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Jeremy’s WWE NXT Halloween Havoc Review 10.26.21

October 26, 2021 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas
WWE NXT Halloween Havoc
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Jeremy’s WWE NXT Halloween Havoc Review 10.26.21  

Hello NXT watchers! It’s Tuesday night, and that means that it’s time for another episode of NXT. I’m Jeremy Thomas, as always, and tonight we have an extra special episode of NXT, as it’s time for HALLOWEEN HAVOC! We have a lot of titles on the line, and this will be a big test to see what direction the brand is taking with the NXT 2.0 relaunch. Tommaso Ciampa will defend the NXT Championship against Bron Breakker, Mandy Rose will get her shot at Raquel Gonzalez’s NXT Women’s Championship, both tag team titles will be on the line, and more.

We’re getting close to the end of October, and I am basically done with my Hooptober horror viewing challenge for 2021. I saved some of the worst for last as I watched the 1976 King Kong, which has aged like bad milk; Tobe Hooper’s 1976 Hicksploitation alligator film Eaten Alive (it’s no Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and (UGH) Jack Frost 2: The Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman. I also watched the pretty damned good The Spine of Night, which opens this week and for I will have a review up on the site soon.

Anyway, we’re gonna have a lot to cover tonight so let’s hop right in.

As a reminder, the GoFundMe for Larry’s daughters is still active and if you can make a donation, that would be awesome. Thank you so much to everyone who’s done so thus far.

* We start off with none other than Chucky himself, talking about how he loves Halloween because it’s when things get a little scarier, darker, and violent. And with Chucky here, things are going to get a lot more violent. Chucky then previews the card for tonight’s show. Hearing Brad Dourif talk about Mandy Rose is a little surreal, not gonna lie.

* We’re LIVE in the Capitol Wrestling Center, and we’re staring with the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship Scareway to Hell Ladder Match!

Scareway to Hell NXT Women’s Tag Team Title Ladder Match
Zoey Stark & Io Shari vs. Gigi Dolan & Jacy Jayne
vs. Indi Hartwell & Persia Pirotta

The bell rings, and all six women star at the titles before it turns into a big brawl. Toxic Attraction are four-on-two teamed and thrown out of the match, leaving the other two teams to brawl. Zoey tosses Persia, and then Zoey and Io double suplex Indi. Indi is out of the ring and Io nails her with a kick on the apron.

Io goes for a ladder, while in the ring Jacy and Gigi double team her and hit a kick from both sides to send her out of the ring. They start kicking and stomping Indi, and then Persia and Gigi start fighting through the ropes with a ladder. Persia takes over and comes in the ring, Persia & Indi splashy Toxic Attraction and Persia hits them with a ladder! Persia & Indi set up the ladder, but Zoey and Io come off the top with dropkicks and then start climbing. Jacy hits them both and then shoves the ladder over, before kicking Zoey to the mat.

Jacy shoves the broken ladder out of the ring, then gets another and sets it up in the corner. Zoey and Jacy kick each other down, while Indi and Persia double team Io and go to suplex her onto a set-up ladder — but Io turns it into a double DDT to the floor! She gets back in the ring and hits baseball slide dropkicks a ladder into Toxic Attraction, then sets up a ladder and climbs — but Indi leaps onto the ladder and knocks her down! And now Zoey leaps up in Io’s place!

Indi and Zoey fight atop the ladder while Pirotta sets up a bigger ladder, only for Gigi to knock her down and climb the ladder. She goes for the titles and Persia knocks her off! Io jumps on Indi’s back and pulls her down, but Persia shoves the ladder over and Zoey WAY outside the ring over the ropes!

Persia is in the ring surrounded by ladders, so she picks one up and hits Stark with it. She sets it up against Stark in the corner and kicks it into her, then sets up a ladder in the middle of the ring. Persia climbs and Io runs up the ladder, but Pirotta drops down and pulls her off. Gigi climbs and Persia knocks her off while Io climbs back up! Persia pulls her down and slams her down. Gigi climbs once more but Persia grabs her and power bombs her THROUGH a ladder! Persia climbs up, she grabs the titles but Jacy is there! She pounds on Pirotta’s back and climbs up over her. Persia grabs her and goes to power bomb her, but Jayne counters into a rana that sends Pirotta crashing into a ladder!

Jayne puts the ladder on Persia and slams it down on her a few times. She climbs up, but Io catches her and slams her back-first onto that errant ladder! Springboard moonsault ONTO the ladder and Jayne flops around! Indi comes in to take out Io, but Zoey wipes out Hartwell. Stark goes up top, and a — not great 450 onto the ladder. JESUS, that was not good; Zoey is lucky she didn’t snap a leg. She’s back up though — until Indi SPINEBUSTERS her onto the downed ladder!

Indi climbs up, Io is up there too, but Io knocks her down! She waves and goes for the titles — AND INDI SHOVES HER OVER! Io hit the ladder GODS DAMNED HARD. Io is motionless as Indi climbs up, she’s got a hand on the title — but Jacy grabs her! Hartwell kicks her down, but Gigi is up top! She kicks Indi down and grabs the titles — new champions!

Winner: Toxic Attraction (12:23)
Rating: *** 1/2
Thoughts: This was a car crash match in a mostly-good way. I’m concerned about Stark and Shirai’s condition after their botch and bump, respectively, and there was a bit of overly-repetitive work in booking of the match, but otherwise this was fantastic.

* Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams pull up at the place they have to go to in order to get the North American Title back. Hayes says it looks bigger, and Trick notes that Dexter Lumis has that Gargano money now that he’s in the family. Hayes says let’s go, and neither of them do. Trick suggests that he keep the car running, but Carmelo is having none of it and they both step out into this creepy-ass yard.

The two walk on where there’s a body in the yard, which they say can’t be real — until it howls at them. They move on, and Gargano and Lumis are inside. Gargano says he’s Home Alone-d this house up and had help from the zombie ref!

Hayes and Gargano get scared by another masked guy, and then they see someone who they think is Gargano. Hayes grabs him but it’s just a dead-ass kid, which they’re fine with. Dead-Ass Kid waves them in, and they walk up to the door. Trick says he’ll buy Hayes a replica but Hayes says he wants his. They go to knock on the door and it opens, so they walk in.

* Grayson Waller is here in Dracula gear, saying he doesn’t know what happened to LA Knight but he’s here as the runner-up host to save the show. He says the hottest party is happening backstage and says because it’s Halloween, the hottest women are wearing tiny —

And here is Joe Gacy. Gacy hugs Waller and gets a mic, saying that corrupt minds like Grayson’s is why Halloween isn’t a very inclusive holiday. It’s simply a way to exploit people, and he’s here to set a much more positive message. He’s facing Malik Blade and says he’s doing this for all of us — and Blade dropkicks him!

Joe Gacy vs. Malik Blade

Gacy attacks on Blade and is beating him down as someone in overalls enters backstage for the Halloween Kills cross-promotion. Gacy takes Blade down and hits a forearm to the back, then a suplex. Gacy whips Blade into the corner and charges in, then flings Malik through the ropes to the outside.

Blade gets up and Harland is there! He grabs Blade by the throat and Gacy tells him he doesn’t have to do this. Blade back in the ring, Gacy ducks a clothesline and hits a handspring lariat for the pin.

Winner: Joe Gacy (2:10)
Rating: N/A
Thoughts: Yeah, this was really worth the two minutes it took. Honest.

* We get a vignette from Kay Lee Ray, who WWE seems to have remembered suddenly. She says she’s pissed because NXT 2.0 has given her no respect despite being the longest-reigning NXT UK Champion.

* Grayson Waller is backstage and handling the party. He goes up to Ikemen Jiro and Kushida, who are skeptical of this whole Hallowen thing. He says it’s like cosplay and they say they have an idea, and walk off. Waller talks with Tony D’Angelo a moment and then get the cold shoulder from all the ladies. Cameron Grimes shows up and hits on a couple girls, but they walk off. Waller says Grimes will get them next time!

* Malcolm Bivens is here with the Diamond Mine, and he says it’s an open challenge. People could get knocked out by Ivy Nile, get their wig split by the Creed Brothers, or get stomped out by Roderick Strong. Choose wisely! And we’re off to break now.

* We’re back and Odyssey Jones is out here, and he wants Roderick Strong! Bivens says that with all due disrespect, Jones is not 205 pounds. Jones still wants the match and Strong agrees, so we’re on.

Odyssey Jones vs. Roderick Strong

Strong goes after Jones leg and gets thrown into the ropes. He comes off with a body black that doesn’t knock Jones down and lets loose strikes, but Jones chucks him into the air off the ropes. Jones gets Strong in the corner for shoulder thrusts to the gut, then throws him by his head into the center of the ring.

Jones picks Strong up for a bodyslam, and Strong slides down for his back for a sleeperhold. Jones snapmares Strong off but runs into a superkick! Strong gets Jones to a knee with kicks and then hits a kneelift, followed by mounted shots and a cover for just one.

Strong locks in a seated abdominal stretch. Jones fights to his feet but Strong kicks the knee out and takes Jones down, then stretches the knee. Jones gets onto his back and kicks Strong off and out of the ring. Strong right back in but Jones stops him and hits a couple bodyslams. He comes off the ropes but Strong is crawling away. The Creed Brothers hit the apron and Jones gets rid of them, but eats a knee to the chin from Strong. Cover gets the three.

Winner: Roderick Strong (3:54)
Rating: ** 1/4
Thoughts: Too short to mean much, but it was good for the time it got.

* Imperium are backstage with McKenzie and asks if they’ve spoke to WALTER before their title match. Barcel says a lot of stuff and Aichner says tonight is out night. They say they’re Imperium, and to them the mat is sacred.

* We’re backstage at the party and D’Angelo walks up to Lash with a bribe. She accepts it but says he better not disappoint. Kyle O’Reilly and Von are hanging, and Josh Briggs asks who Von is? He says he’s Brad Pitt. Duke Hudson asks Cameron if he still has his money, and he says yes. Robert Stone is not happy that Xyon Quinn stepped on his shoes and says he knows kung fu. Xyon says “another one bites the dust” and chokeslams Stone through the table. Wrong band, Xyon…

Raquel comes out on a motorcycle, and that’s pretty dope. They spin the wheel — or Chucky does — no, Raquel does. It’s a…CHUCKY’S CHOICE match! Chucky picks a Trick ot Street Fight. Okay, then.

NXT Women’s Championship Match
Mandy Rose vs. Raquel Gonzalez

They go right into it, with Raquel beating the tar out of Mandy to start. Mandy counters with a jawbreaker and some kicks, backing Raquel into the corner for some kicks and strikes. Mandy goes for a suplex but Raquel shoves her off and splashes her in the corner.

Mandy out of the ring and she has a kendo stick, which Raquel comes out of the ring right in time to get hit with! Rose lays in with the stick but Gonzalez is done and kicks Rose, then yanks the stick away. Raquel throws Mandy INTO the Plexiglas, then goes for something under the ring until Mandy gets up. Raquel moves in and they tussle, Gonzalez tries to kick Mandy against the ropes but Mandy moves! Rose has the kendo stick and hits Gonzalez, and they head into the ring as we go to PIP break.

We’re back as Raquel is back in control and yanks Rose out of the ring to the floor. She grabs a kendo stick and brings it down on Mandy’s stomach. Rose kicks Raquel away and shoves an announcer’s chair into Raquel, then puts Raquel in the chair and puts the kendo stick through the arm rests to trap her in it! She kicks Raquel over and goes to pin, apparently not aware that the pin needs to happen in the ring. Sure, make the veteran look dumb. Rose argues with the referee and then goes under the ring — but Raquel has escaped and is on the announcer’s booth with a Jason mask and fire extinguisher! She sprays Mandy, takes off the mask, and gorilla presses Mandy into the ring. Raquel in and she runs Rose over, then gives her a Snake Eyes onto a chair that was set on the top rope! Raquel picks Rose up and drives her into the corner, then sets her on top. She goes to boot Rose but Rose slides down, though she can’t escape a big boot on the floor.

Gonzalez throws Rose into the steel steps, then picks them up and slides them onto the apron. Rose escapes Raquel and gets into the ring, kicking her when she gets in. Rose grabs Gonzalez and throws her head-first into the steps! She covers for two.

Raquel is on the apron and Rose batters her over the ropes, then pulls her in and covers for two. Rose with a double underhook, Raquel blocks it once and then twice, hitting a back body drop. Both women slow to get up, Raquel spears Mandy THROUGH the table! Gonzalez pulls rose into the center of the ring and covers — NO! Nearfall and Raquel is frustrated as hell. She preps and a figure in black comes up behind, hitting her i9nt he back with a shovel! Rose with a pump kick and cover — NEW CHAMPION!

Winner: Mandy Rose (11:53)
Rating: ** 1/2
Thoughts: This was also a car crash, though not as effective of one as the Women’s Tag Title match. Rose proved she’s tough here, and we’ll see where it goes from here. Dakota Kai (I’m assuming)’s return gives Raquel a feud that didn’t last long enough last time, so cool for that.

Toxic Attraction pose with the titles and leave, as the figure reveals they are in fact Dakota Kai. She kneels over Raquel.

* Carmelo and Trick are moving through the haunted house up next!

* Carmelo and Trick make their way through the hhouse and look at an old black and white photo, saying she’s fine. They continue on through and come to a table where a creepy group are there for dinner. They run past them, and Hayes tells Trick he needs him to lock it in for him. Trick says he’s got it locked in and a witch shows up saying “Welcome to the ball.”

They walk into a creepy-ass room with a bunch of mannequins in old-style dress. Some of them aren’t mannequins, and they start moving and being scary. Melo and Trick keep running, and Mela says someone is chasing them. “DID SOMEONE SAY ANDRE CHASE?” Chase brought hhis students here for a field trip and can’t find them. Hayes and Williams convince Chase to go first, and Gargano and Lumis head off to get them. Zombie Ref stays.

Chase, Hayes, and Trick see Lumis in a reflection but he’s gone quickly after. They find a dead body, and them zombies attack Chase. Hayes and Trick get split up and Lumis is behind Trick! He runs off, and eventually finds a creepy guy in a mask. Hayes comes up from behind and gets hit. They run off.

Hayes and Trick eventually find the title, but Trick says it’s too easy to just grab it. Melo says “You think that was easy?” He grabs the title, they prepare to leave, and Lumis and Gargano nail them. They run outside and have to fight off some zombies. Lumis and Gargano are there, and Gargano says “Boo!” They run off, and Gargano says Lumis’ house is kind of weird. Next year Halloween is at Gargano’s house, and Lumis gives that a thumbs up.

* The announcers pimp Halloween Kills as Grayson Waller dances in the ring. He says the party is on tonight, and makes jokes about Tick and Melo before saying he’s the star of the show tonight. He says it’s time to jump on the bandwagon and tells a production person to put his handles on the screen. He pimps his socials and then LA Knight’s music plays!

Knight comes down in the exact same outfit as Waller and tells him to take his discount version back to the store. Waller says he saved the show and it’s not his fault Knight had car problems. Knight asks how Waller knows he had car problems, and Waller blames Chucky!

In the middle of this, Solo Sikoa’s music plays and he comes out! Waller says it’s not about them, it’s about Solo. Knight shoves Waller into Solo, who takes him down and then gives him a belly-to-belly over the ropes! Knight qisely bails, and Solo stands in the ring.

* Bron Breakker is backstage working out and Chucky is there. Up next: the Tag Team Title match. MSK start off next to the DJ and then run to the ring.

* We get a profile on Xyon Quinn before the match, and the NXT 2.0 fan of the night spins the wheel. It’s a… Lumberjack O’Lantern Match!

NXT Tag Team Championship Match
Imperium vs. MSK

Nash Carter & Fabian Aichner start the match and lock up, Aichner tosses Carter! He goes right back in and Aichner with a wristlock, into some counter-wrestling. Aichner catches a crossbody and slams Aichner down, then covers for two. Aichner with an elbowlock and Barthel tags in, he armdrags Carter down and keeps working the arm. Carter hits a sloe armdrag and finally breaks the lock, he knocks Barthel down. Charging forearm in the corner, Lee tagged in and he hits a slingshot senton. Barthel backs Lee into the corner and takes over with strikes, he comes off the ropes with a kick to the head of a seated Lee.

Barthell throws Lee over the ropes but he skins the cat, comes back in and takes out Barthel, sending him down to the outside! The lumberjacks beat on Barthel until Carter and Lee dive through the ropes onto him and we go to PIP break.

We’re back and Barthel is now in control of Carter, throwing himn into the corner for a charging Euro uppercut and a snapmare. He goes to the second rope and leaps off, but Carter with a dropkick! He tags in Wes Lee, who unleashes a spinning heel kick. He knocks Aichner out of the ring when he tries to get in and hits a handspring shot to Barthel! Barthel fights back and tags in Aichner, who comes in hot and clotheslines the shit out of Lee before getting Carter on his shoulder. Lee leaps on to stop him, but Aichner his holding them! He almost loses it but manages to flip over with a senton! They go for the Imperial Bomb but Carter hits a rana on Aichner sending him to the outside. The Lumberjacks circle, but Lee leaps WAY over and onto him! Carter kicks Barthel who was on the top rope and hits a Cutter INTO the Lumberjacks!

The match is in chaos and the lumberjacks are gone! Both teams are trying to get into the ring, and all four men make it. They all crawl to the center of the ring and slowly get to their feet. Barthel avoids two kicks but Carter finally hits one! Imperium turn it around for slaps in opposite corners, MSK come off the ropes into HUGE clotheslines! Imperial Bomb set up but countered again, Carter comes off the top with a sunset flip powerbomb! Hot Fire Flame and a cover — NO! Carter tags in Lee and sets Barthell up, but Aichner shoves Carter over — spinebuster to Carter and a kick to his jaw! Kick to Lee, who is thrown into Aichner for a brain buster! Imperial Bomb, new champs!

Winner: Imperium (13:11)
Rating: *** 3/4
Thoughts: Great match from these four men. MSK was constantly undersold by the “They can’t get respect” line that was pushed, and the weird crowd reactions, but this should hopefully let them rebuild. And Imperium getting the titles is far from a bad thing.

* Chucky is standing by, and he introduces the NXT Championship match. He talks a little shit about Bron Breakker and sells his past segment with Rick Steiner HARD. Which makes it all the weirder they gave him the last name of FUCKING BREAKKER.

* We then get a vignette hyping the match.

NXT Championship Match
Bron Breakker vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Bron shoves Ciampa to start, and they go right into a tussle. Breakker off the ropes and he runs Ciampa right over, sending the champ bailing to the outside. Ciampa comes back in and ducks a lockup, going into a waistlock. Breaker picks him up but Ciampa gets to his own feet and locks in a headlock. Breaker powers out of it, and Ciampa goes behind. Bron follows suit, right into a back elbow, but he shoves Ciampa into a bodyblock that takes him down.

Breaker picks Ciampa up and slams him down, then does it again before running him over. He comes off the ropes and dives, but Ciampa ducks and Breakker hits the mat! Ciampa sends Bron into the ropes and hits a knee to the midsection, then locks in a crossface. Breaker gets out but gets chopped hard in the corner, Ciampa off the ropes and changes direction, he tries to leapfrog but gets caught with a spinebuster for two. Ciampa to the outside as we go to a PIP break.

We’re back with Ciampa punching Bron in the corner, he backs off but quickly charges back in with stomps and then a running knee to the head. Ciampa sits on the top rope and showboats, then comes off with a double axehandle for two. Ciampa locks in a waistlock, but Bron powers out and decks Ciampa. Ciampa charges into a back elbow, and Bron comes off the ropes with a leaping tackle! Belly to belly suplex and he goes to the second rope: HE SLIPS OFF! Ciampa covers for two. Yeesh, my man.

Ciampa chops Bron a couple of times, they come off the ropes and Bron with a flying tackle. Ciampa goes to the outside and Bron follows, rolling him in. Bron goes to enter and gets hit with a DDT through the ropes! Cover for two. Ciampa is stomping at Bron and he nails a punch, then picks him up for another hard punch. Big knee to the head, cover for only one! Ciampa comes off the ropes into a Frankensteiner, double underhook powerbomb for two!

Breakker signals that it’s over, he picks Bron up for a gorilla press into a powerslam but Ciampa slides down the back for an inverted DDT. Ciampa and Bron start trading punches as they get up, Ciampa takes over with jabs and kicks and then batters Breakker in the corner, but Bron gets Ciampa onto the apron. Ciampa slides out and pulls Bron’s feet out from under him, but Bron shoves Ciampa into the announcer’s desk. Bron goes to slam Ciampa into the exposed concrete, Bron turns it into a DDT! Ciampa gets Bron in and gets the Fairy Tale Ending, cover and NO! Bron kicks out!

Ciampa with a big knee to the head of Bron, and another! Bron is still getting up! A third knee, he goes for the Fairy Tale Ending, cover for three.

Winner: Tommaso Ciampa (13:49)
Rating: *** 1/2
Thoughts: Listen, that big botch is going to be the talked about moment, but if you set that aside this was a great match. Ciampa winning was the right choice; Bron’s time will come, but Ciampa’s reign still has plenty of gas left in it.

And with that, we’re done for the night!

8.0
The final score: review Very Good
The 411
You know what? Sure, this wasn't a perfect show, but I'm gonna give it some high marks. There are people who will question that based on some of the booking or a couple of botches, but all in all this show really delivered. We have the culmination of a few storylines and the return of Dakota Kai, and some damned good matches on the whole. I may have enjoyed last year's a bit more, but this was a great Halloween Havoc all in all.
legend