5 things WWE NXT got right at New Year’s Evil - Announced match called off; Superstar suffers jaw injury
WWE NXT wanted to kick off 2021 on a high, and they did just that with New Year’s Evil. With five huge matches announced for the night, fans couldn’t contain their excitement until the opening bell.
Finn Balor defended his WWE NXT Championship against Kyle O’Reilly, while Santos Escobar defended his title against WWE RAW’s Gran Metalik. However, the Fight Pit match between Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa was called off, as Thatcher was declared injured, leading to an improvised match taking place.
Raquel Gonzalez looked to prove her dominance in the Last Woman Standing match against Rhea Ripley, and Karrion Kross was out to prove a point against Damian Priest. Xia Li also made her return at New Year’s Evil and scored a big first victory for 2021.
Following an action packed night on Wednesday, let’s take a look at the 5 things WWE NXT got right at New Year’s Evil.
#5 Damian Priest stands his ground against Karrion Kross at WWE NXT New Year’s Evil
There aren’t many men who have stood their ground against Karrion Kross in WWE NXT. However, Damian Priest looked to end Kross’s winning streak and leave a mark on New Year’s Evil. The two massive men opened up the show with a hard-hitting match.
The match could have ended in a squash victory for Kross, but NXT did the right thing by allowing Priest to match Kross in the ring perfectly. Both men delivered some big moves throughout the contest, and The Archer of Infamy kept finding a way to get over The Herald of Doomsday throughout the contest.
The match had its fair share of botches where both men had to rethink their moves. Priest could not deliver the Razor’s Edge cleanly, while Kross seemed rusty in the ring. The action slowed down way too much later on, and at times it seemed like it was moving in slow-motion.
However, this was a great way to get Kross over once again without diminishing the value of Priest. The Archer stood his ground much better than Tommaso Ciampa and Dominik Dijakovic did against the big man.
It was more than obvious that Kross would pick up the victory. However, Priest sold his injuries well in the match and still managed to put on a good show. The Doomsday Deviant was visibly impressed by Priest’s work in the ring, and the WWE NXT Superstar will likely head to the main roster sooner than later.