By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
NXT Halloween Havoc Hits
Bron Breakker vs. Ilja Dragunov vs. JD McDonagh in a Triple Threat for the NXT Championship: They saved the best for last. This was a fantastic Triple Threat. There were excellent near falls and I assume the one where McDonagh stopped the referee from making three count while Dragunov had Breakker pinned will be spotlighted. Dragunov can point to the fact that he had Breakker down for a three count, and that should set up a great singles match between the two. With that in mind, I’m surprised they didn’t have Breakker pin McDonagh in this match to keep Dragunov unscathed. Nevertheless, this was a great main event.
Carmelo Hayes vs. Wes Lee vs. Von Wagner vs. Oro Mensah vs. Nathan Frazer in a ladder match for the vacant NXT North American Championship: All the big bumps and innovative spots that fans expect from ladder matches and then some. Everyone involved worked really hard and contributed to the success of the match. The lack of predictability regarding the outcome of the match was a big plus, as I genuinely felt like a case could have been made for having any of these wrestlers go over. Lee was the feel good winner after losing his tag team partner. NXT has a lot of cruiserweight sized wrestlers on its roster right now, so it’s a good idea to have one holding the brand’s secondary championship.
Julius Creed vs. Damon Kemp in an Ambulance Match: These two had a lot working against them. There was no real mystery regarding the outcome because of the odd the stipulation that Brutus Creed would have to leave NXT if his brother lost. It also didn’t help that their cause that there were too many hardcore matches on this show. And yet as much as I would prefer to see these two trading suplexes in a traditional match, Creed and Kemp worked their tails off and delivered the most intense brawl of the night.
Apollo Crews vs. Grayson Waller in a Casket Match: A soft Hit. The hard work of the wrestlers was just enough to overcome the match being overbooked. It was a gritty brawl that didn’t need the dollar store casket spot, and the druids should have retired with Undertaker. I don’t mind a little Halloween themed fun, but there was way too much of it on this show. If nothing else, it will be interesting to see if Waller losing a casket match will serve as his NXT sendoff.
NXT Halloween Havoc Misses
Roxanne Perez vs. Cora Jade in a Weapons Wild match: As much as I enjoy good callbacks during wrestling matches, Perez and Jade oddly had callbacks to bad moments from their feud. The early use of the skateboard was a reminder of the unfortunate spot that started the feud when Jade’s skateboard broke before it actually made contact with Perez. And Perez hesitating before the big spot from the platform was a callback to a lousy finish from one of their previous matches. I don’t know if there’s a lack in-ring chemistry between Perez and Jade or if they struggled due to the tone of their feud requiring more brawling than wrestling. But as someone who looked forward to this feud once Jade turned, I now find myself happy that it’s over so that both wrestlers can move on.
Mandy Rose vs. Alba Fyre for the NXT Women’s Championship: The cinematic brawl in the haunted house wasn’t for me and overstayed its welcome, but it was well done for what it was. If nothing else, it was a creative way for Fyre to take out Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin so that she could face Rose without interference. But wait. They still showed up at ringside and even interfered after a ref bump. In other words, we went through that long cinematic only to get a brief match with a bad interference finish.
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