5 things WWE NXT got right this week: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s daughter debuts, superstar passes out in main event
A recap of Halloween Havoc kicked off WWE NXT this week before the action got going. The first match saw Kayden Carter and Katana Chase put their NXT Women's Tag Team Championship on the line against Zoey Stark and Nikkita Lyons.
Wes Lee won the NXT North American Championship at Halloween Havoc and was looking to celebrate in style this week. Meanwhile, Indi Hartwell competed in another forgettable match on the show. The creative team needs to give Hartwell a push, as she has been lost since the disbanding of The Way.
The men's tag team titles were also defended on the show as Pretty Deadly took on Malik Blade and Edris Enofe. Meanwhile, JD McDonagh and Ilja Dragunov looked to tear each other to shreds in the main event of the show.
Let's take a look at the five things WWE NXT got right on the episode after Halloween Havoc.
#5. A reset allowed Katana Chance and Kayden Carter to retain their titles
Nikkita Lyons and Zoey Stark challenged for the WWE NXT Women's Tag Team Championship to kick off this week's show. The challengers isolated Kayden Carter early on and made quick tags to keep the pressure on.
Kayden broke out and hit a few good moves before Katana Chance tagged in to hit a senton. The match ended abruptly when Stark rolled up Chance for the three-count. However, the referee restarted the match after clarifying that Carter sneaked a tag and was the legal woman.
Stark was treated to a Spanish Fly as the action picked up once again. Lyons took Chance off the apron and went through her finishing routine on Kayden Carter. However, Chance came back in just in time to break the pin.
In the end, Chance hit the 450 Splash to pick up the win for her side and retain the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship. It was a good contest between the two sides that have been working well together.
The finish signals a possible rematch between the two teams down the line. Stark and Lyons should get a chance to win the titles at some point before splitting up.
#4. R-Truth's arrival made Wes Lee's victory celebration special
.@RonKillings IS HERE!!!! 🤯🤯🤯
... And he thinks he's hosting #HalloweenHavoc 🤣😂
#WWENXT https://t.co/rfE5pxjiSD
Wes Lee came out to celebrate his NXT North American Championship win at Halloween Havoc. He wanted to address the fans and thank them for believing in him as a solo superstar.
Grayson Waller interrupted the new champion, who said that he hated Halloween Havoc. R-Truth came out of nowhere, thinking that the brand was still celebrating Halloween Havoc.
Waller got sick of R-Truth's antics and challenged him to a match. Instead, he was laid out by Lee and Truth. The entire segment was catapulted by the comedic timing of R-Truth.
Lee deserved a segment to celebrate his big win at Halloween Havoc. NXT did well to bring out a fan-favorite main roster star who made the segment more memorable.
Meanwhile, Apollo Crews appeared to claim that he had ended his rivalry with Waller. He was looking forward to challenging for the NXT Championship soon.
#3. Pretty Deadly retain their WWE NXT Tag Team Championship
Pretty Deadly defended their WWE NXT Tag Team Championship against Edris Enofe and Malik Blade. This was the second tag team championship match scheduled for Tuesday night.
Malik Blade started well for his team and kept Kit Wilson under pressure before Enofe tagged in to get a near fall. The challengers stayed on the attack and hit a few double-team moves before Prince finally tagged in.
Enofe and Blade refused to go on the back foot and countered a few good moves from the champions in hopes of winning the titles. Malik hit his finisher for a near fall before Enofe came in with one of his own. Prince dropped Enofe off the top rope, and the champions hit Spilt Milk for the win.
The challengers did very well to portray themselves as a threat in the match. It was arguably their best match on NXT to date. Meanwhile, Wilson and Prince continue to prove that they are among the best tag teams in the company. Their current reign will likely stretch on for a few more weeks.
#2. Ava Raine debuted to join The Schism
The Schism came out on WWE NXT in matching yellow masks. They were led by Joe Gacy, who removed his mask, followed by Rip Fowler and Jagger Reid. However, one member kept their mask on as Gacy took centerstage.
The final member revealed herself to be Ava Raine, daughter of WWE legend The Rock. She accepted the embrace of The Schism after officially joining the group.
The Schism lost their match to Cameron Grimes and The OC last week. It was good to see them come out with a new member who could help boost their following soon.
Raine could take some help from Fowler and Reid before marching ahead as a singles superstar. She is still young and has big shoes to fill. The Schism could help her come face-to-face with Mandy Rose.
#1. JD McDonagh made Ilja Dragunov pass out in the final moments of WWE NXT
Ilja Dragunov and JD McDonagh failed to win the NXT Championship from Bron Breakker at Halloween Havoc despite valiant efforts. However, they resumed their rivalry as the two superstars competed in a singles match against each other on Tuesday night.
Dragunov attacked McDonagh before the match got started and took him down with a big boot to the face. McDonagh tried to take the fight to his opponent as Ilja's injuries from Saturday night began to get the better of him.
JD sent him into the announcer's desk, and officials rushed in to check on him. The match continued as McDonagh continued to work on Ilja's ribs. The Czar broke free and hit a big knee in the corner before sending McDonagh into the turnbuckles.
The Irish Ace countered a senton attempt by Ilja to add to his injuries. Dragunov still came back with a superplex and went for Torpedo Moskau, but McDonagh caught him in a vicious neck submission.
The Czar began bleeding from the mouth and passed out as the referee called for the bell. McDonagh celebrated his win as EMTs stretchered the injured Russian out of the ring.
It was a solid contest between two of the best technical wrestlers in NXT. They performed their hearts out as Ilja Dragunov emerged as the star once again. The win will likely give McDonagh another shot at Bron Breakker's title.
What did you make of NXT this week? Let us know in the comments section below.