Amid the group’s ongoing breakup, WWE is planning to celebrate 10 years of The New Day.
WWE will be celebrating New Day’s 10th anniversary with a special episode of Raw. The announcement was made in a post-Raw video last night, but details on when the episode will be taking place were not provided.
“Ten years as New Day, it’s time to celebrate, man. You guys are one of the most decorated tag teams in WWE history. Because of that, if it’s cool with you guys, I actually wanted to dedicate a special episode of Raw to celebrating you,” Raw general manager Adam Pearce told Kofi Kingston.
Kingston agreed that it was a good idea and said he thought this celebration could help fix the “rough patch” that he and Xavier Woods are going through. Pearce said he would start making arrangements for the episode.
Woods was not present for the segment with Pearce and Kingston. Pearce said he had wanted to talk to both of them and didn’t want to assume anything, but Kingston thought Woods would be fine with the celebration.
A split within New Day has been brewing on WWE television with Woods growing insecure about his place in the team and his lack of success as a singles wrestler.
On Raw last night, New Day lost to The War Raiders after Woods tagged himself into the match while Kingston was closing in on a victory.
New Day debuted as a faction in November 2014. Whether Big E will be involved in their anniversary celebration has not been announced. After suffering a broken neck in 2022, Big E is currently a broadcaster for WWE PLE pre-shows and post-shows. He said this September that he would be getting new scans on his neck in the next 3-6 months.
During a match between The New Day and AOP, Karrion Kross interfered in their match, allowing AOP to gain control. It was then that Odyssey made his debut, laying out Karrion Kross. The distraction allowed The New Day to score the victory. AOP attacked Xavier Woods after the match but Odyssey came into the ring and laid both Akam and Rezar with a double sidewalk slam.
Backstage, Kofi Kingston was celebrating with Odyssey but Woods seemed apprehensive about the situation, saying he didn’t know Odyssey and Kingston were friends. Kingston explained they had met while he was training at the WWE Performance Center.
Triple H wrote about Odyssey’s debut on X.
“Strength, size, star power… and he’s only getting started. Odyssey Jones is a game-changer,” he wrote.
Strength, size, star power… and he’s only getting started. Odyssey Jones is a game-changer. #WWERawhttps://t.co/hF29N403by
Signing with the WWE in 2019, Odyssey was called up to the main roster as part of the 2023 WWE Draft. However, he mostly wrestled dark matches. As part of the 2024 Draft back in April, he was moved to Raw.
After a week away, the one and only Les Thatcher and I return for a new Wrestling Weekly to talk about all the things happening between The Elite and Tony Khan in AEW, as well as the full results from last week’s WWE Draft.
Three new teams have qualified for the Six-Pack Ladder Match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles at WrestleMania 40.
Awesome Truth (The Miz & R-Truth), DIY (Tomasso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano), and The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) have now qualified to challenge Damian Priest & Finn Balor at WrestleMania 40 next month. Awesome Truth defeated Indus Sher, New Day defeated Otis & Akira Tozawa, and DIY defeated The Creed Brothers on Monday’s Raw.
Two mini-tournaments are taking place on SmackDown to determine the final two spots. Tyler Bate & Pete Dunne will meet Humberto Carrillo & Angel Garza in a future match to determine the first spot after they won matches on SmackDown. The OC will meet Austin Theory & Grayson Waller and The Authors of Pain will take on The Street Profits on SmackDown this coming Friday. The winners of those two matches will then face off to determine the second spot in the ladder match.
WrestleMania 40 will stream live on Peacock/WWE Network on Saturday, April 6 & Sunday, April 7 at 7 p.m. Eastern time from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Here is the updated lineup:
WrestleMania 40 night one —
The Rock & Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins
WrestleMania 40 night two —
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against Cody Rhodes
World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins defends against Drew McIntyre
WrestleMania 40 night TBA —
Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley defends against Becky Lynch
WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY defends against Bayley
Intercontinental Champion Gunther defends his title
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions Finn Balor & Damian Priest defend their titles in a six-pack ladder match against DIY, Awesome Truth, The New Day, and two teams from SmackDown
United States Champion Logan Paul defends against Kevin Owens & Randy Orton in a triple threat match
A street fight is set for the February 26 edition of WWE Raw.
As announced on Monday, the issues between The New Day and Imperium will come to a head on next week’s Raw in a street fight, with New Day’s Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods facing Imperium’s Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci.
Kingston & Woods laid out the challenge for next week in a backstage promo segment on Monday’s Raw, both wielding kendo sticks. The match was officially announced later on Monday’s program.
A singles rematch from the February 12 Raw main event is also set for the February 26 episode, as Sami Zayn will again face Shinsuke Nakamura.
Zayn’s WrestleMania season storyline quest of making it to Mania and becoming a champion continued on Raw with a promo, as he looks to be a potential Intercontinental Championship program for Gunther for WrestleMania. Gunther retained the IC title on Monday’s Raw with a win over Jey Uso after Jimmy Uso provided a distraction, also hinting at an Uso vs. Uso match for WrestleMania 40.
Next week’s Raw will also feature fallout from Saturday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
The announced card for the Monday, February 26 WWE Raw episode:
Street fight: The New Day’s Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods vs. Imperium’s Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci
WWE has revealed the teams that will be competing in a fatal four-way tag match on Monday’s Raw.
DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) vs. The Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus Creed) vs. Imperium (Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) will take place on Raw this Monday. The match is part of a mini-tournament to decide the next challengers for The Judgment Day’s Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles.
The tournament began with Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate winning a fatal four-way match on SmackDown last night. The team that wins Monday’s four-way will advance to face Dunne & Bate in a number one contender’s match on SmackDown next Friday (February 9). The winning team gets their title shot against Damian Priest & Finn Balor at WWE Elimination Chamber in Perth, Australia on Saturday, February 24.
Priest & Balor defeated Gargano & Ciampa on Raw earlier this week to retain their belts.
The Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri is hosting Monday’s Raw. The updated lineup for the episode is listed below:
WWE Raw (Monday, February 5) —
Gunther celebrates passing 600 days as Intercontinental Champion
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane) defend against Katana Chance & Kayden Carter
The Miz vs. JD McDonagh
Mixed tag match: Akira Tozawa & Maxxine Dupri vs. Ivar & Valhalla
Fatal four-way match: DIY vs. The Creed Brothers vs. Imperium vs. New Day
Tonight, NXT moves on from Deadline and begins the build to New Year’s Evil.
Trick Williams and Blair Davenport emerged as the winners of this year’s Iron Survivor Challenge matches, earning them future title shots. Ilja Dragunov vs. Williams for the NXT Championship and Lyra Valkyria vs. Davenport for the NXT Women’s Championship will both take place at New Year’s Evil on Tuesday, January 2.
Though Davenport is next in line for a shot at Valkyria, Cora Jade also has her eyes on the gold. Jade made her NXT return by ambushing Valkyria at Deadline.
Dragunov retained the NXT Championship by defeating Baron Corbin in Deadline’s main event.
Dijak was one of the other men’s Iron Survivor Challenge competitors, but his rival Eddy Thorpe interfered to cost Dijak the match. Thorpe vs. Dijak is set for tonight.
A six-person tag match with Fallon Henley, Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen facing Lash Legend, Noam Dar & Oro Mensah has been announced for tonight. Nikkita Lyons is also set to make her return. Plus, the 2023 Men’s Breakout Tournament will begin.
Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
A Tonya Harding angle opens the show. It begins with the arrival of Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams. The press stop them to ask some questions. Hayes blows them off, and he goes inside the building, Meanwhile, Williams fields some questions.
After a highlight reel from Deadline, cut to the backstage area where Hayes has been ambushed. Hayes clutches his knee, and Williams rushes in to check on his buddy. Something tells me Hayes will be cleared to wrestle by Friday, when he is scheduled for a match on Smackdown.
The returning Cora Jade is in the ring for a monologue. She brags on herself before being interrupted, because no monologue can go uninterrupted in NXT. Out comes NXT Women’s Champion Lyra Valkyria to confront Jade, and soon there is another interruption.
Blair Davenport joins the confrontation in the ring, as Davenport earned a title shot as the Iron Survivor. Yet another interruption as Nikkita Lyons rushes into the ring to join the party. Lyons is looking for revenge against Davenport for jumping her, which was the way Lyons was written off the show because of an injury.
A brawl erupts, and a melee ensues. This would seem to set up the returning Lyons teaming up with Valkyria against the returning Jade and Davenport.
New NXT North American Champion Dragon Lee is interviewed by Kelly Kincaid. Dragon Lee basically sets up an open challenge for later on.
Fallon Henley, Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen defeated Meta-Four (Lash Legend, Noam Dar & Oro Mensah with Jakara Jackson) in a six-person tag team match
Meta-Four jumps the babyface rednecks before the bell. The match goes through a split-screen commercial break.
Tiffany Stratton is at first shown watching the match on a monitor. She is supposedly scouting Henley, as the two are programmed together. Stratton later runs down to ringside, where she tangles with Henley. They fight up the aisle and out of sight.
Jensen is in trouble, and Dar hits him with a finisher. However, Jensen falls into his corner. Hot tag to Briggs, and he cleans house. Briggs signals for a finisher, and then Briggs delivers a Stan Hansen Western Lariat on Dar. Briggs then covers Dar for a pinfall.
Hayes and Williams are in the trainer’s room. The trainer tells Hayes he is cleared to wrestle on Friday. It’s a miracle!
The participants in the NXT Men’s Breakout tournament are introduced. Noted in their introduction was the university they came from before signing with NXT. There was even someone from Chase U, which is kind of silly if they are trying to be serious about college backgrounds.
Lexis King runs in during the introductions to attack Trey Bearhill. King pummels Bearhill with a metal folding chair, and Kind has a stand-off with the rest of the field. I guess King wants to be a “breakout” star too, or something like that.
Oba Femi defeated Myles Borne in the first round of the Breakout Tournament
Borne worked over Femi during the body of the match, but Femi makes a comeback. Femi powerbombs Borne, and Femi covers Borne for a three count.
On commentary, Femi was put over as a favorite to win the tournament. He was certainly booked strong. Femi now moves on to the semifinal round.
Tiffany Stratton cuts a promo on Henley. Stratton is better than her, and Stratton also threatens Henley. This is like class warfare, with someone rich against the working class.
NXT North American Champion Dragon Lee defeated Tyler Bate to retain his title
Bate answers the open challenge for Dragon Lee’s first title defense. These two work good together, as their styles blend well.
Stalemate as the show cuts to a commercial break. The back-and-forth action continues after the break. Bate takes control, and he gets to shine. Bate even does a dive to the outside. Dragon Lee fights back, and he does a dive of his own.
They trade near falls, and they tease finishers and signature moves. Really good finishing sequence. Lee is eventually able to execute “Operation Dragon” (which is sort of like a running sliced bread). Lee then pinned Bate, and Lee retains the title. Lee and Bate shake hands after the match in show of sportsmanship.
Josh Briggs wants to challenge for the Heritage Cup. Brooks Jensen questions that, but he ultimately agrees Briggs should challenge Noam Dar.
Lexis King and Ava are in a skit where Ava reveals that Kind will replace Trey Bearhill in the Breakout Tournament. Kind hits on Ava, and she does not seem impressed with him.
Eddy Thorpe defeated Dijak by disqualification
A grudge match ends in a DQ, which would seem to set up another mach in the future.
They brawl around ringside before the bell rings to officially start the match. Setting up a stunt, Dijak rams Thorpe into a corner. The turnbuckle snaps, somebody is bleeding.
Dijak picks up the loose turnbuckle, with the rope still attached to it. Dijak hits Thorpe with the the turnbuckle and the referee calls for the bell. Dijak was apparently DQ’d for attacking Thorpe with the buckle. At least that is what I assume is the official ruling, as it was never made official.
The attack by Dijak targeted Thorpe’s ribs, and Thorpe sold big as he clutched his side. This seems to set up a return bout, possibly with a stipulation of some sort.
Riley Osborne defeated Keanu Carver in the first round of the Breakout Tournament
This was billed as Carver’s in-ring debut. He looked decent enough, yet he still lost.
Thea Hail and Jacy Jayne skipped a class lecture to go watch Osborne, and the two women watched the match from the Chase U student section. Hail apparently has a crush on Osborne. She marked out over him in a skit after the match.
Carver delivered a Monty Brown Pounce just before the finish. It looked impressive, but Osborne recovered to set up a shooting star press. Osborne does the shooting star, and he covers Carver for a pinfall.
A backstage skit looks to set up a North American title match with Dragon Lee against either Drew Gulak or his charges Damon Kemp, Charlie Dempsey or Myles Borne. Lee won’t find out which of the four until next week.
This is billed as the main event match, but an unrelated angle will actually close the show.
Lyons looked strong at the start, but she is cut off and worked over. Hot tag to the champ, and Valkyria gets to shine. Tatum Paxley appears at ringside to distract Valkyria.
A distracted Valkyria falls prey to the heels. Davenport delivers a Falcon Arrow, but Lyons makes a save. Lyons is knocked out of the ring. Blind tag brings Jade back into the match. She collides with Valkyria. Davenport then delivers her knee strike finisher, but Lyons pulls Davenport out of the ring before Davenport can capitalize.
Lyons and Davenport are fighting on the floor, while Jade steals a pinfall in the ring. Jade gets a three count on Valkyria. So, Jade has now scored a pin on the current champ.
After the match, Tatum Paxley runs in to embrace Valkyria. That freaks out Valkyria. It likely confuses everyone else. Also confusing is the new character makeover for Joe Gacy. He is up next in a wacky segment.
Hank Walker and Tank Ledger have a backstage confrontation with Gallus. Ledger and Walker face Mark Coffey and Wolfgang in a tag match set for next week. Joe Coffey assures them he will not get involved. Joe Gacy then appears dressed as a construction worker. He delivers a comedy line and leaves. Gallus looked confused, as did I.
Other matches announced for next Tuesday include Thea Hail & Jacy Jayne against Kiana James & Izzi Dane in a match set up with in skit earlier on. Also announced for next week is Fallon Henley facing Tiffany Stratton in a grudge match. In addition, Dragon Lee defends his North American title against a member of the No Quarter Catch Crew next Tuesday on NXT.
Other lineups announced for New Year’s Evil, which takes place three weeks from tonigh. Two titles matches were announced, in which the two Iron Survivors get their respective title matches. That includes Lyra Valkyia defending the NXT Women’s Championship against challenger Blair Davenport. On the men’s side, Ilja Dragunov defends against Trick Williams.
Dragunov and Williams meet tonight in a confrontation that will close the show. First, Williams cuts a solo promo. He is then joined by NXT Champ Dragunov.
Dragunov addresses Williams, reminding us of a confrontation the two had weeks ago. Dragunov congratulates Williams on being the Iron Survivor. Dragunov says Williams’ great journey ends at New Years Evil in the tile match. Williams responds by vowing to win the title.
Dragunov apologizes, but he says he will anything to remain champion. That is Carmelo Hayes’ cue to interrupt the confrontation. Hayes said earlier in the show be planned to confront his attacker.
Hayes accuses Dragunov of attacking him and Williams. Hayes outright says Dragunov attacked them, but Dragunov denies it. Hayes insists Dragunov is trying to cause a rift. Dragunov still denies it, but the tone in his voice now sounds a little more guilty.
Dragunov question whether Hayes was attacked at all. Dragunov then points the finger at Hayes, as Dragunov tells Williams he should be suspicious of Hayes.
Hayes grabs for the title belt, causing a tug-o-war with Dragunov over the strap. In the process, Hayes inadvertently hits Williams with the belt. The show goes off the air with a three-way stare down as the live studio audience chants “Melo’s guilty.”
Two championship matches are set for the Monday, September 25 edition of WWE Raw.
In a Payback rematch, the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship will be on the line next week, with The Judgment Day’s Damian Priest & Finn Balor defending the titles against former champs Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn.
In the other title match announced, The Judgment Day’s Dominik Mysterio will defend the NXT North American Championship against Dragon Lee.
Another segment announced for next week will see Shinsuke Nakamura respond to Seth Rollins after Rollins declared that Nakamura can choose a stipulation, time, and place for their next World Heavyweight Championship match. Nakamura attacked Rollins on this week’s Raw.
Also set for next week, “Big” Bronson Reed will face Alpha Academy’s Otis in singles competition. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Ludwig Kaiser is set for the episode as well.
The current lineup for the Monday, September 25 Raw in Ontario, California at the Toyota Arena:
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship: The Judgment Day’s Damian Priest & Finn Balor defend against Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
NXT North American Championship: The Judgment Day’s Dominik Mysterio defends against Dragon Lee
A two-out-of-three falls tag team match has been made official for Monday’s episode of Raw.
WWE has announced that The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) and The Viking Raiders (Ivar & Erik) will clash in a two-out-of-three falls match on Raw this Monday night. The teams have a 1-1 record against each other in recent weeks.
New Day defeated The Viking Raiders on the August 7 episode of Raw. Ivar & Erik then evened things up with a win three weeks later. In the latter match, New Day lost after Drew McIntyre accidentally hit Woods with a chair.
McIntyre defeated Woods in a singles match on Raw last Monday.
McIntyre is facing Jey Uso on this Monday’s Raw. McIntyre’s tag team partner Matt Riddle is expected to be back for the show. It’s taking place at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Here’s the updated card:
Drew McIntyre vs. Jey Uso
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Ricochet
Cody Rhodes vs. Dominik Mysterio
Two-out-of-three falls match: The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. The Viking Raiders (Ivar & Erik)
New Day returned to action by defeating The Viking Raiders on the August 7 episode of Raw. Kingston had been out of action since undergoing ankle surgery this March.
This past Monday, The Viking Raiders got involved in a match between New Day and Drew McIntyre & Matt Riddle. New Day won the match but were then attacked by Ivar & Erik.
New Day told McIntyre & Riddle later in the show that they’d be happy to give them a rematch in the future. Woods & Kingston encouraged McIntyre & Riddle to keep their team going.
The announcement of Reed vs. Ciampa comes after Reed issued a challenge to Ciampa on Raw Talk. Reed, who defeated Ciampa in their first meeting, vowed to beat him again.
Monday is Raw’s go-home show for Payback. The updated card for the episode is listed below:
Falls count anywhere match: Becky Lynch vs. Zoey Stark
Chad Gable vs. Ludwig Kaiser
New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. The Viking Raiders
The New Day’s Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods returned to action on Monday’s WWE Raw after being sidelined for months due to a Kingston injury.
Kingston & Woods defeated Erik & Ivar of The Viking Raiders in their return to the ring on Monday’s Raw episode, with Woods pinning Ivar after a Limit Break to secure the victory.
Kingston suffered an ankle injury on the March 3, 2023 edition of SmackDown during an angle that involved Drew McIntyre hitting a flip dive on a group of wrestlers on the floor. The injury was such that Kingston required surgery to repair it two weeks later.
Woods continued to wrestle as a single in the first two months of Kingston’s injury absence, including challenging Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship on the April 21 SmackDown. Prior to Monday, Woods last wrestled on a May 15 episode of Raw in a loss to Dominik Mysterio.
Kingston & Woods, along with fellow New Day member Big E, whose in-ring future is in question after suffering a broken neck on March 11, 2022, The New Day as a group have combined for a total of four Raw Tag Team title reigns, seven SmackDown Tag Team title reigns, and an NXT Tag Team title reign.
In addition, Kingston and Big E are former WWE Champions and former Intercontinental Champions, Kingston a former United States Champion, and Woods won the 2021 King of the Ring tournament among many career accolades.
Though it’s been more than two months since they’ve had any presence on WWE television, The New Day will be back “in due time.”
Xavier Woods gave an update on his status while appearing on Superstar Crossover with Josh Martinez. When asked where he’s been, Woods said he’s been focused on things outside of the ring over the last couple of months. Woods promised that he and Kofi Kingston will be back in due time.
Kingston has been out of action since undergoing ankle surgery this March. Kingston said last month that he’s been ahead of schedule for the most part and hopes to be back in the ring sooner than later.
New Day joined the Raw roster in the 2023 WWE Draft. After that, Woods was involved in a feud with Dominik Mysterio.
Woods told Superstar Crossover:
So Kofi had ankle surgery, right? So during that draft, came over to Raw, had some matches with Dom. And then, I’ve been just getting big at home, dude. I’ve been getting huge. I’ve been doing Dungeons & Dragons appearances. We’re doing USFL appearances. And that’s the interesting thing, so we haven’t been on TV in a minute, like a month, two months? Maybe. But the thing that people don’t see is all the stuff that we do outside of the ring and we have been working relentlessly on so many other things. And so we’ll be back in due time. We’ll be back in due time.
If you look at wrestling, the landscape has changed and I love when it changes because it comes at like a slow pace and then all of a sudden, you see all these faces are faces that have only been there for like six months or a year or year-and-a-half. And that’s what’s kind of happening right now. So many people are filtering in. And so as people filter in and they get established and the crowd gets to know who they are, then all of a sudden, New Day, we’re back on the attack.
New Day’s Big E told WWE After the Bell earlier this month that he “feels great” in his recovery from a broken neck but still has no timetable for an in-ring return. Big E suffered the broken neck in March 2022.
Woods’ full interview on Superstar Crossover is available to watch below:
A triple threat tag team match has been added to NXT Vengeance Day on February 4.
The New Day will defend the titles against Gallus and Pretty Deadly in a three-way match. The match was set up on Tuesday’s NXT when all three teams engaged in a brawl that led to the three teams being separated by officials.
Tuesday’s show had The New Day come out to say they were going to face Gallus at Vengeance Day, as they had won the gauntlet match at last week’s New Year’s Evil event. Pretty Deadly came out and said they were tired of going around hoops to get to The New Day. After Gallus came out, Pretty Deadly attacked both teams, leading to the brawl.
Here is the updated lineup for Vengeance Day:
WWE NXT Vengeance Day, Saturday, February 4, 8 p.m. Eastern time on Peacock & WWE Network —
NXT Championship steel cage match: Bron Breakker (c) vs. Grayson Waller
NXT Women’s Championship triple threat match: Roxanne Perez (c) vs. Gigi Dolin vs. Jacy Jayne
NXT North American title match: Wes Lee (c) vs. Dijak
NXT Tag Team titles: The New Day (c) vs. Gallus vs. Pretty Deadly
A pair of Tag Team title matches will take place on tonight’s episode of NXT.
After winning the NXT Tag Team titles at Deadline, The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) will make their first defense tonight. They’re taking on Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen.
New Day became champions by defeating Pretty Deadly at Deadline. Last week, Kingston & Woods offered Pretty Deadly a rematch — but it came with the condition that Pretty Deadly would have to say the Pledge of Allegiance. When Pretty Deadly refused, Briggs & Jensen stepped in and said the Pledge of Allegiance instead.
The NXT Women’s Tag Team titles will be contested in a triple threat match tonight. The match will feature champions Katana Chance & Kayden Carter, Jacy Jayne & Gigi Dolin, and Ivy Nile & Tatum Paxley. It will be Toxic Attraction’s first appearance since Mandy Rose was released by WWE.
A grudge match between Nikkita Lyons and Zoey Stark, Carmelo Hayes vs. Axiom, and an appearance by Apollo Crews have been announced for the show as well. Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
**********
The show is opening with what is on paper a good opener.
Carmelo Hayes (with Trick Williams) defeated Axiom
Hayes pinned Axiom after interference from Trick Williams. The match delivered as a good opening bout.
They started off hot and then settled things down. Hayes does a springboard off the middle rope, and Axiom catches him with a dropkick as the show cuts to a commercial break. Axiom hits Axiom with a springboard lariat just before the show is coming back from the break. Hayes has Axiom grounded as the show returns, but Axiom soon fires up.
Hayes fights back and applies a crossface. Axiom with a nifty counter on Hayes, followed by a flying body press. Hayes gets a shoulder up to break the count, but Axiom transitions into a triangle. Hayes with a deadlift powerbomb to break the hold, and he had him in a pinning combination, but the referee didn’t count.
They both springboard there way to top rope, where Axiom executes superduper Frankensteiner. Trick Williams suddenly interferes and jerks down Axiom. Hayes capitalizes by leaping off the top rope with guillotine legdrop. Hayes then covers Axiom for a tainted victory. Axiom takes out Williams after the match with a dive to gain a measure of revenge.
Grayson Waller in an interview with McKenzie Mitchell says he wants his title shot tonight. He is supposed to be the next challenger for NXT Champion Bron Breakker. Mitchell informs Waller that Breakker is not even in the building tonight. He is on a media tour. Waller calls out Breakker anyway, challenging the champion to meet him in the ring tonight.
Tony D’Angelo is backstage with Stacks for a skit where D’Angelo says he has a North American title shot against Wes Lee. D’Angelo tells Stacks to inform Dijak to stay out of the way. That will probably not end well for Dijak.
Next up is a grudge match several weeks in the making.
Zoey Stark defeated Nikkita Lyons
Starks pinned Lyons, after Stark cheats by holding the bottom rope. Could be an excuse for a return match, possibly at the next supercard.
This grudge match starts with a slugfest and them trading strikes. Stark soon baits Lyons into leaving the ring, and Stark sends Lyons crashing into the ring steps. Stark then begins to work over Lyons, as Stark controls the match.
Lyons begins to a comeback, and Lyons rolls up Stark with an O’Connor Roll. Stark counters the roll-up, and Stark bridging backwards. Stark grabs the bottom rope for illegal leverage, and the referee doesn’t see it as he counts to pinfall.
Cora Jade is being interviewed by McKenzie Mitchell when Wendy Choo attacks Jade. They are pulled apart by officials.
Fallon Henley is in her family’s bar with Briggs & Jensen. Kiana James and her assistant walk to take inventory of the place. Turns out, James paid off the bar’s tax bill, so James can somehow now legally take the bar. That seems suspect, but that’s the storyline.
NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Kayden Carter & Katana Chance defeated Toxic Attraction (Jacy Jayne & Gigi Dolan) and Ivy Nile & Tatum Paxley in a triple threat match to retain their titles
Carter pinned Nile in a match with a lot of action, and it also ends with a Bret Hart finish.
The match goes through a commercial break. Carter & Chance do a stereo plancha just before the show goes to break. The action is fast paced when the show returns from the break, with Carter getting to shine.
Paxley is on Carter’s shoulders as both are on the top rope. Chance makes a blind tag, and then she executes a super Frankensteiner on Paxley with Paxley still on Carter’s shoulders.
Superkick party and a flurry of other strikes, and everybody goes down selling. Moments later, Nile assists Paxley in executing a corkscrew body press on Jayne for a near fall.
Chance is on the top rope going for her finisher, but she is shoved off by Paxley into the waiting arms of Toxic Attraction at ringside. Nile then applies her modified Dragon sleeper. Similar to the finish Bret Hart vs. Roddy Piper at WrestleMania VIII (and later Hart vs. Steve Austin at Survivor Series ’96), Carter kicks off the ropes to counter the hold, catching Nile in a pinning combination. The champs retain.
Oro Mensah in a vignette is at a nightclub being cool.
New NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez sat down with Booker T for an interview. Booker was really great here, much more serious than he usually seems on commentary. Perez is also great in telling her story, talking about her journey to winning the title. Perez trained under Booker at his wrestling school, so Booker is probably the best person for this interview. Good stuff here.
Apollo Crews comes to ring for a monologue. He is soon interrupted by Carmelo Hayes, who says he is next in line for a NXT Championship title shot. They banter back and forth, as they insult each other. This leads to Crews challenging Hayes to a match.
In a comedy skit, NXT Tag Team Champions New Day are in the locker room when in comes Pretty Deadly. They have a bunch of Christmas gifts they got for New Day, which is a list New Day made in order for Pretty Deadly to get a title shot. The list includes a bunch of wrestling memorabilia, and Pretty Deadly did not get it all, so no title shot.
Alba Fyre is walking backstage when Isla Dawn in a sneak attack blows red powder in Fyre’s eyes. Fyre sells big, and she is blinded by the powder. She is later cleared to compete by the head trainer.
Edris Enofe, Mailk Blade and Odyssey Jones are going clubbing, and they invite Ava Raine to go with them. She turns them down, while in walks The Schism. The group all now has matching t-shirts, which are seemingly on sale via WWE Shop. Wacky is see a cult with branded merchandise.
Elektra Lopez defeated Indi Hartwell
Lopez pinned Hartwell after she hit her with brass knux. This match was set up last week after a backstage brawl. With the tainted win by Lopez, maybe they run it back?
Lopez worked over Hartwell, until Hartwell made a comeback. Lopez cuts off Hartwell, and Lopez pulled out brass knux she had hidden. Lopez hits Hartwell with the knux, and Lopez covers Hartwell for a pinfall.
NXT North American Champion Wes Lee in an interview with McKenzie Mitchell talks about next week’s title match against Tony D’Angelo. Lee also mentions Dijak. Lee vows to remain champion.
Sol Ruca vs. Alba Fyre never begins
The match never got past the ring introductions. Isla Dawn in a sneak attack jumps Fyre before the match. Dawn puts Fyre’s arm between the ring steps, and Dawn uses Fyre’s own baseball bat to smash the steps onto the Fyre’s hand.
A skit with Chase U has the students giving Andre Chase gifts for Christmas. Duke Hudson forgot to get a gift, so he cons another student. Hudson steals a gift, and he gives the stolen gift to Chase. They have a group hug, and Hudson smirks.
Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen are cutting a promo when Kiana James walks in to interrupt. Jensen is wearing a sweet Terry Gordy t-shirt. James must’ve been even more impressed by the cool shirt than I was, as she wishes Jensen good luck. Their courtship continues, much to the chagrin of everyone else.
Drew Gulak was doing a training session when Hank Walker comes by the ask Gulak for advice. Gulak invites Walker to observe a seminar Gulak is teaching next week.
NXT Tag Team Champions New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) defeated Brooks Jensen & Josh Briggs (with Fallon Henley) to retain their titles
Woods pinned Briggs to win a good match. Easily the best television match for Briggs & Jensen.
Briggs gets to shine with power moves. Kingston & Woods go for dives, but Briggs cuts them both off. He mows them down with lariats. Jensen jumps in for a combo where Briggs connects with a big boot. Kingston manages to kick out for a near fall. More near falls for Briggs & Jensen. Briggs with a moonsault press off the top rope for a two count. Big pop for that spot.
Briggs & Jensen look to go for a Doomsday Device, but Woods shoves Jensen off the top rope. Kingston then counters Briggs to deliver a poison rana. Trouble In Paradise by Kofi on Briggs, and Kofi does a flip dive to wipe out Jensen on the floor. Woods leaps off the top rope with a flying elbow drop, and Woods covers Jensen for a pinfall. They all shake hands after the match, showing good sportsmanship.
Stacks is backstage where he is working up the courage to confront Dijak.
Grayson Waller knocked out Bron Breakker
Grayson Waller is still looking for Bron Breakker, despite being told earlier that he is not in the building.
Diamond Mine is leaving the building when they are stopped in the parking lot TMZ-style. Indus Sher interrupts to confront The Creed Brothers. Veer & Sanga want the Creeds to prove to them they are ready to compete with Indus Sher. Julius Creed vows to show them he is one hundred percent in a singles match next week, where Julius is set to face JD McDonagh.
Grayson Waller comes to the ring looking to again call out Bron Breakker. Waller cuts a promo where he rants and raves about himself. Waller puts himself over, vowing to become the greatest NXT Champion of all-time. Waller is insulting Breakker when Breakker arrives to the building in his sports car.
Breakker enters the soundstage and marches to the ring. They spoof a famous angle on WCW Monday Nitro from 1999 that involved Bret Hart and Goldberg (which itself spoofed a climatic scene with Clint Eastwood from the Western movie A Fistfull of Dollars). Breakker spears Waller, but Breakker is knocked out on impact. Waller gets up to reveal he is wearing a protective vest under his jacket.
Waller stood over a fallen Breakker, and Waller held up the title belt. Waller vowed to outsmart Breakker again when Waller becomes the new champion. Waller dropped his catchphrase as the show closed.
Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston are the new champions after defeating Pretty Deadly during Saturday’s NXT Deadline. The finish had Kofi Kingston deliver the trouble in paradise on Elton Prince on the outside. Xavier Woods then scored the pinfall win over Kit Wilson after The New Day hit the midnight hour.
With their win, The New Day have now won all three current tag team titles in WWE. Commentator Vic Joseph noted that this was the fifteenth time Kofi Kingston has held a tag team title in WWE. Pretty Deadly had held the titles for 97 days, defeating Brooks Jensen & Josh Briggs, Gallus, and The Creed Brothers to unify the NXT and NXT UK Tag Team titles at Worlds Collide back on September 4.
The match for the titles was set up this past Tuesday on NXT, when The New Day interrupted Pretty Deadly’s Christmas story to challenge them for the titles. The two teams eventually brawled, with The New Day getting the upper hand.
