By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
NXT Hits
Jackson Drake vs. EK Prosper for the NXT North American Championship: A strong match. The finish may not have been satisfying, but it was productive. As previously noted, I’m cool with the Vanity Project trio getting occasional cheap wins as long as it’s done in a way that puts heat on them and/or adds to the fan perception that they are vulnerable champions. It worked in this case because while the heat went to Hendrix, Drake looked like he was lucky to escape with his championship.
Grayson Waller and Tony D’Angelo: Waller tormenting D’Angelo by going to his home added some juice to the NXT Championship match at Halloween Havoc. I was hoping they had something more creative in mind than Waller frustrating D’Angelo by sending him to various locations until they met and brawled at the WWE Performance Center. Ultimately, though, the champion and his Halloween Havoc challenger made their feud feel more intense and personal on the go-home show.
Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno vs. Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes in a Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament semifinal match: The funniest thing on NXT television in recent weeks was Dar struggling to keep that pesky wrap on his head before he finally gave up. Anyway, I’m surprised the tournament wasn’t set up to have this be the final match. As much as I like Baylor and Smokes, it was good booking to have them take the loss, which obviously gives Dar and Moreno a boost, while also putting them in line for an NXT Tag Team Title match even if they fail to win the tournament.
Hank Walker and Tank Ledger vs. El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. and Galeno in a Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament semifinal match: Roughly 10-15 seconds after Walker and Ledger won, there was a crowd shot that included a guy wearing a Japan jersey. He hilariously had his hands on his head, and his jaw dropped in reaction to Hank and Tank going over. He looked genuinely stunned by the outcome, not just making faces in hopes of being shown on television. The finish was surprising. Perhaps not as surprising as it was to the Japan jersey guy, but I did expect the AAA Tag Team Champions to go over, especially with their father in the crowd. I doubt many fans predicted at the start that Hank and Tank vs. Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno would be the tournament finals. It’s a babyface vs. babyface final, but I wonder if all four wrestlers will still be babyfaces coming out of the match.
Sean Legacy vs. Saquon Shugars: A soft Hit for good ring work from both wrestlers. Saquon’s growing frustration isn’t very compelling because he’s never had a sustained push, so his losing ways feel like more of the same rather than him being in a slump. Even so, here’s hoping that he’ll be in a better place creatively once it plays out, because he’s good in the ring and has a lot of charisma. Is Legacy a singles wrestler now or just killing time until his tag team partner Dorian Van Dux recovers from an injury?
Chantel Monroe vs. Lizzy Rain: In-the-middle for a decent introductory match for Monroe. The match felt like it went a little longer than necessary, but the high-energy Rain helped keep at least some fans in the live crowd engaged.
NXT Misses
Zaria and Izzi Dame: The heel challenger is accusing the heel champion of being a poser because she’s not the same person in her twenties that she was in high school. Isn’t that a positive? I’m still left wondering why fans should care about this heel vs. heel feud?
Myles Borne and Tavion Heights: There was nothing wrong with this segment. Borne and Heights were intense and delivered some of their more believable mic work. The problem is that their feud is ice cold, and it will take a hell of a match at Halloween Havoc to change that.
(Jason Powell, founder and editor of ProWrestling.net, has covered pro wrestling full-time since 1997. He hosts the weekly podcast, Pro Wrestling Boom, and appears regularly on the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast. Reach him via email at dotnetjason@gmail.com and on social media via @prowrestlingnet.bsky.social or x.com/prowrestlingnet. For his full bio and information on this website, click here.)
