NXT Halloween Havoc 2025 Review
- Linus O'Howell
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Leon Slater and Je’Von Evans VS La Parka and Mr. Iguana
NXT Halloween Havoc 2025 kicked off with a rather random Tag Team match as Je’Von Evans teamed up with the TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater to take on the AAA duo of La Parka and Mr. Iguana! I thought there were some good moments in this match; I thought the actual wrestling was really strong! However, there were far too many instances of La Yesca being used, to the point where it all felt very choreographed and less “flowy”! That’s not to say it was bad, like I said, I enjoyed the in-ring action, but you could argue that this wasn’t needed! Eventually, Leon and Je’Von were able to pick up the W following Slater’s Swanton-450, and it looks like the youngsters have their eyes on Tag Team Gold!
Grade: C+
NXT North American Championship Day of the Dead Match: Ethan Page VS El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr.
The first Championship match of the night saw Ethan Page defend his NXT North American Championship against El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. in a Day of the Dead Match! I think this was arguably the match of the night; I think it’s a toss-up between this and the NXT Women’s Championship match; I just genuinely enjoyed this! Ethan Page has been one of the best parts about WWE this year; everything he’s done has been superb, and he consistently puts on really strong performances! El Hij del Dr. Wagner Jr. is also very talented, that’s why he’s the AAA Latin American Champion, and his reaction to Ethan ripping his mask was great! The intensity here was strong throughout, some of the bumps were nasty, and eventually, a wicked Twisted Grin through a table was enough for All Ego to retain his North American Title! Who on earth is going to beat this guy?!
Grade: B+
NXT Women’s North American Championship: Zaria VS Blake Monroe
From the Men’s NXT North American Championship to the Women’s, Zaria filled in on behalf of Sol Ruca to try and keep the Gold away from Blake Monroe! Blake Monroe has a really good character; she feels like a star, but her in-ring ability hasn’t been all that impressive! Zaria, on the other hand, is a good in-ring performer, but her character is stale! Also, it very much feels like Sol Ruca isn’t actually injured, which, if that’s the case, this whole story is very odd! The reason I think Sol isn’t injured is that Blake kicked Ruca’s crutch away, with her fall distracting Zaria! This just opened the door for Monroe to deliver a Glamour DDT to pin Zaria and become the brand-new NXT Women’s North American Champion! I’m happy for Blake that she won this Title; let’s see what she does with it!
Grade: C+
NXT Women’s Championship: Jacy Jayne VS Tatum Paxley
After a strong 151-day reign to this point, Jacy Jayne looked to retain her NXT Women’s Championship once again when she went one-on-one with Tatum Paxley! Like I said before, I think this was the other match of the night for me; the in-ring action was good, but what made this match what it was was the drama! Both Fatal Influence and The Culling made their presence known, distracting the referee whilst fighting on the outside, and this led to a really good near-fall where you thought Tatum might actually win following a wonderful 450! After everyone was sent to the back, Jacy came close to winning following a wicked knee strike, and this is when The Culling reappeared, only to get dealt with by Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid! However, this all distracted the referee again, meaning Izzi Dame headed into the ring to seemingly strike Paxley with the NXT Women’s Title! However, Tatum turned around, and after Jacy wiped out Izzi with a Rolling Encore, PAX nailed Jayne with her finisher to score the shock win, meaning YES, Tatum Paxley is your new NXT Women’s Champion! What an insane journey it has been for Tatum, she’s been a fan favourite for years, and it’s finally her time to be Champion! Also, we should quickly mention Jacy Jayne, because no one expected her to win this Title, and I think she’s been superb!
Grade: B+
NXT Tag Team Championships Broken Rules Match: The Hardys VS DarkState
After two Titles had already changed hands, surely a third couldn’t as The Broken Hardys put their NXT Tag Team Championships on the line in a Broken Rules Match against DarkState! This was probably the best match you’re going to get out of DarkState, and that’s mainly because anything goes! The Hardys were in their element, doing a bunch of crazy dives through tables, and it was very cool to see their broken versions! Dion Lennox deserves a special mention because he continues to be DarkState’s best worker, and what I liked about this match is there were reasons to believe that either team could win this one! And to answer my earlier question, no, they could change hands, and they did, as DarkState scored the win following a crazy Doomsday Device through a table! You can’t say this show could’ve been missed!
Grade: B
NXT Championship: Ricky Saints VS Trick Williams
And in the Main Event of NXT Halloween Havoc 2025, Ricky Saints was ready for his first Championship defense as he put his NXT Championship on the line against Trick Williams! I think Trick Williams has been arguably the Wrestler of the Year, at least in contention anyway, and I quite like Ricky Saints; he really stands out! However, this match wasn’t the most exciting; there were clearly better matches on this show, and I just don’t think this clicked! There was a good near-fall following a Trick Shot, but ultimately, Saints didn’t have to do too much to retain his Title with a DDT! Overall, this show was good, but some matches were definitely lacking!