The second annual NXT Halloween Havoc special was the first major test of WWE's revamped developmental brand and, for the most part, they passed. It was easily the most enjoyable thing the brand has done since rebranding as NXT 2.0, although not everything landed.
Loser: Chucky Cross-Promotion
The titular doll who murders people in the USA Network series 'Chucky' featured heavily on tonight's edition of NXT and oh boy did it get annoying. The character of Chucky originated in the slasher movie 'Child's Play,' which is a fun Halloween flick. Sadly, Chucky the TV star is nowhere near as morbidly fun as Chucky the horror films star. For starters, he now appears to be a predominantly CGI character, and there's nothing scary about CGI.
There's no way this made anyone more likely to watch 'Chucky.'
Winner: Toxic Attraction
It was a very good night for the fledgling stable known as Toxic Attraction. Each member of the trio ended the evening with a title belt around her waist and a new achievement at the top of her resume. Despite an injury scare last week, Jacy Jayne teamed up with Gigi Dolin and won the NXT Tag Team Championship in a ladder match that opened the show. Later on, the duo's stablemate Mandy Rose ended Raquel Gonzalez's reign as the brand's women's champion.
It was obvious before tonight that the people calling the shots had big things planned for Toxic Attraction, and tonight cemented the trio's position as stars of the present and the future. It will be interesting to see how the group is utilized moving forward, however, as Jane and Dolin are still new to wrestling on TV every week.
Loser: The Lumis/Gargano Haunted House
On last week's NXT 2.0, Dexter Lumis and Johnny Gargano stole the NXT North American title from its current holder, Carmelo Hayes. This week, Hayes and his hype man Trick Williams went looking for the title ... in a spooooooky haunted house operated by Gargano and Lumis.
These segments weren't particularly funny to begin with, but the bit got real old real fast.
Winner: Solo Sikoa Debuts
The Usos have a brother and his name Solo Sikoa. Sikoa's imminent arrival was teased via a hype vignette last week, and tonight he appeared in front of the NXT Universe, and on WWE TV, for the very first time. He didn't have a match, he just showed up during a goofy segment between LA Knight and Grayson Waller. But it's difficult to imagine him not becoming a big star. He radiates charisma, has a good look, and with his background, there's a very good chance that he nowd his way around the ring.
Loser: Bron Breakker (But Not Really)
Three titles were on the line tonight and two changed hands. The only title that didn't was the one everyone assumed would. Bron Breakker's ascent has been mostly well-handled and Breakker himself is a legitimately exciting prospect and a breath of fresh air on a roster that was starting to get a little stale. The way he's been booked over the past few weeks made it seem like he was definitely going to end the night as champ ... but it didn't happen.
It took a DDT on the exposed concrete, two Fairytale Endings, and multiple knees to the face to put Breakker away, but Ciampa got the job done and hung on to Goldy in the process.
The match was great and proved what a master craftsman Tommaso Ciampa is -- not that any was needed. Breakker is incredibly comfortable in the ring for someone who has only worked a few matches, but still, Ciampa made him look like one of the best workers in the world, and a megastar to boot. Mission accomplished.
Full Results And Noteworthy Moments
- In an opening video package, murderous doll Chucky introduced the show
- Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne) def. Io Shirai & Zoey Stark (c) and Indi Hartwell & Persia Pirotta for the WWE NXT Tag Team Titles in a Triple Threat Scareway To Hell Ladder Match
- In a pretaped on-location segment, Carmelo Hayes and Trick arrived at the haunted house of Dexter Lumis in search of the NXT North American Championship
- Grayson Waller (dressed as a vampire) revealed that he would be hosting the show as LA Kight was absent due to "car troubles"
- Joe Gacy def. Malik Blade via pinfall with assistance from Harland
- Kay Lee Ray hype package
- At Grayson Waller's Halloween party, Cameron Grimes struck out with some pretty ladies once again
- Back in the arena, Malcolm Bivens announced a Diamond Mine open invitation
- Odyssey Jones emerged to challenge Roderick Strong in a non-title match (since Jones weighs more than 205 pounds)
- Roderick Strong def. Odyssey Jones via pinfall with a jumping knee following a distraction by the Creed brothers
- In a backstage interview, Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel spoke in Italian and German respectively about their loyalty to Walter and reiterated that the mat is sacred to them
- Back at Grayson Waller's Halloween party, Lash Legend agreed to let Tony D'Angelo be a guest on Lashing Out and Xyon Quinn put Elvis (Robert Stone) through a table
- Raquel Gonzalez arrived on a motorcycle for her match with Mandy Rose
- Chucky decided that the Rose/Gonzalez match would be a Trick Or Street Fight
- Mandy Rose def. Raquel Gonzalez (c) via pinfall with a running knee following interference from Dakota Kai
- Back at the haunted house, Hayes and Williams bumped into Andre Chase and were eventually ambushed by Lumis, Gargano, and a bunch of spooky/monstrous beings
- Grayson Waller came to the ring to make an announcement, but LA Knight (also dressed as a vampire) interrupted him
- While Knight and Waller were in the ring, Solo Sikoa emerged (making his debut). Sikoa laid out Waller after Knight pushed Knight into Sikoa
- Imperium (Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel) def. MSK (Nash Carter & Wes Lee) (c) via pinfall after an Imperium Bomb double team
- Tommaso Ciampa (c) def. Bron Breakker via pinfall with a Fairytale Ending