Live from Minneapolis Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Deadline may be one of the best shows WWE NXT puts on every year, thanks to the novel concept of the Iron Survivor Challenge.

Five women and five men would compete with a time limit to score enough falls to secure a future NXT championship opportunity.

Giulia vs. Stephanie Vaquer vs. Zaria vs. Sol Ruca vs. Wren Sinclair was a battle for the future of the business, and any winner had to terrify the champion Roxanne Perez.

Wes Lee, "All Ego" Ethan Page, Je'Von Evans and Nathan Frazer all sought the ultimate opportunity. They did not know their fifth opponent due to an injury suffered by Eddy Thorpe on Tuesday.

Trick Williams would watch that match closely, but he also had to contest with a dangerous challenger, Ridge Holland. Could Trick overcome Holland while nursing injuries from Tuesday?

Frazer hoped to pull off a double victory at Deadline, also defending the NXT Tag Team Championships with Axiom against No Quarter Catch Crew's Myles Borne and Tavion Heights.

Jaida Parker and Lola Vice hoped to settle their score in NXT Underground. Could Vice remain unstoppable in this format?

The stage was set for a show that would set the standard for NXT going into 2025.

Iron Survivor Challenge: Je'Von Evans vs. Wes Lee vs. Frazer vs. Page vs. Oba Femi

Je'Von Evans and Wes Lee opened the Iron Survivor. Nathan Frazer and "All Ego" Ethan Page followed in that order. The final man was Oba Femi, who changed the complexion of this match.

All five men picked up one fall then tried to take out Femi. Evans and Page stole extra falls, but Femi finished it with a double chokeslam on Frazer and Lee to pick up three total falls and the win.

Once Eddy Thorpe was taken out of this match, Oba Femi's return and eventual win became a clear reality, and it played out perfectly.

His arrival changed the match, selling that he was the biggest threat. This forced everyone to rally to stop The Ruler, but it was all for naught.

Trick Williams' title retention became a foregone conclusion on this result, but it is for the best. Trick vs. Femi is the true top face vs. top heel rivalry that NXT needs.

Everyone looked good in this match, but Lee absolutely lost momentum by the end. He went in the favorite and left with only one fall to his name and no real highlight spots.

Result

Femi (3) def. Evans (2), Page (2), Lee (1), and Frazer (1) to win the Iron Survivor Challenge and earn a future NXT Championship match.

Grade

A+

Notable Moments

• On the Countdown just minutes before Deadline, Sarah Schreiber announced that Ava had found a replacement for the injured Thorpe.
• Lee rolled up Evans with his feet on the ropes to steal the first point just before five minutes.
• Page got caught by Frazer with a small package right after All Ego arrived for his first fall.
  
• All Ego had to be forced into the penalty box. When time expired, he ran in and rolled up Frazer to get his own first fall.
• When Femi arrived, everyone turned to watch him arrived. Page threw Evans outside to face him first.
• Femi wiped out The Young OG for a quick fall
  
• Evans dived onto the field and hit Lee with a springboard cutter for his first fall.
• Frazer, Evans and Frazer teamed up to take out Femi, but Page stacked him up for a pin.
• Evans caught Page with a crucifix pin, forcing All Ego into the penalty box with Femi, who destroyed him for a full minute.
• Later, backstage, Lee and Evans got into a brawl after The Young OG treated his loss too lightly according to the heel.
• Backstage, Page indicated that he did not know what he would do next after losing such a close match once again.
  

NXT Underground: Lola Vice vs. Jaida Parker

Jaida Parker pushed Lola Vice more than anyone else has in NXT Underground, but her experience still played out. Vice blasted Parker with a spinning back fist then made her pass out to an Anaconda Vice.

Vice remains undefeated in NXT Underground, solidifying this as her match over anyone else in WWE.

The match felt long despite going only 11 minutes. The low lighting and physicality throughout sells a format that should not go long but should make every moment memorable.

In this case, there were some memorable moments, but the two ran out of steam down the stretch. It was not bad but never quite reached its peak.

Vice is finally back on track and could be set up to go after Fallon Henley. Parker should also remain an important part of the roster, but she needs a new rival.

Result

Vice def. Parker by knockout.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments

• Parker landed the strongest first shot with a spinning back elbow.
• Vice missed a spinning back fist, and her hand collided with the post, leaving her with a lingering injury for the rest of the match.
• Parker wrapped Vice's belt around her hand and used it to send her injured right hand into the post several times.

NXT Tag Team Championships: Frazer & Axiom (c) vs. Myles Borne & Tavion Heights

Myles Borne and Tavion Heights isolated an injured Nathan Frazer. When Axiom finally got into the action, he was fighting solo.

Somehow, Axiom managed to catch Heights with a Canadian Destroyer then roll up Myles Borne in a small package for three.

This was a genuinely surprising result. Frazer and Axiom have been great champions, but this felt like the breaking point. If the champions could not lose when this vulnerable, when will they ever lose?

Frazer is brilliant, selling every moment of offense as pure pain. His selling was a major highlight of this contest that was filled with great spots from the other three men.

This was also a great showcase for No Quarter Catch Crew's least used members. They belonged in this moment and pulled out some incredible offense throughout.

This is certainly not to discount Axiom, who was the glue holding this all together. He was flying around the ring throughout to make this match work.

While this lacked the heat of the rest of the matches, the talent made up for it with performance and drama, selling multiple wild near-falls.

The tag division needs to keep stepping up to the level of these incredible champions. It is unclear who can possibly dethrone Frazer and Axiom.

Result

Frazer and Axiom def. Borne and Heights by pinfall to retain the NXT Tag Team Championships.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments

• Frazer's nose and ribs were bandaged up from the men's Iron Survivor Challenge.
• Frazer started the match but quickly needed to tag out.
• Bronco Nima and Lucien Price came out to watch the action and taunt the competitors.
• Heights suplexed Frazer over the top rope onto OTM.
• While still selling the pain, Frazer blasted both men with a somersault plancha followed by a 450 Splash on Heights that almost sealed the win.
• No Quarter Catch Crew hit a dropkick/powerbomb combination on Frazer. Axiom had to break up the pin attempt.
• Axiom accidentally dropkicked Frazer then took an impressive DDT/TKO combination, still managing to kick out.
  

NXT Championship: Trick Williams (c) vs. Ridge Holland

Ridge Holland thought he had Trick Williams' number by focusing on the injured neck of the champion. However, Trick kicked out of the Redeemer and hit the Trick Knee to win.

This was better than expected, even if it was a match that struggled to live up to the quality of the contests that preceded it.

The psychology of this match was solid, but the energy of the contest was flat, even with an invested crowd. The finish of the match never believably sold Holland winning, even when he hit the Redeemer.

The positive is that Trick is looking better with each performance, competing at a top level with consistency. He elevated Holland more than most have in recent months.

It just was going to be tough for this to ever live up to an excellent night of action, especially with Holland overshadowed as a challenger by the returning Oba Femi.

Result

Trick def. Holland by pinfall to retain the NXT Championship.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments

• Trick came out with black tape on his neck. Holland taunted him about the injury even before the match started.
• Holland teased the release German suplex on the outside to Trick  that broke Big E's neck.
• Holland threatened to hit the Redeemer on the announce table again, but Trick sent him to the floor with a back body drop.
• Holland ducked Trick, and the champion got his neck trapped in the ropes. Holland then hit the Redeemer for a near-fall.

Iron Survivor Challenge: Giulia vs. Sinclair vs. Ruca vs. Zaria vs. Stephanie Vaquer

Giulia and Wren Sinclair started this match on the mat, trying to pick up technical pinfalls early to get a quick advantage. Sol Ruca fit right in when she arrived. Zaria arrived to push all three women to team up to survive.

Stephanie Vaquer rolled in late, leading to pure chaos in the final ten minutes. Zaria caught Sinclair with a Spear and F5, but The Beautiful Madness hit Zaria with a G-Trigger for the deciding second fall.

Giulia remains NXT's truest new ace, and that was proven with her victory in the Iron Survivor. While this was close, she pulls out the deciding victory that should signal a new champion at New Year's Evil.

The women worked this in a much different style to the men. The opening trio especially worked with heavy mat-focused offense, only letting Ruca fully pick up her pace in the final 10 minutes.

Zaria was the biggest X-factor in this contest, morphing the action over her incredible combination of power and speed. She looked like the biggest star next to some of the absolute best.

Everyone in the field though played their part without losing any steam. Sinclair took the most pins, but she still managed to get her own fall to stand relatively even with a stacked group.

It was a phenomenal match and more technically sound than the men's, even if the action was more chaotic down the stretch. There was no easy right answer for the winner, but Giulia is certainly a worthy winner.

Result

Giulia (2) def. Vaquer (1), Zaria (1), Ruca (1) and Sinclair (1) to win the Iron Survivor Challenge and earn a future NXT Women's Championship match.

Grade

A+

Notable Moments

• Ava announce Roxanne Perez would defend the NXT Women's Championship against the winner of the women's Iron Survivor Challenge on January 7 at New Year's Evil. Tiffany Stratton also teased getting involved.
  
• Giulia locked up Sinclair and Ruca with a leg-trap double crossface. Ruca responded with a double sleeper on Giulia and Sinclair.
• Giulia picked up the first pin with a Northern Lights Bomb on Sinclair for the first fall.
• Ruca caught both Giulia and Zaria with the Sol Snatcher at the same time, but both rolled outside.
• Sinclair got out of the penalty box only to walk right into a Sol Snatcher for a fall.
• Giulia and Ruca teamed up to powerbomb Zaria through the announce table.
• Zaria planted Giulia with an F5 for her first fall. The remaining three women surrounded Zaria and sent her outside.
• Giulia and Vaquer teased confrontations multiple times before finally getting the ring alone. Giulia won the first exchange with a double underhook superplex.
• Vaquer rolled up Sinclair with a leg-trap to get her first fall with two minutes left.
• Sinclair trapped the arms of Ruca for a surprise pinfall with less than a minute.
  

Overall Show

The Iron Survivor Challenge is a proven winning formula, and two of the best matches in the format to date were delivered at Deadline.

In particular, the women competed in their best Iron Survivor Challenge so far. Giulia, Stephanie Vaquer, Zaria, Sol Ruca and Wren Sinclair earned the main event.

Je'Von Evans, Wes Lee, Nathan Frazer and "All Ego" Ethan Page certainly delivered in the men's Iron Survivor, but the key to the match was Oba Femi's pure dominance.

The rest of the card was less exciting than the opener and main event, but everything was solid.

Frazer and Axiom vs. Myles Borne and Tavion Heights was the third best contest of the night, sold by four incredible athletes.

Lola Vice and Jaida Parker went a bit long in NXT Underground but still delivered in a memorable way through physical action.

Trick Williams keeps getting better and did what he could with Ridge Holland despite the return of Femi immediately taking away Holland's spot as the top heel in NXT.

The show delivered in spades and set the stage for two likely top title changes in 2025 that will rewrite the direction of NXT.

Overall Grade: A-