Pantoja’s NXT Deadline 2024 Review

NXT Deadline

December 7^th, 2024 | Minneapolis Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Iron Survivor Challenge is my favorite new match in WWE so I’m pumped for this show. Also, I’m covering this, the Continental Classic, and the Goddesses of Stardom Tag League playoffs so I’ve got to get a move on.

Iron Survivor Challenge: Ethan Page vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Nathan Frazer vs. Oba Femi vs. Wes Lee

Evans and Lee started this and you just knew it was going to be high octane right from the start. It’s what these two dudes do best. Wes Lee  rolled Evans up with his feet on the ropes to score the first fall just before Nathan Frazer entered at #3. For those who don’t remember, you get a point for a fall and when you lose, you have to hit the penalty box for 90 seconds. Props to WWE’s graphics team because they give you all the information you need on the screen and it doesn’t overwhelm anyone. Frazer came in hot and showed no signs of taking it easy despite having a second match to work later. These two all work at such a fast pace that they kept things interesting until Ethan Page entered fourth. He looked to steal a fall quickly but Frazer beat him with an inside cradle at 10:36. Perfect booking on Page there. He got his revenge when he got out of the penalty box and pinned Frazer back at 12:39. The mystery fifth man, chosen by Ava, entered last and it was Oba Femi. The big man came in and dominated, including pinning Evans at 16:14. His next pin got cut off and Evans returned to pin Lee, tying things up at 18:39. Everyone teamed up to wear down Oba but he still fought them all off. Page got the next pin by cheaply rolling up Femi at 21:14. Again, well done booking for a heel like him. Then, about 30 seconds later, Page fell on Evans the way he won the NXT Title but Evans rolled him over to pin him at 21:48. He and Evans were tied with 3 minutes left and Page was trapped in the box with Oba. He beat him and returned to the mat, where he planted Lee and Frazer with a double chokeslam and pinned both to take a 3-2 lead at 24:48. Evans hit Oba with a cutter but time ran out at 25:00. Oh, that was a blast. It took a bit to really get going but that was such a fun match. [***¾]

Underground Match: Jaida Parker vs. Lola Vice

This is basically a match held in the old rules from Shane McMahon’s Raw Underground gimmick. Lola won against Shayna in this environment earlier this year. I like the idea of this match but I think it needs tweaking. We don’t need weapons or fighting on the outside. Just keep it in the ring if you’re going to go this route. The action itself was fine but the problem is that when you this kind of stipulation, you want it to feel more realistic than a regular match, and this didn’t feel that way. Not much about it stood out from something you’d see from them on a normal episode of NXT in a basic singles match. I liked some of the submission attempts and the idea to have Lola’s hand hit the ring post though it didn’t look as good as they wanted. That hand injury allowed Jaida to take control but she went for a brick and Lola laid her out with a kick. She then pulled her into a choke that Jaida broke but followed with a suplex, spinning back fist, and another choke to win in 10:57. A mixed bag. There were some good things in there but they need to tighten up the gimmick to make it work better. [**½]

NXT Tag Team Championship: Axiom and Nathan Frazer [c] vs. No Quarter Catch Crew

Nobody is talking about it but Axiom and Nathan Frazer have to be the male tag team of the year in major promotions right? The idea here is that Frazer is badly banged up from the opener, especially due to Oba Femi. He was all bandaged up here. Axiom said he’d handle the heavy lifting here and even when Frazer came in and hit the ropes, he had to stop and sell the ribs immediately. OTM came down to watch from the aisle, adding another layer of distraction to things. Frazer got launched out onto OTM and that led to the heat segment on him. Frazer did well to sell the pain in every move he took before he made the hot tag to Axiom. The crowd was even chanting for Axiom, which was welcome. Whenever Axiom looked over to tag back out though, Frazer wasn’t there as he was still dealing with the damage. He finally got back to make the tag and that set up the next fun batch of big spots as this neared its conclusion. The Spanish Fly/Phoenix Splash combo not ending this was surprising and then we got the expected spot of Axiom accidentally dropkicking Frazer. I feel like they’re overdone the tease of breaking up or issues between the champions. Borne and Heights hit a nice assisted DDT for a great near fall. Then, from out of nowhere, Axiom beat Borne with an inside cradle in 15:44. That was really good though I do think they hit some diminishing returns in the closing stretch. [***¾]

NXT Championship: Trick Williams [c] vs. Ridge Holland

I’m a bit worried about this one because while Trick is good, he hasn’t really had to carry someone yet and Ridge is the kind of guy who needs to be in there with someone who can really lead the way. Trick entered here with a bad neck, giving Ridge something to target. It’s a fine idea for the match and it worked for the story they were telling but Ridge isn’t exactly the most interesting wrestler. That means a lengthy heat segment from him isn’t going to be all that enjoyable. Trick did his best to fight from beneath and the crowd was behind him, which helped. Trick’s rally got cut short by getting his neck trapped in the ropes. I appreciated the live crowd reacting to that as if it was death. Trick survived that and hit the Trick Shot to retain in 15:51. It was too long for what it was and while it was straightforward, it also didn’t totally engage me. [**¼]

Iron Survivor Challenge: Giulia vs. Sol Ruca vs. Stephanie Vaquer vs. Wren Sinclair vs. Zaria

Giulia, who looks like and carries herself like an absolute star, opened against Wren Sinclair. Wren is an interesting case because she’s yet another woman in NXT who has done well with the opportunities given to her. This division is absurdly deep. Wren did well to hold her own against Giulia in the opening stages though it wasn’t the most exciting five minutes you’ll ever see. Sol Ruca entered next and is yet another impressive talent in this division. The action picked up here with cool spots like some double submissions and Sol hitting sick springboard offense.  At the 9:47 mark, Giulia beat Wren with the Northern Lights Bomb just ahead of Zaria entering the fray. I like her coming out fourth because having her show up last and dominating would’ve been too similar to Oba Femi earlier. The double Sol Snatcher was sick and then as soon as Wren got back in from the penalty box, she ate a Sol Snatcher for another fall at 11:37. Giulia and Sol worked together to put Zaria through a table before having their own fun exchange and then Sol busted out a sweet springboard move. Her athleticism is outstanding. Last in was Stephanie Vaquer to a big pop and it was time for the final 10 minutes of action. She cleaned house as she came in before having the exciting staredown with Giulia. That’s the match everyone wants but Zaria interrupted it here. Great use of a tease. Zaria’s cannonball with Giulia on her back was dope and then she added an F5 to beat Giulia in 17:41. The action kept up after that, including a dope moment where Giulia hit a double dropkick and senton at the same time. We finally got Giulia/Vaquer, at least for a moment. Poor Wren went to steal a pin on Vaquer only to get pulled into a pin at 22:35. When Wren got back in, she managed to tie it at 24:20 with a pin on Sol, setting up a frantic final 90 seconds. That meant everyone went for big moves but Giulia caught Zaria with the knee strike to take the lead at 24:50. She survived several Vaquer flash pins in the last 10 seconds to win. Incredible stuff here. Laid out so well, filled with action and drama and everyone looked great out there. What a women’s division. [****½]

8.0

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

A pretty great show from NXT. The Iron Survivor gimmick is fantastic and delivered tonight, especially in that stellar main event. The Tag Title is also really good and while the other two matches are forgettable, they weren’t awful so a big thumbs up here.