On the September 23, 2025 episode of WWE NXT, Ricky Saints secured the number one contender position for the NXT Championship by defeating Josh Briggs. Saints will challenge current NXT Champion Oba Femi at the NXT No Mercy event set for September 27, 2025. This pivotal match marks a significant step in Saints’s rising career within the WWE landscape.
Deciding the Next Challenger: Saints vs. Briggs
NXT General Manager Ava Raine arranged the contender’s match after Josh Briggs interrupted Ricky Saints’s opening promo, prompting Raine to settle their differences inside the ring. The match lasted nearly 13 intense minutes, culminating in Saints pinning Briggs following a tornado DDT. Saints’s victory earned him a title shot, fittingly following Femi’s successful defense against Je’Von Evans at the previous NXT PLE Heatwave event.
Following his win, Saints openly challenged Oba Femi, leading to a heated exchange between the two. The confrontation was abruptly ended when the villainous faction DarkState attacked both men. Fortunately, teammates Hank & Tank intervened, assisting Saints and Femi. The rivalry developed further as it was confirmed the following week the champion and challenger, alongside Hank & Tank, will team up to face DarkState’s Dion Lennox, Cutler James, Saquon Shugars, and Osiris Griffin in an eight-man tag team match.
Ricky Saints’s Journey in NXT So Far
Ricky Saints joined WWE in February 2025, transitioning from AEW, where he performed since June 2020. His initial storyline in NXT involved a feud with Ethan Page. Saints made his debut on February 25, teaming with Je’Von Evans to defeat Page and Wes Lee. Quickly rising through the ranks, Saints captured his first title by defeating Shawn Spears on April 1, 2025, to become the NXT North American Champion.
The rivalry between Saints and Page intensified as Saints defended his North American title successfully against Page at Stand & Deliver on April 19. However, at the May 27 episode of NXT, Page reclaimed the championship by defeating Saints. Although Page remains the reigning North American Champion, Saints had another opportunity to regain the title during a Falls Count Anywhere match at The Great American Bash but was unsuccessful.
Now positioned as the top contender for the NXT Championship, Saints continues to solidify his presence in the promotion’s upper echelon as he prepares to face Oba Femi. The outcomes of these key confrontations will shape the future narratives within NXT and could elevate Saints’s standing significantly.
