Seven-man main event crowns a new titleholder on NXT
Summary
– Joe Hendry wins the vacant NXT Championship on February 3
– Brutal seven-man ladder match headlines NXT television
– Title was vacated after Oba Femi’s call-up to the main roster
The NXT Championship has a new holder after a violent and unpredictable ladder match closed the February 3 episode of NXT.
The title was declared vacant after Oba Femi was called up to the main roster and left the championship in the ring at New Year’s Evil. Management later announced that a multi-man ladder match would decide the next champion.
Qualifying matches over the following weeks set the field, but the match ultimately expanded to seven competitors when Joe Hendry was attacked before his scheduled qualifier. Hendry was still added to the bout, turning the contest into a chaotic main event.
Ricky Saints, Shiloh Hill, Sean Legacy, Jackson Drake, Dion Lennox, Keanu Carver, and Joe Hendry all competed with the championship hanging above the ring. The match immediately broke down into all-out chaos, with ladders entering the fray within minutes.
Several standout moments defined the bout, including Keanu Carver tearing a ladder apart and Shiloh Hill attempting to use broken ladder pieces as makeshift stilts. Fans responded loudly as the match escalated, chanting in appreciation of the creativity and brutality on display.
As the match wore on, ladders piled up around the ringside, and bodies crashed in every direction. Multiple competitors came close to winning, with the championship nearly being claimed several times.
The final sequence saw Joe Hendry and Ricky Saints battling high above the ring. Hendry eventually knocked Saints off the ladder, sending him crashing through another ladder at ringside. Hendry then unhooked the championship to secure the victory.
Joe Hendry stood tall to close the show, holding the NXT Championship for the first time. With the title now in new hands, attention immediately turns to what kind of champion Hendry will become and how his reign will compare to the legacy left behind by Oba Femi.
