_0.jpg?w=1280)
WWE NXT New Year's Evil 2026 Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE NXT New Year's Evil on January 6.
The first show of 2026 had a big lineup for Tuesday night, including three title bouts and a grudge match.
Here's a look at what was advertised for New Year's Evil:
Let's take a look at everything that happened on the first episode of NXT in 2026.
Bait and Switch
1 of 7
The show opened with a special video looking back at 2025 before we went live in the arena. Vic Joseph and Booker T were in the crow's nest instead of at the commentary desk to introduce the show.
Hail began making her entrance for the women's North American title bout, but Monroe attacked her from behind. She threw Hail into the steel steps and nailed her with a steel chair.
As officials tried to separate the women, Ricky Saints' music hit and he made his way to the ring. He said it looked like that match would be put on pause, so he decided to give the crowd a gift by kicking off the show.
The crowd booed and jeered Saints as he spoke about being the biggest star in NXT. He said no matter who leaves with the NXT Championship Tuesday night, he is winning it from them.
This wasn't a bad promo, but it was incredibly generic. It was almost like you could predict exactly what he would say. Saints oozes charisma, but pre-written promos don't help that shine.
Grade: C
Notable Moments and Observations
Tatum Paxley vs. Izzi Dame
2 of 7
Last time in action: Dame lost to Lola Vice (NXT, Dec. 17), Paxley lost to Jacy Jayne (NXT, Nov. 18)
After a break, we got the grudge match between Paxley and Dame. The former Culling teammates have been waiting to get their hands on each other again since their last encounter, which Dame won at Deadline.
Dame took control early while talking lots of trash. She threw Paxley from corner to corner, but she went to the well once too often and ended up in a half crab in the corner. The crowd chanted for Paxley as she began to take over.
She began to focus on Dame's knee, but she also hit a nice rolling leg drop on the apron. Dame yanked her into the top rope to regain the upper hand as the show went to a commercial.
Neither woman is afraid to get physical, so this match had some good spots that showed off how much they have grown in the ring. This might not have stolen the show, but it was an improvement over their last outing.
They traded control back and forth several times, so it didn't become clear who would win until close to the end. Dame failed to pin Paxley multiple times before taking her out of the ring with a brutal spear through the ropes and sending her into the steps.
Paxley recovered and hit a 450 followed by her finisher for the pin and the win. Other than the 450 not looking too good, everything else in this match worked pretty well.
Result: Paxley defeated Dame
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
Jacy Jayne vs. Kendal Grey
3 of 7
Last time in action: Jayne defeated Wren Sinclair (NXT, Dec. 17), Grey won the Iron Survivor match (NXT Deadline)
The NXT Women's Championship was on the line when Jayne defended against the current Evolve women's champion, Grey. Sinclair, Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid were at ringside to support their respective allies.
Grey scored the first takedown and Jayne took a moment to breathe before they locked up again. Grey immediately took her down into an armbar, but the champion grabbed the bottom rope to break the hold right away.
Grey used her speed and agility to run circles around Jayne before dropkicking her out of the ring so she could take out the entire Fatal Influence with a textbook moonsault. Jayne was able to gain the advantage right before the break.
Grey began making a comeback once the show returned, but both women went for a crossbody and collided in the middle of the ring. Grey started building momentum as the crowd got behind her, but the champ was still in the fight.
This was a high-energy match that made both competitors look like future stars. They really worked hard to make this a highlight of the show.
Henley and Reid got involved to cause a distraction and break up an armbar, but Grey recovered and locked it back in. Jayne escaped and with a little help from Henley, and she hit her finisher for the win.
The ending wasn't ideal, but it's how Fatal Influence wins most of its matches. Everything else was fun and worth taking the time to watch if you missed the show.
Result: Jayne defeated Grey
Grade: B-plus
Notable Moments and Observations
Thea Hail Open Challenge
4 of 7
Last time in action: Hail defeated Monroe (NXT, Dec. 16)
After Monroe caused their title match to be canceled and got herself booted from the arena, Hail returned to hold an open challenge for the title, but she was looking a little worse for wear as she limped to the ring holding her ribs.
She gave a quick promo saying she promised the fans a title bout, so she is going to deliver. Several women came out to answer the challenge, but Paxley showed up with a chainsaw and cut to the front of the line.
Suddenly, Dame appeared behind Hail and kicked her in the head. The Culling made the ref get in the ring and call for the bell, so the match was official with Dame and Hail.
Dame was looking to make up for the loss earlier in the show and immediately took control. Hail fought back, but her bigger, uninjured opponent continued to beat on her and slam her all over the ring.
It looked like this might be a short squash at first, but they wrestled through a break into the next segment. The longer it went, the more frustrate Dame looked. Hail kept making short comebacks, but she was doing a good job selling how hurt she was.
When the fight spilled out of the ring, Dame chokeslammed the champion on the announce desk. In the end, she ended up getting the win to become the new women's North American champion.
This was a solid match, but it felt like a weird path to get to Dame holding a title. What happens with Hail and Monroe now remains to be seen.
Result: Dame defeated Hail
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
Ethan Page Speaks
5 of 7
When we returned from a break, Page was in the ring trying to hold a celebration for himself since he had more successful title matches than anyone else in NXT in 2025.
He bragged about beating Moose and sending him back to TNA last week. He said that despite Femi and Slater having a title match, they are not the main event because he is.
He also talked about how he has defeated people in many countries from many brands before he was interrupted by Jasper Troy, the men's Speed champion. He said he is out to prove he is the best big man in NXT, which brought out Josh Briggs to claim he was the best big man.
They were soon joined by TNA international champion, Stacks. Shiloh Hill also made an appearance and said he had an upcoming title match against Stacks thanks to Santino Marella and Ava.
Tavion Heights was up next and said he also had a match for a title against Troy set for next week. This predictably broke down into a huge fight that ended with Hill as the last man standing.
This was one of the most contrived segments we have seen in NXT in quite some time. Nobody came away from this looking better than they went into it.
Grade: C
Notable Moments and Observations
Oba Femi vs. Leon Slater
6 of 7
Last time in action: Femi lost to Cody Rhodes (SNME), Slater won a Fatal 4-Way (NXT, Dec. 16)
The main event of the night was the NXT Championship match between Femi and Slater. TNA's Carlos Silva was at ringside to watch his Superstar compete for the belt.
The Ruler was able to keep Slater grounded by holding him in a wristlock for a little while. He was trying to take the X-Division champion apart, but Slater kept trying to fight back.
We returned from a break moments before Slater lured Femi into hitting his knee against the ring post. The high-flyer was able to take control and sent Femi over the steel steps.
Slater has been an exciting addition to NXT since this partnership with TNA was formed, and this was another good performance from him. Femi did a good job selling for him while still appearing to be his usual dominant self.
This was a good, clean match that ended with The Ruler retaining his title.
Result: Femi defeated Slater
Grade: B-plus
Notable Moments and Observations
The Final Word
7 of 7Tuesday's NXT was kind of a weird episode, but it had some highlights worth checking out.
Dame and Paxley put on a fun performance, and Femi and Slater closed the show with a match that showed off the strengths of both men.
Having Monroe cost herself a title match only for Dame to swoop in and win the North American title in an open challenge was an unexpected direction for the show to take, especially after it seemed like Hail might get to hold onto the belt a little longer.
NXT has a lot of great talent, but the show is often inconsistent with booking at times. If it can figure that out, 2026 could be a good year for this brand.
It appeared the show ended with Femi leaving the NXT title in the ring, possibly indicating he was relinquishing it so he could go to Raw or SmackDown. Tony D was shown looking at it from the crowd.
Grade: B-
