WWE NXT is back with their Halloween Havoc premium live event on Sat., Oct.24. It will be the brand’s sixth time using that old WCW event name. This year’s edition comes our way from Findlay Toyota Center
in Prescott Valley, Arizona at 7 p.m. Eastern.
This year’s Halloween Havoc will feature five title bouts, including a Broken Rules Tag battle and Day of the Dead clash! That and everything else that goes down at Halloween Havoc will stream live on Netflix.
In this post, we’ll give you everything you need to get ready for the show, with a quick recap of how we got to every match, and thoughts & predictions from our motley crew of NXT-following Cagesiders on each.
Let’s get to it.
Ricky Saints (c) vs. Trick Williams for the NXT championship
Fresh off doing what Williams couldn’t — get the title from Oba Femi — the rivalry’s turned personal. In their contract signing on the go home, Trick mocked the former AEW star for having to bust his ass for ten years on the indies to get to WWE when he just walked in and became a star. Before things got physical, Saints fired back that Trick Willie made the mistake of thinking he’s bigger than the brand.
Geno Mrosko: There’s just no reason to go back to Williams here, and all the reason to continue building Saints as much as possible. He’s starting to show more and more why they have him in the position he’s in now. Pick: Ricky Saints
Sean Rueter: Trick is in a weird place where he feels too big for NXT but still not main roster-ready. I guess one of things WWE uses TNA now for is to stash folks like that until they get main roster-ready or the company decides they’re done waiting and cuts them loose, so I guess he’s in the right spot. Pick: Ricky Saints
Claire Elizabeth: I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again— I do not care for Ricky Saints and I never have. But I don’t think he’s a schlub, and I think his criticisms of Trick Williams are largely on the nose, and I don’t think the Absolute Era is ending quite so quickly as Trick Willy would like. Pick: “Absolute” Ricky Saints
Marcus Benjamin: Ricky Saints stood tall the last time these two met in the ring. That would usually mean a win for Trick Willie, right? I suspect there’s some TNA foul play that derails this for the former champ and keeps the current champ as the man on the brand. Pick: Ricky Saints
Jacy Jayne (c) vs. Tatum Paxley for the NXT Women’s championship
Much to the delight of the NXT Universe, Tatum Paxley was the surprise winner of a battle royal to determine Jayne’s next challenger. It also must have delighted Jayne, because she doesn’t think the doll-obsessed fan favorite stands a chance. But Paxley stood tall when the champ led her Fatal Influence cronies (Fallon Henley and new recruit Lainey Reid) in an ambush this past Tuesday, so Jacy may be re-evaluating Tatum’s threat level.
Geno Mrosko: They haven’t built this out enough to do the change here but they’ve done some shocking things in the women’s division before. I can’t make the pick myself, but it’s not crazy to think they do something wild here. Pick: Jacy Jayne
Sean Rueter: If I had the pencil, I’d probably try to create a YES Movement/KofiMania-type moment for Paxley to win the big one. But Chef Shawn isn’t always one to follow a recipe, and this show could use of a jolt of energy, so let’s do it now. Pick: Tatum Paxley
Claire Elizabeth: C’mon Tatum is completely adorable and she’s got the skills to pay the proverbial bills, and Jacy is a poser who can’t get me to buy what she’s selling even with the admittedly impressive string of victories she has under her belt. Drop her with your Lightning Spiral, let Izzi Dame put the belt around your waist, and go out and celebrate with all your friends girl, you earned it. Pick: Tatum Paxley
Marcus Benjamin: As much as I love Tatum and her story, I don’t think they’ll pull the trigger on her this soon without much story. Her time is coming but it’s still all about Jacy for the foreseeable future. Pick: Jacy Jayne
The Hardys (c) vs. DarkState for the NXT Tag Team championship
The young guns of DarkState (Dion Lennox, Cutler James, Saquon Shugars, and Osiris Griffin) are itching to get their belts back form the legendary team that also holds TNA’s tag belts. But DarkState’s targeting of Matt & Jeff sent the Boyz to Lake of Reincarnation, and now they face Broken Matt & Brother Nero in a Broken Rules match.
Geno Mrosko: I like the Broken gimmickry as much as the next guy, but they’re definitely going to immediately get the titles right back on the actual NXT team, even if the TNA team is the Hardy Boyz. Pick: DarkState
Sean Rueter: The Boyz will eventually put over some combination of Lennox, James, Shugars, and Griffin. But here I think larger plans for Matt & Jeff will force him to hold off on putting the belts back on the latest NXT “invaders”. Pick: Broken Matt & Brother Nero, I know you’ll win
Claire Elizabeth: I admit it, I’m only human, I’m still a sucker for the Broken schtick when they turn the heat up on it and the vignette of them wading into the Lake of Reincarnation as Reby Hardy played ominous piano and organ music is set to about 450 degrees Fahrenheit. DarkState ain’t gonna know what hit them. Pick: Hardy Boyz (don’t you let them take your Z away fellas)
Marcus Benjamin: There’s no way the Hardys lose this match on their territory. Right? This is reintroducing the broken universe to NXT and my guess is DarkSate isn’t ready for that. Pick: The Hardys
Ethan Page (c) vs. El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. for the Men’s North American championship
Unlike past Halloween Havoc’s, this one isn’t loaded up with Spooky SZN-themed matches. Shotzi’s doing her thing for GCW and MLW this weekend, which is enough of a loss. But the lack of “Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal” is an outrage, I tells ya! The Greatest North American and the luchador with his whole lineage in his name have of us covered with a Day of the Dead match, which is basically just no disqualifications/anything goes, but with sugar skulls. All Ego will probably break an ofrenda to Dr. Wagner over the challenger’s head at some point. He’ll definitely try to take his grandson’s mask.
Geno Mrosko: They’re trying to make sure to showcase AAA as much as possible through NXT but I wonder when they start to get diminishing returns in that regard. Pick: Ethan Page
Sean Rueter: This belt will probably mostly be around Page’s waist for the next couple of years. I do think the lucha legacy will win it at some point for a quick run, but probably in Mexico after All Ego’s turned up the heat by beating Wagner the youngest in a Mexican-themed match. Pick: Ethan Page
Claire Elizabeth: Can I just take a second to say it kills me when WWE commentary skips right over the “El Hijo del” part? It’d be one thing if they were just (confusingly) giving him his dad’s name, but the match graphics all have it. Anyway, pedantic wrestling nerd aside, I like this one and I think it’s gonna be a real hoot, but I don’t think Wagner III stands a real chance against All Ego in all his corner-cutting glory. Pick: “All Ego” Ethan Page
Marcus Benjamin: I just don’t see them taking the championship off of Ethan right now. I do think they find a way to make the good doctor look strong and save face. Ethan is a cheater after all. Pick: Ethan Page
Zaria (c*) vs. Blake Monroe for the Women’s North American championship
A lot of us foresaw a split between tag partner besties Zaria and Sol Ruca, especially once the conniving former Mariah May set her sights on Ruca’s Women’s North American title. Not sure if Monroe is interested in the Speed belt Sol also carries… NXT General Manager Ava didn’t seem too worried about that either while the champ-champ was announcing she can’t defend the NA strap this weekend due to an injury. In reality, we don’t know if the injury is real. In kayfabe, Zaria volunteered to stand in for her, and Ruca and Ava approved. She didn’t seem too worried about giving it back after taking out The Glamour on the go home…
Geno Mrosko: This would be a pretty good way to get the title off Ruca and onto Monroe without Ruca having to take a pin and give the Ruca-Zaria duo a reason to split sooner rather than later. Pick: Blake Monroe
Sean Rueter: They’ve been adorbs together, but Zaria’s never giving that belt back. Now that her character is established, Blake doesn’t even necessarily need a belt in NXT. But if she wins one, I bet it’ll be the big one. Pick: Zaria
Claire Elizabeth: C’mon I can’t pick against the cutest “oh god why are they pretending they’re not incredibly gay for each other” tag team this side of Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair now, can I? I might’ve rolled a lil tear when Zaria stepped up to offer to defend her girl’s title, y’all. Pick: Zaria
Marcus Benjamin: This match is so weird. If only because my spider sense is going crazy and I’m not sure what that means. I’m picking Zaria but I foresee shenanigans. Pick: Zaria
Je’Von Evans & Leon Slater vs. Mr. Iguana & La Parka
After their anticipated singles clash on TNA PPV got schmoz-ed, we’ll have to wait for the X-Division champ and The. Young O.G. to run it back. For now, they want to partner up. Two stars from AAA answered their open challenge, and it’s on!
Geno Mrosko: This friggin Mr. Iguana guy, man. Seriously. Pick: Je’Von Evans & Leon Slater
Sean Rueter: Should be fun, but the future ain’t losing to the merch movers, no matter how much merch they move. Pick: Je’Von Evans & Leon Slater
Claire Elizabeth: I love Mr. Iguana, but I love Je’Von Evans more. Pick: Je’Von Evans & Leon Slater
Marcus Benjamin: They just booked this and it’s a showcase for everyone involved. That said, I’m not picking against Je’Von Evans. Pick: Je’Von Evans & Leon Slater
Now give us your picks! Then follow our coverage tonight and we’ll see how we all did.
