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WWE: New Year's Evil
Promotional poster featuring Tony D'Angelo, Oba Femi, Giulia, Roxanne Perez, and Trick Williams
Promotion	WWE
Brand(s)	NXT
Date	January 7, 2025
City	Los Angeles, California
Venue	Shrine Expo Hall
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NXT: New Year's Evil chronology
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The 2025 WWE: New Year's Evil is the fifth annual NXT: New Year's Evil professional wrestling television special produced by WWE, and sixth New Year's Evil overall. It will be held for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event will take place on January 7, 2025, at Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles, California and will air live as a special episode of WWE's weekly television series NXT. This is the first NXT television special to use the WWE branding.

Production

Background

New Year's Evil is a professional wrestling television special currently produced by WWE held around New Year's. It was originally broadcast as a special episode of World Championship Wrestling's (WCW) Monday Nitro on December 27, 1999; WWE acquired WCW in 2001. After 21 years since that WCW event, WWE revived New Year's Evil for its developmental brand NXT as a special episode of NXT on January 6, 2021, and it has since been held annually in early January. The 2025 edition is set to take place on January 7, 2025, at the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles, California.

Storylines

The card will consist of matches that result from scripted storylines. Results are predetermined by WWE's writers on the NXT brand, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television program, NXT, and the supplementary online streaming show, Level Up.

At NXT Deadline, Giulia won the Women's Iron Survivor Challenge to earn an NXT Women's Championship match against Roxanne Perez, with the match taking place at New Year's Evil.

On the November 19 episode of NXT, Eddy Thorpe participated in an Iron Survivor Challenge qualifier where he lost to NXT Tag Team Champion Nathan Frazer after being distracted from the NXT tag team division brawling outside the ring. Two weeks later, Thorpe won a fatal four-way last chance match to qualify for the Iron Survivor Challenge at NXT Deadline. However, he was later found attacked backstage and was ruled out for Deadline. At the event, a returning Oba Femi would take Thorpe's place, and win the Men's Iron Survivor Challenge to earn an NXT Championship match against Trick Williams at New Year's Evil. Three days later on the December 10 episode, Thorpe confronted Williams and Femi, stating that Femi was the one who attacked him. Thorpe also demanded a title shot, which Williams agreed. Upon signing the title match contract, Thorpe revealed to NXT general manager Ava that he staged his own attack to ease his way into an NXT Championship match. The title match on the December 17 episode ended in a double pinfall and Williams retained his title. On the following week, Thorpe disputed the result of the title match, and Williams stated that he would defend the championship in a triple threat match at New Year's Evil, which was made official by Ava.

On the October 29 episode of NXT, Lexis King faced No Quarter Catch Crew's Charlie Dempsey for the NXT Heritage Cup in a British Rounds Rules. King was accompanied by Dempsey's father, William Regal, as his cornerman. During the match, Regal passed his signature brass knuckles for King to use against Dempsey but King refused, wanting to win the Cup on his own merit and lost the match 0–2. On the December 24 episode of NXT, King, again with Regal as his cornerman, faced Dempsey in a rematch for the NXT Heritage Cup. Regal again passed the brass knuckles to King but King refused. Regal then punched King to which the brass knuckles fell into the ring. The referee disqualified Dempsey and crowned King the new NXT Heritage Cup Champion after he saw Dempsey with the brass knuckles and assumed that Dempsey used it on King. However, due to a grey area in the British Rounds Rules on whether the Cup can change hands via disqualification of the reigning champion, Ava ordered King to give the Cup back to Dempsey (WWE would still recognize King as the official champion) and announced that they would face each other in a one-fall match for the Cup at New Year's Evil, which would be the first time that a match for the Cup would not be contested under British Round Rules.

On the December 10 episode of NXT, Cora Jade attacked Stephanie Vaquer backstage, resulting in a tag team match between Jade and Roxanne Perez and Vaquer's ally, Giulia, and Kelani Jordan, which was won by Jade and Perez. After the match, Vaquer attacked Jade. This led to a match between Jade and Vaquer two weeks later, which Vaquer won. After the match, Jordan attacked Jade as Vaquer tried to restrain Jordan. Later that night backstage, Jordan confronted Vaquer and said she didn't need her help, but Lola Vice appeared and said Vaquer was looking out for Jordan. This led to a match between Jordan and Vice the following week, which Jordan won after interference from Jade, who attacked both women after the match, but Vaquer came to their defense. Vice subsequently tried to hit Jade, but accidentally hit Vaquer instead. Later that night backstage, an argument and brawl ensued between Jordan, Vice, and Vaquer, much to the delight of Jade. NXT General Manager Ava subsequently scheduled a fatal four-way match for New Year's Evil, where the winner would become the #1 contender for the NXT Women's North American Championship.

On the November 26 episode of NXT, Fallon Henley defeated Tatum Paxley to retain the NXT Women's North American Championship after interference from Henley's Fatal Influence stablemates, Jacy Jayne and Jazmyn Nyx. After the match, the group attacked Paxley, who was saved by the returning Gigi Dolin. Two weeks later, Jayne and Nyx defeated Dolin and Paxley in a tag team match. After the match, Fatal Influence attacked Dolin and Paxley, but the returning Shotzi appeared to even the odds. On the December 31 episode of NXT, Dolin and Shotzi competed in a triple threat tag team match, which they lost after interference from Fatal Influence. A six-woman tag team match between the two teams was later scheduled for New Year's Evil.

Matches

References

1. Rueter, Sean (December 6, 2020). "NXT goes with a WCW deep cut for its next themed episode". Cageside Seats. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
2. Thomas, Jeremy (December 6, 2020). "WWE Announces 'New Year's Evil' Special Episode of NXT". 411Mania. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
3. Lambert, Jeremy (December 7, 2024). "NXT New Year's Evil To Take Place In Los Angeles". Fightful. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
4. Tessier, Colin (December 11, 2024). "WWE Officially Announces Venue For NXT New Year's Evil 2025". Fightful. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
5. Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
6. "Live & Televised Entertainment". WWE. Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
7. ^ Powell, Jason (December 7, 2024). "NXT Deadline results: Powell's live review of Trick Williams vs. Ridge Holland for the NXT Title, Iron Survivor Challenge matches, Jaida Parker vs. Lola Vice in an NXT Underground match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
8. Moore, John (November 19, 2024). "NXT TV results (11/19): Moore's review of Ridge Holland vs. Andre Chase for a shot at the NXT Championship at NXT Deadline, Iron Survivor Challenge qualifiers". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on November 21, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
9. Moore, John (December 3, 2024). "NXT TV results (12/3): Moore's review of Iron Survivor Challenge last chance qualifiers, Eric Bischoff and Sean "X-Pac" Waltman appearances, Battle Royal for a shot at the NXT Tag Titles at Deadline". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on December 8, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
10. "Eddy Thorpe is OUT of the Men's Iron Survivor Challenge Match at Deadline". WWE. December 7, 2024. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
11. ^ Powell, Jason (December 10, 2024). "NXT TV results (12/10): Powell's review of the Deadline fallout show featuring Je'Von Evans vs. Wes Lee, Iron Survivor Challenge winner Oba Femi, Tatum Paxley and Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jayne and Jazmyn Nyx". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
12. Defelice, Robert (December 17, 2024). "NXT Title Match Between Eddy Thorpe And Trick Williams Ends In Controversy". Fightful. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
13. ^ Moore, John. "NXT TV results (12/24): Moore's review of Charlie Dempsey vs. Lexis King for the NXT Heritage Cup, Stephanie Vaquer vs. Cora Jade, a four-way for a shot at the NXT Tag Team Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
14. Moore, John (October 29, 2024). "NXT TV results (10/29): Moore's review of Nathan Frazer and Axiom vs. Je'Von Evans and Cedric Alexander for the NXT Tag Team Titles, Zaria's in-ring debut". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
15. ^ Moore, John. "NXT TV results (12/31): Moore's review of Lola Vice vs. Kelani Jordan, Ethan Page vs. Cederic Alexander, Gigi Dolin and Shotzi vs. Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson vs. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
16. Moore, John (November 26, 2024). "NXT TV results (11/26): Moore's review of Tony D'Angelo vs. Shawn Spears for the NXT NA Title, Fallon Henley vs. Tatum Paxley for the NXT Women's NA Title, Iron Survivor Challenge qualifiers". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on December 3, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
17. Lambert, Jeremy (December 24, 2024). "Trick Williams vs. Oba Femi vs. Eddy Thorpe Official For NXT New Year's Evil". Fightful. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
18. Defelice, Robert (December 7, 2024). "Women's Iron Survivor Challenge Winner Crowned At NXT Deadline 2024". Fightful. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
19. Lambert, Jeremy (December 31, 2024). "NXT Women's North American Title Number One Contenders Bout Set For NXT New Year's Evil". Fightful. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
20. Lambert, Jeremy (December 31, 2024). "NXT Heritage Cup Match Official For NXT New Year's Evil". Fightful. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
21. Lambert, Jeremy (December 31, 2024). "Six-Woman Tag Team Bout Added To NXT New Year's Evil". Fightful. Retrieved January 1, 2025.

External links

• WWE NXT official website

• 2025 in professional wrestling
• January 2025 events in the United States
• Holidays themed professional wrestling shows
• WWE NXT
• 2020s American television specials