WWE Performance Center Orlando, Florida
We’re back for week 2 of Halloween Havoc! The show begins with Shotzi and Scarlett dressed as Ghostbusters. Dan Akroyd and Bill Murray never looked so good.
New Years Day open the proceedings as well with another mean tune!
Tables, Ladders and Scares Match
The Creed Brothers w/Ivy Nile vs. Humberto Carillo/Angel Garza
Background:
I don’t even know what began this other than both teams battling for a shot at the NXT Tag Team Titles recently, perhaps I missed something. It feels like another shoe-horn feud.
The Match:
Early on the Creeds put them both through a table! This is 24 hours after the Creeds won their WWE Monday Night RAW debut against Alpha Academy, which is a feud everybody expected. The Creeds dominated early.
Humberto and Angel hit a double press slam onto a ladder across stairs on Julius, then a crazy move off the top to the outside on Brutus through a table. Absolutely MENTAL spot! Great missle dropkick from Garzea on Brutus on a steel chair. Julius gets powerbombed on a ladder in the corner – kicks out. Creeds surely lose this and go to the Main Roster.
Julius hit a wild dive to the outside, it just kept getting crazier, it was a great start to the show. Angel Garza went through a table on the outside that looked like it hit hard. Brutus and Julius hit the doomsday Brutus Bomb on Carillo through a table on the outside to win the match.
Aftermath:
The Creed Brothers win the match and surely set themselves to leave NXT.
Winner/s: The Creed Brothers in 14:03.
Finally there’s a sighting of Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn! With Shotzi and Scarlett backstage and it appears the girls are looking to cause some mayhem. It appears they will be taking over hosting duties for this weeks show.
Joe Gacy Promo
Joe, who has been a little lost in the shuffle for a while cuts a promo that makes as much sense as it’s supposed to. Which means I generally have no idea what he’s talking about, but Ava wasn’t with him so I am assuming he has been left high and dry by Schism.
Singles Match
Tiffany Stratton vs. Fallon Henley
Background:
This feud started kind of out of no where, but Fallon impersonated Tiffany last week at Night 1 of Halloween Havoc. I know they have to create issues between people here and there but when they come across so forced, it doesn’t mean a whole lot.
The Match:
Tiffany attacked Fallon early and destroyed her knee on the ring post, locked in a figure 4 on the ring post, and the referee calls it off and they rush to the next segment….?
Aftermath:
I guess they are low on time, because that was a ridiculously short amount of time to spend on this segment. That was disappointing. It was Tiffy time a few months ago, now she gets an injury angle for her match on this special?
Winner: No Contest.
Noam Dar and Meta-Four go to a Haunted House where apparently Akira Tozawa has Noam’s stupid trophy. Why Akira suddenly has this spot is ridiculous to me considering he didn’t win 1 match in the Heritage Cup Invitational. They enter the house and it’s scary and they run scared. Hokey but fun.
NXT North American Championship Match
Dominik Mysterio w/Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Nathan Frazer
Background:
Over some stupid interaction they had backstage 2-3 weeks ago, where Nathan took exception with Dom cheating to win or whatever, they brawled the following week, another cut and paste, then Nathan had a segment last week called Hard Hitting Home Truths where he did his best John Oliver impression, and for their reviewer, it didn’t hit the mark because at least John Oliver is funny.
The Match:
Hopefully Dom wins. Don’t get me wrong, Nathan is fast, athletic, but his characters personality annoys the hell out of me. Huge back and forth with these two.
Nathan dives on Dom to the outside, went for a Phoenix Splash, but Dom cut him off! To Frazer’s credit he hit a swift superplex and showed some more ability to make the match dramatic. Frazer reversed a 619 attempt with a superkick. Phoenix Splash attempt is foiled as hes shoved off the top rope to the outside and his skull richochets off the announce table. Frog Splash from Dom and he wins.
Aftermath:
This should be over after this. Dominik to lose the belt next PLE. Wes Lee unfortunately returned to attack Dom and clearly has sights on the belt. Trading one bland babyface for another!
Winner: STILL NXT North American Champion, Dominik Mysterio in 10:26.
Andre Chase backstage with Jacy Jane
Jacy wants see Andre to help her cheat to win the WWE Women’s Tag Titles. The Family miraculously show up wanting a rematch, and the segment ends with Alba and Isla gigging and looking cute, especially Isla. Christ.
We come back from commercial break and Jakara Jackson is scared looking for the Heritage Cup. Scary stuff happens. Hokey, yet again, it’s fun. Oro Mensah gets killed by Akira, then it’s Lash Legends turn to lose her shit, before she is also murdered.
Singles Match
Mr. Stone vs. Bron Breakker
Background:
Bron caved the head in of Von Wagner, Mr. Stone’s client some time ago with Steel Stairs. Von is in recovery but Robert Stone was so mad he challenged Bron to match this week! This should be interesting, or, it’ll be a squash.
The Match:
For those unaware, Robert Stone is Robbie E from TNA. Bron beats on Robert early. Huge toss from the corner on Robert by Bron. Bron set him up and speared the hell out of him and won easily! Damn. Was hoping for a little shine for Mr. Stone.
Aftermath:
Von Wagner came out as Bron went to do to Robert what he did to Von on the stairs. Von chokeslamed Bron on Steel Stairs! Bron escaped Von doing the same to him, and ran off. I am sure this will blow off at the next NXT special and then Bron gets to the Main Roster.
Winner: Bron Breakker in 2:38.
Out the Mud Promo
They’re some of a new grouping in NXT, they been around a while, they stake their claim on what they want to do in NXT.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match
Chelsea Green & Piper Niven (c) vs. Thea Hale/Jacy Jane
Background:
Lazily last week Chelsea and Piper just walked upto Chase U to antagonize them and Thea and Jacy challenged them for the titles tonight. Imagine they didn’t do that? They wouldn’t have been stuck in this situation otherwise.
The Match:
Thea and Jacy attack during the champions entrance. Thea and Jacy dominate early as we hit commercial break. Piper was in charge of Thea, but misses a cannonball, tried to overpower Thea, but copped a DDT. Hot tag to Jacy, who hit her own cannonball to Chelsea. Jacy and Chelsea really worked well together. Jacy goes to cheat with Andres title belt, I’m Prettier by Chelsea and the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champs retain. That was good, but quick.
Aftermath:
The story with Jacy and Andre continues, this is about whos heel and babyface during this story with Jacy and Chase U. Thankfully the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions got to defend their titles for the first time since July.
Winner/s: STILL WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, Chelsea Green & Piper Niven in 8:58.
Lexis King interview with McKenzie Mitchell
Lexis is dressed exactly like his father, hilarious. He’s real arrogant, acting pretty much exactly like his father. This worked for me, he will grow more as a talker, but I am pretty sure he was decent at this kind of thing in MLW. We just never got to see this side of him in AEW.
NXT Womens Breakout Tournament Finals
Kelani Jordan vs. Lola Vice
Background:
This has been built for weeks now, Lola and Kelani were super obvious choices for the finals. Kelani defeated Izzi Dame and Arianna Grace on her way to the finals here, and Lola Vice defeated Dani Palmer and Karmen Petrovic along her way, pretty decisively.
The Match:
Could we not get through the finals without an advert break? Typical kind of back and forth here between these two, Kelani surely gets the win here! Great High Voltage from Kelani. Elektra got involved, Lola Vice hit the spin kick and damn I was wrong! Lola wins! That was very quick as well, and unexpected. Lola had been winning quite easily up till the finals, and this was the first time Elektra got involved and it immediately helped Lola win the whole tournament.
Aftermath:
The sky is the limit for both young ladies, they both have the ‘it factor’, although I thought Kelani is a lot more marketable, especially to younger female fans.
Winner: 2023 NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament Champion, Lola Vice in 6:56.
Noam Dar is at the Haunted House and he finds his stupidly large and heavy trophy and he’s so glad to find it, and he licks it. This was all so cheesy, it amuses me. He’s given Tozawa a title shot next week, and to end it, he gets eaten alive.
Robert and Von Wagner are backstage screaming about Bron Breakker who wants to fight Bron next week. He gets so mad that his skull aches. I love that clearly he can’t be cleared to wrestle yet within the next 5 minutes the match graphic is show as we get towards the main event!
NXT Championship Match
Ilja Dragunov (c) vs. Carmelo Hayes
Background:
Ilja Dragunov took the NXT Championship from Carmelo Hayes at NXT No Mercy, and had only wrestled him 1 time previously when he lost to Carmelo thanks to an accidental collision with Trick Williams at the Great American Bash on July 30th. This is the 3rd and final battle.
2 weeks ago Trick Williams got injured before a #1 Contenders Match which Melo one, and it’s widely suspected Melo was the one that attacked his former hype man.
The Match:
The way Ilja wrestles, moves, takes moves, lays shots in – he is completely different to any other wrestler going today. He shows so much intensity, when he first came to NXT I thought he was always be in the Upper Midcard but now I 100% see him as the top guy. He just puts his whole body into every clothesline, every strike. Melo hesitates and each time he did, Ilja took advantage.
Ilja copped an insane DDT on the ring apron and the way he sold it was like he had been bludgeoned. These two really have good chemistry. As far as Melo goes, as much as I make fun of the way his character has been portrayed or how I could never get into him during his North American Title reign, the guy really has shown how capable he is to wrestle a main event style match. Death Valley Driver on the apron by Ilja who was screaming in pain just as much.
Ilja hit a massive H bomb on Melo through the announce table, Booker T lost his headset. Dragunov caught a lungblower, ended up copping one, hit an H bomb on the landing, and it got a sweet near fall. Hayes caught Ilja in another lungblower and Trick Williams comes out looking pissed off! Ilja cuts Melo off with the superlex then Torpedo Moscow ended it.
I love that during a Main Event, an important Main Event, they would let somebody in production hit somebodys theme song. This was a 3rd classic from these two!
Aftermath:
Ilja retains as expected, and Trick stares down Carmelo who was recovering in the ring. Trick picks up Melo angrily, as we come to hear commotion that Baron Corbin attacked Ilja backstage and he’s holding the NXT Championship! That’s a cliffhanger.
Winner: STILL NXT Champion, Ilja Dragunov in 16:42.
Final Thoughts:
I know I often times pick on NXT but this was a pretty good show, and I feel like it was better than Night 1 last week! Looking forward to where things line up as we get to NXT Deadline in December.
