WWE NXT New Year’s Evil in Orlando, Florida, USA, Live on the CW Network | January 6th, 2026 — The Episode Recap:

WWE NXT Champion Oba Femi after defeating Leon Slater in the Main Event of New Year’s Evil. (Image courtesy of WWE)

The January 6th Episode of WWE NXT New Year’s Evil — The Match Results:

The Opening Match: Tatum Paxley defeated Izzi Dame in a Singles Match | via Pin-Fall — (11:40)

The 2nd Match: Jacy Jayne (with Fallon Henley & Lainey Reid) (c) defeated Kendal Grey (with Wren Sinclair) in a WWE NXT Women’s Title Match | via Pin-Fall — (12:34)

The 3rd Match: Izzi Dame (with Niko Vance & Shawn Spears) defeated Thea Hail (c) in a WWE NXT Women’s North American Title Match | via Pin-Fall — (10:01)

The Main Event Match: Oba Femi (c) defeated Leon Slater in a WWE NXT Title | via Pin-Fall — (11:11)

My Thoughts on the January 6th Episode of WWE NXT New Year’s Evil:

My Thoughts: This felt like a chapter was ending with Oba Femi leaving, and now the shift is to a rebuild for NXT as they're going to make a crop of new stars. 3 out of the 4 Matches from the show were fun to watch, and I think this rebuild of NXT is going to be quite interesting for 2026. I think it's the smart thing to do, as now WWE Main Roster is going younger, and shifting into an era where the new stars are arriving, so this is going to be cool.

The January 6th Episode of WWE NXT New Year’s Evil — The Match Ratings:

The Opening Match: Tatum Paxley vs. Izzi Dame in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: *** — Tatum Paxley is one of the most underrated performers in the world of wrestling. She has been someone who can put up a solid match with a lot of people. But this was a fine opener. Izzi Dame has been a thorn in Tatum Paxley's side, and now, funny enough, she's the new WWE NXT Women's North American Champion, so I can see a rematch in the future for the title at the next NXT PLE.

The 2nd Match: Jacy Jayne (with Fallon Henley & Lainey Reid) (c) vs. Kendal Grey (with Wren Sinclair) in a WWE NXT Women’s Title Match | The Match Rating: **** — Once everyone is called up, Kendal Grey will be the face of the Women's NXT Side for a couple of years. She was amazing in this match; this was the Match of the Night. I thought both women did a great job. Over the past year, Jacyy Jayne has made me a huge fan of hers because she has done a great job as champion, and she has been leading the Fatal Influence. Kendal Grey, there were some moments I was like How is she this good in this short time. Her and Kali Armstrong should be the faces of the NXT Women's Division if I had to book. However, the ending of the match saw Jacy Jayne retain, and I think she'll drop it shortly and move onto the main roster. If I were WWE, I would move her to SmackDown to bolster the Women's Division, which needs a lot of help.

The 3rd Match: Thea Hail (c) vs. Izzi Dame (with Niko Vance & Shawn Spears) in a WWE NXT Women’s North American Title Match | The Match Rating: *.25 — This made no sense, so Blake Monroe attacked Thea Hail and got kicked out of the arena. Thea Hail isn't 100% but wants to defend the title, and it'll be an Open Challenge. Izzi Dame, who lost earlier in the night, comes out and challenges Thea Hail, then wins the title. HBK lost me on this whole sequence because this made zero sense. I guess Tatum Paxley is going to win the title off of her, but that just doesn't make sense... I don't get this. I thought the match sucked. It wasn't good. I guess Blake Monroe is on her way to the Main Roster because she is poking at Bayley on Twitter. I guess that's why she got written off the show. I don't know. This was all around awful.

The Main Event Match: Oba Femi (c) vs. Leon Slater in a WWE NXT Title | The Match Rating: ***.75 — This was a good match. I thought Leon Slater might pull off an upset and become the first TNA Wrestler to hold the WWE NXT Title, but that didn't happen. Oba Femi fought well, and there were moments I believed his reign could end, but ultimately, he won and retained the title. After the match, something shocking occurred: Oba Femi left the WWE NXT Title in the ring, signaling that he was relinquishing it and moving to the Main Roster. I think this was the perfect way to conclude his NXT journey, and I liked it a lot. He did what Asuka did, which I believe was the best choice to call him up. Now that NXT has been significantly restructured and new talent is emerging, I think this is a positive move. With everyone called up, it's time for HBK to develop new stars, and we'll see who shines in 2026. This includes Blake Monroe, Ethan Page, Jacy Jayne, Je'Von Evans, Jordynne Grace, Oba Femi, Ricky Saints, Sol Ruca, Trick Williams, and Zaria, all of whom will eventually join the Main Roster.

The January 6th WWE NXT New Year’s Evil — The Match of the Night: Jacy Jayne (with Fallon Henley & Lainey Reid) (c) vs. Kendal Grey (with Wren Sinclair) in a WWE NXT Women’s Title Match | The Match Rating: ****

The January 6th Edition of WWE NXT New Year’s Evil — The Episode Grade: 6.25/10 (C+) — This was a show that indicated they are hitting the reset and rebuilding the NXT Brand. I liked how they're going to build new stars, and everyone who was in NXT for many years is going to the Main Roster. 2026 will be a nice year for NXT as they’ll be creating some new stars and some fans’ new favorites.

Next Week WWE Tuesday Night NXT January 13th Episode — The Announced Matches & Segments:

1. Jasper Troy (c) vs. Tavion Heights in a WWE Speed Title Match.

2. Channing Lorenzo (with Arianna Grace) (c) vs. Shiloh Hill in a TNA International Title Match.

3. Lola Vice vs. Kelani Jordan in a Singles Match.

4. Dion Lennox vs. Joe Hendry in a No Disqualification Match.