Je’Von Evans earned a future NXT Championship match by winning the Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge in the main event of NXT Deadline.
However, the night ended in chaos as Tony D’Angelo made a return to attack the winner.
Evans defeated Leon Slater, Joe Hendry, Dion Lennox, and Myles Borne to earn a title shot against Oba Femi at New Year’s Evil on January 6, 2026. The celebration was cut short when D’Angelo, who has been absent from NXT programming, laid out Evans and stared down the champion as the show went off the air.
Rules
The Iron Survivor Challenge features five competitors competing for 25 minutes. Two wrestlers begin the match, with a new entrant joining every five minutes. Points are awarded for pinfalls, submissions, or disqualifications, and the wrestler with the most points when the clock expires is declared the winner. Any wrestler who concedes a fall must spend 90 seconds in a penalty box.
The Match
TNA X Division Champion Leon Slater and Je’Von Evans began the contest, showcasing high-speed counters and athleticism. Evans secured the first point of the match just before the five-minute mark by pinning Slater following a hurricanrana.
Myles Borne entered third, followed by Dion Lennox at the 10-minute mark. Despite being rivals, Lennox and Borne briefly collaborated to execute a Doomsday Device on Slater. Lennox capitalized on the momentum to deliver a power slam to Evans, pinning him to tie the score at one point each.
Joe Hendry entered as the final participant, immediately rallying the crowd and delivering fallaway slams to multiple opponents. Hendry quickly scored a point by pinning Borne with a spinning slam.
The final stretch saw rapid scoring changes. Slater evened his score by hitting a 450 splash on Hendry. Shortly after, Borne utilized his Borne Again cutter to pin Lennox, creating a five-way tie with all competitors holding one point heading into the final minutes.
In a desperate move, Lennox trapped Evans inside the penalty box while the referee was distracted, locking him inside . Evans managed to climb out of the box and dive onto Lennox on the floor.
With seconds remaining, Hendry cleared Slater from the ring. Evans seized the opening, executing a roll-up on Borne to secure the deciding fall as time expired.
Following the match, NXT Champion Oba Femi appeared on the ramp to stare down his new challenger. The arena lights went out, and a vignette played on the screen showing a mysterious figure.
Oba Femi looks like he's seen a ghost…
Tony D'Angelo is back!!! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Eef3nEdJug
— WWE (@WWE) December 7, 2025
When the lights returned, Tony D’Angelo was standing in the ring behind Evans. D’Angelo planted Evans with a uranage before emptying a bag onto the fallen winner, pouring out pieces of the black object he had sent to General Manager Ava earlier in the week.
Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge Scoreboard
- Je’Von Evans: 2 points (Winner)
- Leon Slater: 1 point
- Joe Hendry: 1 point
- Dion Lennox: 1 point
- Myles Borne: 1 point
