4 things WWE NXT Deadline got right: New Day wins big; champion laid out
An action-packed night was scheduled for Saturday as WWE produced its first-ever NXT Deadline event. The show introduced a brand-new match type to fans.
The Creed Brothers were not medically cleared to compete, and their match against Indus Sher was called off. However, The New Day arrived to take on Pretty Deadly for the Tag Team Championships on Saturday night.
The show was highlighted by two Iron Survivor Challenges to crown the next challengers for the top men’s and women’s championships. Meanwhile, Isla Dawn picked up a big win over Alba Fyre to gain momentum on the brand.
Take a look at the four things WWE got right at the first-ever NXT Deadline show.
#4. Roxanne Perez won the women’s Iron Survivor Challenge
The women took it upon themselves to introduce the Iron Survivor Challenge match to fans at WWE NXT Deadline. Cora Jade, Zoey Stark, Kiana James, Roxanne Perez, and Indi Hartwell competed in the first-ever Iron Survivor Challenge.
Perez and Stark kicked off the match before being joined by James in the ring. Stark Superkicked Perez for the first fall and took the lead in the challenge.
All the women involved hit their finishers on each other, hoping to get a pinfall and take the lead. They were all tied on one fall before Perez hit the Pop Rox on Jade to score a second pinfall and end the match with a lead.
It was a bit of a surprise to see Perez win the Iron Survivor Challenge at NXT Deadline. However, she was the only clear babyface in the contest other than James. She will now face Mandy Rose for the NXT Women’s Championship.
The women did a great job at introducing the new match concept to the WWE Universe.
#3. The New Day picked up a big win after a great match against Pretty Deadly
On Saturday night, the New Day arrived from SmackDown to take on Pretty Deadly for the WWE NXT Tag Team Championships. It looked like the creative team were looking to give Elton Prince and Kit Wilson a big win to make their title reign more memorable.
The two teams hit some great moves and featured in some of the top spots. Prince and Kofi got into a twerk-off during the match that was won by the former WWE Champion.
At one point, the tag team title came into play, and all four men passed it to each other to fake getting hit by it behind the referee’s back. Pretty Deadly tried everything in the book to put the iconic tag team away.
Wilson was knocked out at ringside when The New Day hit Prince with the Midnight Hour for the surprise win on Deadline. It was an entertaining contest that surprised a number of fans.
The New Day will now hold the NXT Tag Team Championships for some time. It will allow the brand to gain more viewership and build its tag team division around the experienced duo.
#2. Grayson Waller outsmarted his opponents to win the men’s Iron Survivor Challenge
Axiom, Carmelo Hayes, Grayson Waller, JD McDonagh, and Joe Gacy competed in the men’s Iron Survivor Challenge on NXT Deadline.
McDonagh and Axiom started the contest before Hayes joined them. The former A Champion scored the first pinfall to get the match going. Waller got two back-to-back pins to get in the lead right away.
As the match ticked on, all the competitors got pins off each other to try and take the lead. Everyone was tied on two pins each before Waller stole a pin from Hayes to win the contest.
The match was fun, and it was good to see Waller win. He started his career and went on a roll before the creative team moved him to mid-card. The Iron Survivor Challenge victory has catapulted him to the top once again. He will prove to be a big threat to the top champion in the coming months.
#1. Bron Breakker retained his title at WWE NXT Deadline
Apollo Crews finally got his hands on the WWE NXT Champion. The match between him and Bron Breakker at NXT Deadline did not had much build, but it was expected to be an entertaining contest.
Breakker went hard on his opponent from the opening bell, but Crews matched his strength with ease. The former Intercontinental Champion made some big moves, including an overhead press slam to get a near fall.
Crews got several near falls in the contest, and it looked like the title would change hands at NXT Deadline. However, Breakker finally got the Spear and ended Crews’ defense to retain his title.
Grayson Waller took out Breakker with a running cutter after his win. He held the NXT Championship over Breakker to make his intentions clear.
The match was solid and both men hit some good moves. It’s a shame that the company did not build it well enough to make it more meaningful. Waller now has a realistic chance of taking the title away from Breakker.