoshi to use, but Yoshi didn’t want to use it. The referee crawled back in the ring as Femi hit a Chokeslam for two. The fans chanted, “This is awesome” for them. Femi and Yoshi did the “stand and throw strikes” exchange in the middle of the ring. Yoshi hit a chop to the head. Yoshi picked up Femi and hit a sitout Powerbomb for a two count. That was close. Femi was back up, Yoshi avoided him and Femi knocked Briggs off the apron. Yoshi got a rollup for two. Yoshi bounced off the ropes, Femi caught him and hit Fall From Grace (Popup Powerbomb) for the pinfall win at 13:18.

Winner by pinfall: Oba Femi

Analysis: ***1/2 A very good match that had an obvious result with Femi keeping the NXT Title. Yoshi is a talented guy, but he only won one singles match to earn this match, so it’s not like people watching this thought he was going to win. Femi continues to impress me in every match he has. The guy has been wrestling for about three years and continues to put on these great championship matches any time he’s out there. Briggs wanted Yoshi to use weapons to win, but Yoshi didn’t want to do it that way. That makes me think that Briggs is going to turn heel on Yoshi since Yoshi wasn’t listening to Briggs. It took just one big move from Femi to get the win. I’m glad Femi’s Fall from Grace is protected and people don’t kick out of that.

A video package aired about the women’s tag team match with NXT Champion Jacy Jayne and Fallon Henley teaming up against Jordynne Grace and Blake Monroe.

Jordynne Grace & Blake Monroe vs. Fatal Influence – Jacy Jayne & Fallon Henley (w/Jazmyn Nyx)

This match took place one day before Jacy Jayne defended the NXT Women’s Title against Jordynne Grace at Evolution. I’ll get into that more later. This was Blake’s first televised match in WWE.

Grace used her power early on with strikes on Henley and a spinning slam. Jayne tagged in and got some nearfalls on Grace, who also got some nearfalls. Blake tagged in and the fans were cheering for her. Blake grabbed an armbar on Jayne, who fought out of it, and Jayne wrenched on Blake’s shoulder. Jayne did a hair pull takedown and Blake came back with a dropkick. Henley tagged in and used her legs to take down Blake, who came back with a dropkick. Grace tagged in, so Grace slammed Blake onto Henley. Blake gave Grace a monkey flip onto Henley for a two count. Blake was back in with a chop on Henley and a spinning sidewalk slam for two. Jayne distracted the referee, so Henley sent Blake into the ropes and Nyx hit a forearm on Blake that wasn’t seen by the referee. The heel side took over as Jayne and Henley isolated Blake on their side of the ring. Blake managed to break free and brought Grace into the ring. Grace hit a double overhead suplex on both of her opponents. Grace ran around the ring, so Jayne knocked her down with a boot to the head. The Fatal Influence heels took over as they isolated Grace. Jayne and Henley hit a double suplex on Grace for two. The heels worked over Grace as Jayne hit a superkick to put Grace down. Henley was back in with a running forearm on Grace for two. There were a lot of quick tags by Jayne and Henley to work over Grace in their side of the ring. Grace hit Jayne with a forearm. Grace hit a rolling senton slam on Henley.

Blake got the hot tag with forearms on both opponents. Blake hit the Slingblade neckbreaker two times in a row. Jayne hit Blake with an elbow, but Blake hit a headscissors off the ropes and Blake hit a dropkick on Jayne for two. Blake punched Jayne while on the apron and Nyx kicked Blake in the ribs while the referee was looking at Grace on the other side of the ring. Jayne hit a somersault dive onto Blake on the floor. Henley tagged in with a Blockbuster on Blake for two. Blake tripped up Henley and got a two count. Blake hit Henley with a headbutt. Grace was legal with a spinebuster and Blake hit a knee on Henley, so Grace got a two count. Henley hit Grace with a forearm while Henley was on the apron and Henley hit a Spear on Grace. The fans chanted “This is awesome” for them. Blake tagged in against Jayne, so they exchanged forearms. Jayne hit a step-up enziguri kick on Blake. Blake avoided a charging attack and hit a German Suplex. Henley distracted the referee, so Nyx shoved Blake off the top rope. The TNA World Champion, Masha Slamovich, showed up and fought with Nyx to the back. Jayne and Henley did a kick/knee combo on Blake for two because Grace tackled Henley onto the pile to cause a two count. Blake and Jayne hit clotheslines simultaneously. Blake punched Henly off the apron to the floor. Jayne hit a superkick on Blake. Jayne covered Blake, who kicked out and Grace hit a back fist on Jayne. Blake hit a double underhook DDT on Jayne for the pinfall win at 16:31.

Winners by pinfall: Jordynne Grace & Blake Monroe

Analysis: ***1/4 It was an entertaining tag team match that was done to give Blake a big win by having her pin the NXT Women’s Champion Jayne in Blake’s first televised match. Grace helped Blake win of course, but it should lead to the egotistical Blake bragging about beating the champion. Nyx got involved a few times, but she was taken out by Slamovich and when things were evened up, that’s when Blake and Jordynne capitalized to win. Jayne and Henley are talented heels who work well together. I thought it was the right call to have the babyfaces win.

After the match, Grace picked up her buddy Blake and they celebrated. Blake and Grace celebrated the win. That was the end of the show.

This event had a runtime of 1:56:54 on Netflix for me in Canada since they edited the broadcast.

At Evolution, Jayne beat Grace due to Monroe turning on Grace. It’s a heel turn by Monroe early in her NXT run, which isn’t a surprise since she’s great as a heel.

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Five Stars of the Show

1. Ethan Page
2. Oba Femi
3. Blake Monroe & Jordynne Grace
4. Ricky Saints
5. Je’Von Evans

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Final Thoughts on WWE NXT Great American Bash

I’m going with a 7.5 out of 10.

I think it was a strong show that was a bit better than I expected. The three champions retained their titles, and I expected that, so it wasn’t that newsworthy of a show. It was cool to see the women’s tag in the main event, but this felt like a show without a true main event, also. There just wasn’t that one big match that stood out.

In terms of the best match, it was definitely the Ethan Page-Ricky Saints match. They had a four-star level that felt like a fight. I like how creative it was. Big ending to the match too. Everything else was at a similar level in terms of match quality. All good matches.

NXT Great American Bash felt like a breeze at just around 2 hours for the version that I watched. I’ve written a ridiculous amount of words about wrestling in the last four days, so I didn’t mind going through this one.

Here are my NXT PLE rankings for this year:

Stand & Deliver (April 19) – 8.5 (out of 10)

Vengeance Day (February 15) – 7.75

The Great American Bash (July 12) – 7.5

Battleground (May 25) – 7.25

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Thanks for reading. My contact info is below.

John Canton

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Twitter/X @johnreport