The earlier announced Invasion special episode will now go by NXT Showdown 2025, next Wednesday, with the theme being WWE NXT talent competing in cross-brand matches with the TNA wrestling talents. Before WWE officially started calling the episode Showdown, WrestleVotes was the first to report that the Invasion name was no longer intact.
The name change to NXT Showdown 2025 was related to the outrage of fans and media in Israel. One commentator in the country called the decision “stupidity and insensitivity” on WWE’s part, saying that the choice of date and name prompts questioning and reflection as October 7 marks the second anniversary of the 2023 Hamas attacks in Israel.
WWE NXT Showdown 2025: New Cross-Brand Title Match Set For NXT vs. TNA Show
That incident killed 1200 people and began the current war in Gaza, a sensitive global issue. Some also reportedly weren’t unhappy with the logo used: a red letter V as it “unintentionally resembles the downward-facing red triangle used as a Hamas symbol.” To rectify things, WWE has pulled the Invasion term and is promoting NXT Showdown 2025 instead, starting from last night.
Since the Invasion announcement came on last weekend’s No Mercy premium live event, the name and logo were the same as those used during the WWE vs. WCW pay-per-view Invasion from 2001. References to the infamous PPV name have now disappeared from both the WWE and TNA websites, alongside the social media posts, as soon as NXT Showdown 2025 is being promoted. As of this writing, the show is simply being referred to as “next week’s special event.”
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NXT Showdown 2025 will run alongside AEW Dynamite’s special “Title Tuesday” episode, and henceforth, WWE will have to load things up. It will feature Survivor Series-style matches for both men’s and women’s talents on the roster and a Winner Takes All Match between The Hardy Boyz and DarkState for the TNA and NXT Tag Team Championships.
WWE NXT Showdown 2025 match card
WWE will present the NXT Showdown 2025 episode in the form of an NXT vs. TNA theme on Tuesday, October 7, at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The announced matches for the weekly episode go as follows,
– Oba Femi vs. TNA World Champion Trick Williams (everyone is banned from ringside & there must be a winner)
– Title for Title Winners Take All Match: NXT Tag Team Champions DarkState vs. TNA World Tag Team Champions The Hardy Boyz (Matt & Jeff Hardy)
– NXT North American Title Match: Ethan Page (c) vs. Mustafa Ali
– Men’s Survivor Series Match: Team NXT (Ricky Starks, Trick Williams, Myles Borne, and Je’Von Evans) vs. Team TNA (Mike Santana, Frankie Kazarian, Moose, and Leon Slater)
– Women’s Survivor Series Match: Team NXT (Jacy Jayne, Sol Ruca, Jaida Parker, and Lola Vice) vs. Team TNA (Kelani Jordan, The IInspiration, and Mara Sade)