WWE NXT Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights After Heatwave 2025
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE NXT on August 26.
We are fresh off the Heatwave PLE and a few things have changed in NXT since Sunday.
DarkState are the new tag team champions, Jacy Jayne is no longer the TNA Knockouts champion, and Lola Vice is the new No 1 contender to Jayne's NXT women's title.
This week's show dealt with the fallout from this past weekend while beginning the build for No Mercy on September 27.
Let's take a look at what happened on Tuesday's episode of NXT.
A New Contender
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NXT opened with a recap of Heatwave before Ricky Saints came out to kick off the show with a promo. He talked about being successful at Heatwave but was quickly interrupted by Josh Briggs, who was still bragging about beating Yoshiki Inamura.
Before things could devolve into a fight, Ava came out and announced that Briggs would face Saints later in the show for a shot at the NXT title. We also got a brief backstage segment to set up the first match between Blake Monroe and Kelani Jordan.
There wasn't much in this segment, but it was short and effective, which is definitely a good thing sometimes.
Grade: C
Notable Moments and Observations
- Briggs did a good job tuning out the crowd chants while he was talking.
- Monroe proved she is a good wrestler in AEW but she has yet to have a defining match in WWE. She needs a big victory in a great match to establish herself.
Kelani Jordan vs. Blake Monroe
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The match we saw booked between Jordan and Monroe during a segment from Heatwave got going after a commercial break.
Monroe scored the first takedown and took control. She began focusing on Jordan's left shoulder with most of her offense.
Jordynne Grace showed up and Monroe tried to leave like she did a few weeks ago, but she found the door was locked. Grace made her get back in the ring so she could finish her match.
Jordan took advantage and hit a split-legged moonsault for the pin and the win. This was a pretty short match that didn't have enough time to really get going before the finish, but Jordan getting the win was a good call. The loss won't hurt Monroe.
Result: Jordan defeated Monroe
Grade: C
Notable Moments and Observations
- Some people in the crowd were singing Monroe's song while the match was going.
- The way Monroe applies an armbar looks good visually but would be totally ineffective in a real fight. There are so many ways someone could get out of it.
Myles Borne vs. Lexis King
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The next bout was a Blindfold match between Myles Borne and Lexis King, which came about after King sprayed Borne with pepper spray during a recent backstage encounter.
Both men had trouble finding each other for the first minute, but once they made contact, they locked up and started struggling around the ring.
Borne hit a nice dropkick and King ended up sending himself out of the ring by flying through the ropes. He also injured his hand chopping the ring post when he thought it was Borne.
This was a match booked and designed purely for comedic purposes. This shouldn't have worked and in most cases, a bout like this would be the worst thing on the show. That being said, they did a great job making this entertaining.
King was especially good at the comedy spots meant to make him look foolish. King ended up cheating and removing his mask while the ref was blinded, which allowed him to hit his finisher for the win.
Result: King defeated Borne
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
- Borne's pre-match promo asking the crowd to help him was good. He got the crowd hyped.
- They could definitely see through the hoods, but that is preferrable to them actually being blinded. There is no way this would be safe otherwise.
- King being willing to look like an idiot is going to be a valuable asset for him. It's the same reason why The Miz has had such a long and fruitful career.
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Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair vs. Tatum Paxley and Izzi Dame
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Charlie Dempsey, Niko Vance and Shawn Spears were at ringside to watch the women's tag match with Wren Sinclair and Kendal Grey taking on Tatum Paxley and Izzi Dame.
Dame planted Grey in the corner right out of the gate, but Sinclair came in and helped her with a quick double-team sequence.
Both teams got in lots of offense because the pace was quick and nobody was ever in control for too long. It made the match feel competitive while still being easy to follow. Unfortunately, it felt like it ended too abruptly and too soon.
Dame hit a popup powerbomb to pin Sinclair.
Result: The Culling defeated Sinclair and Grey
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
- There was a brief backstage segment to show Charlie Dempsey telling Sinclair that Grey would be her partner.
- Dame and Paxley being in colorful gear was a nice change of pace for The Culling.
- The double-team dropkick spot from Paxley and Dame looked good.
Josh Briggs vs. Ricky Saints
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Briggs and Saints were already in the ring when we returned from a break. The match got started immediately and both men started throwing hands.
They did not take long making this a physical matchup. They eventually took the fight out of the ring where Briggs was sent into the ring post.
We returned from the break to see Briggs in the driver's seat. He took Saints down for a near-fall and started to look frustrated. Saints ducked a flying clothesline as he began his comeback.
This was a decent match between two guys who are very different in both style and presentation. Briggs is a big man who is quick on his feet, so he was able to keep up with his faster opponent most of the time.
Both men had a few close calls, but a spinning DDT from Saints put Briggs down for the three-count. We now know who Oba Femi's next challenger is for No Mercy.
Result: Saints defeated Briggs
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
- It's very rare in WWE for both men to have their entrances skipped on television.
- The spot at ringside with Briggs knocking Saints down after he was sent into the ring post was a bit strange.
- Briggs has grown so much as an in-ring performer since his days as a tag team wrestler. He is more proficient in almost every way.
Alba Fyre vs. Tyra Mae Steel
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Femi came out and had a segment with Saints in the ring. The new No. 1 contender promised to end the champ's reign of terror. DarkState showed up in the crowd and began insulting both of them. It looks like we know who Femi and Saints will face in a tag match before they fight each other next month.
Hank and Tank came out to even the odds. The segment ended with the babyfaces sending the heels packing. Next up was a singles match between Alba Fyre and Tyra Mae Steel, who was looking to avenge her loss at Heatwave.
Fyre taunted Steel a bit at first, but the gold medalist made her regret it once she started throwing her around the ring with suplexes.
Once Fyre regained control, she tried to keep Steel grounded with little success. Steel was able to pull out the victory before Chelsea Green attacked her from behind. Tavion Heights confronted her, but Ethan Page attacked him.
This was another short match, but it was good for Steel to get a win on her record after suffering a loss on Sunday.
Result: Steel defeated Fyre
Grade: C
Notable Moments and Observations
- It appears that NXT has quietly gotten rid of the NXT Heritage Cup.
- Keeping Steel and Heights together is a good move. They complement each other well.
- The gator roll is one of those moves that doesn't really do damage but can take an opponent's sense of balance away temporarily.
- Steel almost lost her footing climbing to the top rope.
Lola Vice, Zaria and Sol Ruca vs. Fatal Influence
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Sol Ruca and Fallon Henley started this six-woman tag match for their teams, and they were having a nice exchange until Henley lost her balance on the ropes.
Zaria and Jazmyn Nyx took over and the powerhouse took control for her team. She brought in Vice and slammed her on top of Nyx for a quick two-count.
Neither team seemed to have a clear advantage over the other, so they traded the upper hand many times between tags.
This was a solid match, but it might not have been the right choice to end the show. This would have done better as the opening bout to get the crowd into the show.
Everyone worked hard, but it felt like this was designed to make Vice stand out, and she definitely did. She even scored the win for her team with a spinning back fist.
Result: Vice, Ruca and Zaria defeated Fatal Influence
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
- Zaria held Nyx in the air for quite some time when she was doing the hanging sleeper in the corner.
- Booker T can be funny but sometimes his commentary is distractingly bad.
- Lainey Reid showed up to watch the match from the crowd.
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