WWE NXT’s fallout from Halloween Havoc airs live on The CW Network tonight.
Zaria — the Australian wrestler formerly known as Delta — will make her NXT in-ring debut. She laid out Fatal Influence at Halloween Havoc and looks to have her eyes on taking the Women’s North American title from new champion Fallon Henley.
The first-ever women’s casket match in WWE history will take place tonight as Tatum Paxley battles Wendy Choo.
A pair of title matches are also scheduled. Je’Von Evans & Cedric Alexander are challenging Nathan Frazer & Axiom for the NXT Tag Team title belts. The Heritage Cup will be up for grabs with Charlie Dempsey defending against Lexis King — who will have Dempsey’s father William Regal in his corner.
Tonight’s show will also continue the build to next Wednesday’s NXT episode that’s being held at the former ECW Arena in Philadelphia. It looks like NXT Champion Trick Williams will be teaming with Bubba Ray Dudley in Philly after Bubba Ray saved him from an attack by Ethan Page and Ridge Holland at Halloween Havoc.
NXT begins with a recap of Halloween Havoc, but that is wiped away on the screen to reveal Tatum Paxley pushing a casket. She says the highlights will have to wait. Now is time for the “first ever” women’s casket match.
After Paxley pushes the casket to ringside, out comes Wendy Choo pulling a bed frame to ringside. The fight is on and the opening match is underway.
Tatum Paxley defeated Wendy Choo in a casket match
Paxley won by putting Choo in the casket and closing the lid. The beat the heck out of each other in a brawl. Helluva opener. Lots of weapons and big bumps. Audio on television was muted at times, presumably because of the obscene “holy s***” chants.
Other gimmicks are used besides the casket itself, like trash cans, broom sticks, and other plunder. There is also a pillow in the ring, which would play into a later spot. They did more spots with the trash can in the first half of the match, before the first commercial break of the show. Choo stuffs Paxley into a trash can, and then Choo dropkicks the can just before the show cuts to the break. Before that, Choo was had the can stuffed over her head, but she is standing tall with a sinister smile as the show goes to break.
As they return from the commercial break, Paxley takes a hip toss and crashes through a later dollhouse. After the dollhouse is shattered, Choo goes to put Paxley in the casket. But Choo’s pillow is in the way of the casket door closing. Choo then bashes Paxley with the pillow, and Choo reveals the pillow was loaded with a pile of Legos. Paxley takes a full nelson slam on the pile of Legos. From there, the show cut to a split-screen where Williams Regal was talking in a locker room with Lexis King. Meanwhile, the crazy bumps continued in the ring.
Choo leaps off the apron with a flying elbow drop into the casket. The lid shuts on them both, and when it opens again they both do a the Undertaker sit-up gimmick, and they glare at each other. Setting up the finish, Choo is trying to choke out Paxley on top of the casket. Paxley escapes, grabs a fire extinguisher, and she shoots Choo with the fire extinguisher. Choo flails around and takes a Nestea Plunge through the bed frame, which she had wheeled to ring earlier in the match. Paxley drags Choo off the broken bed, and Paxley puts Choo in the casket and shuts the lid.
Highlights of Halloween Havoc are featured in a video package.
NXT Champion Trick Williams is in the ring after a commercial break. He works the crowd and boasts about defending the title against Ethan Page at Halloween Havoc. Williams mentions that he was also jumped by Ridge Holland, and that Bubba Ray Dudley made a save. So, Trick brings out Bubba to join him in the ring.
Trick thanks Bubba, and Bubba says he doesn’t need the thanks. Bubba was doing the right thing, and that was because of disrespect by Holland to Bubba and his radio show. Bubba puts over Trick, spurring the live studio audience to chant “whoop that trick.” Bubba talks about no one coming to aid Trick when he was getting jumped. Bubba says that is due to Trick being the NXT Champion. Bubba give Trick advice to have eyes in the back of his head.
Trick says he knows Bubba wants revenge on Holland. Trick says he wants Bubba to team up with him for a tag team match against Holland and Page. Bubba says that got his “juices flowing” for a moment. Bubba gets the studio audience to do the “get the tables” spot. However, Bubba eventually turns down the offer. He does not want to take anyone’s spot on the roster. Bubba leaves the ring as the crowd chants “you still got it” at him.
Cut to the office of NXT General Manager Ava. Alongside her is Rob Van Dam making a cameo appearance. RVD announces he is booked for the 2300 Arena show.
Lexis King is accompanied to the ring by William Regal as the show cuts to a commercial break.
NXT Heritage Champion Charlie Dempsey (with Myles Borne, Wren Sinclair & Tavion Heights) defeated Lexis King (with William Regal) to retain the trophy cup
Dempsey retains after scoring pinfalls in the first and third rounds. Regal tries to slid a pair of brass knux to King, but King refused to cheat.
Dempsey wins the first round with a pinfall, after a butterfly suplex and a bridge. No falls scored in round two, but King falls off the apron and clutches his knee. The show cuts to a commercial break with King down selling big. Under 30 seconds in round two as the show returns from the break, and King has fired up into a comeback. Dempsey is saved by the bell.
In between rounds, footage from the break shows King being put in a knee brace. He rips off the brace and vows to continue the match. The fiery comeback is soon snuffed out by Dempsey, and Dempsey goes on to target the injured knee. Dempsey works the knee.
Dempsey tries to fight back, but his knee buckles. He is down near the ropes by Regal, who tries to slide a pair of brass knux to King. “I am not my father,” King screams at Regal. Dempsey sneaks behind and executes a German suplex with a bridge for the deciding pinfall.
Zaria defeated Brinley Reece
Zaria pinned Reece after an F5. Zaria had a great special entrance, and she went on to have a dominate win. Reece briefly got some offense before they went home, but it was mostly Zaria looking like a killer.
In the match, they did a spot where Reece sold like her arm was dislocated. Zaria kicks the arm back into place, and the beating continues. After Zaria pins Reece, a post-match angle sets up a ten-woman tag team match for next Wednesday at the ECW Arena.
Newly-crowned NXT Women’s North American Champion Fallon Henley leads Fatal Influence through the studio audience. Henley cuts a promo about wanting revenge for Zaria ruining Fatal Influence’s moment last Sunday at Halloween Havoc.
Interrupting the interruption, out comes NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez alongside Cora Jade. They want to “introduce” Zaria to the NXT women’s division.
Kelani Jordan runs down to stand beside Zaria as they are surrounded by heels. Henley smirks and says that is only two. Running out to join the babyface side is Stephanie Vaquer and Giulia, but the odds are still five-on-four.
Sirens blare for the entrance of Jordynne Grace. She joins the babyface side, they face off with the heels. They run at each other like heels and faces on the intro to the old school X-Men animated show. A big brawl erupts, and the babyfaces send the heels packing. A ten-woman tag match is made official after a commercial break.
Nikkita Lyons defeated Kelani Jordan
Jordan pinned Lyons, thanks in part to a distraction by Adrianna Rizzo. Lyons is distracted and there is nobody home on a Vader Bomb. Jordan comes back to execute a split-legged moonsault, and Jordan scores the pinfall.
Rizzo attacks Lyons in a post-match angle, and Lyons flees the ring. Jordan assists Rizzo with a dive over the ropes on Lyons. The brawling continues, clearly setting up a singles match between Rizzo and Lyons.
Ethan Page is headed to the ring for a talking segment. Page begins a promo saying he is not finished with the NXT Championship. Page is quickly interrupted by Ridge Holland, who cuts a promo on Page. Holland says people are tired of Page getting title shots. Holland vows to be the next NXT champ.
Holland mentions Bubba Ray, or rather “Bully Ray” as Holland called him. Holland goes on to say Bubba made the best decision of his life by not accepting Trick’s offer from earlier in the show. That brings out Bubba Ray Dudley to confront Holland. Bubba at first puts over Holland, before Bubba asks Holland if he knows who Bubba is. Bubba is one-half of the greatest tag team on God’s green earth. Bubba continues his promo.
Holland responds by saying he does not care what Bubba has to say, as Bubba is not an active competitor anymore. Bubba is a radio host that sits behind a microphone. He does not live in Dudleyville anymore. Holland goes on bury ECW, calling it overrated instead of extreme. Holland threatens Bubba, and Bubba decks Holland with a punch. Page then jumps Bubba, and the two heels are beating down Bubba.
Trick runs in to make a save. He and Bubba clean house and clear the ring. Bubba then accepts Trick’s offer to team up for a tag match. Later, the match is made official. So, Bubba teaming with Trick against Holland and Page is set for the 2300 Arena next Wednesday.
Jaida Parker is the focus of a vignette, which hypes Parker’s street fight against Lola Vice next Wednesday.
Rhea Ripley appears in a cameo appearance, and she is attacked in a angle later on. Ripley comes into the women’s locker room to give the babyface team (in the 10-woman tag at 2300 Areana) a pep talk.
After a commercial break, Ripley is seen in the aftermath of an attack. Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio are leaving the scene as referees rush to aid Ripley, with Morgan even toting a baseball bat. Ripley is a bloody mess as she lay near her car. The show cuts to a commercial break with Ripley bleeding from the mouth.
NXT Tag Team Champions Nathan Frazier & Axiom defeated Cedric Alexander & Je’Von Evans to retain the titles
Axiom pinned Alexander to win the match, after Alexander was left alone to face the champs two-on-one. Evans left the match to brawl with Wes Lee. That would later lead to another RVD cameo. The champ retain here, but they were sort of an afterthought after the closing angle.
They all had a really good match, and the match itself goes through a commercial break. So, they were given plenty of time.
Alexander and Evans are getting to shine as the show cuts to its final commercial break. That match and high spots continue after the break. Evans gets a big save by breaking up a near fall with a RKO out of nowhere. Evans earlier got a close near fall off the springboard cutter.
Wes Lee enters the sound stage carrying a metal folding chair. This distracts Evans, and he leaps out of the ring to fight with Lee at ringside. Lee and Evans fight their way up the ramp as they exit the sound stage. That left Alexander alone against the champions. Alexander with final surge of momentum, and he fires up. Alexander with a Michinoku Driver for a close near fall. Alexander then climbs the turnbuckles, but he is superplexed instead. Frazier and Axiom then execute Chasing the Dragon, and Axiom covers Alexander for a pinfall.
TO THE BACK! Wes Lee and Je’Von Evans are brawling backstage. They are separated as Ava gets between them. RVD comes in and says this gives me a fantastic idea, and RVD says he will see them next Wednesday without releasing the idea. Lee and Evans then tie up again in a brawl as the show goes off air.
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