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WWE NXT Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From Dec. 23
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE NXT on December 23.
This was the final episode before Christmas, so there was a festive atmosphere on this week's show.
Here's a look at what WWE advertised for this week's show:
Let's take a look at everything that happened on Tuesday's episode of NXT.
Lola Vice vs. Izzi Dame
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Last time in action: Vice lost a Fatal 4-Way (NXT Deadline), Dame defeated Tatum Paxley (NXT Deadline)
After the usual shots of Superstars arriving at the show, Vice made her way to the ring for her match against Dame. Shawn Spears was at ringside, as usual.
Dame used her height and power to take control right away, but once Vice regained her composure, she started unloading on her with strikes.
This may not have been the prettiest match, but their physicality helped make it feel more intense. Both competitors leaned into their strengths and put on a hard-fought battle.
Both women worked hard to make each other look good. Even on the moves that didn't look smooth, they added enough energy to make it look effective.
Vice grabbed Vice's foot to distract her so Dame could take control, but moments later, Paxley cut her way through the wall below the crow's nest with a chainsaw and chased Spears out of the arena.
Vice took advantage of the situation and nailed Dame with a spinning backfist to get the win. Kelani Jordan attacked Vice after her win and took her out with a series of kicks.
Result: Vice defeated Dame
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
- The PC was decorated with all kinds of Christmas decorations.
- Vice's little flurry of strikes looked good. The aggression looked real.
- The way Vice transitioned into a rear-naked choke was cool.
- Dame is great at finding her camera.
- You could tell the chain on Paxley's chainsaw wasn't moving, obviously for safety reasons.
Thea Hail Discusses Her Controversial Title Win
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Before the break, Thea Hail was shown thanking Jordynne Grace for standing up for her last week. When the show returned, the new North American champion came out to address the crowd.
This title win was never supposed to happen, but you could tell that a lot of people in the crowd were happy to see Hail finally holding a singles title.
She spoke about how she has gotten so many opportunities and it has all led to this moment. She even gave Andre Chase a little shoutout for helping her.
While her delivery was a little uneven in places, this was a solid promo from the 22-year-old rising star. Predictably, she was interrupted by Blake Monroe, who looked like she hadn't slept in a week.
The former champion cried as she said all of this was a mistake. She ended up decking Hail to kickstart a brawl. Security broke it up, but the rematch for NYE is set.
Grade: C-plus
Notable Moments and Observations
- Ethan Page was shown telling Myles Borne he needs to figure out his next move because he can't handle the pressure in NXT.
- It looked like some of the emotions on Hail's face were real.
- Monroe was pretty funny in this segment. She has turned what began as a mistake into a good character moment.
Eli Knight vs. Tavion Heights
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Last time in action: Heights lost to Josh Briggs (NXT, Dec. 2)
Eli Knight from Evolve made his NXT debut this week in a Speed tournament match against Tavion Heights.
Knight immediately hit a pair of dropkicks followed by a moonsault to take control in the first 30 seconds. Heights had a significant size advantage, so once he was back on his feet, he overpowered the young man.
Knight got in a ton of offense in a short time, but he took one risk too many and missed a moonsault. Heights dropped him with a belly-to-belly for the win.
This was short, which all Speed matches are, but the energy was high and it had some fun spots.
Result: Heights defeated Knight
Grade: C-plus
Notable Moments and Observations
- Ruca gave a backstage interview and Zaria was clearly still mad but trying to hide it.
- The moonsault Knight hit in the corner was awesome. He jumped flat from his feet and backflipped off the top turnbuckle.
Leon Slater and Oba Femi
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Oba Femi and Leon Slater are set to fight at NYE for the NXT Championship, but this week, they had a face-to-face interview.
Femi spoke about the dominant year he has had in 2025 and said he is going to continue ruling over WWE in the new year.
Slater talked about how he got into wrestling at such a young age and knowing that his match against Femi is the biggest of his life.
While both men did a decent job, this segment felt a little pointless. They didn't add anything to their feud and ended with a handshake.
Grade: C
Notable Moments and Observations
Ricky Saints Tries to Justify His Actions
5 of 9
Ricky Saints and Je'Von Evans met in the ring with Ava and a handful of security guards who were obviously never going to keep the peace.
Saints tried to justify his actions, but Evans wasn't hearing it. He called Saints jealous of his success and said he isn't as good as he thinks he is. Evans recounted some of his recent accomplishments while saying Saints is already an afterthought.
The Young OG made a lot of good points and showed good intensity in this segment. Ava booked them for a singles match for next week in the hopes of ending this once and for all.
This was short and sweet. They only needed a couple of minutes to sell this feud because they have already done a lot of the legwork. Saints seemed to taker a backseat and it allowed Evans to shine.
Grade: B
Skylar Raye and Shiloh Hill vs. Stacks and Arianna Grace
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LFG's season two winners, Skylar Raye and Shiloh Hill, took on Stacks and Ariana Grace in a mixed tag match following the confrontation they had last week.
This was billed as a gimmick match, so both teams brought out some Christmas-themed props to use during the fight.
Hill and Raye interrupted Grace and Stacks kissing under some digital mistletoe to kickstart the match.
This was designed purely for comedy and entertainment. While it was still a wrestling match and included some decent moments, it was by no means meant to be a five-star performance.
All four competitors brought enthusiasm to this bout, and the crowd seemed to have some fun with it, but it could have used a few more big spots.
Putting aside how ridiculous this was, it has to be noted that Stacks and Grace did a tremendous job playing up their comedy heel gimmicks. They were what made this funny, and they did it while making Hill and Raye look good, too.
The second half picked up quite a bit and the babyfaces ended up scoring the victory when Raye hit a frog splash on Grace for the pin.
Result: Hill and Raye defeated Grace and Stacks
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
- This would usually be the Miracle on 34th Street Fight, but WWE opted not to use that name this time for some reason.
- WWE has gone out of its way to distance Stacks from Tony D'Angelo since the latter's return. Tony D is going for a more serious gimmick while Stacks has leaned into the comedy side of his character.
- Stacks was overselling like he was Shawn Michaels facing Hulk Hogan.
- The sound of the keyboard being smacked across Stacks' back was brutal.
- Grace may have hit Hill in the head with the kendo stick without meaning to.
Andre Chase vs. Lexis King
7 of 9
Last time in action: Chase lost to Briggs (NXT, Sept. 2), King lost to Shiloh Hill (NXT, Dec. 9)
The second Speed tournament bout saw Chase take on King. Chase was sporting a protective mask and did not have his students at ringside.
Chase took control and scored a one-count within the first 30 seconds. He kept King on defense until he was drilled with a superkick.
King nailed a running knee to the back of Chase's head for a two count and escaped a submission. It came down to the last 30 seconds, but King secured the win to advance to the finals.
This was your typical Speed match. It had a couple of good moves, but every single one of these bouts is too short to be memorable. WWE needs to tinker with the gimmick if it wants to keep the titles around, because these matches are not hitting the way they should.
Result: King defeated Chase
Grade: C
Notable Moments and Observations
Chelsea Green vs. Sol Ruca
8 of 9
Last time in action: Green and Page defeated Joe Hendry and Hail (AAA, Dec. 22), Ruca defeated Bayley (SNME, Dec. 13)
This week's main event featured Ruca challenging Green for the United States Championship. Zaria, Ethan Page and Alba Fyre were all at ringside for their respective allies.
Ruca started strong and had Green struggling to mount any offense. Within the first couple of minutes, they made this the best thing we saw on the entire show.
Ruca is a star in the making, and Green is one of the most reliable performers WWE has right now. They mixed their styles to give us a fun main event that highlighted both of their strengths.
Moose showed up and attacked All Ego toward the end of the bout. Fyre helped Green take control and hit her finisher while the ref was distracted, which led to her getting the pin and retaining her title.
Zaria hit Fyre and Green with a Spear before Ruca hit them both with a Sol Snatcher to end the show in a high note.
Result: Green defeated Ruca
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
The Final Word
9 of 9Tuesday's NXT was a mostly forgettable episode with one standout match, but it did some decent work building up New Year's Evil.
If you only have time to watch one thing from the show, make it the U.S. title bout between Ruca and Green.
They ended a show filled with underwhelming matches on a high note. Ruca shined with her high-flying antics, and Green was the same brilliant heel she always is.
The Speed titles were an interesting gimmick for social media, but three-minute matches do not make for good television. Whenever WWE focused on those belts, the episodes suffer.
If you are in the mood to laugh, Hill and Raye vs. Grace and Stacks will also provide you with a little pre-holiday entertainment.
Grade: C+
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