NXT vs. TNA Showdown

NXT vs. TNA Showdown
Promotion(s)	WWE Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Brand	NXT
Date	October 7, 2025
City	Orlando, Florida
Venue	WWE Performance Center
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NXT vs. TNA Showdown (also stylized as ShoWdown) was a professional wrestling television special co-produced by WWE and partner promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) for wrestlers from WWE's NXT brand division and TNA. The event took place on October 7, 2025, at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida and aired live as a special episode of NXT on The CW. It featured direct competition between wrestlers from both companies.

The special was originally named Invasion, reviving the "Invasion" event name from 2001, however, due to controversy regarding the name and date coinciding with the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks in Southern Israel in 2023, WWE changed the name to Showdown.

Four matches were contested at the event. The event featured two NXT vs. TNA themed Survivor Series style elimination matches, with one each for the men and women. The main event was the men's match where Team TNA (Mike Santana, Frankie Kazarian, Moose, and Leon Slater) defeated Team NXT (Ricky Saints, Trick Williams, Je'Von Evans, and Myles Borne) with Joe Hendry serving as special guest referee, while for the women's match, Team NXT (Jacy Jayne, Jaida Parker, Sol Ruca, and Lola Vice) defeated Team TNA (Kelani Jordan, Jessie McKay, Cassie Lee, and Mara Sadè) with Jordynne Grace serving as the special guest referee. In another prominent match which was the opening bout, TNA World Tag Team Champions The Hardy Boyz (Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy) defeated NXT Tag Team Champions DarkState (Dion Lennox and Osiris Griffin) in a Winners Take All match to retain their TNA title and win NXT's, becoming the first TNA-contracted wrestlers to win a WWE title.

Production

Background

In January 2024, the American professional wrestling promotions WWE and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) began working with each other, leading to an official partnership in January 2025, providing more opportunities for wrestlers from WWE's NXT brand and TNA. ^[1] After weeks of storylines on television that saw NXT and TNA wrestlers "invading" shows and fighting each other, on September 27, 2025, during the NXT No Mercy event, NXT General Manager Ava announced NXT vs. TNA Invasion, a special episode of NXT on The CW, reviving the Invasion name from 2001. It was scheduled for October 7, 2025, and to be held at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. ^[2] However, the show was rebranded as Showdown due to the show's name and date sparking controversy relating to the October 7 attacks in southern Israel from 2023. ^[3]

This episode aired head-to-head against All Elite Wrestling's Homecoming: Title Tuesday special of Dynamite on TBS and HBO Max due to a scheduling conflict with Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason games in its regular time slot on TNT Sports channels. ^[4]

Storylines

The event included matches that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by the writers of the participating promotions, ^{[5] [6]} while storylines were produced on WWE’s weekly television program, NXT and TNA's weekly television program, Impact! , following WWE and TNA signing a multi-year partnership in January 2025. ^{[1] [7]}

At NXT: Homecoming on September 16, Raw's Grayson Waller hosted a special edition of his talk show The Grayson Waller Effect featuring NXT Champion Oba Femi and his No Mercy challenger Ricky Saints. However, they were all interrupted by TNA World Champion Trick Williams, who lost the NXT Championship to Femi at NXT: New Year's Evil in January and had since vowed to regain it. Williams demanded another title match, with Waller then proposing a Winner Takes All match between Femi and Williams, which both men agreed to and the match was made official. ^[8] During the event, several TNA wrestlers voiced their displeasure on X after the announcement of the match. The following week, the match ended in a disqualification victory for Williams after he attacked Mike Santana, who was slated to challenge Williams for his title at TNA's flagship show Bound for Glory, which prompted Santana to attack Williams. Following this, a brawl ensued between NXT and TNA wrestlers as the show went off the air. ^[9] At No Mercy—where Saints defeated Femi to win the NXT Championship—NXT General Manager Ava announced a special episode of NXT titled Invasion that would take place on October 7, with two Survivor Series-style matches, pitting four NXT men and women against four TNA men and women, respectively. ^[10] Ava and TNA Director of Authority Santino Marella announced the teams on the September 30 episode of NXT, where it was also revealed that the special was renamed as Showdown. Ava named Saints as NXT's men's team captain and NXT Women's Champion Jacy Jayne as the women's team captain. Williams and Je'Von Evans were subsequently added to the men's team while the last spot was determined by a match where Myles Borne defeated Josh Briggs. For the women's team, Jaida Parker and NXT Women's North American Champion and WWE Women's Speed Champion Sol Ruca were added to the team, while the last spot was determined by a match where Lola Vice defeated Fallon Henley. Marella then named Santana as TNA's men's team captain, and TNA Knockouts World Champion Kelani Jordan as TNA's women's team captain, despite Jordan being an NXT wrestler. Later, the rest of TNA's men's team was announced to include TNA International Champion Frankie Kazarian, Moose, and TNA X Division Champion Leon Slater, while the women's team was announced to include The IInspiration (Cassie Lee and Jessie McKay) and Mara Sadè. Also on the same episode, Jordan and Santana stated that they did not trust NXT's Jordynne Grace and TNA's Joe Hendry as Grace was previously from TNA, and Hendry, despite still a TNA wrestler, made constant appearances in NXT. Both then stated that they should be involved at Showdown in some capacity, ^[11] however, after neither were chosen by either of the teams, both voiced their displeasure on X. Two days later, Ava announced that Grace would be the special guest referee for the women's match, ^[12] with Marella subsequently making Hendry the special guest referee for the men's match. ^[13]

At No Mercy, NXT General Manager Ava announced that at Showdown, a Winners Take All match between TNA World Tag Team Champions The Hardys (Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy) and NXT Tag Team Champions DarkState (Dion Lennox and Osiris Griffin) would take place, and after the brawl on the September 23 episode of NXT, Ava also announced that everyone would be banned from ringside. ^[10]

On the September 30 episode of NXT, Ethan Page discussed his successful NXT North American Championship defense at No Mercy, until he was interrupted by TNA wrestler Mustafa Ali, who reminded Page that he was still owed a title match he initially earned prior to his release from WWE in September 2023. Ali also revealed that after speaking with NXT General Manager Ava and TNA Director of Authority Santino Marella, that he would challenge Page for the title at Showdown. ^[11]

Controversy

See also: October 7 attacks and International reactions to the Gaza war

The event's initial name of "NXT Invasion" garnered controversy in both Israel and amongst the Jewish diaspora as it was being held on October 7, ^[14] coinciding with the second anniversary of the attacks by Hamas and its allied militants which were described by The Washington Post as an "invasion". ^[15] Jonathan Duschnitzky of the Israel Hayom newspaper wrote: "The choice of the name and the date – a day when Israel commemorates the memory of the massacre from October 7, 2023 – is viewed as extreme insensitivity". ^[16] The executive chairman of WWE's parent company, TKO Group Holdings, Ari Emanuel's father served in the Irgun paramilitary group which contributed to the foundation of Israel, and was also responsible for the King David Hotel bombing in 1946 and the Deir Yassin massacre against the Palestinian Arab population in 1948. ^{[17] [18] [19]} Concerns were also raised that the Invasion name would invoke memories of the October 7 invasion of Afghanistan which began after the 2001 September 11 attacks.

While WWE did change the name of the special, it has not been explicitly stated if Duschnitzky's comments and other concerns were the reason. ^[3]

Results

No.	Results	Stipulations	Times [20]
1	The Hardy Boyz (Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy) (TNA) defeated DarkState (Dion Lennox and Osiris Griffin) (NXT) by pinfall	Winners Take All match for the TNA World Tag Team Championship and the NXT Tag Team Championship [21] Everyone was banned from ringside.	10:44
2	Team NXT (Jacy Jayne, Jaida Parker, Sol Ruca, and Lola Vice) defeated Team TNA (Kelani Jordan, Jessie McKay, Cassie Lee, and Mara Sadè)	4-on-4 women's Survivor Series style elimination match [21] Jordynne Grace was the special guest referee.	23:11
3	Ethan Page (c) defeated Mustafa Ali by pinfall	Singles match for the NXT North American Championship [21]	14:19
4	Team TNA (Mike Santana, Frankie Kazarian, Moose, and Leon Slater) defeated Team NXT (Ricky Saints, Trick Williams, Je'Von Evans, and Myles Borne)	4-on-4 men's Survivor Series style elimination match [21] Joe Hendry was the special guest referee.	22:49
(c)  – the champion(s) heading into the match

Survivor Series style elimination matches

Team

  – NXT

  – TNA

Women's

Eliminated	Wrestler	Eliminated by	Method	Time
1	Jaida Parker	Mara Sadè	Pinfall	12:59
2	Mara Sadè	Sol Ruca	Pinfall	13:19
3	Cassie Lee	Lola Vice	Pinfall	19:07
4	Jessie McKay		Submission	19:26
5	Lola Vice	Kelani Jordan	Pinfall	21:21
6	Kelani Jordan	Jacy Jayne	Pinfall	23:11
Survivor(s)	Jacy Jayne and Sol Ruca (Team NXT)

Men's

Eliminated	Wrestler	Eliminated by	Method	Time
1	Myles Borne	Frankie Kazarian	Pinfall	2:21
2	Je'Von Evans	Leon Slater	Pinfall	11:14
3	Trick Williams	N/A	Walked out	17:10
4	Frankie Kazarian	Ricky Saints	Pinfall	17:50
5	Leon Slater		Pinfall	19:07
6	Ricky Saints	Mike Santana	Pinfall	22:49
Survivor(s)	Mike Santana and Moose (Team TNA)

References

1. "WWE & TNA Wrestling announce multi-year partnership". WWE . January 16, 2025. Archived from the original on January 16, 2025.
2. Thompson, Andrew (September 27, 2025). "NXT-TNA Invasion Special Set For October 7th; Men's & Women's Survivor Series-Style Matches, Hardys vs. DarkState In Double Title Match, Oba Femi vs. Trick Williams Made Official". Fightful. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
3. Thomas, Jeremy (September 30, 2025). "Next Week's NXT Special Renamed To NXT vs. TNA Showdown". 411Mania. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
4. Schneiderman, Miles (September 27, 2025). "WWE NXT GM Ava Announces TNA Invasion TV Special For Same Night As AEW Title Tuesday". Wrestling Inc. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
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. "WWE & TNA Wrestling announce multi-year partnership". TNA. January 16, 2025.
8. Moore, John (September 16, 2025). "NXT Homecoming results (9/16): Moore's review of DIY vs. Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes, Fatal Influence vs. Rhea Ripley, Stephanie Vaquer, and Lyra Valkyria". Pro Wrestling Dot Net . Retrieved September 16, 2025.
9. Moore, John (September 23, 2025). "NXT TV results (9/23): Moore's review of NXT Champion Oba Femi vs. TNA World Champion Trick Williams in a title vs. title match, final hype for NXT No Mercy". Pro Wrestling Dot Net . Retrieved September 23, 2025.
10. Moore, John (September 27, 2025). "NXT No Mercy results: Moore's live review of Oba Femi vs. Ricky Saints for the NXT Championship, Jacy Jayne vs. Lola Vice for the NXT Women's Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net . Retrieved September 27, 2025.
11. Moore, John (September 30, 2025). "NXT TV results (9/30): Moore's review of Ava announcing the participants in the TNA vs. NXT elimination matches, Jaida Parker vs. Lash Legend, No Mercy fallout". Pro Wrestling Dot Net . Retrieved September 30, 2025.
12. Lambert, Jeremy (October 4, 2025). "Jordynne Grace To Be Special Guest Referee In Women's Match At NXT vs. TNA Showdown". Fightful. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
13. Lambert, Jeremy (October 5, 2025). "Joe Hendry Named Special Guest Referee For Men's NXT vs. TNA Elimination Match At Showdown". Fightful. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
14. Jaffa, Jacob (September 30, 2025). "WWE hit with Israeli backlash after 'Invasion' show announced for October 7". The Jewish Chronicle . Retrieved September 30, 2025.
15. Morris, Loveday; Suliman, Adela (July 11, 2024). "Israeli military says it failed to protect Gaza border town on Oct. 7" . The Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024. The Israeli military on Thursday released the results of its first internal probe into the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, admitting to major failings in the defense of Kibbutz Beeri, a hard-hit town on the Gaza border ... Those questions include why military forces gathered at the gate of the kibbutz for hours without entering, the root causes of the intelligence failure that permitted Hamas's invasion and whether the soldiers who arrived understood that their primary objective was to protect civilians.
16. Duschnitzky, Jonathan (September 28, 2025). "WWE's new 'invasion' event on October 7 anniversary stuns many". Israel Hayom . Retrieved September 30, 2025.
17. "Ari Emanuel Condemns Netanyahu, Drawing Boos at Jewish Group's Gala". The New York Times . May 23, 2025. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
18. Scherer, Michael (November 13, 2008). "Rahm Emanuel's Father Problem". Time Magazine . Retrieved October 1, 2025.
19. Dikbayır, Mehmet (June 30, 2025). "Before Gaza: When Zionist militias introduced political violence in Palestine". TRT World . Retrieved October 4, 2025.
20. Moore, John (October 7, 2025). "NXT TV results (10/7): Moore's review of NXT Showdown with The Hardys vs. Dark State for the TNA and NXT Tag Team Titles, men's and women's TNA vs. NXT elimination matches". Pro Wrestling Dot Net . Retrieved October 7, 2025.
21. "Showdown results, Oct. 7, 2025: Trick Williams walks out as Team NXT implodes against Team TNA". WWE . October 7, 2025. Retrieved October 8, 2025.