WWE NXT Live Coverage - May 20th, 2025

[Kemo]

Joe Hendry performs live in concert

TNA World Champion Joe Hendry returns to NXT for a can’t-miss concert ahead of his title match against Trick Williams at Battleground.

– No Quarter Catch Crew (Myles Borne, Wren Sinclair, Tavion Heights & Charlie Dempsey), Oba Femi, Joe Hendry, and Ricky Saints are all shown arriving to The Performance Center.

– Vic Joseph, Booker T, and Corey Graves greet audiences at home as Ricky Saints makes his way to the ring to join the commentary desk. Je'Von Evans, Sean Legacy, and Ashante Adonis all follow.

Je'Von Evans vs. Sean Legacy vs. Ashante Adonis

The bell rings and Adonis fires off right hands and stomps on Legacy in the corner. Legacy rolls up EVans, but Evans kicks out and delivers a back body drop to Adonis as Evans as a waist lock cinched on him. Evans looks to fly, but Legacy transitions into a roll-up. Evans kicks out.

Legacy dropkicks Evans out of the ring to join Adonis, but Adonis slides back in the ring and levels Legacy. Evans then sends Adonis crashing into the ring apron face first and flies to level him on the outside. Adonis then fires off right hands on Evans back inside the ring, but Legacy fires off chops on Adonis.

Adonis whips Legacy into the corner, then fires off shoulders on Legacy and Evans in opposite corners. Adonis connects with a DDT on Legacy, then hits a spinebuster on Evans on top of Legacy and pins both men. Evans and Legacy both kick out, and Adonis looks to land Sweet Chin Music on Legacy. Legacy catches Adonis' boot, but Evans sends Legacy crashing out of the ring with an enzuigiri. Legacy responds with a Spanish Fly to Evans, but Evans sends him crashing off the top rope with a hurricanrana. Adonis tosses Evans out of the ring and pins Legacy, but Evans slides back inside to break the fall.

Adonis spikes Evans with a DDT, but Evans catches Legacy with an OG Cutter. He sends Adonis crashing into the mat, but Evans connects with a 450 Splash on Adonis and goes for a pin. Legacy breaks the fall.

Ethan Page blindsides Saints at the announce desk, but security pulls them apart. Evans flies out of the ring to level Page, Saints, and the security. Legacy takes advantage and sends him crashing into the mat with a lifting double underhook neckbreaker for the win.

Winner: Sean Legacy

– After the match, Page and Saints continue fighting.

– Backstage Ava sends Stevie Turner and Rob Stone to go break up the fight. Jasper Troy and Tyra Mae Steele are in her office and she congratulates them on winning LGF.

– A video package for Jordynne Grace plays and its clips of her working out. She talks about being one of the top three free agents in 2024 and talks about how she's ready to dethrone Stephanie Vaquer.

– Lola Vice talks to Stephanie Vaquer backstage and tells her to keep her eye out. Fallon Henley and Jacy Jayne tells Lola Vice that sucking up to Vaquer won't do much. Henley and Jayne talk like frenemies and Jayne suggest Henley challenge Vice later today.

– Trick Williams makes his way out to the ring and starts rapping about not backing down to an Average Joe. Williams raps his song around the ring and the crowd gets into this rap performance. Williams ends his performance with Hendry's signature pose. Hendry backstage watches this and says the gloves are off.

– Kelly Kincaid talks to Josh Briggs backstage and he dedicates his match to Yoshiki Inamura.

– The Culling then makes their way down to the ring. Josh Briggs follow.

Shawn Spears (w/ The Culling) vs. Josh Briggs

The bell rings and the two lock up. Briggs lands a strike on Spears, then levels him with a flying back elbow and connects with a bodyslam on him. Briggs sends Spears crashing into the apron face first, but Spears sends Briggs crashing into the ring post and dumps him back in the ring.

Briggs hits a splash on Spears, but Spears responds with an arm drag on Briggs. Briggs then sends Spears crashing into the announce desk face first and an interfering Niko Vance crashing into the ring steps, but Izzi Dame clocks Briggs while Brooks Jensen distracts the referee. This opens the door for Spears to roll up Briggs for the win.

Winner: Shawn Spears

– After the match The Culling attack Briggs. Hank & Tank run down and make the save.

– Kelani Jordan is backstage with Zaria and Sol Ruca. She makes sure that she'll get a title shot after beating Zaria tonight. Ruca says it's still the plan if she wins.

– Uriah Connors, Kale Dixon, and Andre Chase walk backstage ahead of their match.

– Tatum Paxley sits backstage and Thea Hail comes by and yells at her for blaming her last week. Paxley says she's lost everything. Hail says she has a lot. Jaida Parker kicks Hail and tells Paxley she's stupid and leaves.

– Back at ringside, Chase U make their way out. OTM follows.

OTM vs. Uriah Connors and Kale Dixon (w/ Andre Chase)

Bronco Nima and Uriah Connors begin the action. The bell rings and Nima whips Connors into the mat. Kale Dixon and Lucien Price tag in, and Dixon fires off right hands on Price. He follows it up with a DDT and tags in Connors.

Price delivers a back body drop to Connors, then tags in Nima. Dixon rocks Nima with a superkick, and Connors sends him crashing into the mat. Price tags in and sends Connors crashing into Dixon. OTM then double teams on Connors with a double Alabama Slam for the win.

Winners: OTM

– Myles Borne makes his way to the ring. Oba Femi follows.

Femi says he can't tell if Borne is stupid or brave, but it's gotten him this far. He says it's his understanding that Borne is fighting for more than the NXT Championship at Battleground, and while he finds it admirable that Borne is fighting for those who have disabilities, it can be misleading. He says when Borne steps into the ring with him at Battleground, his dream will die. He tells Borne to join the list of people he's taken out and things will end in the hands of him.

Borne says he may be in the ring with Femi alone, but he's not alone. He says he has been training with No Quarter Catch Crew and has created a community for every child who feels different and kids who don't fit in. He says Femi can underestimate him, but he wouldn't be the first to do so. He says nurses, doctors, opponents, and coaches have underestimated him, and he's been surviving battles since he's been born. He says he might be hard of hearing, but when he shocks the world at Battleground, fans will hear that three count loud and clear.

Jasper Troy blindsides Femi from behind and attacks him, but Borne comes to Femi's aid. Borne looks to help Femi up, but Femi refuses to accept Borne's help. He holds up the NXT Championship as he stares down Borne.

– Tony D'Angelo is the focus on the NXT Spotlight. He talks about being betrayed by Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo. He says he isn't a coward so he can't understand why Stacks would do this. He tells Stacks he doesn't see the full picture because he only worries about himself.

– Lola Vice makes her way out to the ring. Fatal Influence follows.

Lola Vice vs. Fallon Henley (w/ Jacy Jayne)

The bell rings and the two lock up. Vice lands a pair of kicks on Henley's chest and looks to land a third one, but Henley catches it. Vice then wears down Henley's leg with a Knee Bar and cinches in an arm submission on her, but Henley levels Vice with a forearm. Vice responds with a hurricanrana to Henley, but Henley sends Vice's head bouncing off the top rope and uses the ring post to level Vice with a kick.

Henley fires off kicks on Vice in the corner and jams her boot into her throat, then levels her with a clothesline and goes for a pin. Vice kicks out, but Henley wears her down with a submission before rolling her up once again. Vice kicks out, but Henley fires off a couple of elbows on Vice.

Henley and Vice exchange right hands with one another, but Vice fires off forearms on Henley's chest and fires off kicks on her. She then fires off more rapid fire kicks on Henley and looks to cinch in an Armbar on her, but Henley escapes by pinning Vice. Vice kicks out, but Jacy Jayne gets in her face from the apron. Vice then sends Henley crashing into Jayne and connects with the 305 on her for the win.

Winner: Lola Vice

– Vice dances in the ring after the match while Jayne and Henley argue outside the ring.

– Kelly Kincaid talks to Stephanie Vaquer. Vaquer talks about the sacrifices she made to get to where she is. She says those sacrifices were necessary for her to make it this far.

– A video package for DarkState plays where they talk about putting the whole roster on notice. Dion Lennox is the leader of DarkState and they all talk about each other and list off their strengths and what they'll do together to take apart the NXT Roster.

– Kelani Jordan makes her way to the ring. Zaria and Sol Ruca follow.

Zaria (w/ Sol Ruca) vs. Kelani Jordan

The bell rings and Zaria hits a pair of German suplexes on Jordan. Zaria sends Jordan crashing into the mat with a hip toss, but Jordan flies over the top rope to level Zaria on the outside and sends her crashing into the ring steps. She dumps Zaria back in the ring, then ascends to the top rope and connects with a crossbody. She goes for a pin, but Zaria kicks out.

Jordan looks to land a crossbody on Zaria, but Zaria rolls through. Jordan cinches in a sleeper on Zaria, but Zaria fights her off by sending her crashing into the corner. Jordan sends Zaria's head bouncing off her knee, then looks to fly off the apron. Zaria catches Jordan and sends her crashing into the barricade shoulder first, then sends her crashing into the ring apron spine first and dumps her back in the ring.

Zaria continues wearing down Jordan, then drags her up the ropes and sends her crashing off of them.

Jordan sends Zaria crashing off the apron with a kick, then dropkicks Ruca and Zaria from behind as they're both on the outside. Ruca gets in Jordan's face, but Zaria accidentally spears Ruca when aiming for Jordan. Jordan then rolls up Zaria for the win.

Winner: Kelani Jordan

– Joe Hendry leaves the locker room and heads to the ring for his NXT concert.

We come back from commercial break, and Joe Hendry is in the ring with his guitar. Hendry says it's time for another Joe Hendry concert on NXT. He dedicates his song to Trick Williams and sings about Williams and how he's no longer a hard worker and how he just complains and cries. In the middle of his song he plays clips of when Williams was Carmelo Hayes' sidekick and super imposes his own face into the video and shows Williams being scared of Hendry. Trick Williams comes out and tells Hendry to stop living in the past and that he isn't Carmelo Hayes' bitch. Williams calls Hendry an average Joe and then punches Hendry. Williams then goes for a Trick Shot and Hendry smokes him with a guitar and slams down Williams. Hendry says at the end of the day he is the champion of TNA. Hendry celebrates while Williams lays on the mat and we get the end credits.

[Kemo]