NXT New Year’s Evil 2026 Review: A Frustrating Start to the New Year
NXT kicked off 2026 with its annual New Year’s Evil special on January 6 — live from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, airing on The CW — and if you’re a die-hard fan like me, this one left a bad taste.
The show had three title matches on paper, plenty of cross-promotion buzz from the TNA partnership, and high hopes after a chaotic 2025. But the booking felt off, the big moments fizzled, and the positives were hard to find.
Here’s the breakdown, no sugarcoating.
The Low Points (Where It All Went Wrong)
Thea Hail’s Quick Title Loss to Izzi Dame
— This stung the most. Thea is one of the most over babyfaces in NXT right now — crowd loves her energy, chants, everything.
She gets ambushed by Blake Monroe pre-show (kayfabe “injury” from the attack), limps out taped up, insists on an open challenge to “prove” she deserves the belt… and then Izzi Dame sneaks in after her own earlier match against Tatum Paxley, answers it, and pins her in under 10 minutes with a Super Sky High / avalanche spinebuster.
The Culling was all over the show (haunting segments, interference vibes), and Dame gets the rub for her first title win. But squashing the most popular woman in NXT so fast? Feels like a massive missed opportunity for a longer, emotional defense or at least a competitive back-and-forth.
Hail’s momentum got derailed hard — odd choice for the start of the year.
Outsiders Getting Teased and Squashed
— Leon Slater (TNA X-Division Champ) earned his shot by winning a fatal four-way, had a solid main event showcase against Oba Femi (big comebacks, targeting the knee, near-falls after Femi’s knee buckled), but lost clean to the Fall From Grace powerbomb in about 11 minutes.
Kendal Grey (Evolve Women’s Champ) pushed Jacy Jayne hard in the NXT Women’s Title match — armbars, near-falls, crowd popping — but Fatal Influence interference (Fallon Henley) helped Jayne retain with the Rolling Encore. Both outsiders looked strong… then lost. Right after Moose got pinned clean by Ethan Page last week.
It’s building NXT champs as dominant, but it makes the cross-promotion feel one-sided — TNA/Evolve titles treated like stepping stones.
The Culling Overload + Weird Booking Choices
— The faction was everywhere, and it culminated in Dame’s quick title grab. But the show opened with chaos (Monroe’s attack, Ricky Saints promo-inserting himself), had random titleholder segments (Ethan Page, Vanity Project, Jasper Troy, Stacks, Shiloh Hill all talking over each other), and felt disjointed.
Blake Monroe’s “heel self-sabotage” storyline (attacking Hail, getting banned) was odd — she wanted the rematch but wrecked it herself. And that multi-champion promo segment? Felt like filler when time could’ve gone to better matches.
Main Event Aftermath Tease
— Oba Femi retained against Slater, then shockingly left the NXT Title in the ring and walked out (hinting at vacating or main roster call-up, with Tony D’Angelo lurking in the crowd).
Intriguing cliffhanger, but the match itself was solid-not-spectacular, and it didn’t save the night.
Any Positives? (Grasping at Straws Here)
In-Ring Quality in the Big Matches — The women’s title (Jayne vs. Grey) and main event (Femi vs. Slater) delivered good action — stiff, competitive, crowd invested. Jacy Jayne’s heel work with Fatal Influence is consistent, and Femi’s power looked dominant. Credit to Slater for holding his own in a time-crunched spot.
Tatum Paxley Momentum — She beat Izzi Dame earlier in a fun, chaotic match (chainsaw spot, Psycho Trap finish), getting her some shine amid the roster shakeups (call-ups like Trick, Je’Von, Jordynne Grace).
Cliffhanger Setup — Femi abandoning the belt opens doors for a new chase (Tony D? Ricky Saints rubber match?). NXT’s in transition mode after departures, so this could lead somewhere big.
Sol Ruca going after the NXT Women’s Championship - Sol is the one who will take down Jacy, mark my words.
Overall grade: C-
The show had flashes of good wrestling, but the booking frustrations (quick title drop for the fan favorite, outsiders losing clean, disjointed segments) made it feel flat and deflating.
As a big NXT supporter these days, this was a disappointing kickoff to 2026 — hopefully the build to Royal Rumble and beyond picks up the slack.
What bugged you most — Thea’s squash, the cross-promotion one-sidedness, or something else? Drop your thoughts in the comments below, and let’s see if next week rebounds.
Stay locked on WrestleVoice for more hot takes — we’re rolling into the new year strong despite the Evil vibes! 🤼♂️
