Tonight’s WWE NXT episode is the final stop before Halloween Havoc.
Five days out from their NXT Championship rematch, Trick Williams and Ethan Page will meet for a face-to-face confrontation. Page defeated Je’Von Evans and Wes Lee last week to earn a shot to reclaim the NXT title from Williams. He then left Williams laying to close the episode.
As determined by the Halloween Havoc wheel, it will be a Devil’s Playground match between Williams and Page this Sunday.
IYO SKY & Kairi Sane of Damage CTRL are in NXT tonight for a match against Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson. Another tag match will see Giulia & Stephanie Vaquer team up against Fallon Henley & Jacy Jayne.
Giulia & Vaquer will also be partners at Halloween Havoc, facing Roxanne Perez & Cora Jade.
Oba Femi takes on Luca Crusifino tonight ahead of challenging Tony D’Angelo for the NXT North American Championship in a Tables, Ladders & Scares match at Halloween Havoc. Also set for tonight is Jaida Parker vs. Tatum Paxley.
The show begins with footage from earlier today of wrestlers arriving to the building. First was NXT Champion Trick Williams and challenger Ethan Page. Then, the participants of the women’s tag match arrive. Their match is opening the show from a sound stage at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.
Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson defeated IYO SKY & Kairi Sane via disqualification (I think)
Piper Niven & Chelsea Green interfere and run-in to attack Jackson & Legend for the DQ. Green & Niven then proceed to jump Sky & Sane as well. So the whole match might have been thrown out as a no-contest. Not sure since there was no official word. The finish was a cheap way out of doing an actual finish. Otherwise, this was a good match.
During the match, they played up the height difference with Legend against Sane. Legend went on to lift both Sky & Sane at the same time, and she “dribbled” both on the ropes. Sane counters Legend, and send both her and Jackson out to the floor. Sane jumps off the apron with a flying elbow, and Sky follows up with an Asai moonsault. Despite the height differences, Sky & Sane are standing tall as the show cuts to its first commercial break.
They come back from the break with a double down and hot tag to Sane. She is a house of fire, and she leaps off the top rope with a high cross for a two count. Sky & Sane do their pop-up flying elbow combo. The match continues, and it was getting good when Niven & Green run-in.
Niven grabs Jackson, pulls her out of the ring, and Niven clotheslines her at ringside. After the DQ, Niven & Green get into the ring to jump Sky & Sane. The heel duo leaves the Damage CTRL pair laying in the ring, along with Jackson & Legend. Green & Niven embrace and admire their handiwork.
Video clips from an angle shot from social media show Hank Walker & Tank Ledger hyping up the arrival of a special guest. I had a sudden flashback to wrestling of a my youth with a race car driver as a special guest on the show, and this ain’t Thurman “Sparky” Plugg neither. This guy’s name is apparently Cole Custer. This is shoot name, but it is so fitting on NXT. He is a NASCAR driver, and apparently quite successful.
In a confrontation with Cole, Hank, and Tank, the two members of OTM and Jaida Parker take exception to an outsider being featured on the show. This sets up a tag match later tonight with OTM against Hank & Tank, with the race car driver front row ringside. Parker is also up next in a singles match.
Karmen Petrovic and Ashante “Thee” Adonis are in skit straight out of the Ruthless Aggression era. Adonis thinks Petrovic is playing hard to get when Petrovic dodges his advances.
A video package hypes NXT at the 2300 Arena, playing up the ECW aspect.
Jaida Parker defeated Tatum Paxley
Parker pinned Paxley after a hip attack finisher. Paxley got some offense, but this seemed more about getting Parker over. They still had a competitive match, and Paxley got some near falls. Lola Vice runs down the aisle to try and presumably fight with Parker, but security holds her back.
Lexis King tries to talk his way into a Heritage Cup title match with Charlie Dempsey.
Je’Von Evans has words with NXT Tag Team Champions Nathan Frazier & Axiom, and then Evans runs into Wes Lee in a backstage skit. Cedric Alexander has to hold back Evans.
Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer are featured in a mini-doc that explores their history and arrival in NXT.
Tonya Harding angle of sorts, as Adrianna Rizzo is attacked backstage by a mystery assailant. The D’Angelo Family scramble as Luca Crusifino heads to the ring for the biggest match of his NXT run. D’Angelo stays behind to stay with Rizzo.
Oba Femi defeated Luca Crusifino
Femi pinned Crusifino after his powerbomb finisher. After the match, Femi zip-ties Tony D’Angelo to a ring post, and Femi makes him watch as he powerbombs Stacks through a table.
In the match itself, Crusifino took the fight to Femi, but Femi shrugged it off. Femi looked like a killer here. Femi gives Crusifino a Last Ride powerbomb, and Femi covers him for a pinfall.
In a post-match angle, Femi attacks both Crusifino and Stacks after the match. Stacks goes to check on Crusifino, but Femi tosses Stacks out of the ring. The beatdown by Femi on Crusifino continues.
Tony D’Angelo runs in trying to make a save. Femi sends him crashing into the ring steps. Femi then takes zip-ties, takes a long while, and he eventually zip-tied D’Angelo to a ring post. D’Angelo is forced to watch as Femi powerbombs Stacks through a table propped up on the barricade.
A vignette reveals the name of Zaria for the wrestler formerly known as DELTA.
In another vignette, Andre Chase cuts a promo on Ridge Holland. Chase reveals their match at Halloween Havoc is an ambulance match, playing on Chase doing an injury angle and leaving in an ambulance some time back. Holland would respond with a promo of his own later in the show.
NXT Champion Trick Williams and Ethan Page have a face-to-face confrontation ahead of their title match at Halloween Havoc. This segment went seemingly forever. It was good at points, but Page came off as more sympathetic character than Trick, which is probably not the point.
Page cuts a promo on Williams about he and Williams having a different path to NXT. Page did not have a Performance Center nor the greatest minds in wrestling coaching him like Trick has in NXT. Trick tries to interject, but Trick does not come off well. Not helping him is Page cutting a helluva promo on him.
Page asks Trick if he has ever been busted open. Page goes on to ask Trick if his flesh has ever been torn by a weapon. Has he ever tasted the mixture of blood and sweat. That copper and salt taste that is queasy, except it happens so many times you start to like it.
Page continues is promo on Trick, saying he is all flash with no fake confidence. Page attacked Trick last week to show him what was in store with The Devil’s Playground. Trick has the look, but Page insists Trick does have that devil in him. Page does. He has the devil in him.
Trick responds by mentioning all of his hard-fought opponents, but Page is not impressed. Page vows to win the title.
Sol Ruca defeated Karmen Petrovic
Ruca pinned Pertrovic after a Sol Snatcher. Ashante Adonis is in the crowd, and Petrovic is distracted by him. That costs her the match.
Nikkita Lyons is talking backstage with Tyriek Igwe & Tyson Dupont. Oba Femi walks by and gives Lyons a faux fur coat she dropped, and there was an enchanted moment between them.
Hank Walker & Tank Ledger (with Cole Custer) defeated OTM (Bronco Nima & Lucien Price with Jaida Parker)
Ledger pinned Nima to win the match, thanks in part to interference by Cole Custer. He was wearing a racing helmet at ringside, and Custer hit Nima with the helmet like he was Jimmy Hart managing the Nasty Boys in ’92. Except this time around that is somehow a babyface spot.
Lola Vice also ran in, and she kept Jaida Parker from interfering. They brawled at ringside, furthering their feud. In the ring, this was quite a hoss fight until the run-in and interference. After Custer hit Nima in the back with the helmet, Hank & Tank execute their Collision Course finisher. Ledger then covered Nima for the pinfall.
Nathan Frazeir demands a match with him and Axiom against Je’Von Evans and Cedric Alexander in a backstage skit with NXT GM Ava. That match was later made official as a NXT Tag Team Championship match for next week.
Ridge Holland’s response to Andre Chase is the focus of a vignette hyping their ambulance match.
Tony D’Angelo cuts a fiery promo on Oba Femi, threatening to kick his ass this Sunday.
On their way to the ring, Giulia & Stephanie Vaquer pass IYO SKY & Kairi Sane in the backstage area.
Giulia & Stephanie Vaquer defeated Fatal Influence (Fallon Henley & Jacy Jayne with Jaxmyn Nyz)
Vaquer pinned Jayne to win what was arguably the best match on the show. However, it was yet another bout on the show with outside interference. That was a crutch in the booking tonight. Regardless, they had a good match.
The match itself goes through a commercial break. Nyz interferes to help the heels, and the babyfaces are in peril as the show cuts to its final break. More fast-paced action as they return from the break, with Giulia getting the shine. Hot tag to Vaquer, and she runs wild.
Nyz tries to interfere, but NXT Women’s North American Champion Kelani Jordan runs in to make a save. Jordan lays out Nyz. In the ring, Giulia lands a running knee to set up the finisher. Vaquer with a package backbreaker on Jayne, and Vaquer covers her for a pinfall.
Lots of stuff in a very short time post-match, as they scramble to get everything in before the show goes off air.
Jordan raises the hands of Vaquer & Giulia after the match. NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez & Cora Jade stand on a perch overlooking the ring, and they exchanged words with Vaquer & Giulia. Meanwhile, Fatal Influence is on the ramp, where Jacy Jayne spins the wheel. It spots on “Spinner’s Choice,” but they are cut off before making a choice.
Suddenly, the lights go out and a Zaria vignette plays, and she appears live in the sound stage as the show goes off the air.
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