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WWE NXT Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights After Deadline
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE NXT on December 9.
This was the post-Deadline episode, so a lot of time was spent dealing with the fallout from Saturday's event.
Oba Femi returned with the men's NXT Championship around his waist after prevailing over Ricky Saints, but now he has to prepare to battle Cody Rhodes this weekend at Saturday Night's Main Event.
We also saw Je'Von Evans and Kendal Grey emerge as the respective winners of the men's and women's Iron Survivor matches, so they are getting ready for their title shots at New Year's Evil.
Let's take a look at everything that happened on this week's NXT.
Opening Segment
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After a quick recap of Deadline, we went live in the arena for Femi's entrance to celebrate regaining the NXT title from Saints. He gave a promo in which he promised to defeat Rhodes on Saturday before he was interrupted by Saints' music.
Saints congratulated him on his win, but he also said he isn't just going to go to the back of the line again. He demanded a rematch for the title right before Je'Von Evans came out to remind them that he won the Iron Survivor match and earned a title shot, and he didn't want to wait until January to get it.
He challenged Femi to put the title on the line tonight, but Saints said he should wait until it can be Saints vs. Evans for the title instead. Evans convinced him that it should be his turn, and Saints actually agreed with him.
Femi agreed to give him his title shot tonight to end the segment. This was a surprising way for them to go with this, especially if the title match ends up happening. All three guys did a good job, but Evans was the standout here.
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
- Femi's usual strut to the ring was almost more of a dance this week. He even had a smile on his face, which is something we don't see from him often.
- The watch Femi was wearing was pretty unique.
- Evans still needs some work on the mic, but this was a good segment for him.
Kelani Jordan vs. Jordynne Grace
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Last time in action: Kelani Jordan and Jordynne Grace both lost the Iron Survivor match (Deadline)
The first match of the night saw two women from the Iron Survivor match try to settle their differences once and for all when Jordan battled Jordynne. The fight started in the aisle before Grace could even get to the ring.
The Juggernaut overpowered Lani to take control early, but it didn't last long. Jordan kept finding ways to fight back and use her built-up aggression.
The feud between these two has been building for weeks, and they did a good job selling the personal nature of their rivalry. Jordan was especially good while embracing her heel side.
Grace avoided a shot from a steel chair and fought out of a submission as she began building momentum, but it wasn't enough. Jordan ended up scoring the win after kicking Grace through the barricade and hitting a 450 splash for the pin.
Result: Jordan defeated Grace
Grade: B-plus
Notable Moments and Observations
- Jordan hitting a dropkick to the knee and Grace doing a front flip to sell it was a cool spot, but it was the kind of thing that only happens in pro wrestling.
- It never makes sense when someone is willing to cheat right in front of the ref. It makes the wrestler look dumb.
- We are aware that the plus symbol does not always appear, so we will be typing it out when needed.
Shilok Hill vs. Lexis King
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Blake Monroe came out and said she was going to host an open challenge with Ava's blessing. Several women came out to claim the title shot, but it was Hail who got to the ring first.
She made Monroe tap to the Kimura, but there was no bell and no ref in the ring, so the match was never underway. Then the segment just ended abruptly and we went backstage for a weird interview with Shiloh Hill before he went to the ring for his debut match against Lexis King.
Hill was amped up and managed to avoid King when he tried to attack him from behind. King took control after Hill's opening salvo, but the newcomer eventually started building up a head of steam.
Hill took out his fake tooth and handed it to the ref, which must be how we know he is taking things up a notch. Hill scored the win with a pretty simple finisher. This was energetic, but that wasn't enough to make it very good.
This Hill kid has potential, but the fact that his real first and middle names are Thunder Justice makes his fake WWE name that much more disappointing.
Result: Hill defeated King
Grade: C
Notable Moments and Observations
- Thea Hail tried to give Grace a pep talk backstage.
- For those who do not watch, Hill won LFG season 2.
- Hill putting in his mouth guard and then giving the thumbs up was kind of funny.
Sol Ruca vs. Wren Sinclair
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Ethan Page came out for a promo to brag about what he has accomplished in 2025. The lights dropped out and Tony D'Angelo appeared behind him in the ring and dropped him with a spinebuster.
The next match saw Sol Ruca take on Wren Sinclair, who had Kendal Grey in her corner, but not Charlie Dempsey.
This was a face vs. face match, so everything they did was relatively clean. They still made it feel competitive even though it was pretty short. Ruca got the win with the Sol Snatcher. Zaria was shown in the crowd looking upset.
Fatal Influence came out and spoke to Sinclair and Grey after a break. Jacy Jayne put Grey over before talking some trash and bragging about being more successful.
Result: Ruca defeated Sinclair
Grade: C
Notable Moments and Observations
- Tony D looks way more intimidating with a beard.
- It's impressive how often Ruca can successfully hit her finisher because it looks like one of the harder moves to do with accuracy.
Oba Femi vs. Je'Von Evans
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This week's main event was the NXT title bout between Evans and Femi that they agreed to have during the opening segment.
This bout was supposed to take place at New Year's Evil, but Ava booked a Fatal 4-Way with the other Iron Survivor competitors to determine who will face the winner of this match at the PLE.
The Young OG surprised Femi at first, but the powerhouse was able to avoid the springboard cutter. A big running knee to the face almost took him out. Evans stayed on the champion and tried to wear him down, but one big right hand from Femi put him on the mat.
These two have always complemented each other well, and this encounter was no exception. If WWE keeps both of them around, this could be one of those feuds that defines both of their careers.
Evans came close to winning with a huge frog splash and again with a cutter, but the big man would not stay down. Saints showed up and pulled the ref from the ring when it looked like Evans was about to win. Evans took him out, but it allowed Femi to recover and build enough momentum to get the win.
This was a good main event, but the stuff with Saints was a little weird because it's not clear if this was supposed to be a full heel turn or not.
Result: Femi defeated Evans
Grade: B-plus
Notable Moments and Observations
- Ruca was shown catching up to Zaria in the parking lot. They hugged and made up. Zaria said she would be in Ruca's corner for SNME.
- A clip of Stacks winning the TNA international title was shown before this match.
- They did a great job making Evans look like he has learned from his previous fights against Femi.
The Final Word
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Tuesday's NXT did a decent job dealing with everything that happened at Deadline, but there was also a questionable decision.
Having Evans get his title shot this week instead of the upcoming PLE was a strange move, which was made even weirder by how it ended with Saints interfering.
Evans and Femi did a great job in the main event, but The Ruler retained. He will face the winner of a Fatal 4-Way, but Saints is clearly still looking for a rematch, too.
With just four weeks until New Year's Evil, it's clear WWE already has a plan in place. Hopefully, it kicks off 2026 on a high note.
Grade: B
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