5 things WWE NXT got right before Halloween Havoc: Former Intercontinental Champion appears; Judgment Day strikes
The go-home episode of WWE NXT before Halloween Havoc hosted many main roster superstars.
Sonya Deville took on Alba Fyre in a singles match. Meanwhile, The O.C. teamed up with Cameron Grimes to take on Joe Gacy and The Dyad. Roxanne Perez fought RAW’s Rhea Ripley, while Cora Jade faced Rachel Rodriguez on the show.
Kevin Owens hosted a confrontation between Bron Breakker, Ilja Dragunov, and JD McDonagh. Shawn Michaels wanted KO to keep things calm, but the night ended with a brawl between the three superstars.
WWE did well to keep AEW from eating into its ratings. The build-up to Halloween Havoc also rolled out smoothly.
Take a look at the five things WWE NXT got right on this week’s episode.
#5. Rhea Ripley made an impressive return to the ring against Roxanne Perez on WWE NXT
Cora Jade picked Rhea Ripley as Roxanne Perez’s opponent on WWE NXT this week. It gave The Judgment Day member a chance to return to the ring for a fight. Her last televised match was back in June this year.
Ripley used her strength early to humble Perez. The Nightmare missed a move, allowing Roxanne to level her with a dive outside=.
Perez stayed on top and got a near fall off a hurricanrana. The two women exchanged some moves before Perez prepared to hit Pop Rox. Dominik Mysterio ran a distraction, allowing Ripley to take down Perez with the Riptide for the win.
Ripley fought in the match with new ring gear and a whole new attitude. She seemed better and more dominant than before. Meanwhile, Roxanne Perez looked great in the match. She nearly picked up the win before Judgment Day helped Ripley come out on top.
Halloween Havoc will be a test for both Perez and Cora Jade. The two superstars are looking to get ahead on the NXT brand, and it will be interesting to see who gets the push in the coming weeks.
#4. Shinsuke Nakamura returned to take down Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo
Tony D’Angelo wanted Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo to face a formidable opponent and learn something. He revealed Shinsuke Nakamura as Stacks’ opponent for this week’s WWE NXT.
The Artist came out with massive applause from the crowd. He grounded Stacks with some big kicks and kept him flat on the mat.
Stacks returned with some takedowns of his own and used his unique brawling style to get a few moves in. Nakamura refused to stay down for long and hit a few kicks to the head before getting a Sunset Bomb on the ropes.
The Artist locked in an armbar and stayed on top from there on. He finished Stacks off with Kinshasa for the win. Shinsuke Nakamura looked very comfortable performing on NXT this week and put on a solid match.
It was good to see Stacks put on a fight against the former NXT Champion. The match helped him get in the spotlight again. It could lead to the rebirth of The D’Angelo Family, which has lost a lot of momentum in recent months.
#3. Alba Fyre made quick work of Sonya Deville to stand tall before Halloween Havoc
Sonya Deville attacked Alba Fyre after her match against Jacy Jayne on last week’s WWE NXT. It led to a match between the two superstars on this week’s show.
Fyre used her aggressive fighting style to take Deville down early and beat her for some time. Sonya kicked out of a pin attempt after taking some initial beating. Fyre stayed on top of the match and hit a facebuster to punish her opponent further.
Jayne got involved in the contest and distracted Fyre before nearly taking the Gory Bomb. Gigi Dolin also looked to get involved in the match, but Deville took her down with a kick by mistake. Fyre took advantage of the situation and rolled Deville up for a three-count.
The match was short, and there was nothing much to talk about. However, the win gave Fyre the momentum she needed ahead of the NXT Women’s Championship match at Halloween Havoc.
Mandy Rose returned after the match, and Sonya Deville beat down Fyre with Toxic Attraction. The former NXT UK Women’s Champion fought out and nearly took Rose’s head off with her baseball bat as the segment ended.
#2. Cameron Grimes and The O.C. picked a win over The Schism
Cameron Grimes teamed up with The O.C. to take on The Schism this week. Jagger Reid kicked off the match for his team and targeted Grimes before tagging Rip Fowler. The O.C. worked together to beat down Fowler before taking the fight to The Dyad.
The match started as a brawl broke out, and Grimes and The O.C. cleared the ring. Joe Gacy looked to take advantage of his team and worked over Grimes, isolating him from his partners.
The two teams dished out some good moves and kept the action ticking. Grimes hit the Cave In out of nowhere and took out Gacy with a kick on the outside. Meanwhile, The O.C. hit Reid with The Magic Killer to pick up the win.
It was a fun contest that helped make NXT more enjoyable this week. The O.C. and Grimes worked exceptionally well and taught The Schism a lesson. It’ll be interesting to see where the rivalry between Grimes and Gacy heads from here.
#1. The KO Show descended into madness to close out WWE NXT
Kevin Owens announced on Twitter that he would host The KO Show on WWE NXT after Shawn Michaels invited him. He was ready to host JD McDonagh, Ilja Dragunov, and NXT Champion Bron Breakker in the show's main event.
Owens ripped into McDonagh and called him creepy for instigating the other two superstars. Dragunov targeted his opponents and said he knew that Breakker was only human and, therefore, beatable.
Owens again targeted McDonagh and said no one wanted him to see him become the champion. Breakker stepped in and made it clear that he would retain his title, come what may, at Halloween Havoc.
KO cleared the ring and allowed a brawl to break out. McDonagh held back while Breakker and Dragunov attacked each other and the security guards. The Czar took out Breakker with a headbutt before holding up the NXT title.
Austin Theory came out with his Money in the Bank briefcase and eyed the title as the show went off-air. It was a great way to end the show, as WWE managed to add more suspense and drama to the title picture.
Theory could end up cashing in next week to win the title at Halloween Havoc. It would be the best way to take the title off Breakker while giving Theory a successful cash-in.