The John Report: WWE NXT Deadline 2022 Review
This is the WWE NXT Deadline Premium Live Event featuring the first two Iron Survivor Challenge matches, two title matches and more.
It’s time for NXT Deadline, which is the last WWE PLE/PPV of 2022. Since there are two Iron Survivor Challenge matches and some of you reading this are going to have questions about the rules, I’ll paste in the graphic here because WWE posted it. I figure it might help those of you reading this that are not watching and may wonder about the rules.
Check out my archive of NXT WWE PPV/Takeover events from the past right here. Let’s get to it.
NXT Deadline
WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida
December 10, 2022
The opening video package aired to hype up what’s coming up on the show with a main focus on the Iron Survivor Challenge matches.
It was the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge match up first. They posted the rules while ring announcer Alicia Taylor read the rules. The commentary team was Vic Joseph and Booker T as usual.
Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge: Roxanne Perez vs. Cora Jade vs. Indi Hartwell vs. Zoey Stark vs. Kiana James
The winner gets an NXT Women’s Title match.
It was Roxanne Perez starting with Zoey Stark. There was a clock on the screen counting up to 25:00 and a scoreboard with the five women’s names shown as well with numbers representing what their score is. Perez did a bridging pin attempt for two with Booker talking about how Roxanne was his girl because Booker trained her starting at 16 years old. Roxanne is 21 years old now. They were going at a slow pace including a shoulder tackle spot that led to nothing. They battled over a backslide pin attempt and Perez got a few different pins. Perez got an armdrag. There were more counters, pin attempts and more as the clock reached five minutes for the next entrant.
Kiana James was in at #3 with a sunset flip on Stark for two. Stark went for a suplex, James landed on her feet and kicked Stark in the head. Perez stopped a pin attempt because the most falls wins the match. After James picked up Perez, Stark hit a dropkick and stopped a pin attempt. Stark superkicked James, Perez rolled up Stark for two and Perez hit two uppercut shots. Stark sent Perez to the apron and a kick knocked Perez down on the floor. James grabbed Stark by the arm and sent her into the ring post. Perez avoided a charging Stark leading to Stark bumping into James. Perez with a back body drop, then forearm smashes and Stark hit Perez with a superkick. Stark hit her flipping move with a knee to Perez’s face leading to Stark pinning Perez. After Perez hit the floor, she was taken to the penalty box for 90 seconds. James and Stark did a double clothesline leading to the next entrant.
Cora Jade was in at #4 with pin attempts on Stark & James. Jade hit kicks on both women along with an elbow to the back of James for a two count. Perez got out of the penalty box leading to a press followed by punches. Perez got a rollup on James after Jade was sent out of the ring. Perez hit a dropkick on James to send her into the corner. Perez hit running uppercuts followed by a legsweep on Stark for two, but James broke up the count. Jade got back into it with a superkick on Perez. Jade got a ROLLUP OF DEATH~! on James for a pin. That meant that Cora Jade and Zoey Stark each had 1 point. Stark got a takedown on Perez with an armbar on the left arm that she turned into the crossface. Jade applied a deathlock submission on Stark, so Perez did a leg scissors around Jade’s head. James was out of the penalty box after her 90 seconds expired. James threw Perez out of the ring and a shoulder tackle on Stark in the corner. James hit a spinning suplex on Jade, but the pin was broken up.
Indi Hartwell was #5 as the final woman in the match after 15 minutes left, so there were 10 minutes left. Perez battled with Hartwell, who sent Perez into the top rope with a stun gun like move. Hartwell with a running boot on Perez for the pinfall win so Perez was back to the penalty box while Hartwell got 1 point. Stark hit a twisting splash off the ropes on Hartwell. Jade and Stark exchanged forearms, then they each did superkicks and Stark hit a German Suplex on Jade for two. Jade sent Stark out of the ring where James exchanged forearms with Stark. James hit a moonsault off the barricade on Stark and then James tossed her over the barricade. Perez got out of the penalty box and sent James into the steel steps. Perez sent Jade out of the ring, but Stark was back in with a forearm on Stark. Perez got a rollup on Stark for a pinfall, so Perez got her first win in the match.
The score with five minutes left was: Zoey Stark 1, Cora Jade 1, Indi Hartwell 1, Roxanne Perez 1 and Kiana James 0.
Stark was on fire with offense as she hit a corner forearm, then a suplex and Perez came back with a running uppercut on Stark. Perez hit a suicide dive onto Hartwell on the floor after somebody else moved. Jade hit a dive off the apron onto three girls on the floor. Stark went up top leading to a springboard cross body block off the top onto four opponents on the floor. Stark sent James into the ring, Stark jumped off the top with a moonsault, James moved and then they all took turns hitting big moves. Jade battled Perez, which led to Perez hitting a kick to the gut followed by Pop Rox on Jade for the pinfall.
Roxanne Perez leads with two falls with under two minutes.
Stark and Hartwell each got nearfalls, but the pin attempts were broken up. James shoved Hartwell into a pin attempt to break it up. Perez kicked Hartwell, but then Hartwell picked up Perez and they went tumbling over the top to the floor. Stark and James battled on the top turnbuckle as James hit a Spanish Fly slam off the top on Stark and Jade was back in for a two count. Jade hit a DDT on Perez, who rolled out of the ring. The clocked reached 25:00 with Roxanne Perez as the winner.
Winner: Roxanne Perez
Final Tally: Roxanne Perez 2, Indi Hartwell, Zoey Stark & Cora Jade 1 and Kiana James 0.
Analysis: ***1/2 I thought it was a pretty good match with a very exciting final five minutes. I liked the story of the match with everybody going for pin attempts, other people breaking up pins and constantly trying to pick up the win. That’s the right way to do a match like that. They probably could have had more drama towards the finish although they did get it right by the end with Jade going for pins on everybody until she realized she didn’t have enough time left after hitting Perez with a DDT. I thought Indi Hartwell might win because it felt like it was her time, but I certainly don’t mind Perez winning. They really put over Perez in a big way by having her start the match and finding a way to win by the end of it.
Roxanne Perez was on the floor as she celebrated the win. Booker T was marking out on commentary since he was her trainer, so he was so happy that she won. The fans liked it too.
The win by Roxanne Perez means that she gets an NXT Women’s Title match against Mandy Rose.
Analysis: I think Perez might win the title when she gets her match with Mandy Rose. At 21 years old, it makes sense for her to be the one to beat my favorite Mandy Rose.
A video aired about Pretty Deadly.
There was a commercial for NXT Vengeance Day in Charlotte on Saturday, February 4th.
Booker T and Vic Joseph were on commentary with Booker acting emotional about Roxanne’s big win with Booker doing some fake tears while fans behind them were laughing about it.
Ivy Nile and Tatum Paxley were interviewed by Mckenzie Mitchell. Ivy said that she was just looking out for the health of The Creed Brothers. The NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Kayden Carter and Katana Chance showed up for some friendly banter to tease a potential title defense in the future.
They showed NXT Champion Bron Breakker and his opponent Apollo Crews arriving separately earlier in the day.
A video aired about Alba Fyre’s match against Isla Dawn. It started because Dawn cost Fyre the NXT Women’s Title a few weeks ago.
Isla Dawn vs. Alba Fyre
They are both Scottish women. The action spilled to the floor quickly with Fyre sending Dawn into the commentary table. Dawn delivered a kick while Fyre was trying an attack on the floor. Fyre wit ha superkick and a flatliner into the mat. Fyre got a rollup for two. Dawn picked up Fyre leading to Dawn driving Fyre back first into the turnbuckle. Dawn sent Fyre into the turnbuckle leading to a backbreaker for a two count. Dawn hit a running double knee attack on Fyre followed by a kick to the back. Dawn continued the attack with a double knee attack (meteora) off the top onto Fyre for a two count. Fyre sent Dawn out of the ring and Fyre jumped off the top with a somersault dive onto Dawn on the floor. Fyre does that move so well although she had a hard landing on the floor. Fyre did a front suplex sending Dawn into the mat. Fyre hit a Tornado DDT for a two count. Dawn got out of a move with a boot to the head followed by a belly to back suplex on Fyre for a two count. Fyre kicked Dawn out of the ring to the floor followed by a suicide dive by Fyre. They battled on the floor with Fyre lifting Dawn up leading to a Gory Bomb on the floor. Fyre knocked down Dawn again. Fyre went up top and hit a Senton Bomb, but the referee was down with some liquid coming out of his mouth. Dawn touched the referee, so he had some liquid poison in his mouth. A second referee went down to the ring. Dawn sent Fyre into an exposed steel turnbuckle and Dawn hit a reverse DDT with an elbow smash for the pinfall win at 9:52.
Winner by pinfall: Isla Dawn
Analysis: **3/4 The action was solid for most of the match, but then the voodoo magic finish didn’t really work for me. I get that they are trying to put over Dawn’s unique character by having her poison the referee (or however you want to say it), but I don’t think it’s going to work that well in today’s era of pro wrestling. Fyre came close to winning a few times, but just like against Mandy Rose, she came up short in the end thanks to a bizarre finish. They probably felt like Dawn needed the win more since she’s new in NXT compared to Fyre. I assume that result means the feud will keep going.
There was a video about upcoming WWE live events.
A video aired about Carmelo Hayes. These profile videos air for us because some fans have Peacock with commercials, so they are getting commercials.
There was a video promoting Tribute to Troops airing on Saturday, December 16th on Fox. It was taped last month.
Apollo Crews was shown getting ready for his NXT Title match.
The New Day were interviewed by Mckenzie Mitchell with Xavier Woods talking about how they are always looking for the best competition. Kofi Kingston said that these guys are really good. They both talked about wanting to become triple crown champions. Woods said that they would be leaving the arena as WWE NXT Tag Team Champions…the got Mitchell to join in with them for that part.
The fans came alive for The New Day’s entrance as Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods greeted some fans on their way to the ring. Booker said he was disgusted by New Day being there. Pretty Deadly were up next as the NXT Tag Team Champions.
NXT Tag Team Champions: Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince & Kit Wilson) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods)
Woods started with a rollup on Wilson for two. Woods chopped Wilson twice, Wilson came back with a shoulder tackle and Woods got a low kick followed by a senton splash for two. Kofi tagged in leading to a double team bulldog on Wilson for a two count. Booker kept on saying that New Day shouldn’t be there since they are taking TV time from people and they are already Hall of Famers. Prince and Wilson did some heel tactics to take control leading to Prince hitting a leg drop while Wilson did a splash. Prince did a monkey flip, Kofi landed on his feet and Kofi did some booty shaking to taunt Prince, so Prince did it too. Kofi did it some more. I guess I have to write that it’s called twerking. Anyway, Kofi hit a dropkick, Woods tagged in with a clothesline, Kofi with a splash off the ropes and Woods hit a fist drop. Wilson tagged in with a leap off the top, but Woods hit a dropkick to knock Wilson down. Woods hit a running splash on Wilson, Kofi tagged in with a splash and Woods hit his clothesline as Kofi got a two count on Wilson. Kofi got a boot up, then he sent Wilson out of the ring and Prince got in the way, so Kofi kicked Prince off the apron. Kofi hit a somersault dive over the top onto both opponents on the floor. Booker was strongly rooting for Kit and Elton. Pretty Deadly took control with a double team move sending Kofi throat first onto the top rope. Prince shoved Kofi hard into the ring post as the heels took control. Prince choked Kofi across the middle rope, then Wilson was back in and he stomped on Kofi a bit. Wilson tried a knee drop, Kofi moved and Wilson tried to stop Kofi from tagging out. Kofi fought out of the heel corner, Wilson fought him off and Kofi hit a jumping DDT. Woods got the tag against Prince with clotheslines along with a spinning forearm to the head and a charging elbow. Woods hit a dropkick to knock Wilson out of the ring. Woods sent Prince into the middle rope leading to Woods hitting a splash/kick combo. Woods wit ha kick to the head on Prince and a DDT off the ropes for a two count.
Prince countered a Woods move with a punch to the throat along with a clothesline for a two count. Woods and Prince exchanged strikes, then Prince kicked the leg and hit a forearm to the back. Wilson tagged back in with a double knee attack on Woods for two. Kofi went into the ring to hit Prince with a forearm to the head. They did a comedy spot where all four guys were out on the mat acting like they got hit with a title belt. The fans chanted “NXT” for that. Prince punched Kofi out of the ring and Wilson hit Woods with a title belt while the referee wasn’t looking leading to a two count for Wilson. Kofi stopped a double team move and hit a Trouble in Paradise kick on Wilson. Woods sent Prince into the turnbuckle. Kofi jumped off the top with the Midnight Hour double foot stomp while Woods held Prince. Woods covered Prince for one…two…and three! It went 14:05.
Winners by pinfall AND NEW NXT Tag Team Champions: The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods)
Analysis: ***3/4 I thought it was a great tag team match. While I like Pretty Deadly a lot, I’m all for a title change because it wouldn’t shock me if Pretty Deadly beats New Day within the next month or two to regain those titles. I loved that Eddie Guerrero tribute comedy spot that led to some laughs briefly during a very intense match. I liked that nearfall that Pretty Deadly got with the title shot for a two count because that could have been it. Instead, New Day was able to come back. Kofi took out Wilson on the floor with his finisher Trouble in Paradise and then the double team Midnight Hour finished them off. In my preview, I wrote that I thought this might happen, but I did pick Pretty Deadly to retain. This result didn’t bother me. I thought it was fun.
The New Day celebrated the win. The fans were going wild for them and Kofi/Woods were really happy about it. It was mentioned by Vic that it was Kofi’s 15th tag team title reign, which is the most in WWE history, surpassing Booker T. That just made Booker even more grumpy.
Analysis: New Day rocks. It could boost interest to have New Day as the NXT Tag Team Champions and if you have them hold them for two months then they can drop them at the next NXT show in Charlotte. It might help tickets since New Day is a proven act and it might help NXT’s TV audience too.
A video aired about a countdown to the New Year for a special on January 10th. Normally they do a New Year’s Evil special on the first NXT of the year, so I guess this means there’s something on January 10th instead.
They showed Kayden Carter and Katana Chance talking to Odyssey Jones, Edris Enofe & Malik Blade in the backstage area. They are going to hang out soon or something like that. Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne trash-talked Carter & Chance, so then Nile & Paxley showed up leading to those women’s teams fighting. The fight was broken up by
There was a video package about Mandy Rose’s career. That’s a good video package in my opinion.
A commercial aired about the Royal Rumble on January 28th.
Bron Breakker was shown getting ready for his NXT Title match.
The Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge match was up next. They showed the rules again.
Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge: JD McDonagh vs. Axiom vs. Joe Gacy vs. Grayson Waller vs. Carmelo Hayes
The winner gets an NXT Title match.
It was JD McDonagh and Axiom to start the match. They went to the floor early with Axiom hitting a suicide drive. Back in the ring, Axiom jumped off the top going for a move, but JD stopped that. Axiom came back with a roundhouse kick to he head. Axiom hit a clothesline on JD, who was on his knees and that got a two count. Axiom hit a running dropkick followed by a dropkick in the corner. Axiom went for a move, but JD held the ropes and JD hit a clothesline. JD hit a sitout Powerbomb for a two count. The first five minutes were up leading to the next opponent as the fans counted down from ten.
Carmelo Hayes was #3 in the match. Melo was my pick to win. Hayes hit a springboard neckbreaker on JD and Hayes hit a springboard leg drop onto Axiom for two. They did a three way clothesline/DDT spot with Axiom pinning JD for a two count. Axiom did an arm drag/headscissors combo on both guys to knock them out of the ring. Hayes knocked both guys followed by Hayes going off the rope and JD/Axiom hit superkicks on Hayes. They each did moves leading to Hayes doing a twisting neckbreaker/suplex on Axiom on top of JD and Hayes pinned Axiom.
That pinfall meant that Carmelo Hayes was leading with 1 point.
Hayes worked over JD with chops while Axiom went into the penalty box. JD came back with a suplex. JD hit a backbreaker on Hayes. They did a spot where Hayes ran the ropes leading to JD hitting a Spanish Fly slam. Axiom was out of the penalty box with a cross body block off the top. There were strikes from all three guys including Hayes eating a kick, then JD headbutted Axiom and all three guys were down as the next entrant went into the ring.
It was Grayson Waller as #4 with a double Stunner on Axiom and JD back to back leading to Waller pinning both guys back to back! That was huge.
Grayson Waller had 2 points, Carmelo Hayes had 1 point and nobody else had a point.
Waller and Hayes exchanged some nearfalls followed by Waller hitting a forearm on Hayes for a two count. They went to the apron, Hayes hit a pump kick and then Waller came back with a Stunner while on the apron. The penalty box timer left, but JD grabbed Axiom to keep him in the penalty box. Axiom went into the penalty box to attack JD, which led to Axiom sending JD into the penalty box. Waller sent Axiom into the penalty box and Hayes got back into it with a superkick on Waller. Back in the ring, Hayes hit a sitout slam on Axiom for a two count. Hayes hit a suicide dive onto Waller on the floor and Waller slammed Hayes onto the commentary table. Waller shouted something at Booker. Axiom hit a Destroyer on Waller for the pinfall. Axiom also hit a Golden Ratio kick on JD to pin him too. That meant Axiom had two falls.
The scoreboard was Axiom 2, Waller 2, Hayes 1 and two guys had 0.
Joe Gacy was the #5 entrant meaning the final man in the match. Gacy crushed Axiom with a clothesline leading to a flip bump for two. Gacy applied a crossface submission on Axiom, who tapped out to give Gacy one point.
Waller got out of the penalty box and punched Axiom. JD got out of the penalty box and sent Axiom into the penalty box glass followed by JD sending Axiom into the penalty box again. Gacy bounced off the ropes lading to his handspring clothesline leading to Gacy pinning Hayes for the pinfall.
The scoreboard was Axiom 2, Waller 2, Gacy 2, Hayes 1 and McDonagh 0.
They did a spot where Gacy hit a dive over the top onto JD and Waller on the floor. JD tried to trap Axiom in the penalty box, but Axiom climbed to the top of the penalty box leading to Axiom hitting a moonsault off the penalty box onto Waller/McDonagh on the floor. Gacy attacked his three fallen opponents with punches. Hayes was free again with a boot to Gacy. Hayes hit a spinning slam on Waller for a two count. Hayes applied a Crossface submission on Waller, who tapped out.
The scoreboard was Axiom 2, Waller 2, Gacy 2, Hayes 2 and McDonagh 0.
There were about five minutes left. Gacy sent Waller into the penalty box. Axiom battled Gacy in the ring with Axiom going for submission move on the arm. Hayes hit a scissors kick on Gacy and Axiom hit a kick on Hayes. JD dropped Axiom on the floor with a neckbreaker. JD headbutted Hayes leading to a high angle suplex. JD hit a suplex on Gacy as well. JD caught a leaping Waller leading to a belly to back suplex and everybody else broke up the count. JD went after all four opponents as they sat up against the turnbuckles. All four guys hit JD with kicks at the same time (sort of). Gacy did a sliding kick on Waller on the floor. Gacy gave Waller a uranage on the steel steps. Gacy hit a full nelson slam on Hayes and a submission attempt, but JD got out of that. Gacy grounded JD with a submission, but Axiom broke that up. Gacy put Axiom in the head/arm submission, but Hayes and JD broke it up with superkicks. JD headbutted Gacy and JD sent Hayes into the ring post. Axiom hit an incredible DDT on JD. Melo hit the Nothing But Net leg drop off the top for a two count on Axiom because Waller pulled Hayes out of the ring. Waller covered Axiom to get the pinfall. Waller ran away from Hayes for about 30 seconds, there were no more pin attempts and the time ran out with Waller winning at 25:00.
Winner: Grayson Waller
Final Tally: Grayson Waller 3, Axiom 2, Joe Gacy 2, Carmelo Hayes 2 and JD McDonagh 0.
Analysis: ****1/4 I thought it was an excellent match that was better than the women’s match. The finish was clever because Waller stole the pin after Hayes hit his finisher and by stealing the pin, Waller picked up the biggest win of his career. I was a bit surprised that McDonagh didn’t get a single fall in the match considering how much he has been pushed in the last few months. Gacy getting two falls surprised me a bit because I thought he’d get the least amount of falls. Axiom had a lot of cool moments in the match. Hayes is the guy I wanted for sure, but I mentioned Waller as the second-best choice. I’d call this match a big success for NXT. It was exciting right until the end and having Waller run away for the finish was a smart way to end it.
Grayson Waller celebrated the win. They showed some replays. Waller drank some liquid out of a boot, which is probably not a good idea. The fans were booing Waller as he celebrated the win.
Analysis: I think Grayson Waller is absolutely a future NXT Champion unless he gets called up to the main roster first. I like Waller a lot.
A commercial aired for Monday Night Raw.
There was a video about Cora Jade.
They had a commercial for the NXT New Year’s Evil on Tuesday, January 10th. I guess that was meant for the countdown to the new year thing that was shown earlier.
Drew Gulak was interviewed by Mckenzie Mitchell, who asked Drew about why he’s in NXT. Drew talked about how he hasn’t been able to reach his full potential. Drew said he didn’t come here to complain, he came here to grind in that ring and if there’s somebody that he can help or somebody that can help him then that’s great because there’s strength in numbers. Damon Kemp said that Gulak should watch Kemp’s match against Duke Hudson on Tuesday. Gulak said he’ll check it out.
Analysis: I think Gulak in NXT is good for him because they weren’t doing anything with him anyway. They might as well put Gulak here so he can work with some younger talent and perhaps get a push for himself.
This Tuesday on NXT:
* Toxic Attraction vs. Ivy Nile & Tatum Paxley
* Von Wagner vs. Odyssey Jones
* Lyra Valyria debuts.
A video package aired about Bron Breakker defending the NXT Title against Apollo Crews in the main event. It hasn’t been heavy in terms of a storyline, but it’s about two babyfaces that respect eachother.
They showed Apollo Crews walking backstage ahead of the main event and then Bron Breakker walking elsewhere backstage.
Apollo Crews made his entrance with Vic Joseph talking about how Crews was signed to NXT in 2015, but he never won a title in NXT before, so that’s what he was going for. Bron Breakker was up next as the NXT Champion as they showed images of some of his title wins along with the clip of Apollo holding the NXT Title, which could be a preview of the future. Breakker was wearing his usual singlet with the NXT Title around his waist. They stood in the ring for the championship introductions.
NXT Championship: Bron Breakker vs. Apollo Crews
They did some shoulder tackle spots to show how even they were along with a test of strength with neither guy getting the advantage. Crews got a side headlock on Bron, then they did some counters to get back up to their feet and Crews got another headlock. Both guys did a kip up to show they were doing just fine. They continued showing how even it was by Crews not being able to do a hiptoss because Bron grabbed the ropes. Crews hit a dropkick followed by a standing moonsault for two. Bron was on the floor, so Crews hit him with a moonsault off the apron onto Bron on the floor. Back in the ring, Crews hit a senton over the top leading to a two count. Bron got to show off his power with a delayed vertical suplex for a two count. Crews went to the floor, so Bron ran the ropes leading to a somersault dive over the top onto Bron. That’s an impressive move by a muscular guy like Bron. Back in the ring, Bron jumped off the middle rope, but Crews hit him with a jumping knee attack and I think Apollo’s elbow smashed Bron in the head as well, so Bron was grabbing his head. Crews stood in the ring and shut his eyes as the camera focused on his face. Crews opened his eyes to show that he was more intense as Crews hit a slam for a two count. Crews hit three straight German Suplexes for a two count while Crews was making some crazy eyes. Bron tried a move, but Crews caught him and Crews hit three straight Powerbombs for a two count. Crews went up top and hit a Frog Splash for a two count. Crews was frustrated after every nearfall. Crews hit a running splash on Bron, but when Crews tried it again, Bron moved and Crews hit the turnbuckle. Bron ran the ropes leading to a shoulder tackle along with a powerslam. Bron went up top and he jumped off the top with a bulldog to drive Crews into the top. It almost looked like a clothesline to the back of the head to drive Crews into the mat. Bron went for a lifting slam, but Crews countered it with a DDT for two. Bron hit a huge spinebuster.
Bron wanted the press slam into a powerslam, but Crews got out of it. Crews lifted up Bron for the press slam into a powerslam for a two count. That is Bron’s finisher. The fans chanted “this is awesome” for them. They exchanged punches, some of Bron’s didn’t even look close so he has to work on that and then they exchanged punches again. Bron with a punch, Crews with two kicks and Crews went for a lifting move, but Bron landed on his feet. Bron hit a Spear for the pinfall win at 14:34.
Winner by pinfall: Bron Breakker
Analysis: ***1/2 I thought it was an entertaining match with a predictable finish. They probably could done a bit more to give Crews some nearfalls using his moves because he was doing some Breakker moves just to show that he can, but I doubt people figured that Bron would lose to Crews in this spot. The ending was a bit flat in the sense that I think they should have had Crews kick out of that Spear and maybe Bron should have hit his finisher after that. Bron does the Spear well, but if his finisher is the press powerslam then he should win with that instead. It’s not a major complaint. I just think they could have had more drama toward the finish if Crews got to kick out there. Anyway, the right guy got the win.
Bron Breakker celebrated the win with the NXT Title in his hand. When Bron turned around, Grayson Waller showed up and hit Bron with a Stunner. Waller held the NXT Title over Bron with Waller saying “I run this.” The show ended there with Waller kneeling over Bron. End show.
Analysis: I think it’s certainly possible that Waller is the next NXT Champion. At least I would say Waller has a better shot than most of Bron’s recent opponents at the last few major shows.
This event had a runtime of 2:26:54 on WWE Network.
👀👀👀#NXTDeadline@GraysonWWE@bronbreakkerwwepic.twitter.com/r7h7Rkyv0b
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) December 11, 2022
Five Stars of the Show
- Grayson Waller
- The New Day
- Roxanne Perez
- Bron Breakker
- Carmelo Hayes
Final Thoughts
I rate this show a 7.75 out of 10.
It was a very entertaining show from start to finish. I liked it a lot. The two Iron Survivor Challenge matches delivered in my opinion with the men’s match being better than the women’s match. I liked the choice of winners with Grayson Waller and Roxanne Perez earning title shots. The finish to the men’s match was great because Waller stole a pin at the last minute to get the win. The women’s match finish wasn’t as exciting, but I’m happy with the result.
I thought The New Day beating Pretty Deadly for the NXT Tag Team Titles was really well done. While PD tried to cheat to win, New Day found a way to overcome and it was a happy moment seeing New Day win. I think New Day in NXT can add some star power and maybe get some more viewers for the show.
Bron Breakker beating Apollo Crews was fine. Nothing special about it, but a well-worked match with Apollo getting a lot of offense until Bron put him away easily with a Spear. Waller attacked Breakker after the match and I think it’s possible that Waller is the guy that beats Bron, but I’d rather see Carmelo Hayes do it.
The worst match was easily the Isla Dawn win over Alba Fyre. They worked fine together, but the voodoo finish poisoning the referee just looked really cheesy to me. I’d rather not see stuff like that, but they are trying to push Dawn’s gimmick as having some sort of supernatural powers.
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John Canton
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