Jeremy’s WWE NXT Review 10.29.24

Hello everyone, and welcome to our live WWE NXT coverage on 411! Jeremy Thomas here with you as per the norm, tonight NXT deals with the fallout from Halloween Havoc. We have a couple title matches set as Fraxiom defends their NXT Tag Team Championships against Je’Von Evans and Cedric Alexander, while Charlie Dempsey will defend the NXT Heritage Cup against Lexis King — who will have William Regal in his corner. Meanwhile, Tatum Paxley and Wendy Choo will battle in a Casket Match after Choo kidnapped Paxley last week and Zaria will make her in-ring debut. Plus we should have some surprises (maybe EXTREME ones?) as the brand heads toward next week’s special Wednesday show in the 2300 Arena.

My movie-watching slowed down last week due to some personal stuff, but I still managed to get a Hooptober film knocked off and only have one left. I watched the 1978 disaster flick Cyclone which was too long at almost two hours for its story. Outside of that one, I watched the Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut Woman of the Hour on Netflix, which is an engrossing and well-made thriller based on serial killer Rodney Alcala’s appearance on The Dating Game, as well as the amazingly-made and emotionally touching The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (you can see my full review of that here). I also watched the BBC documentary Bombing Brighton: The Plot to Kill Thatcher which recounts the IRA’s attempt to — well, kill Margaret Thatcher, as the title suggests.

I did a couple of rewatches in the 2003 psychological thriller Identity, which is fun but obviously suffers once you know the twists; Abigail, which remains a fun vampire gorefest; and Jinkx Monsoon: Red Head Redemption which features my hometown hero/ine of drag doing standup and is well worth the wat5ch.

On TV, I’m still caught up on Agatha All Along and The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula season 6 and recommend both (although Dragula’s episode this week owes my ears an apology), finished out the stellar The Legend of Vox Machina season three on Prime Video, and began a rewatch of Twin Peaks, making it through the first two episodes.

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’re LIVE in the Capitol Wrestling Center and ready for the fallout from Halloween Havoc. We get a montage of the events from Sunday’s show — or we don’t, as Tatum Paxley cuts in pushing a casket and saying Wendy Choo is taking her final ride! That match is first.

Casket Match
Tatum Paxley vs. Wendy Choo

Wendy swings with her pillow but Tatum ducks and lays in punches. Off the ropes and she hits a dropkick. Wendy comes back with a clotheseline but Tatum kips up and hits a dropkick. She throws Wendy through the ropes to the apron but is put over the top by Wendy. Tatum is standing in the casket put drops Wendy to the apron, she goes to the floor and Paxley with a senton.

Tatum charges in but Wendy with a superkick. She tries to attack with a trash can but gets kicked in the gut. Tatum puts the can over Wendy and goes under the ring for a broom that she wails on the trash can with. Wendy is out of the can and gets rolled in, Tatum tosses the trash can in the ring and follows. She sets the can in the corner and lies in wait — charging crossbody to Wendy in the oposite corner and a reverse Angle slam.

Wendy is up against the trash can and Tatum dives in — Wendy moves! Tatum hits hard and Wendy puts Tatum upside down in the trash can, then charges in with a front dropkick. We go to break.

We’re back and Wendy sends Tatum into a dollhouse in the corner with an arm drag! Wendy rolls Tatum into the casket and shuts it — but the pillow is blocking the lid! They’re back in the ring playing tug of war with the pillow, Wendy gets the pillow and waffles Tatum with it. She opens the pillow — and dumps out LEGOs! Wendy goes for the full nelson slam, Tatum counters. They counter a host of moves — Wendy hits the full nelson slam into the LEGOs!

Wendy tosses Tatum into the casket and goes to close it, but Tatum blocks it at the last second! Wendy kicks Tatum and laps in for an elbow drop — the casket closed on them both! Wendy sits up — and so does Tatum! Tatum with a back elbow, Wendy with a chop and they’re trading shots!

Tatum back in the ring but Wendy catches her with the Cobra Clutch and pulls her onto the casket! Tatum gets free and sprays Wendy with a fire extinguisher; she goes through her bed! Tatum puts Wendy in the cakset and shuts the door.

Winner: Tatum Paxley (10:09)
Rating: ** 3/4
Thoughts: Good, silly fun that was pretty decently executed. Nice to see Tatum get the win too.

* NOW it’s time for the Halloween Havoc montage, which recaps the events of the PPV including Fallon Henley’s NXT Women’s NA Title win and Zaria’s debut, and Trick Williams beating Ethan Page to retain the NXT Championship and the post-match angle.

* Trick Williams WALKS backstage.

* We get a promo for the WWE YouTube channel to promote WrestleMania 41 tickets being on sale.

* It’s Trick Williams time! The NXT Champion makes his way down to the ring. He wants to get straight to business and says he walked through the Devil’s Playground, washed his hands with holy water and beat the hell out of Ethan Page to retain the title. He won’t lie; he’s in pain right now. Ethan Page said he would put Trick through pain he’d never felt before and he did. But he didn’t tell Trick that Ridge Holland would jump him post-match. He says he needs to talk to someone and Shawn Michaels welcomed him tonight, so he calls out Bubba Ray Dudley.

Here comes Bubba! Trick says before Bubba gets started, he wants to thank him for having his back. Bubba says he was just doing the right thing and it wasn’t about Trick so much; it was about Ridge and the disrespect that he showed toward Bubba, Dave LaGreca, and Busted Open. He was disrespectful on the pre-show and the main card. But he says there’s one thing he noticed as he was watching Trick get his hand raised and hearing the people cheer for him. But as he was getting beat down, Bubba looked at the entry way and didn’t see the help. Where was his friends, a camera man, anyone? No one came to his aid.

Bubba asks if Trick knows why? It’s because of the NXT Championship. He is what they aspire to be, and it might as well be a target on his back, a bullseye. Bubba tells Trick he needs eyes in the back of his head.

Trick says he hears that and while he’s working on getting eyes in the back of the head, he wants revenge. And he knows Bubba does too. He wants a tag match. Ethan Page and Ridge Holland vs. Trick Williams and Bubba Ray Dudley next week in the ECW Arena!

Bubba says he’s known Trick for three minutes, and somehow he has his juices flowing. He’s thinking of South Philadelphia, the energy in that arena, lacing up his boots one more time, taking it to the extreme, maybe going old school tie-dye or wearing the camos. Maybe he should bust out his glasses (he puts them on!) and says maybe he should say “TRICK! GET THE TABLES!”

Bubba says it’s not about him; it’s about Trick and every other wrestler in the locker room who do it better than everyone else in the world. He says he can’t take their spot and he appreciates it, but he has to say no. Bubba walks out of the ring.

* Ava is backstage and says they would have been a good tag team. RVD is here! She asks him about his history with Bubba and he says he has a long one. Maybe Bubba doesn’t want to be part of it, but he does. Ava asks what he’ll do? Leave that up to her.

RVD leaves, Kelani walks up and wants to talk to her. She wants a rematch. Nikkita walks up from behind and says she lost and she wants the title too. Kelani says she’ll take care of Nikkita, then back to Fallon.

* Shawn Spears and Brooks Jensen are backstage and Spears says Tony retained the NA Title so he plans to become #1 contender. They walk up to Tony to talk and Luca Crusifino interrupts, saying he has a phone call. Spears and Jensen walk off and Tony listens to the voice mail, which is Nunzio saying that Tony’s going to be in Philly but he didn’t tell anyone? That’s not how they do business. Tony tells Stacks they’ll take care of him next week.

NXT Heritage Cup Match
Charlie Dempsey vs. Lexis King

Round One (0 – 0)

Lockup to start, Dempsey hiptosses King and puts him in a headscissors. Some reversals, up to their feet, into the ropes and Dempsey takes down King. Toe hold, but King escapes. King gets a couple of quick nearfalls, King with an armdrag into a wristlock. Dempsey back up, he sends King into the corner but King runs the ropes then goes under Dempsey, but Dempsey knocks him down with a shot. King takes back over and hits a crossbody off the second rope for two. Dempsey with a slap to the chest, butterfly suplex gets three.

Round Two (Dempsey 1 – 0)

Dempsey charges in with a shot to King in the corner and traps his head for knee strikes. Big takedown by the neck from King, King goes for a bodyslam but Dempsey counters into one of his own. Shot to the back of King and a kneelift to the head.

Dempsey works the shoulder and presses the shoulders to the mat for two, a second nearfall and a third. King counters and hits a monkeyflip, then another in the corner! He charges in but gets put on the apron — and then slips off. King is favoring his ankle, he’s in pain on the outside. He tries to stand but the ankle gives out as we go to break with 52 seconds to go in the round.

We’re back and it’s still round two. King hits an inverted atomic drop and then hits some chops. Whip into the ropes and a back bodydrop followed by clotheslines. Back suplex! Superkick to end the round.

Round Three (Dempsey 1 – 0)

King takes down Dempsey for a two-count but Dempsey quickly takes over. He targest the ankle for a few and then puts King in the corner for some strikes. Gutwrench suplex and then another. Fisherman’s suplex and bridge for two-plus.

Dempsey goes right into the knee with a single-leg crab in the center of the ring. KIng is crawling bit by bit but Dempsey drags him back. King rolls out of it and kicks his way free. Back up and they trade shots back and forth, King with slaps to the chest! Dempsey with an Irish whip but King’s knee gives out. Dempsey with another shot to the knee but King with an enzuigiri!

William Regal passes King the knucks!! King shakes his head and pushes it back, saying he isn’t his father. Dempsey with a chop block and German suplex for three.

Winner: Charlie Dempsey
Rating: ***
Thoughts: Good worked injury match. I actually am starting to care about Lexis King, so that’s an accomplishment.

* We get Lola Vice talking about how she finally gets Jaida Parker next week. She’s no stranger to Hardcore Matches and gets to beat that ass with no regulations. She says Dawn Marie won’t have to count to three because she’ll knock Jaida out.

Zaria vs. Brinley Reece

Lockup, Brinley backed into the ropes but she gets free. Zaria sends Brinley into the ropes and runs her over, yanks her up but Brinley with a big shot. Zaria no-sells it and wipes Brinley out. She bends Brinley’s elbow back and picks her up before tossing her. Brinley is in agony, her elbow is popped out — and Zaria SLAPS THE ARM TO POP IT BACK IN!

Zaria drives the shoulder into the gut in the corner, whips her across the ring and splashes her. Backbreaker, then she manhandles Brinley for a four count before slamming her head into the mat. Brinley with a few punches but gets slammed in the corner, Brinley with a roll-up for two and hits a couple shots before coming in — but Zaria catches her for a spear! F-5! That’s it.

Winner: Zaria (2:47)
Rating: N/A
Thoughts: RIP Brinley Reece.

Post-match, Fatal Influence are up in the stands and Fallon calls Zaria out, saying she stole their moment so they’re stealing her. She says Zaria will learn not to mess with them.

Then Roxy and Cora walk out! Roxy congratulates Fallon on her NXT Women’s Title win and they surround her. Kelani slides into the ring to help — AND HERE COMES GUILIA AND VAQUER. Roxy says four on five works for them —

JORDYNNE GRACE IS BACK! Jordynne steps into the ring — five on five brawl! Actual full body chills here! The babyfaces clean house, with Zaria and Jordynne tossing Roxy over the ropes onto the rest of the heels!

* Nikkita Lyons WALKS backstage.

* A 10-woman tag team match is set for next week’s show based on the last segment.

Nikkita Lyons vs. Kelani Jordan

Lockup to start, Jordan with an armdrag and shoulderlock. Lyons reverses, Kelani up not and comes off the ropes. She hits a front dropkick and then charges in for a handspring back elbow in the corner. Crossbody off the ropes for two.

Wristlock by Kelani, Nikkita breaks it and they show off with splits to each other. Lyons gets Kelani in the corner and whips her across the ring, Kelani up onto the turnbuckle and leaps but Nikkita graps her and catapults her. She hangs Kelani against the bottom rope, plats her with a slam and then hits a belly to back suplex for two.

Lyons with a cobra clutch but Kelani elbows out. Lyons kicks her down, grabs her feet and yanks but Jordan lands on her feet. Off the ropes for a forearm, another and Lyons goes down. Back kick by Jordan and Lyons slips to the outside but Kelani rolls her back in — Lyons with a superkick! Lyons up to the second turnbuckle — and Rizzo is here! She takes off her earrings and the distraction means Jordan avoids the splash. Jordan takes Lyons out with the split-legged moonsault for three.

Winner: Kelani Jordan (4:01)
Rating: ** 3/4
Thoughts: As good as a four-minute match can be. Jordan needed a win to bounce back and a Rizzo vs. Lyons feud is something I can get behind.

Rizzo attacks Lyons post-match because she’s the one that attacked her. She explains it to Kelani and then goes on the attack.

* Ethan Page WALKS backstage.

* Page is in the ring with a mic and says that if we think he’s finished with the NXT Championship, we are sadly mistaken. Ridge Holland comes out and says everyone is sick and tired of Page. He won the NXT Title when he came here but he’s had shot after shot and opportunity after opportunity. But Trick survived Halloween Havoc, though he won’t hold it longer because he’s knocking Trick off his throne. Ridge says Trick knows it and asked Bubba to do his dirty work, but Bubba made the smartest move of his life when he backed down.

HERE COMES BUBBA! Bubba thinks it’s time he and Ridge have a little talk. he says before Halloween Havoc, he didn’t know much about Ridge, but he’s learned a lot in the past 48 hours. He’s commanded the conversation on Busted Open Radio. Wherever he turns, people are talking about Ridge. So what does he know now? That Ridge is one hell of a rugby player, tough, fast, agile. A couple people in the back said he shattered both of his legs and came back after only eight months. It’s respectable — but that’s where the respect ends. Bubba says he disrespected him, LaGreca, Busted Open and every fan. He doesn’t deal well with disrespect and has one question for Ridge: “Do you know who I am?” He’s one half of the greatest mothertrucking tag team to walk this Earth. He’s held more championships than Ridge has had championship opportunities. And Ridge getting a shot at the title? Debatable.

My feed goes wonky but he dismissed Page and then says the NXT Universe needs to see a lot more from Ridge if he’s gonna get a shot at the title.

Ridge says no one cares what Bubba has to say. he’s not an active competitor; he’s a radio host. He doesn’t live in Dudleyville anymore, he’s a nostalgia act. He says Bubba’s prime wasn’t extreme; it was overrated. So go on, or LaGreca will have to find a new host because he’ll be in the hospital.

Bubba with a shot to Ridge! But Page attacks Bubba from behind and they beat Bubba down. HERE COMES TRICK! He beats on Ridge as Bubba sends Page over the top, and Ridge follows. Bubba gets a mic and asks Trick if he still wants a tag partner next Wednesday? Trick nods. Bubba says next Wednesday, NXT live from the ECW Arena. Them vs. Trick and Bubba Ray Dudley!

* Team Badass for next week are figuring out who they want to fight. RHEA RIPLEY IS HERE! She talks about the stacked division and says she had to see for herself. She says next Wednesday’s match will be amazing.

* Jadia says she doesn’t know if Lola knows what she’s getting into because her version of Hardcore Match is different than Lola’s. She can use any weapon she wants, perfect for the ECW Arena. She doesn’t know Dawn but warns her not to get in her way. Jaida Parker don’t play.

Set For Next Week:
– Hardcore Match: Jaida Parker vs. Lola Vice
– Bubba Ray Dudley & Trick Williams vs. Ethan Page & Ridge Holland
– 10 Woman Tag Team Match: Team Badass vs. Team Mean Girl

* Stevie Turner and Mr. Stone argue as refs run past them to the outside. Liv and Raquel walk by with a pipe and the refs run to Rhea, who was busted open by the two.

* We get a recap of what just happened with Rhea’s attack.

NXT Tag Team Championship Match
Fraxiom vs. Je’Von Evans & Cedric Alexander

Axiom and Cedric start off. Cedric trips Axiom but gets kicked off, Axiom trips Cedric. Back up and Cedric with a wristlock takedown. Axiom counters and reverses, Cedric flips out and knocks Axiom down. He pulls Axiom up, they counter each other, Axiom catches a leapfrogging Cedric with an ankle takedown. Surfboard but Cedric escapes.

Frazer says he ants Je’Von and tags in, Evans tags in too. They go face to face, Frazer into the ropes and Evans ducks a leap, they go into the ropes and duck, dodge and dive! Frazer in the ropes and Evans talks trash!Axiom tells Frazer to calm down and Frazer slaps Evans! Evans into the ropes, blind tag to Cedric who comes off the ropes with a front dropkick for two.

Cedric with a front facelock, he gets Frazer in the corner for a chop and tags in Evans. Evans with a whip into the corner, he charges into a back elbow. Springboard by Frazer but Evans ducks and Frazer stomps down Axiom in the corner. Axiom tags in and shouts at Frazer! Superkick to Frazer by Evans, who takes over on Axiom and sends him to the outside. Alexander tags in and comes off the ropes with a DIVE onto Axiom as we go to break.

We’re back as Axiom has Cedric in a chinlock, but Cedric fights out of it. Axiom with kicks to Cedric’s chest, he misses one and gets put on Cedric’s shoulders before being dropped into a kick. Cedric makes the hot tag, Frazer in and Evans goes wild on him! Off the ropes with a flipping kick — and he dives through the ropes onto Axiom! Springboard crossbody to Frazer across the ring for a nearfall. Axiom in now and Evans off the ropes but gets caught — he shoves Axiom into Frazer, superkicks Frazer and covers for two.

Frazer with a kick to Je’Von and tags in Axiom. Axiom off the top with a high-low with Frazer, cover gets two-plus. Axiom goes up top and takes aim — he leaps but Evans dodges and tags in Cedric. Evans with a powerbomb, Cedric with one of his own! Cover gets two but Frazer with a missile dropkick to Evans to break it up!

All four men down, Evans gets to his corner. Cedric goes to crawl for the tag. Evans makes the tag and kicks Frazer — he leaps over Frazer and springboards off the ropes for a cutter! One, two, thre-NO! Evans tags in Cedric, Cedric throws Axiom into Evans but Axiom with a Canadian Destroyer! Cedric with chops in the corner to Axiom.

Cedric charges in, Axiom goes up and over but eats a boot and nails a big kick. Cedric to the second rope, Axiom kicks him in the head. Frazer is up and tags in, Axiom hits the Spanish Fly. Frazer with the Pheonix Splash — Evans breaks it up and hits Axiom with a cutter!

…and here comes Wes Lee? Evans dives through the ropes onto Lee and fights with him to the back. Cedric misses the Phoenix Splash, he hits Axiom with the Lumbar Check and lays out Frazer! Nearfall! Frazer with a superplex into a brainbuster-superkick for three.

Winner: Fraxiom (14:55)
Rating: *** 1/2
Thoughts: Fantastic main event here. I question how long they can do the “Fraxiom almost breaks up” arc but Evans getting a real feud with Lee is something I’m for.

Evans and Lee are brawling backstage as officials try to separate them. Ava comes between them and says they’re not doing this here. RVD walks in to break it up. He has an idea for next week and will see them in Philly. He leaves and the fight begins anew.

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

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

Very solid episode of NXT this week coming out of Halloween Havoc. The brand had a build to do for next week's show to make it seem special and by and large they did, while also giving us a barn-burner of a main event. The show sagged a bit here and there but on the whole I don't have many complaints and am looking forward to next week's show.