Oba Femi defeated Je’Von Evans to complete his ninth defense of the NXT Championship in the main event of Heatwave.
Femi has reigned with the title for 230 days after dethroning Trick Williams in a triple threat also including Eddy Thorpe at New Year’s Evil. Since then, he defended the title in another triple threat also including Evans and Trick Williams at Stand & Deliver, and Evans making it clear in the months since that he felt he could beat the champion one-on-one. He secured that opportunity on Tuesday against Williams, despite being sent through the announcer’s desk from the ring, though that spot had done evident damage to him ahead of the eventual title bout.
Femi dominated over Evans in the match, seeking to take advantage of the damage done to Evans’ torso, but the challenger proved to be impervious throughout. The challenger would fight back in spurts, and while Femi had his number for the most part there were moments towards the end where the champion notably slipped. That allowed Evans to deliver several cutters and his finisher, going for the cover and getting the full three-count.
However, it was pointed out that the Femi had his foot beneath the ropes when the count was made, and thus the match continued. Evans sought to press for the win, but Femi saw him coming and avoided the top rope maneuver, launching him into the announcer’s desk in a similar manner as before. Femi then brought him into the ring to deliver his finisher and secure the winning pinfall.
As the champion celebrated his defense, Ricky Saints emerged to confront him as the show went off air. The pair could be heard jibing at one another, with Saints saying he will be the one to beat him and he needs the title, while Femi said he would find out that he is “just another guy.”
