Tag: pretty deadly

WWE celebrates the one-year anniversary of NXT 2.0 tonight, and in a way the fans get to help book the card.

Fan voting helps to decide the implications for two titles matches on tonight’s card. In the night’s opening match, Pretty Deadly will defend their NXT Tag Team titles against The Creed Brothers inside of a steel cage. Fans voted for the steel cage steel cage stipulation over a tornado tag match or no DQ match.

Fans get to pick the challenger for the other title match on the card. Carmelo Hayes is defending his NXT North American Championship against a mystery opponent tonight. A fan vote will determine whether that opponent is Von Wagner, Wes Lee, or Joe Gacy.

Four other matches have also been announced for the episode. Nikkita Lyons & Zoey Stark will take on Kiana James & Arianna Grace, Hank Walkers faces Javier Bernal, Fallon Henley faces Lash Legend, and Tony D’Angelo & Stacks will team up against Cameron Grimes and a partner who has yet to be revealed.

Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

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No video package intros aside from the “Together” montage. Don’t worry though, there will be plenty of video packages throughout the night.

The show opens with a wide live shot of the soundstage in Orlando. A cage match for the men’s tag titles is kicking off the show.

NXT Tag Team Champions Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson)  defeat The Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus Creed) in a cage match to retain their titles

Pretty Deadly retains after interference by Damon Kemp. He runs in and handcuffs Julius to the cage, allowing Pretty Deadly to double team Brutus.

The rules of the match stipulate a win via pinfall, submission or escaping the cage.

The Creeds started off strong, and they went for a stereo catapults. Pretty Deadly is catapulted into the cage, but they hang on like Spider-Man, and they try to climb out. The Creeds thwart their exit.

Aside from the cage, it is also tornado rules. Lots of tandem moves, including Pretty Deadly with a Dry Martini. Creeds fight back with power moves like a powerbomb into the cage. Julius Creed springboards into a modified Spanish Fly where he lands on his feet.

The melee in the cage continues through a commercial break. After the break, Pretty Deadly give Julius a superduper superplex off the top of the cage. 

Brutus fires up with a fury, but Pretty Deadly tries to execute another superplex on Brutus. Julius helps to save Brutus, and the Creeds set up a Doomsday Device of their own. Brutus leaps off the top rope with a cannonball as Julius has both members of Pretty Deadly on his shoulders. On commentary it is called the “Butterball.”

Damon Kemp, who turned on the Creeds at Worlds Collide, runs down. Kemp climbs the cage. Julius stops Kemp, but it was a trap. Kemp slaps handcuffs on Julius, and he cuffs him to the cage, with Julius standing perched on the ropes. 

Brutus tries to help free his brother to no avail. Brutus must fight on seemingly alone against Pretty Deadly. Julius for a moment nabs Wilson, but he escapes Julius’ grasp. 

Pretty Deadly gives Brutus their Spilt Milk finisher, but Brutus is able to kick out. However, the numbers game is too much for even Brutus. Another delivery of Spilt Milk, and Brutus takes a pinfall. The champions retain, thanks in large part to Damon Kemp.

Wes Lee challenges for a title tonight after winning a fan vote. Lee is now set to challenge Carmelo Hayes for the NXT North American Championship. 

Lee is excited for the opportunity, but he understands it is a big responsibility since the fans chose him. Joe Gacy, who lost the fan vote, is there with Lee. Gacy acts weird as usual, but says he accepts the fan vote. He also says he has other things to do. 

A video package highlights the NXT roster. It is like a trailer for NXT 2.0 in the middle of the show.

The next match has a special guest at ringside in the babyface corner. In association with Connor’s Cure, a child gets to live a dream as a superstar. He accompanies Fallon Henley to the ring alongside Briggs & Jensen.

Fallon Henley (with Josh Briggs, Brooks Jensen & Mason “The Night Howler” Ramirez) defeats Lash Legend

Henley pins Legend in a very short match. 

Henley shines at the outset, but she is soon cut off by Legend. Henley is worked over, and Legend applies a Jesse Ventura Body Vice. 

Henley makes a comeback, and she springboards off the ropes and lands a bulldog. Henley then lands a shining wizard, and she scores a pinfall on Legend.

Henley is joined by Briggs & Jensen in celebrating after the match with The Night Howler.

Yulisa Leon exits a trainer’s room with a large brace on her right leg. “It’s torn,” she says to her tag team partner, Valentina Feroz. She goes to say she will be out of action for nine months.

Sanga is also there, and he says to turn a negative into a positive. He tells Feroz this is her time, but they are interrupted by Mr. Stone and Von Wagner. Wagner and Sanga go face-to-face, but Wagner eventually backs down.

Briggs & Jensen is walking backstage with Fallon Henley after her win. They run into Toxic Attraction. Henley has words with NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose. This seems to set up a potential match between the two.

Alba Fyre challenges the Women’s Champion

The Toxic Attraction trio head out for an in-ring promo. They brag on themselves. They are interrupted by Alba Fyre. She strolls out with her baseball bat over her shoulder. 

Fyre gets in the ring to confront and challenge Rose. Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolan try to jump Fyre, but she swings her bat and nails them like Sting to the NWO in ’97. Fyre then gives Rose a Gory Bomb, and Fyre then climbs the turnbuckles. Jayne and Dolan pull Rose out of the ring before Fyre can jump off the ropes, and the heel trio flees.

Some character development with a video package that features Cora Jade. This works well in portraying Jade as a heel. At the end, she vows to be “the number one woman in the entire industry” in a year.

Wendy Choo is being interviewed by McKenzie Mitchell when they are interrupted by Lash Legend. She was mad about losing her match, but Choo does not want to hear any of it. This would seem to set up a match at some point.

Next on the show is an in-ring debut on NXT 2.0.

Quincy Elliott defeats Sean Gallagher 

“The Super Diva” wins a squash match in his 2.0 debut. Gallagher is no match for Elliott, and Elliot easily wins after a Bonsai Drop. This is like a squash on a old episode of Superstars, except with a modern character.

McKenzie Mitchell interviews Cameron Grimes, and she asks who his tag team partner is for tonight. Grimes says the only person he can trust is himself. Apparently, Grimes has no partner. That basically turns the match into a handicap match.

Wes Lee is warming up in a locker room when he is attacked by Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams. Hayes slams a locker door into Lee’s head. Security pours in to end the sneak attack.

Cameron Grimes & Joe Gacy defeats Tony D’Angelo & Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo 

Gacy pins Stacks to win the match. Gacy came out mid-way through the match to be Grimes’ partner, despite Grimes objections. The Schism then jump Grimes after the match.

Grimes does well at times on his own in the first half of the match, but the numbers game is too much for him. D’Angelo & Stacks work him over. 

Joe Gacy comes to the ring during the match, and he gets in Grimes’ corner. Gacy is apparently going to be an impromptu tag partner for Grimes, yet Grimes won’t tag out.

Grimes makes his own comeback, but a counter sends him falling backwards into his corner. Gacy makes a bling tag, and he runs wild.

Grimes recovers, and he yells at Gacy. Grimes clearly does want Gacy as his partner. Grimes is yelling at Gacy that he does not need his help.

A parade of moves at the finish. Grimes does a running Spanish Fly on Stacks, and then Grimes hits D’Angelo with a Cave In. Gacy delivers the Upside Down World to Stacks, and Gacy covers Stacks for a pinfall.

Grimes again screams at Gacy that he does not need him. The Dyad appear, and they attack Grimes. The Schism trio beat down Grimes.

JD McDonagh is getting a shave in a barber chair. He uses that it in an analogy for a promo on NXT Champion Bron Breakker.

Breakker is then seen in pre-taped sit-down interview with Vic Joseph. Breakker reflects on the past year, which leads up to his championship run. This is good character development, as it helps get Breakker over as the top singles champion on the brand.

Tyler Bate in a backstage interview talks about JD McDonagh. Bate says if McDonagh wants a title match, he should go through Bate first. This seems to set up a number one contender’s match.

Zoey Stark & Nikkita Lyons defeat Kiania James & Arianna Grace

Lyons pins Grace to win the match.

Stark looks most impressive overall among the others in the match, as Stark seems ready for the main roster from an outsider perspective. For now, the team with Lyons seems like a regular thing going forward. 

The match goes through a commercial break, even though they didn’t really have to do so. Yet, they did. 

Lyon is knocked off the apron, and she isn’t in her corner when Stark needs to tag out. Nevertheless, Stark makes her own comeback. That might have gotten over better if he hadn’t already seen Grimes make his own comeback earlier.

Stark deliver her modified GTS finisher, and she tags out. Lyons hits Grace with a roundhouse kick, and Lyons follows with by doing the splits into a legdrop. Lyons then covers Grace for a pinfall.

Malik Blade & Edris Enofe were outside the building talking to an unknown subject in a hood. That person was trying to get Blade & Enofe to vote for Gacy as the biggest star. When they declined, they are met by The Dyad. A brawl erupts, and security separates them. Hank Walker is there with the security team, but another member tells Walker they can handle the melee, as Walker has a match up next.

Wes Lee is seen in the trainer’s room being attended to, and him being cleared to wrestle later in remains in question.

A vignette hypes the Oro Mensah, who debuts next week.

Grayson Waller is interviewed by McKenzie Mitchell. She announces the final four in the fan vote for the biggest NXT star. Mitchell announces Toxic Attraction (who are counted as one I guess), Carmelo Hayes and Nikkita Lyons. Waller interjects to claim he is the fourth pick. Mitchell then says the fourth pick is Bron Breakker. An angry Waller then cuts a promo on the fans and Breakker.

Hank Walker defeats Javier Bernal

Walker wins decisively via pinfall.

Walker saunters out for his entrance dressed in street clothes. Besides no gear, he had no music. The live studio audience cheer him nonetheless.

Walker is like a character from Bill Watts’ Mid-South. Walker fires up on Bernal, take his shirt off, and then mauls Bernal. Walker then pins him.

Although he has no entrance music, Wale’s NXT theme song plays for Walker after the win.

Another video package highlights the past year in NXT. 

Sol Ruca is the focus of another vignette set on the beach.

 Announced for next Tuesday on NXT:

• Number one contender’s match: Tyler Bate vs. JD McDonagh
• Best-of-three series: Axiom vs. Nathan Frazier (Axiom leads 1-0)
• Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne) vs. Diamond Mine (Ivy Nile & Tatum Paxley)
• Cora Jade vs. Wendy Choo
• Von Wagner vs. Sanga
• Oro Mensah debuts

Bron Breakker is voted Biggest Superstar of NXT 2.0. 

NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes and Wes Lee head to the ring. They cut promos, as it appears Lee cannot compete tonight.

Interrupting their promo is the entrance of Solo Sikoa. He will replace Lee tonight in the title match, much to the chagrin of Hayes and Williams. Sikoa was recently called up the main roster, as part of the the Bloodline storyline on Smackdown.

Solo Sikoa (subbing for Wes Lee) defeats NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes to win the title

Sikoa pins Hayes to capture the North American title. This is quite a surprise ending, especially with Sikoa on Smackdown. Do Hayes and Williams follow Sikoa to Smackdown looking for revenge?

Sikoa is on fire at the outset, as Hayes bumps and feeds for him. Sikoa gets most of the offense in the match, as he looks dominate.

Sikoa is cut off when Williams interferes, when Williams targets Sikoa’s knee brace. Hayes goes on to work the leg.

Comeback by Sikoa, and he delivers a Samoan Drop and an Umaga splash. Williams interferes again, allowing Hayes to briefly cut off Sikoa. Not for long, as Sikoa fights back with a pop-up Samoan Drop for a near fall.

Williams tries to interfere a third time, but he instead eats a kick from Sikoa. Rock Bottom by Sikoa, and he climbs the turnbuckles. Sikoa leaps off the top rope with a Superfly splash, and Sikoa covers Hayes for a three count.

The announces wonder out loud if the North American title is going to Smackdown. The answers seems to be yes. Maybe Hayes will follow Sikoa to Smackdown looking to regain the title.

Sikoa celebrates by posing with the title belt. 

The show itself closes with one final video package highlighting the NXT roster, and possibly signaling the end of the “2.0” branding. The NXT logo (sans 2.0) flashes across the screen with a black and gold color pattern. It ends with a Triple H voiceover where he brings back the catchphrase, “We are NXT.”