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 dominating 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/ECW 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/ECW Arena) 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.
