The feud between NXT Champion Trick Williams and Ethan Page will continue on tonight’s WWE NXT Halloween Havoc from Hershey, Pennsylvania, in a Devil’s Playground match.
The two have feuded since June with Williams defeating Page earlier this month to kick off his second reign. The match stipulation is expected to be that of the hardcore variety.
The NXT men’s North American title will also be on the line as Tony D’Angelo defends against former champion Oba Femi in a Tables, Ladders & Scares match.
NXT women’s North American Champion Kelani Jordan will take one member of Fatal Influence (Fallon Henley, Jacy Jayne or Jazmyn Nyx) in a to-be-announced stipulation by the heel group.
Two of the most notable new talents on the NXT scene — Giulia & Stephanie Vaquer — will team up against NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez & Cora Jade.
Andre Chase vs. Ridge Holland in an ambulance match rounds out the main card on Peacock/WWE Network.
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– Halfway through the Kickoff, Ava was with the members of Fatal Influence and Kelani Jordan as the group was asked by the NXT GM to pick Jordan’s opponent. Fallon Henley suggested that the Women’s North American Champion face the group in a Gauntlet Match.
– Just before the show began, we checked in with Bubba Ray Dudley and Dave LaGreca of Busted Open Radio from inside the Giant Center as they discussed Trick Williams vs. Ethan Page for the NXT Championship. As the two began discussing the Andre Chase vs. Ridge Holland Ambulance Match, Holland confronted LaGreca and Bubba and argued with the two. Holland threatened to go after Bubba for predicting a Chase victory and showing disapproval for his attacks against Chase U.
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– We began the night with shots of various wrestlers arriving, the cold open featuring Gigi Dolin highlighting the big matches of tonight’s event was then shown.
Tables Ladders and “Scares” Match (North American Championship): Tony D’Angelo defeated Oba Femi
The action started off hot at ringside with D’Angelo spearing Femi through the barricade. He then began pulling ladders from under the ring, setting a large one as a bridge between the ring and the table. Femi regained control and threw a multitude of chairs into the ring.
Femi chokeslammed D’Angelo onto a chair for a two-count. With a ladder set against the corner, Femi continued the chair assault on D’Angelo. He threw the Champ into the ladder leaned against the corner before trapping D’Angelo in the corner with the ladder.
At ringside, Femi maintained his ruthless attack on D’Angelo, then throwing him through a table in the ring with a running uppercut. That only got a two.
Femi took D’Angelo’s tire iron and smashed him with it before locking in a hold using the weapon. Femi continued to work over the North American Champion with the tire iron.
D’Angelo powered out of a Femi powerbomb attempt to toss the challenger overhead. The fans were going wild.
Femi regained advantaged and trapped D’Angelo in the corner with zipties. The Family attempted to run interference, but were laid out. Femi then tried to go after Adrianna Rizzo, but this gave D’Angelo enough time to escape and spear Femi onto the ladder bridge.
The finish saw The Family recover and attack Femi with a Shatter Machine as D’Angelo finished things off with a slam through the table for the pin and win.
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(This was a fun opener and I enjoyed the finish of The Family getting payback on Femi for his attacks on them.)
– Sarah Schreiber interviewed Lexis King backstage when William Regal confronted King.
Tag Team Match: Stephanie Vaquer & Giulia defeated Cora Jade & Roxanne Perez
Vaquer and Perez started the match, with the former showing off her strength early on. Vaquer countered a Perez pin and slammed her head repeatedly with a headscissore style move. Giulia was tagged in and the international stars showed great chemistry with some nice double team moves.
Giulia trapped Perez in an STF as Vaquer intercepted Jade and also locked in an STF, but they couldn’t get the tapout. Giulia soared through the sky with an amazing dropkick on Perez. The NXT Women’s Champ took control as she tagged in Jade.
The heel duo maintained the advantage as Jade had Giulia locked in a resthold. The action picked up with the hot tag as Vaquer was a house of fire. Vaquer escaped Perez’s crossface, but couldn’t get out of the avalanche poisonrana. Tag to Jade, followed by the diving senton. Giulia broke the count as things descended to chaos.
Giulia tagged back in, but Jade and Perez attempted a double team move. Giulia escaped and tagged Vaquer. In the melee, Giulia flattened Jade with a knee. Suplex by Giulia is followed by a Phoenix Splash from Vaquer who got the 1, 2, 3.
– After the match, the lights shut off to reveal Zaria watching from the crowd. She stared down both teams intensely before the segment ended.
(A heck of a tag match to help establish how top-heavy the NXT Womens Division is with Giulia and Vaquer’s arrivals. The addition of Zaria (aka the former Delta) should make things more interesting.)
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– Footage from earlier this week was shown of Je’von Evans and Cedric Alexander talking about their match against FrAxiom for the NXT Tag Titles on Tuesday’s NXT.
– We went to David LaGreca and Bubba Ray Dudley in the crowd talking about the women’s tag match that we just saw, as well as the Tables, Ladders, and “Scares” Match.
Ambulance Match: Ridge Holland defeated Andre Chase
Chase wore a Freddy Kreuger-inspired sweater for this match, which started off with both Chase and Holland mixing it up. Chase dove from the apron with a cannonball to take down Holland.
At ringside, Holland recovered and threw Chase over the barricade. The action found its way to the Ambulance as Chase used a fire extinguisher to spray Holland with. Holland responded with a belly to belly.
In the ring, Chase struck Holland with a chair, but got slammes to the mat at ringside. Holland exposed the concrete, but got thrown onto it by Chase. The stretcher was used to good effect by Chase as the announce table got some action.
Chase avoided calamity as he countered Holland on the table and planted the scoundrel with a DDT. Chase tried to roll Holland on the stretcher, but to no avail as his foe escaped. Holland regained the advantage and dropped Chase onto the stretcher and pulled it next to the ambulance on the stage.
Holland pummeled Chase but was caught by surprise by a stretcherboard strike. Chase flattened Holland with a pumpkin before he climbed the ambulance to leap onto him. Chase threw Holland into the ambulance and thought he had it won. Holland raked Chase in the eye and catapulted him head first onto the door.
Holland brought an end to this match by hitting his DDT and throwing Chase into the ambulance and shutting the door.
(A rather interesting and entertaining match that should thrust Holland into a title picture moving forward.)
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– Earlier this week, Nathan Frazer and Axiom were training for their tag title match. We then went backstage to NXT GM Ava, who was asked about NXT’s upcoming show from the ECW Arena in Philadelphia. Ava announced Jaida Parker vs. Lola Vice would be a hardcore match with EVW alumni Dawn Marie as guest referee.
Gauntlet Match (Women’s North American Championship): Fatal Influence’s Fallon Henley defeated Kelani Jordan
Jordan started off in the Gauntlet against Jazmyn Nyx, taking her down with dropkicks, followed by a moonsault to the outside. Running splash from Jordan only got a two. Nyx looked to regain momentum with a running field goal kick on Jordan, but no avail.
Fisherman suplexes by Nyx kept Jordan grounded, but not for long. Jordan went up top for the 450 Splash as she pinned Nyx for the first fall.
Jacy Jayne was next up in the Gauntlet, but Jordan seemed more than ready for her, immediately taking her down with a vaulting splash on the outside.
Jayne trapped Jordan in a tree of woe to hit the cannonball. Jayne had the advantage with the running knee to Jordan’s head as she kept her for grounded.
Jordan regained momentum, but Jayne rolled her up for a pin that couldn’t get the job done. Jordan fought back and hit a rollup pin of her own for the one, two, three.
Jayne cheapshotted Jordan before Fallon Henley came out for the final part of this Gauntlet. Henley hit a suplex on Jordan and slammed her head to the canvas to assert control on her fatigued opponent.
Jordan dropped a leg on Henley’s head, but couldn’t get the three. We got a double down from both women as they tried to get themselves back up.
Henley and Jordan exchanged strikes in the ring as the action was fast and furious. Up top, Jordan tried for her 450, but Jayne provided a distraction as Henley rolled out of the way and hit her Shining Wizard to capture the Women’s North American Title.
– After the match, Fatal Influence tried to cut a promo, but the lights went out again as Zaria’s video played. Inside the ring, Zaria stood behind the Fatal Influence trio and destroyed them in short order.
(The classic gauntlet scenario played out as expected, but Zaria making it clear she wants the Women’s North American Title should spice things up.)
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– Backstage, Adrianna Rizzo threw down the gauntlet against Nikkita Evans, who attacked her last Tuesday on NXT.
– Ridge Holland once again confronted Bubba Ray Dudley and David LaGreca while the two discussed the main event.
– Tatum Paxley spun the Halloween Havoc wheel and we learned that she will face Wendy Choo on Tuesday’s NXT in a Casket Match.
Devil’s Playground (NXT Championship): Trick Williams defeated “All Ego” Ethan Page
Page attacked Williams during the ring introductions as he battered away at the NXT Champion. He then brought a chair into the proceedings. Williams had a chair of his own as he hit Page with it. He then put a jack-o-lantern on Page’s head and attacked him with repeated strikes that broke the pumpkin.
The fight made its way through the crowd as Williams threw Page onto a garbage can, but that was a near-fall. Champion and challenger walked and brawled back to ringside as Page avoided a chair shot and instead threw Williams into the ringpost with the chair wrapped around his neck.
Page continued the assault on Williams with the chair as he planted the NXT Champion with a sidewalk slam onto an unfolded chair. When that didn’t get the win, Page threw Williams from the top rope onto another chair for added pain.
Wiliams created some separation between him and Page with a DDT and tried to build momentum. Trick Shot attempt dodged by Page as he went for an Ego’s Edge that Williams escaped. Another Trick Shot attempt connects, but Page kicked out.
Outside the ring, Page knocked down Williams with a black bag that’s later revealed to have nuts and bolts inside. Williiams hits a neckbreaker on Page that sends him into the nuts and bolts.
Page regained control outside the ring as he grabbed the steel steps. However, Williams caught him by surprise from behind. The announce table was cleared as Page hit a super Ego’s Edge through the table from the steps. One… two… Williams kicked out!
Trainers checked up on Williams who appeared out of it, but refused to go down at this moment. Williams crawled back to the ring and immediately got thrown into the steps by Page. Williams avoided getting crushed by the steel steps, but got kicked in the groin by Page.
With the stairs in hand, Page looked to crush Williams, but he got hit in the groin. Williams with the stairs, followed by the Trick Shot knee to Page and the NXT Champion survived the Devil’s Playground.
– After the match, Ridge Holland attacked Williams from behind as Page confronted him. He threw Williams to Holland, who slammed him with his DDT. Suddenly, Bubba Ray Dudley made the save for Williams as he fended off Holland and Page. The PLE wrapped with Bubba and Williams in the ring standing tall.
(A good enough main event to cap off an entertaining Halloween Havoc show. It looks as though we have our main event for the NXT at the 2300 with Williams and Bubba Ray vs. Page and Holland which is… interesting, to say the least.)
