WWE NXT Stand & Deliver 2025: 3 Things We Hated And 3 Things We Loved

Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s annual review of "WWE NXT" Stand & Deliver, headlined in 2025 by the NXT Championship match between JeVon Evans, former champion Trick Williams, and defending champion Oba Femi. As befitting "NXT's" WrestleMania weekend event, the show saw two titles change hands — Hank & Tank defeated Axiom to win the NXT Tag Team Championship, while Sol Ruca pulled down the vacant NXT Women's North American Championship — while up-and-comers Ricky Saints and Stephanie Vaquer retained and, in the most shocking moment of the evening, Stacks Lorenzo turned on Tony D'Angelo, splitting up The Family.

Aside from Saints vs. Ethan Page, which was a fairly boilerplate North American title defense for the former Ricky Starks, we're going to talk about all of the above in our column, because the WINC staff had a lot of feelings about this show. Check out our Stand & Deliver results page if you just want the facts, but if you want to know what we thought, here are three things we hated and three things we loved about "WWE NXT" Stand & Deliver 2025.

Stand & Deliver didn't need anymore multi-person matches. WrestleMania weekend didn't need more multi-person matches overall. But, we got a fatal four-way tag team elimination match on the pre-show of Stand & Deliver. I'm usually the last person to complain about a pre-show match, especially one involving more of the incredible women's talent on "NXT," but this match left me with more questions than the simple answer it was going for.

First, poor Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson. Like Roxanne Perez, they both seem to be in limbo when it comes to whether or not they've been called up to the main roster. The Meta Girls have gotten so many opportunities at the Women's Tag Team Championships, that they honestly should be awarded a short reign to really show what they can do. I'm a huge fan of them, as both Jackson and Legend have improved so much and work so well together. However, to make matters even more confusing, they were the first team eliminated in what WWE seemingly just decided today was an elimination-style match.

Also, Roxanne Perez fought to be included in this match when General Manager Ava told the women who didn't make it into the ladder match that there would be no Last Chance Qualifier, just this tag team number one contender's match. She found a partner in frenemy Cora Jade, but after all the fuss of being added to the match, Perez walked out on her partner mid-match and Jade was quickly eliminated. Perez's situation between "NXT" and the main roster is already confusing enough, so they didn't seem necessary. The match would have been just as good competed under normal rules with just three teams involved.

At least the victors in this match made a bit of sense. The babyfaces, Gigi Dolin and Tatum Paxley, are also set to challenge for the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championships at TNA Rebellion at the end of the month. If they win the WWE tag gold, it would look good for the TNA/WWE partnership if they were double champions, albeit with lower-stakes belts. While this match on the pre-show of Stand & Deliver was harmless, the fact it left me with some questions on what was an overall pretty good premium live event has me putting it in the "hated" column this afternoon.

Written by Daisy Ruth

I have to preface this by saying it's been a little while since I was a regular viewer of "WWE NXT," though I was something of a fan when I was watching. I have, however, had a look at Hank & Tank's Cagematch page, and it doesn't really seem like they've been on some amazing run that's naturally culminating in a big title win at Stand & Deliver. In fact, from what I can tell they hadn't won a televised match in 2025 and were on a seven-match losing streak before they inexplicably won a gauntlet match *checks notes* four days ago to become the No. 1 contenders to the tag titles.

Axiom and Nathan Frazer have dominated the "NXT" tag team division for a full year. Only a 19-day reign by Andre Chase and Ridge Holland kept them from a title reign that passed the 365-day mark; between their two reigns, they successfully defended the titles 14 times. More remarkable, however, is how it happened — the team now known as Fraxiom didn't have a team name for much of their run, which was fitting since they seemed like a somewhat random, thrown-together pairing, an ill-fitting conjunction of singles stars who just happened to sort of wrestle the same. Even after winning the tag titles — seemingly because there was no one else at the time — they seemed destined to break up, and teased doing so repeatedly on television. And yet, somehow, they always pulled through, stayed together, and (except that one time) held on to the championships. And this is how "NXT" chose to end that story.

I do understand the practicalities. They're getting called up. They almost got a WrestleMania match this year. And for whatever reason, the "NXT" tag division is just as bare now as it was a year ago. Hank and Tank were "the next guys up," I guess, in the sense that your other options are what, Myles Borne and Tavion Heights? Briggs and Inamura? And like I said, I haven't been watching — maybe the Hank and Tank story has been something carefully built over a long period of time. Certainly the match (which was very good, to be clear!) was structured in such a way as to serve as the culmination of a long-term push. I'm just a little surprised that these were the guys to end the dominant reign of Fraxiom, and that there wasn't a more narratively satisfying end to their "NXT" story.

Written by Miles Schneiderman

When it comes down to it the ladder match today for the vacant North American Women's Championship was filled with several worthy options to take the title forward; Zaria, Sol Ruca, Kelani Jordan, and Thea Hail all had their individual justifications and the field was yet another example of the sheer level of young talent on the "NXT" roster. As such, the bout proved in that vein to be an exhibit of the competitors in the match and their individual styles in a way that meshed together really well. Among the stories going into the match was how Zaria and Ruca would deal with their pursuit of gold as a tag team – especially with the reluctant way they came together in the first place. And while that was played into really well towards the end of the match, it wasn't too much too soon and therefore didn't take away from the others in the bout. 

They came together right at the end, having worked with one another until they were the only two left standing at the top of the ladder. The tension had been built where it was expected that one was going to turn on the other and do something underhanded, and it looked like Ruca was preparing for that to be Zaria. However a brief moment between the pair, a moment where it was Zaria who hesitated, allowed Ruca to emerge the winner of the exchange with a really inventive skin-the-cat kick. She completed her winning rout with a Sol Snatcher from the top of the ladder to Izzi Dame followed by a double Sol Snatcher to Jordan and Hail to completely wipe out the field, emerging as the eventual – and personally surprising – winner and new North American Women's Champion. Multi-person ladder matches have become a staple of Stand & Deliver and it's easy to see why, this was just a fun way to exemplify the best aspects of each competitor and it led to a top talent getting crowned. What's not to love?

Written by Max Everett

I actually really, really liked the D'Angelo Family vs. DarkState match, and I thought Stacks Lorenzo's turn on Tony D was really well-executed. It might even turn out to be a good idea — I have no idea how Stacks will be as a heel after the way his character has developed in recent years, so we'll have to see. I'm giving this a "hate," however, just because another one of my personal "NXT" pillars has fallen. First it was Chase U; now the friendship between Stacks and Tony has fallen as well.

This match was like every other Family PLE match — I didn't necessary think I would enjoy it going in, but it always delivers. I've been a fan of these guys since Lorenzo first stayed true to D'Angelo in their feud against Dallas a couple years ago, and I think they've consistently delivered both in the ring and as characters. They hit the particular sweet spot that I like in wrestling, which is something kind of silly played absolutely, 100% earnestly. I really enjoyed their work together, and I'll miss them a lot, and I hope they get to go absolutely bonkers with this feud before it's hopefully finally time to either call Tony up or fire him. I fell in love with the Family while Tony was shouting encouragement to Stacks via phone call from prison; don't hold back now, boys. If it has to end, give this the ending it deserves: a real dumb one.

Written by Miles Schneiderman

While, surprisingly, the women's fatal four-way match wasn't my favorite despite the massive amount of talent in the ring, I really liked the fact that Stephanie Vaquer retained her NXT Women's Championship for the simple fact that means she can defend the title against all three of these women in singles matches in the near future. Stand & Deliver only had a single one-on-one match today and by the time we got to the Women's Championship bout, you could really tell that fact. Not so much in a bad way, but it was certainly noticeable ahead of even more multi-person matches on the main roster 'Mania card. 

Thankfully, the belt didn't change hands so Vaquer can take on Giulia, Jordynne Grace, and Jaida Parker all one-on-one at another time. The fatal four-way felt kind of thrown together since all three challengers had a good reason to be number one contender, but Vaquer's win this afternoon keeps things neat and tidy for the story of the "NXT" Women's Division moving forward.

She also has many other challengers outside of the three she met in the ring today, with Roxanne Perez being next, which was set up in a backstage segment following the show. Vaquer and Perez went after each other in Spanish with "NXT" General Manager Ava in between them, who set up their match for next week while the stars of "NXT" are still in Las Vegas. While I don't like the fact Perez is in-between brands right now, I definitely want to see her face Vaquer before she's completely called up to the main roster, so this didn't bother me too much at all.

While I really like all three women who challenged Vaquer today, keeping the gold on "The Dark Angel" was actually the most interesting outcome, for me, at least. Vaquer is doing an excellent job as champion and there's so much for her to do with the gold on "NXT," on the show that has arguably the best women's division in the game today.

Written by Daisy Ruth

Personally, triple threats are an overused match format in contemporary wrestling, often seen when there is a clear indecision over who should win and who should lose or a commitment to a storyline between two individuals. However, it cannot be ignored how exciting a well-paced three-way contest between differing talents can be; case in point: the main event of Stand & Deliver between Oba Femi, Trick Williams, and Je'Von Evans. 

Femi is a powerhouse capable of throwing bodies around like feather pillows, Evans commands the ability to throw his own body around like a feather pillow, and Williams strikes a balance between the pair of them. And that was on display with the steady-flow of offense from and to all sides, bringing together a truly equal contest that required one of them to take a different approach. Williams was the first to stoop to that level, playing into his desperation-fueled descent over the past few months as he dragged the referee out of the bout to prevent either Femi or Evans from closing things out. The action was then taken to the outside with two explosive spots in quick succession, with Femi just throwing Evans through the ringside barricade before himself being slammed through the announcer's desk. 

Back in the ring, Williams had the match won with a Trick Shot to Evans. But he didn't, because he had personally seen to it that the referee couldn't make the count; he ultimately cost himself, as when the referee could make it back to the ring and make the count he was swiftly followed by the reigning NXT Champion. In a moment, it was Williams who had failed himself through desperation, and Femi ensured he rued the decision by taking advantage with a powerbomb to Williams onto Evans – followed by another to Evans to score the defiant retention. Williams and Femi have yet to meet one-on-one for the NXT title despite feeling somewhat inevitable, and the result of Stand & Deliver only serves to justify it whenever it comes.

Written by Max Everett