WWE NXT Live Coverage - July 8th, 2025
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Hank Walker & Tank Ledger defend the NXT Tag Team Title against The Culling
The NXT Tag Team Title will be on the line when Hank Walker and Tank Ledger defend the gold against Shawn Spears and Niko Vance. Hank & Tank are in the midst of an impressive run as champions, but they now face their biggest threat in The Culling. The veteran Spears and the unhinged Vance have made a lethal pairing with the contemptible Izzi Dame watching and planning at ringside. Can Hank & Tank overcome this challenge or will The Culling rule over the NXT tag team division?
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– Vic Joseph, Booker T, and Corey Graves greet audiences at home as Ricky Saints makes his way to the ring. Vanity Project and Ethan Page follow, with the latter man joining the announce desk.
Gauntlet Match: Ricky Saints vs. The Vanity Project (Ricky Smokes, Brad Balor & Jackson Drake) w/Ethan Page
Baylor starts the match off with Saints. The bell rings and Baylor fires off strikes on Saints in the corner. Baylor and Saints then trade strikes with one another, but Baylor sends Saints crashing into the corner face first. Saints lands a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on Baylor, but Baylor rocks Saints with a kick to his head and fires off a kick on his midsection in the corner.
Saints rocks Baylor with a pair of right hands, but Baylor sends Saints crashing into the mat. Saints levels Baylor with a pair of clotheslines, then follows it up with a back body drop to him and a Tornado DDT before pinning Baylor for the three count.
Eliminated: Brad Baylor
Smokes is next up in the match, and he gets Saints up on his shoulders. Saints escapes, but Smokes sends him crashing into the mat and goes for a pin. Saints kicks out, but Smokes wears him down with a submission hold. Saints responds with a jawbreaker and a suplex to Smokes, then suplexes him out of the ring and onto the floor over the top rope. He dumps Smokes back inside, but Drake sends Saints crashing into the barricade while the referee has his back turned checking on Smokes in the ring.
Smokes jams his boot into Saints in the corner, then fires off elbows on the back of his neck. Saints sends Smokes crashing into the mat spine first and lands a belly-to-belly throw on him, then sends him crashing into the mat spine first and goes for a pin. Smokes kicks out and rolls up Saints, but Saints kicks out He then lands an Atomic Drop on Smokes and pins him for the three count.
Eliminated: Ricky Smokes
Jackson Drake is the final man in the match, and Drake fires off boots on Saints' midsection in the corner. He follows it up with a kick to his spine and goes for a pin, but Saints kicks out. Drake lands a gutbuster on Saints and pins him, but Saints kicks out and sends Drake crashing into the mat. Drake levels Saints with an enzuigiri and looks to land a senton on him, but Saints moves out of the way and Drake is sent crashing into the mat. Drake levels Saints with a kick and looks to land a Swanton Bomb off the top rope, but Saints gets his knees up and delivers the Roshambo to him for the win.
Eliminated: Jackson Drake
Winner: Ricky Saints
– After the match, Saints gets on the mic and says their stipulation for their match is a Falls Count Anywhere; Anything Goes Match for the North American Title.
– Backstage, Zaria, Sol Ruca, Kelani Jordan, Lola Vice are all chatting and Lainey Reid walks in. Ruca talks about how she'll be a defending champion and she'll come out on top. Reid tells Ruca she sucks and Jordan sticks up for the locker room and we have a match between the two.
– We get a video of Jordynne Grace training. Blake Monroe phones her and Grace asks where she is for the workout. Monroe tells Grace that she's sent her driver to get her and they'll do a "Glamour Workout". Grace gets in the SUV and we get a to be continued...
Charlie Dempsey (w/ Wren Sinclair) vs. Tavion Heights
Dempsey slams down Heights from the start and then Heights slams down Dempsey. The two exchange wrestling holds and Dempsey knocks Heights out of the ring. Outside the ring, Dempsey punches Heights and the throws him back in the ring. Heights kicks Dempsey and knocks him out of the ring. Heights goes out too and throws Dempsey back in the ring. Dempsey gets Heights in a headlock and Heights tries to break out of it rolling around in the ring but Dempsey won't let it go. Heights lifts Dempsey and slams him breaking the hold and then gets Dempsey in an arm bar. Dempsey uppercuts Heights and then takes off Heights' mask and slaps him. Heights loses his mind and takes down Dempsey and sends him out of the ring. Outside the ring, both men knock each other down and we cut to commercial.
We're back and Heights is locked in a headlock and is powering his way out of the hold. Dempsey kicks Heights a few times and Heights counters with a gutwrench suplex. Dempsey is taken down with some hip tosses and then a back body drop. Heights and Dempsey both roll out of the ring taking each other out. Heights punches Dempsey and walks up the steel steps and Dempsey knocks Heights off the steps getting him caught in the steps. Dempsey attacks Heights' leg and then rolls him in the ring. Dempsey puts Heights in a half crab and Heights breaks the hold but Dempsey jumps on Heights' leg. Dempsey puts Heights in another half crab and Heights tries to get to the ropes. Dempsey gets Heights in another leg submission and Wren Sinclair throws in the towel calling for the bell.
Winner: Charlie Dempsey
– Hank & Tank are backstage talking about how they'll take apart The Culling tonight. Je'Von Evans comes in and pumps them up. Jasper Troy runs in and attacks Evans.
– Mike Santana and Joe Hendry make their way to the ring. High Ryze follows.
Joe Hendry and Mike Santana vs. High Ryze (w/ Wes Lee)
Hendry and Tyriek Igwe begin the action. The bell rings and the two lock up. DuPont and Santana tag in, and High Ryze double teams on Santana. Santana takes down Igwe, and Hendry lands a Fallaway Slam on DuPont.
Igwe tags in and Santana wears him down, then tags in Hendry. Hendry levels Igwe and looks to land a delayed vertical suplex on him, but Igwe blocks Hendry. Lee distracts the referee, allowing for Igwe and DuPont to double team on Hendry. DuPont then tags back in and pins Hendry, but Hendry kicks out and DuPont delivers a stomp to him. He rains down right hands on him, then sends him crashing into the top turnbuckle face first and tags in Igwe. Igwe gets Hendry up on his shoulders, but Hendry escapes and Igwe sends him crashing into the top turnbuckle face first.
Hendry lands a DDT on Igwe, but DuPont tags back in and sends Santana crashing off the apron. He runs over Hendry with a shoulder tackle, but Hendry pins DuPont. DuPont kicks out, but Igwe tags back in and lands a senton on Hendry. DuPont follows it up with a Frog Splash, and Igwe delivers a moonsault to Hendry. He goes for a pin, but Hendry kicks out.
DuPont cinches in a front face lock on Hendry, but Hendry hangs on and sends Igwe crashing into the mat with a vertical suplex. Santana and DuPont tag in, and Santana levels DuPont with a clothesline. He sends Igwe crashing into the mat face first and does the same to DuPont, but Trick Williams appears and sends Hendry crashing into the ring steps shoulder first on the outside. DuPont looks to land a splash on Santana in the corner, but Santana sees him coming and delivers a discus lariat to him for the win.
Winners: Joe Hendry and Mike Santana
– After the match, Williams, Lee, Dupont and Igwe beat up Santana and Hendry.
– Yoshiki Inamura and Josh Briggs walk backstage before we cut to another commercial break.
– A video for DarkState plays. They say they have their eyes set on TNA too - not just NXT.
– Yoshiki Inamura and Josh Briggs make their way to the ring. Oba Femi follows.
Inamura says Femi wanted to see what he was made of, then reminds Femi that he beat Jasper Troy to become the Number One Contender. He says Femi will be his greatest challenge yet, but he will fight with honor and become the new NXT Champion.
Femi says Inamura may have the support of his fans, family, and friends. He says they can be the ones to pick up the pieces of Inamura when he fights with honor, then advises Inamura to ask if he can take a loss with honor and says Inamura will come up short against him.
Briggs grabs Inamura's microphone and stands up for Inamura. He tells Femi that Inamura will beat him, then says while Inamura is a man with honor, he isn't because he's a man of mayhem. Femi tells Inamura to tell Briggs out of his face, but Briggs begins brawling with Femi. Femi clotheslines Briggs out of the ring, but Inamura lands a bodyslam on Femi. Officials run down to the ring to keep the two men apart.
– We catch up with Jordynne Grace and Blake Monroe who are in a Glamour Parlour and Grace agrees to a spa day/makeover. They first get their nails done and then get a massage. They then get their make-up done and Grace tells Monroe this isn't her vibe and discuss the NXT Women's Championship. Grace thanks Monroe for the girls time.
Kelani Jordan vs. Lainey Reid
The bell rings and Jordan trips Reid. The two continue going back and forth, but Jordan lands a Monkey Flip on Reid and dropkicks her through the middle rope. Reid lands a Dragon Screw on Jordan on the ring apron and sends her leg bouncing off it repeatedly, then follows it up with a spine buster and goes for a pin. Jordan kicks out, but Reid cinches in a Half Boston Crab on her.
Reid cinches in a submission on Jordan, but Jordan sends Reid crashing into the bottom turnbuckle to break the hold. Jordan sends Reid crashing into the mat with a Fireman's Carry, but Reid rocks Jordan with an enzuigiri and joins her on the top rope. Jordan responds with a moonsault to Reid for the win.
Winner: Kelani Jordan
– After the match, Thea Hail runs into the ring and starts beating up Reid.
– Je'Von Evans gets beaten up again, this time in the medical room by Jasper Troy.
– Backstage, Tony D'Angelo, Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo, Luca Crusifino and Adriana Rizzo meet. Rizzo says she called this final sit down and wasn't going to stay in hiding. She talks about how they've thrown away everything they've accomplished. She says they're family and they destroyed it all. Crusifino asks if she really thought this would fix everything. Rizzo says she didn't but there's one last thing they need to do - she says she did what she had to do and talked to Ava and got them a triple threat next week. Rizzo says this is a final battle and Stacks says he feels like he thinks he's being set up. D'Angelo, Stacks and Crusifino argue back and forth.
– Jasper Troy is in the ring screaming for a match against Je'Von Evans. Evans runs down and they start fighting. Officials try to break them up but Evans jumps onto Troy and they're finally broken up.
– The Culling meets backstage and Tatum Paxley is the newest member of The Culling. They talk about beating Hank & Tank and become the new champs.
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NXT Tag Team Championship Match: Hank & Tank (c) vs. The Culling w/Izzi Dame & Tatum Paxley
The bell rings and all four men begin brawling with one another. Walker whips Spears into the corner as Vance and Ledger brawl on the outside. Walker levels Vance, then tags in Ledger. Spears tags in on his side and wears down Ledger, then tags in Vance. Vance lands a right hand on Ledger's head, then tags in Walker. Walker lands a splash on Vance and delivers a Bulldog to him, then becomes distracted by Dame and Paxley on the outside. This opens the door for Vance to send Walker crashing over the announce desk with a shoulder pounce.
Spears tags in, but Vance distracts the referee as Walker rolls up Spears. The referee begins the count late, and Spears kicks out. Ledger then tags back in and goes after Spears, but Spears rocks Ledger with a pair of superkicks. Vance tags in and lands a headbutt on Ledger off the top rope, then goes for a pin but Walker breaks the fall.
Sol Ruca attacks Izzi Dame from behind and brawls with ehr to the back as Zaria carries Paxley behind them. Walker and Ledger fire off right hands on Spears and Vance. Ledger runs over Vance with a shoulder tackle and looks to land a double splash on him, but Spears pushes Vance out of the way and takes the maneuver. Walker and Ledger clothesline Vance out of the ring and double team on Spears for the win.
Winners and STILL NXT Tag Team Champions: Hank & Tank
– We cut to Kale Dixon, Uriah Connors and Andre Chase in the medical room. Dixon freaks out earlier today about competing and that's why his match was cancelled.
– Ava then makes her way out to he ring.
Ava recalls being in high school when the first Evolution happened, and says she remembers thinking how amazing it was that something so monumental was happening. She ponders how far the women who took part in the first Premium Live Event have come, then says she's proud that NXT will be all over Evolution as the first ever female General Manager of NXT. She says six women from NXT will represent the brand in the Evolution Battle Royal: Jaida Parker, Lola Vice, Kelani Jordan, Lash Legend, Izzi Dame, and Tatum Paxley. She says the six women will prove that NXT always steps up and shows out.
Fatal Influence's music hit, and the trio make their way out. Jacy Jayne vents her frustrations with Ava not choosing to focus on her NXT Women's Championship match against Jordynne Grace. Grace then makes her way to the ring and says Evolution is a groundbreaking event. She says when she takes the NXT Women's Championship from Jayne, she will steer the NXT women's division into the future.
Legend makes her way out and says Jayne and Grace can keep fighting over the NXT Women's Championship because she will be at the top in Evolution when she wins the Battle Royal. Stephanie Vaquer then makes her way out and says it's amazing to be back in NXT before echoing Legend's sentiments. Natalya, Maxxine Dupri, Ivy Nile, Jaida Parker, Zelina Vega, Candice LeRae and Giulia follow before a major brawl breaks out between everyone and the show goes off the air.
