Je'Von Evans put together the performance of a lifetime Sunday night at NXT Heatwave and nearly captured the NXT Championship, but thanks to what some may consider a controversial call, Oba Femi is still the man at the top of the mountain on Tuesday nights.
Evans has been wowing audiences ever since he first stepped foot in a WWE ring, and the 21-year-old appeared to have pulled off an all-time shocker in front of raucous Lowell, Massachusetts crowd that was ready to blow the roof off of the Memorial Auditorium.
Following an inadvertent referee bump, Evans connected on two midair cutters and had Femi down for more than three seconds. A second ref slid in the ring to make the count, but he was waved off by the original ref down on the floor, who noticed that Femi had slid his left foot under the bottom rope.
WE HAVE CONTROVERSY IN LOWELL!!
— WWE (@WWE) August 25, 2025
DID JE'VON EVANS WIN THE NXT CHAMPIONSHIP?!? pic.twitter.com/RJ8fp7BMdg
Femi was not about to waste the new life he had been gifted. The big man rose to his feet, grabbed Evans and threw him out of the ring where he crashed hard through the commentary desk.
Oba would quickly collect Evans off the pile of broken table pieces and cables and chucked him back into the ring. It was there that Je'Von was met with a massive Fall From Grace and Femi pinned him to retain the NXT Championship.
After the match came to a close, Ricky Saints would march down to the ring. He stood toe-to-toe with the NXT Champion to let him know who his next challenger will be.
WHAT.
— WWE (@WWE) August 25, 2025
AN.
ENDING.
OBA FEMI IS STILL THE NXT CHAMPION!!! pic.twitter.com/PUOPEmown4
The main event fight was an exhilarating finish to an action-packed night that also saw the Knockouts World Championship find its way back into the hands of someone from the TNA Wrestling roster. Ash by Elegance captured her first ever world title when she knocked off former champions Jacy Jayne and Masha Slamovich.
Jayne won the title off Slamovich back at Slammiversary in July, and she appeared to have her number again Sunday night, but Ash stole the victory by dragging Jacy out of the ring on a pinfall attempt and then nailing a senton on Masha.
New NXT Tag Team Champions were also crowned Sunday night as Dion Lennox and Osiris Griffin bested Hank and Tank to bring gold to the DarkState, Lola Vice is the new No. 1 Contender for the NXT Women's Championship and Blake Monroe scored a major win over Jordynne Grace.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!