NXT Halloween Havoc has come and gone, and the powerhouses of the brand remain largely the same. Bron Breakker and Mandy Rose retained their gold and will look forward to future challengers.
The October 25 edition of WWE NXT was focused on the tag team gold. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter would face their most talented challengers to date in Nikkita Lyons and Zoey Stark.
Malik Blade and Edris Enofé were the major underdogs in a match against NXT tag team champions Pretty Deadly.
Shotzi would wrestle in an NXT ring for the first time in over a year, facing the loudmouth Lash Legend, who tried to ruin her Halloween celebration. Joe Gacy would also unmask the newest member of The Schism.
Following an action-packed Saturday show, NXT needed to keep looking forward to a bright future for this young talented roster.
NXT Women's Tag Titles: Chance and Carter (c) vs. Lyons and Stark
1 OF 7
After an action-packed opening, Zoey Stark rolled up Katana Chance as the non-legal woman to seemingly get the three count. The match had to be reset. Chance and Kayden Carter hit the 450 splash neckbreaker on Nikkita Lyons to win.
This booking was a little too cute, distracting from the action. However, the women did what they could in this environment. It was a fun battle of popular teams where both teams came out looking dangerous for a future match.
Chance and Carter needed to keep the titles. They have just started this title reign and have plenty more to learn in the spotlight. Stark and Lyons remain important figures for NXT, who will get more shots at gold soon.
Result
Chance and Carter def. Stark and Lyons after a restart by pinfall to retain the NXT Women's Tag Team Championships.
Grade
B
Notable Moments
- After the reset, Chance nearly took the win off a top rope Spanish Fly to Stark.
- Lyons caught Carter with a roundhouse kick and split-leg drop, but Chance broke up the pin.
R-Truth Celebrates Wes Lee's NXT North American Championship Win
2 OF 7
Wes Lee tried to talk to the fans about his heartfelt reaction to winning the NXT North American Championship.
Grayson Waller interrupted followed by R-Truth, who still thought it was Halloween Havoc. Waller challenged Truth to a match then got laid out by Truth and Lee.
This was a fun segment, carried by the comedic timing of Truth. He has been missed in recent months, mostly working WWE Main Event. No one is better at selling absurdity.
It would have been nice to see more focus on Lee as NXT North American champion. Hopefully, that will come. He typically is better at telling his stories in the ring rather than on the mic.
Grade
C+
Notable Moments
- Truth said Waller had a British accent then pulled out his own accent. The crowd loved this and refused to believe Waller for British.
- A video package was shown for Dominik Dijakovic, who burned the T-Bar mask. Honestly, Dijakovic might be too good for NXT, but he definitely needed a reset.
- Apollo Crews put over Waller and gladly looked to move forward toward the NXT Championship. He was waiting to hear from Bron Breakker next week.
Shotzi vs. Lash Legend
3 OF 7
Shotzi dominated Lash Legend throughout this match. She put her away with the Never Wake Up.
Luckily, this was not too long because it was not good. While Shotzi is talented, she is not a veteran that can carry green talent. She struggled to find any chemistry with Legend.
Once again, Legend loses a match but remains on TV nearly weekly. It might do her some good to be taken off television for a couple months to train and come back feeling fresh. There are plenty more women that can use that spotlight.
Result
Shotzi def. Legend by pinfall.
Grade
D-
Notable Moments
- Quincy Elliott introduced Shotzi and watched this match from ringside.
- Brutus and Julius Creed came out ready for a fight with Damon Kemp. Kemp told them he was not medically cleared. Veer Mahaan and Sanga laid The Creed Brothers out.
NXT Tag Team Titles: Pretty Deadly (c) vs. Malik Blade and Edris Enofé
4 OF 7
Edris Enofé and Malik Blade fought Elton Prince and Kit Wilson move for move early, not allowing the champions to treat them as underdogs. However, even with their best fight, Blade fell to Spilt Milk, allowing Pretty Deadly to retain.
This was easily the best match of the night and should have been the main event on Tag Team Title Tuesday. It was a great spot to put over Blade and Enofé, who looked like real challengers in this moment.
The crowd was fully behind the challengers, who could very well have worked their way into a future title run. For now, Pretty Deadly continue to put on shows every week to keep this tag team division hot.
Result
Pretty Deadly def. Blade and Enofé by pinfall to retain the NXT Tag Team Championships.
Grade
A-
Notable Moments
- Enofé hyped up Blade ahead of their title match. Pretty Deadly did not sound too worried about their underdog opponents just before heading to the ring.
- Enofé and Blade cleared the ring against Pretty Deadly multiple times, which fazed the champions and forced them to answer back.
- Blade pulled off a Montez Ford with an impressive dive over the steel post.
- Toxic Attraction Facetimed each other. Mandy Rose announced the group would celebrate the group's one-year anniversary next week. This was awkwardly scripted.
- Odyssey Jones drove into the parking lot with a group of girls and picked up Enofé and Blade for a party.
The Schism Reveals the Newest Member: Ava Raine
5 OF 7
The Schism came out in matching yellow masks, one by one removing those masks. Joe Gacy, Rip Fowler and Jagger Reid all talked about what this group means. Finally, Ava Raine revealed herself and accepted the embrace of The Schism.
Sometimes, all a stable truly needs is a fresh member, and the inclusion of Raine makes this group far more interesting. She is a young talent that WWE is invested in pushing as far as she can go as The Rock's eldest daughter.
If she is ready to perform, she can add a fresh face to the women's division while helping keep the odds firmly in Gacy's favor when he needs it. The Schism is still a group that has a solid upside but has not done enough to stand out yet.
Grade
B
Notable Moments
- Zoey Stark was angry about the result in the opener and promised Nikkita Lyons that they would win when they got their rematch.
Indi Hartwell vs. Sol Ruca
6 OF 7
Indi Hartwell made quick work of Sol Ruca, finishing her off with a forearm to the back of the head. Afterward, Elektra Lopez returned to lay out both women.
It was a pleasant surprise to see Hartwell win here after some rough months, but not much was accomplished in this segment. Ruca got squashed with no offense, and Hartwell did not truly show whether she was turning heel or just working more aggressive.
The win was also hurt by the arrival of Lopez, who took away from Hartwell's spotlight. While it is nice to see La Madrina is still working after Legado del Fantasma replaced her, she has a lot of work to do in order to come off as a big deal.
Result
Hartwell def. Ruca by pinfall.
Grade
D
Notable Moments
- Before the match, Hartwell warned Ruca that she was not ready for the big time yet.
- Duke Hudson told Andre Chase that Bodhi Hayward would not make it to class then made sure to make a good impression on The Professor with his attitude. Honestly, this was one of the funniest Chase U segments to date.
- Someone left a message to the WWE Performance Center, promising to destroy everyone, signed as SCRIPTS.
- Roxanne Perez promised to stay true to herself after seeing her dark side come out against Cora Jade.
Ilja Dragunov vs. JD McDonagh
7 OF 7
Ilja Dragunov struggled to breathe during this match due to injuries he suffered at Halloween Havoc. JD McDonagh caught The Czar running and trapped him in a bodyscissors crossface.
The referee had to stop the match as Dragunov passed out from the pain. The Czar was bloodied and had to be stretchered out as McDonagh smiled.
McDonagh's kayfabe rib injury slowed this match down to start with little time left afterward to put on the classic these two are capable of delivering. However, the story was very well told.
Finally, The Necessary Evil came off as the ruthless villain he has played himself up to be. He sent Dragunov to the hospital with ruthless precision.
It would have been helpful to do this before the matches with Bron Breakker to sell how dangerous McDonagh can be. Hopefully, more of this is to come in his presentation if he is going to come off as a top threat in NXT.
Result
McDonagh def. Dragunov by referee stoppage.
Grade
B+
Notable Moments
- In pre-taped videos, Dragunov promised to put down McDonagh for good while The Necessary Evil wanted to make him suffer for costing him the NXT Championship.
- Dragunov's ribs gave out on him as he spun through the ropes, and officials had to come down to check on The Czar. Once he was cleared, McDonagh focused heavily on the injury with his offense.
- The Czar caught The Necessary Evil with an enzuigiri and diving knee drop then went for a diving senton but landed on McDonagh's knees.
- Dragunov hit a superplex then a running low forearm but was slow to react due to his injuries and could not get the pinfall
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