NXT Kicks off 2025 with New Year’s Evil
On January 7th, the superstars of the silver and black brand will once again showcase why they are the future of the WWE. New Year’s Evil is the first of several live television specials that NXT presents yearly. Many superstars will look to make an impact immediately, and others will look to continue the dominance they showcased in the past year. Trick Williams will defend the NXT Championship in a Triple Threat match against Oba Femi and Eddy Thorpe. Roxanne Perez puts her title on the line against Giulia in what could be a barn-burner of a rematch. The landscape of NXT could change by the end of the night. The only question that remains is who will lead NXT into the new year as champions?
Trick Williams vs. Oba Femi vs. Eddy Thorpe - NXT Championship Match
After successfully defending his title against Ridge Holland at Deadline, Williams did not have to wait long for his next challenger to be determined. At Deadline, Femi made his return to NXT and won the Iron Survivor Challenge to become the number-one contender for the NXT Championship. In what could have been a one-on-one match for the championship got turned into a Triple Threat match due to the devious thinking of Thorpe. Thorpe was mysteriously attacked by someone before the Deadline event, thus making him unable to compete in the Iron Survivor Challenge, or so we thought. Thorpe convinced Williams to give him an NXT Championship match because of his “injury,” which Williams accepted. However, it was revealed that Thorpe staged the attack himself just so he could get a championship match without having to compete at Deadline. On the December 17th episode of NXT, the championship match between Williams and Thorpe ended in a double pin, resulting in Williams retaining by a draw. Due to the controversy of that match, Williams advocated for the match at New Year’s Evil to be booked as a Triple Threat match, much to the dismay of Femi. One has to wonder if Williams is using this match as an excuse to avoid a one-on-one with Femi. Nonetheless, one man will emerge as the champion and leader of NXT to kick off the new year.
Roxanne Perez vs. Giulia - NXT Women’s Championship Match
This is a rematch from NXT’s premier on the CW that was won by Perez, albeit by some underhanded tactics from Cora Jade. Perez is the WWE’s longest reigning champion, as she has held the title since last April. Giulia won the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge to earn this opportunity. For the past several weeks, both women have not interacted with each other because they simply do not need to. Fans know what type of match these two are going to put on on the first Tuesday in January, and maybe they might exceed expectations from their first encounter. Will Perez retain her championship and continue to claim that she is the greatest NXT Women’s Champion of all time, or will Giulia put an end to one of the longest reigns in NXT history?
Lexis King vs. Charlie Dempsey - Sudden Death Rules for the NXT Heritage Cup
Lexis King has been on a mission of trying to win gold in NXT to establish himself as a superstar on the brand. He finally claimed gold by beating Charlie Dempsey for the Heritage Cup on the December 24th episode of NXT. King won the match by disqualification after his mentor, William Regal, slid some brass knuckles into King’s hand. King claimed he wanted to win the match fair and square but was knocked out by Dempsey, who picked up the brass knuckles as the referee turned his head. Believing that Dempsey had used them, the referee disqualified him and awarded him the cup. On December 31st, NXT General Manager Ava deemed that King and Dempsey would face off at New Year’s Evil in sudden death, one fall-to-a-finish match to determine who is the Heritage Cup Champion.
Stephanie Vaquer vs. Lola Vice vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Cora Jade - Fatal Four-Way Number One Contenders Match
Fallon Henley needs a new challenger for her NXT Women’s North American Championship, and these four women will be duking it out for a shot at championship gold. Ever since Jade returned to NXT, she has been making enemies, and she will have to contend with three of them in this match. An interesting aspect of this match is the recent attitude change in Kelani Jordan. Jordan has been trying to get her revenge on Jade for some time now, resulting in her friends, Lola Vice and Stephanie Vaquer, not liking the woman she is becoming. Friends are going to have to come to blows in this match, but could Jade use her devious tactics to plant seeds of dysfunction amongst her competitors to steal an opportunity to become champion?
Tatum Paxley and Gigi Dolin and Shotzi vs. Fatal Influence - Six Women Tag Team Match
Fatal Influence are the bullies of the NXT Women’s Division, and they have set their sights on the so-called “freaks” of NXT, Tatum Paxley, Gigi Dolin, and Shotzi. Paxley is unique because she has a fascination with dolls, and Dolin and Shotzi are her friends, so they feel the need to defend and protect her. Fatal Influence will look to set the tone and remind people that they are the foundation of the NXT Women’s Division. However, a tease of separation has been presented within the ranks of Fatal Influence amongst Henley and Jacy Jayne. It will be interesting to see if they work together as a team or if something happens to further divide the cohesion in the group.
Whoever walks away with victories at New Year’s Evil will have momentum to carry with them throughout the rest of the year. The superstars of NXT pushed the envelope in 2024 and look to elevate it to a new level in 2025. So, who will lead NXT into the future? Who will set themselves up for success or hardship in the new year? All questions that will be answered at the first big event of the year that will be a stepping stone into what the silver and black brand will do next.
