Next week is Halloween Havoc, so there’s going to be a lot of build-up to that on this week’s show. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing else going on though. We still get a title match in the form of Breezango versus Undisputed ERA for the tag titles. We also got a Kushida, Tommaso Ciampa, and Velveteen Dream triple threat, and Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott, Jake Atlas, and Ashante ‘Thee’ Adonis taking on Legado del Fantasma.

 

Results

Kushida def. Tommaso Ciampa and Velveteen Dream

Ember Moon def. Jessi Kamea

Bronson Reed def. Austin Theory – twice

Legado del Fantasma def. Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott, Jake Atlas, & Ashante ‘Thee’ Adonis

Ever-Rise def. Drake Maverick & Killian Dain (DQ)

Kacy Catanzaro def. Xia Li

Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch def. Breezango

 

 

Review

Kushida vs Tommaso Ciampa vs Velveteen Dream

The show started with Kushida already in the ring. Tommaso Ciampa attacked Velveteen Dream before he even got off the stage, and they made it into the ring long enough for the bell to ring before they all spilled out to ringside.

Ciampa was on fire and gunning for Velveteen Dream, to the point where Velveteen spent around five minutes laid out at ringside recovering before he got back into the match. Kushida versus Ciampa is a feud I could live with. I very much enjoyed the parts of the match Velveteen Dream wasn’t in. Ciampa is at his most violent at the moment and his most intense.

It settled into an excellent triple-threat, finished with a German suplex from Kushida to Tommaso Ciampa after Velveteen hit Ciampa with his cast.

 

Adam Cole was with Undisputed ERA for their promo, via video link. They’re all very confident that they’re heading into the next phase of the prophecy and will regain all the gold, starting with the tag titles for Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong tonight.

 

We got a video build-up to Rhea Ripley vs Raquel Gonzalez, decent as usual and that match should be good.

 

Ember Moon vs Jessi Kamea

Considering this was Ember Moon’s first single’s match since her return, Jessi Kamea’s chances weren’t great. It was a match, rather than a squash, but it was short and ended with Moon tapping Kamea out.

Dakota Kai attacked Moon after the match pulling her feet out from under her from outside the ring so she crashed to the canvas then spinning her around and kicking her in the face. Kai got close and said, ‘If you think you can just use me to put yourself back in the spotlight, think again’. Then she walked away.

 

Bobby Fish was attacked backstage by persons unknown. All we saw on camera was him being helped up by O’Reilly and Strong. There was an update during the next match to say Fish had been taken to hospital and Kyle O’Reilly would take his place in the title match as he was cleared this morning.

 

Austin Theory vs Bronson Reed

Another round of people trying to flatten Theory’s massive ego and shut his big mouth. And another tick in the loss column for him. Bronson Reed won with a Tsunami Splash. Theory couldn’t accept the loss. He grabbed a mic and said he was the future of WWE. He told Reed that he’s 23 and has done more in his career than Reed has done in 15 years, and demanded Reed get back in the ring. Reed did and less than 30 seconds later Theory was gasping on the mat like a fish out of water after taking a Samoan drop and getting pinned again.

Theory was asked for comments as he got in his car to leave, he just said he was done and left.

 

Xia Li is feeling a lot of pressure. She keeps saying she has to win and it’s important to her. Kacy Catanzaro stepped up to fight her after Li begged William Regal for a match this week. Catanzaro said, ‘May the best woman win’, and went to prepare. Li said it was the biggest match of her career and she had to win.

 

Legado del Fantasma vs Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott, Ashante ‘Thee’ Adonis, & Jake Atlas

Some matches to make you hyper-aware of just how much talent is contained within the NXT roster.  This was definitely one of those. I’m about two years behind on 205 Live, but I honestly think I might have to start watching again.

This one was a lot of fun if you happen to like matches with bodies flying around all over the place. I do, so I was very entertained. Joaquin Wilde got the pin on Ashante ‘Thee’ Adonis after an awesome and chaotic match.

 

Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae practised spinning a wheel to choose their match. Gargano is freaking out about it, and that didn’t get better when he spun a buried alive match and a casket match. LeRae was much happier when she spun a Trick or Street Fight. We’ll just have to wait and see what they actually get.

 

Drake Maverick & Killian Dain vs Ever-Rise

We have reached a turning point in the relationship between Maverick and Dain (another one). Parker had Dain in a single leg crab while Martel kept Maverick out of the ring. Drake Maverick grabbed a chair and hit Martel with it, then cracked Parker with it and got his team disqualified. He waited for Killian Dain to punch him but instead, Dain slapped his chest and told him it was awesome and the best thing he’d ever seen. For the first time, Dain was enthusiastic. He wanted to know where that guy had been. The happiness did not extend to doing Maverick’s dance to the theme music though, he still walked away.

 

Roderick Strong was found unconscious half in and half out of a room (bathroom?). After a break, William Regal spoke to O’Reilly, who said he wouldn’t compete and Regal should give the match to Burch and Lorcan. They were there, as were Breezango, and after a token objection from Burch and Lorcan, the match was set.

 

Xia Li vs Kacy Catanzaro, with Kayden Carter

I hope that whatever this storyline with Xia Li is, it elevates her. The frustration started to mount quickly for her when she couldn’t keep Catanzaro down, and she yelled at the ref to count faster. She didn’t get another chance. Kacy Catanzaro folded her up and sat on her for the pin.

Li didn’t take it well. She attacked Catanzaro, and Kayden Carter when she tried to intervene. She was stamping on Catanzaro in the corner when Raquel Gonzalez dragged her off by the hair and clotheslined her from behind. Gonzalez picked up Catanzaro and threw her at Carter, then picked up Carter and slammed her into the mat.

When everyone was laid out, Gonzalez grabbed a mic and told Rhea Ripley that’s what awaits her next week.

 

Cameron Grimes was told by McKenzie Mitchell that his match against Dexter Lumis next week is a Haunted House of Terror match. He tried to style it out, but failed. She asked him if he’s afraid of Dexter Lumis and he tried to style that out too. Again, he failed. Neither of them noticed Lumis watching them through the window.

 

Io Shirai is not worried about the unknown stipulation. She’s confident she’ll beat Candice LeRae in any possible scenario.

 

Thatch as Thatch can was a live demonstration on how to apply simple techniques that cause extreme pain. As usual, he ignored his trainee’s tapping and screaming. After the second hold, the trainee (Anthony) looked like he wanted to punch him, and when Thatcher told him to take his wrist, he went for his legs and tried out one of the holds he’d just had applied. Thatcher called a ref in and demanded the bell was rung, then destroyed the guy. He kept the finishing submission on way longer than necessary, then kicked Anthony out of the ring.

 

Damian Priest doesn’t fear Johnny Gargano, but he seems to respect him. He delivered his promo while having a tattoo done. He’s not worried about the wheel making the decisions either. He said he can take the pain, but can Gargano.

 

Breezango (C) vs Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch

Burch and Lorcan didn’t even get a televised entrance, they came out during the ads. I could live with Burch and Lorcan as tag champs, but not at the expense of Breezango.

It was a good match, solid rather than exceptional. Tyler Breeze smacked Danny Burch’s leg against the post going into the break, which seemed out of character. Later in the match, Burch threw Breeze over the barricades to the concrete.

Burch almost got pinned by Fandango off the leg drop, but he kicked out. Burch and Lorcan tried a double submission on Breeze, but Fandango broke that up. Breeze would have been pinned by Burch if Fandango hadn’t got there in time.

By this point, everyone was moving so slowly it was like a slow-motion match at times. Fandango went to the top turnbuckle and someone dressing in black, wearing a mask, appeared from under the ring and pushed him off to the floor. While the ref and Breeze were looking at Fandango in the floor, Danny Burch low-blowed Tyler Breeze and the double team finished him off.

Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch are the new NXT Tag Team Champions. The mystery person appeared in the ring, hugged Burch and Lorcan and raised their hands, then revealed himself as Pat McAfee. McAfee mocked Undisputed ERA and Burch and Lorcan celebrated.

 

 

Final word

That was a huge let down to end the show on. Not a good way to end Breezango’s long-awaited first title run. And why the hell is Pat McAfee back again? I thought we were done with all that nonsense. The rest of the show was decent though. I’m thoroughly enjoying Killian Dain and Drake Maverick. I’m curious as to where Xia Li’s storyline is headed. And that six-man tag was truly entertaining.

We don’t have a full announced card for Halloween Havoc, but what we have got looks pretty decent.

• Io Shirai vs Candice LeRae – NXT Women’s Championship ‘Spin the Wheel, Make a Deal’ match
• Damian Priest vs Johnny Gargano – NXT North American Championship ‘Spin the Wheel, Make a Deal’ match
• Rhea Ripley vs Raquel Gonzalez
• Cameron Grimes vs Dexter Lumis – Haunted House of Terror match

Wade Barrett and Vic Joseph are going to have a Halloween costume competition. I think Halloween Havoc is going to be silly, but fun.