WWE NXT New Year’s Evil 2025: The Rock Appears; Addresses Cody Rhodes Controversy

WWE NXT essentially ushered in a new era during the latest bygone New Year’s Evil episode that went down from the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles, California. The wild ride on The CW Network in the form of the gimmicked episode for the New Year saw top titles changing hands on the show while The Rock also made his presence felt throughout the episode.

Appearing on WWE NXT New Year’s Evil, The Rock closed out the show by talking about how important it was to visit NXT shows just as much as it is to go to main roster WWE events. He also responded to criticism regarding his praise of Cody Rhodes amid an ongoing rivalry with him since last year’s Wrestlemania.

WWE NXT Vengeance Day 2025 PLE Date And Venue Officially Announced

Rock praised Rhodes on Raw for what the latter has done in the last year, pointing out that people last year were asking why he was so mean to Cody, but for the time being, he’s being told not to be nice to him as stated by him on WWE NXT,

“The Rock is the Final Boss thinking twenty steps ahead, so the best thing for them to do is to know their role, shut their mouths, and enjoy the ride that The Rock is taking them on.”

WWE NXT: The Rock met Ethan Page at New Year’s Evil

Earlier on WWE NXT, The Rock also interrupted an argument between the GM of the show, also his daughter Ava, and Ethan Page. He told Page he had heard what he did to Je’Von Evans’ jaw and said that payback would be a b****. But Rock also told Page that if he needed anything, he could talk to him. He also told Page that while he’s the Final Boss, Ava is the Final Boss when it comes to WWE’s third brand.

In response, Ava asked The Rock what he would say later on WWE NXT. The Rock asked for advice as Ava said that while he might not know what he’d say out there but he would feel it through the NXT audience. The Rock said what he’d say would be right from the heart. As such, he ended the promo segment saying that these emerging talents could be headlining WrestleMania in the near future.

WWE NXT: Giulia Wins NXT Women’s Title On New Year’s Evil 2025 Episode