The NXT 2.0 Rewind: NXT Halloween Havoc 2021

Previously on the NXT 2.0 Rewind: Johnny Gargano challenges new North American Champion Carmelo Hayes, MSK throw out a challenge to Imperium, and Io Shirai spins up a Scareway to Hell Match.

We start Halloween Havoc in the only correct fashion, a vignette featuring Chucky. He says he is here to promise a hell of a lot of violence as he runs down the card. I’m still waiting for his Hall of Fame induction.

Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett and WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix welcome us to the Capitol Performance Center. Tonight, we’re presented by GEICO and the first half hour is commercial free on the USA Network. Alicia Taylor is on the ring mic. Lots of fans in costumes tonight which is fun. The Spin the Wheel, Make a Deal wheel is at the entrance and we have spiderwebs, tombstones and big spiders around the arena.

Chucky pops in with some thoughts, suggesting the teams use weapons and raise hell.

Scareway to Hell Match for the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship: NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Io Shirai & Zoey Stark vs Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne) vs Persia Pirotta & Indi Hartwell

What’s a Scareway to Hell, you ask? Just a ladder match. We spun this one up last week just to build a little excitement. All six women brawl to start, Toxic Attraction being tossed out as the other four point to the belts and tussle. Io is the crowd favorite here getting all the chants as she pulls a ladder out from under the ring, setting up the bridge from the ring apron to the announce table that will probably have a woman crashing through it later. Toxic Attraction, Indi and Persia pair off in the ring with Persia taking down both Toxics with a running ladder. Io and Zoey both climb the same ladder which Jacy pushes over. Jacy shoves the ladder outside and Gigi brings in one that is less broken instead, Zoey kicking Gigi down.

Indi clears the announce table and, with Persia, tries to suplex Indi through that ladder but Io reverses. Io kicks a ladder into the Toxics and starts a climb, Hartwell leaping onto the ladder and kicking Io off. Zoey leaps into the spot Io was in and Persia sets a taller ladder next to them. Gigi punts her and climbs, being tossed onto Jacy by Zoey. Io leaps onto Indi’s back and pulls her down as Zoey climbs the tall ladder, Persia pushing it over and Zoey bouncing off the top rope and taking down the Toxics on the outside. That leaves Persia with another ladder that breaks, so she stomps it into Zoey and starts climbing the tall ladder. Gigi and Io both try to climb, Persia pulls them both down and powers Io into the turnbuckle. Gigi is powerbombed through a ladder that is set up on the bottom ropes and Persia is looking like a powerhouse, getting out first “holy shit” of the night. She climbs and gets her hands on the titles, Jacy climbing behind her. Jacy climbs, ready to avenge her dive from last week, but Io power bombs her right onto a ladder and then moonsaults on her because she’s Io and she’s wild.

Io climbs again, this time being stopped by Impressive Indi. Zoey heads up top and tries to hit a 450 or so, landing awkwardly and mostly missing it. Indi takes Zoey out with a spinebuster onto a ladder and starts the climb, Io following and knocking Indi off the ladder only for Indi to push the ladder over, sending Io tumbling onto the ladder bridging across to the announce table. Indi gives us “concern” but climbs again, reaching for the titles before Jacy and Gigi overwhelm her. Gigi shoves Indi down and unstraps a title, giving us new champions.

Toxic Attraction defeat Zoey Stark & Io Shirai and Persia Pirotta & Indi Hartwell to become the new NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions. This was spotty, but ended up being pretty decent. Not everything hit – Zoey’s miss was rough – but they didn’t kill each other, which was slightly a risk after what happened the previous week. I continue to be impressed by the future Steph De Lander.

We head to parts unknown with NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams pulling up to what we are told is the new house of Dexter Lumis. They’re here to get Melo’s championship back. Trick doesn’t want to come along but Melo tells him he is coming. We see Johnny Gargano and Dexter Lumis watching on a camera, Gargano saying that he “Home Aloned the heck out of this place” as the Zombie NXT Referee appears. Melo and Trick keep getting scared by creepy people including a kid that motions them into the haunted house. The house’s door opens by itself and they head in. To be continued…

Here’s Grayson Waller in a vampire outfit. He doesn’t know what happened to L.A. Knight but he’s happy to be here as runner-up host. The music of Joe Gacy interrupts and he gives a reluctant Waller a hug. Gacy thinks corrupt minds like Waller’s make Halloween a holiday that isn’t very inclusive, instead a day for sexualizing people. He is going to balance all of that out by setting a positive message in the ring against Malik Blade. “I am doing this for all of us. Violence is not the answer.”

Joe Gacy vs Malik Blade

Blade kicks Gacy and we are underway, violence appearing to be the answer as we see a security camera with big Harland walking into the arena. Gacy splashes Blade and tosses him to the outside as big Harland steps into frame, grabbing Blade by the throat. Gacy tells the large tattooed bald man to let his opponent go and Harland does. Gacy nails Blade with a big clothesline and gets the easy pin.

Joe Gacy pins Malik Blade. This was a squash. Harland was also there.

Kay Lee Ray breaks things in a rage room and tells us that she is going to rage. Fair enough.

Waller walks through our mandatory backstage costume party. Kushida and Ikemen Jiro argue with him before he comes across Tony D’Angelo, Franky Monet (still there), and of course astronaut Cameron Grimes.

Malcolm Bivens leads Diamond Mine to the ring, telling us is is a Diamond Mine open challenge. A challenger to be named after this commercial break can choose if they want to wrestle Ivy, the Creeds, or Strong. Hachiman? Off the table, bub.

NXT Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong (with Malcolm Bivens, Hachiman, Ivy Nile, Brutus & Julius Creed) vs Odyssey Jones

Big Odyssey comes out after our break as the man accepting the challenge and points at Strong. Bivens: “Brother, brother, brother, brother. I mean this with all due disrespect, your big ass is not 205 pounds.” Strong’s into it, though this is not a title match as Jones does not make the weight limit. Jones tosses strong around early, splashing Roddy in the corner. Strong is able to hook a sleeper on Odyssey who whips him off, but Strong works the knee and dropkicks Jones. Odyssey takes his time coming back against Roddy, getting distracted by both Creeds before Strong knees him in the back and nails him with a flying knee, rolling him over for the three count.

Roderick Strong pins Odyssey Jones. Nothing special. We seem to have lost the luster of Odyssey already as he is losing three minute matches.

Mackenzie Mitchell is backstage with Imperium, asking if they’ve spoken to WALTER about the match. Marcel tells us that WALTER has given them his blessing and tonight, the mat is sacred.

Back in the Halloween party, Lash Legend and Tony D’Angelo continue their multi-week discussion and Lash accepts his wish to be on Lashing Out With Lash Legend next week. Von Wagner tells us he is dressed up as Brad Pitt as Cameron Grimes tells Duke Hudson he’ll see him next week in his poker room. There’s also a fight between an Elvis (Robert Stone) and Xyon Quinn, Elvis being chokeslammed through a table.This is certainly a party.

NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa stretches before his big match.

A motorcycle speeds up to the arena and NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez scooters right up to ringside. With Mandy Rose already in the ring (angel costume), Chucky prompts the Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal wheel to spin. It stops on Chucky’s Choice, so Chucky goes for a Trick of Street Fight. A handy on-screen graphic tells us that the rules include no count outs, no disqualifications, and pinfall or submission occurring only in the ring.

Chucky’s Choice Trick of Street Fight for the NXT Women’s Championship: NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez vs Mandy Rose

Our story here is that the other Toxics won gold tonight and now Mandy is trying to finish the trifecta. Gonzalez is in the brightest green gear ever, a far cry from 2026 Raquel. The ladies brawl outside and Mandy ducks a big boot, sending Gonzalez into the ring post. She grabs a kendo stick and batters Raquel’s legs, chopping her down and into commercials.

We come back to Raquel pulling Mandy outside, grabbing her own kendo stick and nailing her. Mandy shoves a chair into Raquel and takes her turn again with the kendo, sliding it under the chair’s handles and getting Raquel stuck in the chair. Mandy tries for the pin on the floor and gets no count because we’ve seen the rules already. Mandy heads back outside to find Raquel in a Jason mask, Raquel spraying her down with a fire extinguisher. Raquel powers Mandy back into the ring and placing her on the top rope, Mandy dodging a boot as the fans chant for tables. Raquel does hit Mandy with a boot outside and breaks down the steel steps before lifting them onto the ring apron. Mandy runs into the ring and kicks Raquel as she tries to chase, Mandy tossing Raquel head-first into the steps. Mandy gets a two count out of it and tries for a Pedigree on Raquel, something Raquel reverses into a backdrop. Raquel spears Rose through a table that is set up in the corner, satisfying the crowd’s lust for tables. Raquel covers and Mandy kicks out at 2.75.

Suddenly a mysterious Masked Person, the same we’ve seen in vignettes over the last few weeks, nails Raquel with a shovel. Mandy hits Raquel with a running knee and gets the pin. Our champions are all Toxic.

Mandy Rose pins Raquel Gonzalez to become the new NXT Women’s Champion. Hey, this was pretty good. Mandy more than held her own against Raquel and the street fight helped cover things a straight match wouldn’t have.

Toxic Attraction pose with their gold at the entrance to solid boos from the crowd. Back in the ring, our masked person stands over Raquel with their shovel before unmasking to reveal a pink-haired Dakota Kai. The fans chant “welcome back,” happy to see the woman with the shovel.

And now, the GEICO Fact of the Night: Tommaso Ciampa is one of five multi-time NXT Champions! (Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Karrion Kross are the others.)

We unfortunately go back to the haunted house. Melo and Trick come across spooky things as our budget for this was clearly about $12. They come across Andre Chase hanging in a chair, saying he brought his students here for a field trip but can’t find them. Gargano and Lumis head after them and then we get a full “HOLY SHIT” from Chase, finding a skeleton. Trick runs from Lumis, Trick accidentally nails Melo, and they find the championship sitting on a throne. Trick says it is obviously a trap but Melo doesn’t listen, grabbing the title. Naturally this leads to Gargano and Lumis behind them as Melo and Trick battle some zombies and run off. Our punchline is Gargano telling Lumis that his house is weird, Lumis giving the thumbs up and all of the scare actors also giving the thumbs up. This was dumb and not Wrestlecrap dumb, just dumb.

Our vampire host Austin Theory is in the ring advertising his social media handles before L.A. Knight, also a vampire, comes out at last. Grayson tells Knight that it isn’t his fault that Knight had car problems before Knight questions how Theory even knew he had car problems. They’re interrupted by Solo Sikoa, marching down the ramp for the first time. Knight tosses Waller into Solo who suplexes him over the top and to the outside. Knight gives him a thumbs up and heads on out.

Bron Breakker stretches backstage before he turns and sees Chucky in a locker. Bron: “Chucky, I know you!”

And now, a NXT Superstar Profile presented by GEICO. Here’s a look at Xyon Quinn.

A DJ plays MSK through the crowd while Imperium have the more dignified entrance. Chucky joins us via video once again to talk about the wheel before Samantha Irvin and NXT Fan of the Night Alex spin the wheel. Lumberjack O’Lantern Match is our winner. The rules include superstars surrounding the ring to keep the action in the ring and the winner being determined by pinfall or submission. Our costumed wrestlers head to the ring because every NXT Tag Team Title match should ave a man dressed as a banana outside of the ring.

Lumberjack O’Lantern Match for the NXT Tag Team Championship: NXT Tag Team Champions MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter) vs Imperium (Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel)

Aichner and Carter start it out with Aichner tossing Carter across the ring. Aichner catches Carter with a big slam as Wade bemoans the banana-ed superstar outside of the ring (I am not sure who it is, sorry). Barthel and Lee find their way in before Imperium find their way into the sea of lumberjacks, MSK leaping out onto them all and sending us to break.

After that break and more GEICO plugs, Imperium have regained control. Aichner lifts both members of MSK on his shoulders and rolls them into a slam before tagging in Barthel. Carter rolls out of the Imperium Bomb and Lee leaps over the top rope and into the crowd of costumed warriors. Lee hits a Diamond Cutter on Barthel from the top rope into the wrestlers as the entire crew of lumberjacks brawl away, leaving the two teams. I hope they were all fined. MSK and Imperium all meet mid-ring and trade kicks and chops. They do a neat little sequence where they all run and hit each other in the corners before Imperium turn MSK inside out with clotheslines. Barthel kicks out of a standing moonsault from Carter. Lee tags in Aichier shoves Lee into Carter. Imperium catch Lee and land the Imperial Bomb, Aichner covering for the win.

Fabian Aichner pins Wes Lee, Imperium defeat MSK to become the NXT Tag Team Champions. This was fast and furious and so far, every title has changed hands tonight. I’m not sure there was a point to the lumberjacks, but the match was good enough. There may be a bright future for these Imperium gentlemen.

Chucky graces us again. He knows Bron cried himself to sleep as a kid when his father told stories about him. He also tells Bron that he hopes the loser gene doesn’t run in the family.

NXT Championship: NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa vs Bron Breakker

Ciampa is in God of War gear tonight while Bron is in classic Steiners gear. The match starts with dueling “Let’s go Ciampa / Let’s go Breakker” chants. They wrestle through a break and we come back to Ciampa staying a step ahead of Breakker. Bron grabs a second wind and suplexes Ciampa and slips off the rope, Ciampa rolling him up for a two count. Ciampa chops away at big Bron. Bron gets a Frankensteiner and can’t get a three count out of it. Bron presses Ciampa into the air and tries to drop him into a shoulder drop but Ciampa slides it into an inverted DDT. Ciampa hits a DDT on the exposed concrete outside and pulls Bron back in, landing the Fairy Tale Ending onto the busted up Breakker who kicks out at two. Ciampa drops the knee pad and drops Breakker with another running knee and then a third. Breaker still gets up so he hits a another and another Fairy Tale Ending, this enough to put the rookie down.

Tommaso Ciampa pins Bron Breakker to retain the NXT Championship. This was pretty good. It told the story of Bron not being quite experienced enough to get past the experienced veteran but the vet needing to push a little harder to put him down. We’re still telling the story of Bron not being able to get past those little mistakes five years later, but maybe his fate is changing.

A mixed bag of a show. I don’t know if a two hour show needs THREE Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal matches. I do appreciate throwing everything into a Halloween show including cross-promotions with Chucky. This is one to skim for sure.