“Next Jeff Hardy” wins Iron Survivor Challenge and becomes number one contender WWE NXT Deadline 2025

A young superstar who many affectionately refer to as the “next Jeff Hardy” has officially won the Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge and is now the number one contender to the NXT Championship.

At NXT Deadline 2025, John Cena chose the men and women who would go to war in the Iron Survivor Challenge. His selection of Kendal Gray proved fruitful as the the young star upset a much more experienced playing field to become the number one contender to the NXT Women’s Title. On the men’s side, there were Myles Borne, Dion Lennox, Leon Slater, Joe Hendry and the young man many refer to as the next Jeff Hardy: Je’Von Evans.

The following Jeff Hardy would prove exactly why some have given him that nickname, even beating the odds when the official assigned to open the penalty area was taken out. He stepped into the penalty box and escaped in dramatic fashion, and with the score tied 1-1-1-1-1, Je’Von Evans came in during the literal final seconds of the game to win the Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge. He will get another crack at Oba Femi, the man he failed to dethrone earlier this year.

However, Evans’ celebration was cut short because as Oba Femi looked him down, a video was played showing a blurry figure walking along the side of a road. As the arena faded to black, we saw the return of Tony D’Angelo, who also happens to be the only man to pin Oba Femi, along with Ricky Saints.

Femi looked like he had seen a ghostand Tony D’Angelo refused Evans’ handshake – taking him out and making a statement of intent – will go after the NXT Championship regardless of whether Femi or Evans is the champion at the end of New Year’s Eve.