WWE NXT Review – October 10, 2023
Kicking off this week’s NXT with Cody Rhodes asks the NXT Universe what they want to talk about then says he’d be lying if he thought he’d be standing in an NXT ring. He says something feels right about it given his family’s long history with Florida. He says he has a couple announcements then says that everyone has been enjoying the NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament. He says there will also be a NXT Men’s Breakout Tournament as well as the return of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. He then says that he has the privilege of announcing himself as the special guest General Manager of NXT.
NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov’s music hits and he makes his way down to the ring. After fans wish him a Happy Birthday he says he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to welcome Rhodes to NXT. He says Rhodes’ announcements bring hope back to NXT and breathe life into it then adds that he simply wanted to meet Rhodes and the man who brings passion, energy and the will to suffer. He continues speaking highly of Rhodes then says he aspires to push NXT to the next level.
North American Champion Dominik Mysterio’s music hits and he makes his way down to the ring along with Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley. Dominik says fans are here to see him tonight rather than Rhodes or Dragunov then tells Dragunov to ask Rhodes about the energy levels after Judgment Day lays him out. Dragunov tells Mysterio that no one wants to talk then says he knows how to turn a barking dog into a sweet puppy as the result of his father working in a prison. Mysterio dares Dragunov to put his NXT Title on the line since he wants to be like Rhodes & Rhodes intervenes. He clarifies that Mysterio isn’t willing to put his North American Title on the line and Ripley says he’s been carrying WWE on his back and just won back the North American Title. Dragunov reminds Mysterio that today is his birthday and Rhodes makes the NXT Title official with LA Knight serving as the special guest referee.
Roxanne Perez vs. Asuka
Match starts off with a lock up then they go back & forth locking one another in submission holds before Asuka is sent to the outside and Roxanne Perez looks for a tope suicida but Asuka catches her with a right hand to her head and a missile dropkick off the top rope.
Perez fires off right hands on Asuka’s spine and follows it up with a dropkick then lands a side Russian leg sweep and a tope suicida before getting Asuka back in the ring and delivering an uppercut.
Asuka cinches in an Asuka Lock but Perez escapes then Asuka lands a spinning back fist then follows it up with a spinning back heel kick before she lands a kick across Perez’s head for the win.
Winner: Asuka
After the match Kiana James confronts Perez but Shotzi Blackheart hops in the ring and lands a DDT on her before helping Perez up and raising her hand.
6 Man Tag Team Pub Rules Match
Gallus (Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) vs. Brawling Brutes (Ridge Holland & Butch) & Tyler Bate
Wolfgang gets Tyler Bate in the ring. Bate levels everyone else on the outside then goes flying off the apron to level Wolfgang. He grabs a cue stick and hits Wolfgang with it as Bate uses a dart on the dart board to manipulate Joe Coffey’s fingers.
Mark Coffey tries using a fire extinguisher on Ridge Holland back in the ring but Holland grabs it from him and uses it instead.
Holland stuffs Mark in a garbage can and Bate uses a bowling ball to land a strike. Gallus then sends Butch crashing through a table as we go to a break.
After the break Butch stomps on Wolfgang’s triceps before both teams brawl with one another. Butch delivers a moonsault to Mark off the ropes on the outside as Holland & Bate hit a pair of Airplane Spins on Wolfgang & Joe.
Brawling Brutes & Bate then hits 10 Beats Of The Bodhran on Gallus & Bate & Butch deliver a clothesline/German suplex combination. Wolfgang goes flying to level Butch & Holland on the outside, leaving Joe & Bate in the ring.
Joe delivers a German suplex on Bate and locks in a full body submission but Holland breaks the hold by cracking a cue stick across his spine. He locks in a Boston Crab on Joe as Butch locks in a Triangle on Mark & Bate locks in a Crossface on Wolfgang using the cue stick.
Mark powerbombs Butch on Wolfgang and Bate to break the hold and Butch looks for a kick on the latter. He accidentally collides with Bate before Mark & Wolfgang double team on him and go for a pin.
Bate breaks the fall and Holland passes him a table from under the ring. Bate sets it up inside and Bate looks to send Mark crashing through it but Wolfgang levels him before he can and rains down right hands on Holland’s spine along with Mark.
Holland dumps them both out of the ring but gets leveled by a crossbody at the hands of Joe. Butch hits him with an enzuigiri but Joe runs over him and lays him on the table.
He grabs a beer but Bate breaks the bottle across his face. Brawling Brutes & Bate then deliver a Triple Powerbomb to Joe through the table to get the win.
Winners: Brawling Brutes & Tyler Bate
There was a video package promoting the match between Lyra Valkyria & Women’s Champion Becky Lynch ahead of their bout at Halloween Havoc.
We then head backstage and see Tegan Nox tell Lyra Valkyria that her match for the Women’s Title against Becky Lynch will have to wait as she wants a rematch given that she came up short in her title match last night on Raw.
After the break John Cena thanks fans for their warm reception then talks about how big of a night it is. He says he is honored to be in NXT as is Cody Rhodes & LA Knight. He thanks fans for creating an environment in which the main roster talent want to visit and when Carmelo Hayes called him up he couldn’t say yes fast enough. He says Hayes shares a lot of the same qualities as he does.
Bron Breakker’s music hits and he appears on the ramp. He tells Cena that tonight is a big night for NXT but fans didn’t come to see him. Breakker says they are here to see him and says Hayes still has no chance of beating him even with Cena in his corner. Cena tells Breakker that everyone knows that wrestling is in his blood and he is athletic however the one thing that hinders him is his attitude. He says he is excited to watch Breakker and Hayes square off then wishes Breakker good luck and offers him his hand.
Breakker blindsides him with a right hand on his head and looks to hit him with a Spear but Cena avoids it and gets him up on his shoulders. Breakker escapes before he can land Attitude Adjustment.
After the break, we head backstage and see Cody Rhodes run into NXT Tag Team Champions The Family. Stacks says himself and Tony D’Angelo are looking for their next challengers. D’Angelo suggests a 10 Tag Team Battle Royal for Halloween Havoc with the last two teams left standing squaring off in a normal tag team match. Rhodes makes the match official calling it the Bada Bing, Bada Boom Battle Royal.
Baron Corbin was interviewed backstage saying that Ilja Dragunov was ducking him and that he deserved a shot at the NXT Title.
NXT Title Match
Ilja Dragunov (c) vs. North American Champion Dominik Mysterio
Match starts off with a lock up then they go back & forth exchanging submission holds with one another before Ilja Dragunov lands a senton on Dominik Mysterio and follows it up with a chop. He lands a German suplex but Mysterio delivers a thumb to Dragunov’s eye as LA Knight is distracted by Rhea Ripley as we go to a break.
After the break Dragunov lands an enzuigiri on Mysterio then follows it up with Constantine Special. He then delivers a German suplex and a series of chops before Mysterio fires back with one of his own. Dragunov gets fired up and lands several elbow strikes.
He fires off Machine Gun Chops but Mysterio responds with a dropkick and dials it up for 619 but Dragunov avoids it and looks for Constantine Special but Mysterio avoids it and sends him into the ropes. He dials it up for 619 and goes for a pin but Dragunov kicks out.
Dragunov delivers a superplex to Mysterio but he rolls onto the apron so Dragunov follows him out there and Mysterio spikes him with a DDT. He follows it up with a powerbomb as Finn Balor & JD McDonagh appear to try and interfere.
Balor gets taken out by Knight & Dragunov sends McDonagh crashing into the middle turnbuckle face first before Knight lands BFT on him. Ripley looks to hit Dragunov with her Women’s World Title but Dragunov ducks out of the way and Trick Williams pulls her off the apron & this opens the door for Dragunov to deliver Torpedo Moskau for the win.
Winner & Still NXT Champion: Ilja Dragunov (STILL CHAMPION!!!!)
After the match Baron Corbin makes his way down to the ring and captures Dragunov’s attention. Dijak blindsides Dragunov from behind.
We then head backstage to Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams chatting with John Cena in the locker room. Hayes leaves to prepare for his match later tonight and Williams asks Cena how he knew it was his time. Cena tells him that they should talk.
We then see Jade Cargill pull up to the Performance Center where she is greeted by Shawn Michaels.
After the break Baron Corbin runs into Cody Rhodes and tells him that he owes him. He demands a match against Ilja Dragunov for the NXT Title at Halloween Havoc and Rhodes says Dijak has already made a great case for as to why he should earn a title shot. He says the winner of the match between Bron Breakker & Carmelo Hayes also has a good case for a shot and makes a #1 Contenders Triple Threat match between winner of Breakker & Hayes, Corbin & Dijak official for next week.
North American Champion Dominik Mysterio was confronted by Nathan Frazer & he calls Mysterio a massive fraud.
Quarter Final Match Of The 2023 Women’s Breakout Tournament
Dani Palmer vs. Lola Vice
Lola Vice & Dani Palmer lock up to get this match started then Vice delivers a shoulder tackle and a pair of kicks to Palmer’s midsection before landing a kick on her jaw and following it up with a hip attack.
Palmer delivers a crossbody and a pair of clotheslines then lands a dropkick and a corkscrew off the top rope before Vice locks in a Guillotine but Palmer counters into a pinfall but Vice kicks out and lands a roundhouse kick across her head for the win.
Winner: Lola Vice
Thea Hail returned to classes in Chase University but only on the condition that Jacy Jayne joins the class. Jayne was caught on the phone. Another student pulls out his phone before Andre Chase shouted at the student. Jayne revealed that Andre Chase & Duke Hudson will be involved in the Bada Bing Bada Boom Battle Royal next week.
Bron Breakker was training backstage ahead of the main event before Paul Heyman joins in. Heyman said Breakker was the future saying that the only person standing in his way was Carmelo Hayes. Breakker said that it did not matter who stood in his way he would break them all.
Brian Pillman Jr cuts a promo backstage where he revealed that he would taking the last name King.
We then head backstage and see several women saying hello to Asuka including Fallon Henley. Tiffany Stratton cuts in front of her to introduce herself & Henley confronts her.
NXT Title #1 Contenders Qualifying Match
Carmelo Hayes vs. Bron Breakker
Match starts off with a lock up then Carmelo Hayes looks for a crossbody off the top rope but Bron Breakker catches him and delivers a powerslam then gets him up on his shoulders but Hayes escapes and levels him with a springboard clothesline as we go to a break.
After the break Breakker & Hayes are brawling on the apron firing off strikes on one another. Breakker sends Hayes into the top turnbuckle face first and fires off right hands. He lands a back body drop but Hayes fires back with a pair of drops.
Breakker gets Hayes up on his shoulders and executes a gutbuster then delivers a pair of shoulder tackles and plants Hayes. He mocks Cena with his You Can’t See Me Gesture and looks for 5 Knuckle Shuffle but Hayes catches him with a superkick and follows it up with a pair of splashes in the corner and a variation of a neckbreaker.
Hayes & Breakker teeter on the top rope before Breakker sends Hayes crashing into the mat. He sets up for a spear, but Hayes sends him crashing into the ring post shoulder first and ascends to the top rope but Breakker catches him and plants him then grabs a ring step.
Cena takes it from him before Solo Sikoa appears and brawls to the back with Cena & on the outside Hayes lands a Codebreaker and gets Breakker back in the ring. He ascends to the top rope and hits Nothing But Net for the win.
Winner & Gets Into The NXT Title #1 Contenders Triple Threat Match: Carmelo Hayes
After the match Breakker spears Hayes and says there’s only one badass in all of WWE. A gong then sounds before The Undertaker heads down to the ring on a motorcycle. He stares down Breakker but Breakker starts running his mouth and says there’s only one badass on NXT. Undertaker grabs the mic out of Breakker’s hand and tells him that he’s been watching him for a long time. He says Breakker will be a special talent one day but it won’t be today.
Undertaker lands a right hand across Breakker’s jaw and executes a Chokeslam. He picks up the mic again and tells Breakker that there’s always an older, bigger, badass waiting around the corner. He tells Breakker he just met the baddest of them all then helps Hayes up and celebrates him to close out this week’s NXT.
Next Week’s NXT
NXT Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders 10 Team Battle Royal
Out The Mud (Lucien Price & Bronco Nima) vs. Chase U (Andre Chase & Duke Hudson) vs. Gallus (Wolfgang & Mark Coffey) vs. Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus) vs. Edris Enofe & Malik Blade vs. Damon Kemp & Myles Borne vs. Hank Walker & Tank Ledger vs. Josh Briggs & Brooks Jansen vs. Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo vs. Drew Gulak & Charlie Dempsey
NXT Title #1 Contenders Triple Threat Match
Baron Corbin vs. Dijak vs. Carmelo Hayes
Lyra Valkyria vs. Tegan Nox
Quarter Final Match Of The 2023 Women’s Breakout Tournament
TBD vs. TBD
Halloween Havoc Card
Night 1 (Oct 24th)
Women’s Title Match
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Lyra Valkyria
NXT Tag Team Titles Match
The Family (Tony D’Angelo & Stacks) (c) vs. TBD
Night 2 (Oct 31st)
NXT Title Match
Ilja Dragunov (c) vs. TBD
