Tag: nxt breakout tournament

Oba Femi wins men’s WWE NXT Breakout Tournament

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Oba Femi is your men’s WWE NXT Breakout Tournament winner. 

Femi defeated Riley Osborne after hitting a powerbomb in the finals on Tuesday’s New Year’s Evil episode of NXT to win the tournament. 

As a result of the victory, Femi can now cash in for an NXT title match of his choosing at any time.

Femi defeated Myles Borne in the tournament’s first round, and Tavion Heights in round two before pinning Osborne in the finals to claim the tournament victory. 

A former track & field athlete at Alabama who was part of the WWE NIL program in 2021 and 2022, WWE announced Femi’s official signing in August 2022. 

Jordan Myles (ACH) & Carmelo Hayes are the two prior men’s Breakout Tournament winners. Myles won the 2019 edition and was unsuccessful in cashing in on then-NXT Champion Adam Cole. Hayes successfully cashed in on then-North American Champion Isaiah “Swerve” Scott in 2021 to win that title. 

Lola Vice won the 2023 women’s Breakout Tournament at Halloween Havoc in October and has yet to cash in her opportunity. Roxanne Perez won the 2022 women’s Breakout Tournament and was unsuccessful in cashing in on then-NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose.

Carmelo Hayes wins 2021 NXT Breakout Tournament

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Carmelo Hayes is the winner of the 2021 NXT Breakout Tournament.

On NXT tonight, Hayes defeated Odyssey Jones in the Breakout Tournament finals. After being hit with a splash by Jones, Hayes reversed the pin into a crucifix to get the win.

Hayes showed respect to Jones by shaking hands with him after the match. Hayes said facing Jones was no joke.

NXT general manager William Regal congratulated Hayes after the match and presented him with the contract for a shot at the NXT title of his choosing. Hayes said it’s way too early to decide which title he is going to go after. Hayes said he called his shot in the tournament — and when he shoots, he doesn’t miss.

To get to the finals of the tournament, Hayes defeated Josh Briggs in the first round and Duke Hudson in the semifinals. Hayes had to face opponents significantly bigger than him in each round of the tournament.

Hayes (formerly known as Christian Casanova) signed with WWE earlier this year. He made his NXT debut by unsuccessfully challenging for Kushida’s NXT Cruiserweight Championship this June. Hayes also lost to Adam Cole on NXT that month.

This was the second-ever NXT Breakout Tournament. Jordan Myles (ACH) won the inaugural Breakout Tournament in 2019.

Breakout Tournament finals, two more matches set for WWE NXT

Posted on by Joseph Currier

It will be Odyssey Jones vs. Carmelo Hayes in the finals of the NXT Breakout Tournament.

Hayes advanced to the finals by defeating Duke Hudson on tonight’s episode of NXT. Jones booked his spot in the finals by defeating Trey Baxter last week.

The Breakout Tournament finals will take place on next Tuesday’s episode of NXT. The winner will receive a title shot at the NXT championship of their choice.

Hayes was interviewed on the stage after his win tonight. Hayes said he called his shot when he said he would make it to the finals — and he kept his word. Hayes said he went through guys who are two or three times his size to get to this point. Hayes said you have to face the final boss in the end, but the final boss is him. Jones then came out to the stage and went face-to-face with Hayes.

Jones defeated Andre Chase in the first round of the Breakout Tournament, while Hayes defeated Josh Briggs.

Jones (real name Omari Palmer) signed with WWE in 2019. He formerly played college football for Syracuse University. Hayes (formerly known as Christian Casanova) signed with WWE earlier this year. He made his NXT debut by unsuccessfully challenging for Kushida’s Cruiserweight title this June.

Next Tuesday’s NXT will also feature Hit Row (NXT North American Champion Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Top Dolla & Ashante “Thee” Adonis) vs. Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) in a six-man tag match and Timothy Thatcher vs. Ridge Holland.

Odyssey Jones advances to NXT Breakout Tournament finals

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Odyssey Jones has booked his spot in the NXT Breakout Tournament finals.

Jones advanced to the Breakout Tournament finals by defeating Trey Baxter in a semifinal match on NXT tonight. Jones will face either Duke Hudson or Carmelo Hayes in the finals.

The semifinal match between Hudson and Hayes is set for next Tuesday’s episode of NXT. WWE hasn’t announced when the finals will be taking place.

The winner of the Breakout Tournament will receive a shot at the NXT title of their choosing.

Jones (real name Omari Palmer) is a former college football player for Syracuse University. He signed with WWE in 2019.

Jones has wrestled multiple dark matches at main roster shows in recent weeks. He also appeared on this Monday’s tapings for WWE Main Event.

Hudson (formerly known as Elliot Sexton) also signed with WWE in 2019. Using his real name Brendan Vink, he formerly teamed with Shane Thorne on both Raw and NXT.

Hayes (formerly known as Christian Casanova) signed with WWE earlier this year. He made his NXT debut this June, unsuccessfully challenging Kushida for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship.

Breakout Tournament semifinal match announced for WWE NXT

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The semifinals of the NXT Breakout Tournament are set to begin tonight.

WWE has announced that Odyssey Jones will face Trey Baxter in a Breakout Tournament semifinal match on tonight’s episode of NXT. The winner will advance to face either Duke Hudson or Carmelo Hayes in the finals.

Jones defeated Andre Chase in the first round of the Breakout Tournament, while Baxter defeated Joe Gacy.

The winner of the Breakout Tournament will receive a future shot at the NXT title of their choosing.

It’s also been announced that tonight’s NXT will feature a special look at the feud between Karrion Kross and Samoa Joe. Kross will defend his NXT Championship against Joe at TakeOver 36 on Sunday, August 22.

Here’s the updated card for tonight’s NXT:

  • NXT general manager William Regal will mediate a face-to-face segment with Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly
  • NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez will respond to Dakota Kai
  • Ilja Dragunov appears
  • NXT Breakout Tournament semifinal match: Odyssey Jones vs. Trey Baxter
  • A special look at the feud between NXT Champion Karrion Kross and Samoa Joe
  • Sarray vs. Dakota Kai

NXT Breakout Tournament semifinals set

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The NXT Breakout Tournament is down to its final four wrestlers.

Trey Baxter defeated Joe Gacy on tonight’s NXT to advance to the semifinals of the Breakout Tournament. Odyssey Jones will be Baxter’s opponent in the next round.

Duke Hudson vs. Carmelo Hayes is the Breakout Tournament’s other semifinal match. The winner of that match will advance to face the winner of Jones vs. Baxter in the finals. WWE hasn’t announced when the finals will be taking place.

Jones advanced to the semifinals by defeating Andre Chase in the first round. Hudson defeated Ikemen Jiro in the first round, while Hayes defeated Josh Briggs.

The winner of the Breakout Tournament will receive a shot at the NXT title of their choosing. The tournament will continue on NXT next Tuesday. 

This is the second-ever NXT Breakout Tournament. Jordan Myles (ACH) won the inaugural tournament in 2019.

Baxter (formerly known as Blake Christian) and Hayes (formerly known as Christian Casanova) both signed with WWE earlier this year. Hudson (Brendan Vink) and Jones (former Syracuse football player Omari Palmer) signed with WWE in 2019.

Hudson formerly teamed with Shane Thorne on both NXT and Raw.

NXT Breakout Tournament update: First semifinal matchup set

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The semifinals for the 2021 NXT Breakout Tournament are almost fully set.

Carmelo Hayes (formerly known as Christian Casanova) advanced to the next round of the Breakout Tournament by defeating Josh Briggs on NXT tonight. Hayes will face Duke Hudson (Brendan Vink) in the semifinals.

On the other side of the bracket, Odyssey Jones (former Syracuse football player Omari Palmer) has advanced to the semifinals. He’ll be facing either Trey Baxter (Blake Christian) or Joe Gacy.

The first-round match between Baxter and Gacy is set for next Tuesday’s episode of NXT. WWE hasn’t announced when the semifinal matches will be taking place or when the finals will be held.

The winner of the Breakout Tournament will receive a shot at the NXT title of their choosing.

This is the second-ever NXT Breakout Tournament. The tournament spotlights eight newcomers to NXT. The inaugural edition of the tournament took place in 2019 and was won by Jordan Myles (ACH). It also featured Cameron Grimes, Bronson Reed, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Dexter Lumis, Joaquin Wilde, Angel Garza, and Boa.

WWE reveals participants for NXT Breakout Tournament

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has revealed the field for the 2021 NXT Breakout Tournament.

The Breakout Tournament will feature eight participants, with the winner getting a shot at the NXT title of their choosing. The eight wrestlers in the tournament are: Trey Baxter (formerly known as Blake Christian), Carmelo Hayes (Christian Casanova), Andre Chase (Harlem Bravado), Josh Briggs, Ikemen Jiro (Jiro “Ikemen” Kuroshio), Joe Gacy, Odyssey Jones (Omari Palmer), and Duke Hudson (Brendan Vink).

The tournament will begin with Jiro vs. Hudson taking place on NXT next Tuesday.

Baxter and Hayes both made their WWE debuts by unsuccessfully challenging for Kushida’s NXT Cruiserweight Championship last month. Jiro had his first WWE match on 205 Live this May.

Chase and Gacy’s WWE debuts were in Breakout Tournament qualifying matches on last week’s 205 Live. Chase defeated Guru Raaj to qualify for the tournament. Gacy defeated Desmond Troy.

Briggs, who formerly wrestled for EVOLVE, will be making his WWE debut in the tournament. Jones is also making his WWE television debut. Jones is a former college football player. He wrestled Robert Roode in a dark match prior to last Friday’s SmackDown.

Duke Hudson is Brendan Vink’s new NXT in-ring name. He formerly teamed with Shane Thorne on both NXT and Raw.

This is the second-ever NXT Breakout Tournament. The inaugural tournament took place in 2019 and was won by Jordan Myles (ACH). It also featured Cameron Grimes, Bronson Reed, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Dexter Lumis, Joaquin Wilde, Angel Garza, and Boa.

First two participants set for NXT Breakout Tournament

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The 2021 NXT Breakout Tournament has its first two participants.

Andre Chase (Harlem Bravado) and Joe Gacy are set for the Breakout Tournament after winning qualifying matches on tonight’s episode of 205 Live. Chase and Gacy were both making their WWE debuts on tonight’s show.

Chase defeated Guru Raaj in his qualifying match, while Gacy defeated Desmond Troy.

Chase and Gacy both formerly wrestled for EVOLVE. Chase was part of the group of signees that joined the WWE Performance Center this February. Gacy was announced as signing with WWE last October.

Breakout Tournament qualifying matches will continue on next week’s 205 Live. The tournament will feature eight wrestlers, with the winner getting a shot at the NXT title of their choosing. The tournament will begin on the Tuesday, July 13 episode of NXT.

This is the second-ever NXT Breakout Tournament. The inaugural tournament took place in 2019 and was won by Jordan Myles (ACH). It also featured Cameron Grimes, Bronson Reed, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Dexter Lumis, Joaquin Wilde, Angel Garza, and Boa.

Two Breakout Tournament qualifiers set for WWE 205 Live

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A pair of matches with NXT Breakout Tournament implications will take place on this week’s episode of 205 Live.

WWE has announced that two Breakout Tournament qualifying matches will air on 205 Live this Friday night. The qualifying matches are: Guru Raaj vs. Andre Chase (Harlem Bravado) and Desmond Troy vs. Joe Gacy.

“Just as it did during the Men’s and Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classics, 205 Live will make an exception to its typical 205-pound weight limit, and the prestigious NXT Breakout Tournament will instead take center stage,” WWE wrote.

Raaj wrestled at WWE Superstar Spectacle earlier this year and lost to Finn Balor. The event featured wrestlers from Raw, SmackDown, and NXT and spotlighted WWE’s Indian talent.

Chase and Gacy both formerly wrestled for EVOLVE and are making their WWE debuts in their qualifying matches. Troy (Denzel Dejournette) joined the WWE Performance Center in 2018 after having been an All-American amateur wrestler at Appalachian State University. Last year, he made appearances where he lost matches on NXT, Raw, SmackDown, and Main Event.

It was announced on this Tuesday’s NXT that the Breakout Tournament would be making its return. It will feature eight participants, with the winner getting a shot at the NXT title of their choosing. The tournament will begin on the Tuesday, July 13 episode of NXT.

The inaugural NXT Breakout Tournament took place in 2019 and was won by Jordan Myles (ACH). Cameron Grimes, Bronson Reed, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Dexter Lumis, Joaquin Wilde, Angel Garza, and Boa also took part in the tournament.

NXT Breakout Tournament returning in two weeks

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The second-ever NXT Breakout Tournament will kick off in two weeks.

WWE announced tonight that the 2021 Breakout Tournament will begin on the Tuesday, July 13 episode of NXT. Eight wrestlers will be taking part in the tournament. The winner will receive a shot at the NXT title of their choosing.

The inaugural Breakout Tournament took place in 2019 and featured eight wrestlers who were making their NXT TV debuts. Jordan Myles (ACH) defeated Cameron Grimes in the finals of the tournament.

NXT North American Champion Bronson Reed, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Dexter Lumis, Joaquin Wilde, Angel Garza, and Boa were the other six wrestlers who took part in the 2019 Breakout Tournament.

WWE hasn’t announce the participants for this year’s Breakout Tournament. Prior to tonight’s NXT, two Breakout Tournament qualifying matches were taped at the Capitol Wrestling Center. Guru Raaj, Andre Chase (Harlem Bravado), Desmond Troy, and Joe Gacy were featured in the matches. Those qualifying matches will be airing on 205 Live.