Welcome, NXT devotees! It’s Tuesday night and that means it’s time time for another episode of NXT 2.0. I’m Jeremy Thomas, as usual, with your WWE NXT Review and tonight we have a last minute change that gives us a Fatal Four-Way Tag Team Championship main event. We also get Cora Jade’s NXT 2.0 debut, Mandy Rose vs. Ember Moon, Bron Breakker and Tomasso Ciampa developments and more! NXT settled down a bit last week as we move further away from the original NXT and I’m looking forward to seeing how they do with some more paced-out storytelling on these new members of the roster.

As we get closer to Samhain/Halloween, it’s been another busy week for ol’ Jeremy. I’ve been burning through my Hooptober viewing challenge for 2021, and the last week saw me check out the spectacular Iranian vampire spaghetti Western-horror film A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night along with the also-great The Taking of Deborah Logan and Eve’s Bayou.

In addition, Blacula and The Empty Man were both decent, Korean horror flick The 8th Night was very bleh, and Netflix’s I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House went nowhere fast. And the infamous video nasty Island of Death from 1976 can fuck RIGHT off. (I also saw Venom: Let There Be Carnage and thought it was okay.)

Anyway, we’re gonna have a lot to cover tonight so let’s hop right in.

As a reminder, the GoFundMe for Larry’s daughters is still active and if you can make a donation, that would be awesome. Thank you so much to everyone who’s done so thus far.

* We start off with a preview and recap of events leading to tonight’s NXT Tag Team Championship match, which is described as having been changed because “these four teams can’t get along!”

* Toxic Attraction are out first, and OHHH MY Miss Rose and company.

We start off with a lockup and some counter-wrestling, with Mandy getting out of a headscissors and going into a headlock. She comes off the ropes into an eelbow, and they go back and forth on the ropes until Rose slaps Moon. That pisses Ember off and she lays into Mandy, then sets her into the Tree of Woe and picks her up for kicks to the back. The ref backs Ember off and Gigi and Jacy get Mandy to safety, so Moon comes off the ropes and dives through to take out Jacy and Gigi. She catches Mandy’s headscissors and slams her into the apron, but Mandy cuts her off getting back in and slams her down for a two-count.

Mandy sets Ember into the corner and lays in the kicks, then snapmares her and locks in a bodyscissors. Moon eventually pushes her back for a two-count to break the hold, but Mandy goes on the offensive and locks in an abdominal stretch with elbows into the ribes. Moon hiptosses Mandy over and hits a spinning forearm, then a step-up enzuigiri. Snapmare and she goes to the second rope, CODEBREAKER. Knee to Mandy’s chest and Moon goes up top for the Eclipse, but Ember moves and then wipes her out for the pinfall.

Winner: Mandy Rose (4:27)
Rating: **
Thoughts: It was a perfectly fine, short match that didn’t have Moon some offense before Rose picked up the expected win.

* The commentary team talks about the Draft and Hit Row heading to Smackdown, but notes Santos Escobar still wants the NA Title. We then get a vignette with Legado where Santos says that Hit Row got saved by moving to Smackdown. Elektra says she shut B-Fab up, and Santos tells Swerve to be a man and face him with the title on the line.

Knight plays keep-away from Jones for a bit, ducking under a lunge and slapping the big guy. That just pisses Jones off and he chucks Knight into the corner, then throws him across the ring. And then just for fun, he does it again. Knight rolls out of the ring and Jones goes to follow, and Knight is trying to escape. He rolls into the ring, Knight comes off the ropes and runs into Jones.

Jones charges at Knight but gets drop toe-held into the corner. Khight with repeated shots to Jones against the ropes, he chokes him briefly against the ropes and kicks him in the head from the apron. Back in and he hits an elbow drop off the ropes, cover gets only one as Jones tosses Knight off him. Knight with a kick and punch to Jones on his knees, but Jones gets back to his feet and Knight goes for a bodyslam, but Jones falls on top of him. Odyssey and Knight both up, Jones lays in the strikes and downs LA. Irish whip by Jones and he runs through Knight, then hits a side gutbuster.

And here comes Adrian Chase! He’s on the apron arguing with Jones and gets knocked down, Knight hits his finisher on Jones and gets the pinfall as Chase pushes Jones’ foot away from being under the ropes.

Winner: LA Knight (3:59)
Rating: **
Thoughts: Too short to mean anything, and it was really here to get Knight a rebound win after his loss to Bron Breakker and advance Jones vs. Chase.

* Cameron Grimes is backstage with McKenzie Mitchell and says love is in the air. There’s InDex’s wedding, Cora Jade making out with Trey Baxter in the dressing room, and Grimes is on the search for a lucky lady.

Pete Dunne walks in and says there’s not a woman alive who would be with him. Dunne says things are changing but Grimes isn’t listening. Dunne promises to beat Grimes in the ring tonight, but Grimes isn’t listening and goes to hit on some of the ladies.

* Tommaso Ciampa is out to address the NXT Universe next.

* Kyle O’Reilly approaches Von Wagner backstage and asks him why he keeps saving him. Wagner says he jumped on an opportunity. He doesn’t like Dunne or Holland, but he respects KOR. O’Reilly says after the year he’s had, he doesn’t trust anyone. He appreciates why Von’s done, but tells him to stay out of his way.

* Tommaso is in the ring and announces that Halloween Havoc returns on October 26th. He says he needs an opponent and knows the NXT roster is full of hungry men and women. He knows there’s someone who isn’t patient and wants to be the flagbearer of NXT, but actions speak louder than words. So he wants to know who has the balls to come out and take his NXT Title from him?

And here’s Bron’s music! Bron is out in street clothes with a mic. He tells Ciampa that he’s treated him with nothing but respect since he walked in, but he doesn’t give a damn if he’s been here four four minutes, four weeks or four months: he wants to be the new NXT Champion. He says he has the biggest balls in the NXT locker room and that he wants what the fans want: Bron vs. Ciampa for the title at Halloween Havoc.

Ciampa says the difference between them is Bron wants the title, but he needs it. For Bron, it’s just a stepping stone to something bigger but for him it is something bigger and better. He says Halloween Havoc is three weeks away, so Bron has three weeks to go from an intern to a pHD. Challenge accepted! Bron is psyched, but Ciampa walks by him and out of the ring.

* Backstage with Joe Gacy, who is talking about the big social media crash yesterday and he stood there calmly. He says NXT 2.0 is the platform that won’t crash, and he’ll use the ring tonight as a safe space. Tonight he’ll prove there can be two winners.

* Persia and Indi are talking about Indi’s honeymoon, and Indi says Dexter’s not there because she wore him out. They see smoke coming from a room and Mei Ying & Boa are inside.

They shake hands to start off and then circle, with Jiro locking in a headlock. He comes off the ropes and doesn’t quite take Gacy down, but Joe says he believes Jiro can do it. Jiro comes off the ropes and ducks a clothesline, and takes Gacy down. Gacy offers a handshake and then whips Jiro into the corner when he accepts. He lays in punches and then hits a suplex. Irish whip into a back elbow by Gacy, who talks some trash and goes for a suplex but Ikemen slides out and hits an inverted DDT. Jiro grabs the jacket and lays in some fashion-assisted fists. He charges in the corner but eats a boot, Gacy to the rope and gets kicked in the head before getting knocked off. Jiro goes for a big kick but Gacy ducks, he hits a handstand clothesline off the ropes and gets the pinfall.

Winner: Joe Gacy (3:02)
Rating: * 3/4
Thoughts: This was mostly a comedy match, which like most (not all, but most) comedy matches regardless of promotion wasn’t that funny. The in-ring action was too short to go anywhere as well, but Gacy got the win so it accomplished its goal.

After the match, Gacy helps Jiro up and hugs him, then exits the ring leaving Ikemen confused looking. Before he gets too far, he sees someone standing in the stands and staring angrily down at him.

* Up next is a vignette for Skater Girl Cora Jade. She competes next.

* We’re back with Duke Hudson at the poker table. He says he’s all about the mind games and if he can play with your mind, he’s already won. In Duke’s Poker Room, there’s no discrimination of money; he’s gonna take it all. Whether in the ring or at the table, he’s winning.

Franky Money destroys Cora’s planned opponent, and now she’s facing Franky.

Monet attacks with a clotheseline right out of the gate and then whips her into a short-arm kneelife. Elbows and kicks in the corner, she whips Cora hard across the ring and runs in with the double kneelift. Trey is out to pump Cora up, but she gets picked up and slammed into the mat face-first. Jade kicks Franky off and crawls to Trey, but Franky pulls her back, beats her and then stomps her into the mat. Spear from Monet and she cackles before picking Cora up, Halls of Valhalla countered into a rollup for the pin!

Winner: Cora Jade (2:07)
Rating: N/A
Thoughts: Well…that was unexpected.

* McKenzie asks MSK about their match becoming a Fatal Four-Way Title match and they talk about keeping their heads on a swivel. The GYV come in to complain about the match being a Fatal Four Way and Lee suggests that it be an elimination-style match. Briggs and Jensen come in and say “Hell, why wait?” and it becomes a four-team brawl with officials trying to break it up.

* McKenzie asks Ciampa if he’s happy Bron accepted his challenge. Ciampa says Bron is a blue chipper who will face a certified champion at Halloween Havoc. Gacy then comes in and says he noticed the “balls” coming and calls it toxic energy. He says he’s speaking for a voice struggling to be heard, and they would love to be included in an opportunity for the NXT Championship. Ciampa says if Gacy beats him next week, he will be added to the match at Halloween Havoc. Gacy goes for a hug, but Ciampa says the ring it’s a safe space for him next week.

* Raquel Gonzalez is walking along outside and she is not in a good mood.

They circle and Grimes grabs Dunne’s foot, it turns into some counter-wrestling Dunne flipping Grimes to the mat and getting to work on the arm. He twists the rist but Grimes snapmares him off and hits a hurricanrana. Dunne charges but gets knocked down and locked into an elbowlock. Dunne back to his feet, Grimes off the ropes into a clothesline. Dunne begins the joint manipulation and stomps om Grimes’ elbow, then wraps his arm in the ropes and stomps the shoulder. He gets Grimes to the mat and continues working the arm, but Grimes powers out.

Dunne with kicks, Grimes fires back with shots but gets taken down and kicked by Dunne. More joint manipulation, Grimes fights out and dodges an attack in the corner. Forearm off the ropes and another, then a diving clothesline in the corner and high crossbody for two. Grimes with a waistlock, Dunne elbows out and hits a big enzuigiri followed by a double kneedrop to the arm. Kick to the head, cover for two and Dunne goes right to the submission. Grimes avoids with a rollout, he flips over Dunne and hits a German suplex for a nearfall!

Grimes up now, he decks Dunne hard but Dunne with a kick to the head. Holland tries to pull Grimes out, but KOR cuts him off! Holland sent over the commentary booth and Grimes gets in control, he comes off the ropes but gets knocked down. Bitter End finishes it.

Winner: Pete Dunne (5:43)
Rating: ** 1/2
Thoughts: Not either’s best match because of the short time frame, but they did perfectly fine.

O’Reilly goes on the attack right after but gets taken down by Ridge. Bodyslam with a kick to the head from Dunne to finish O’Reilly.

* We get a recap o the Tony D’Angelo vignettes, and he’s up next.

* Hit Row are yukking it up backstage about Legado being mad they’re heading to Smackdown when Legado is not. They talk about how they’re headed to the big show for the money. Swerve says this has been going on for far too long, and if Escobar wants the NXT North American Title so bad, he’ll defend it.

* Apparently Von Wagner came to help KOR get up after the Holland and Dunne beatdown.

They circle a bit and then lockup, with a “Tony!” chant already starting. Tony locks in a headlock prevents Malik from shooting him into the ropes, they go to the mat briefly but get back up and D’Angelo runs Blade over off the ropes. D’Angelo with another side headlock, he gets shot into the ropes and catches a leaping Malk before dropping him into a backbreaker.

Shoulders to Malik’s back in the corner, Blade gets a shot in but gets decked to the mat. D’Angelo talks some trash and Blade takes over, sending D’Angelo to the outside and chasing him. Tony gets back in the ring and takes him down for a two-count, then locks in a laying bearhug. Both men back to their feet, Blade with back elbows but gets slammed in the corner and then kicked head-first into the turnbuckle. Front chancery by Tony and punches to the side, he goes for an abdominal stretch but Blade fights back and hits a diving clothesline in the corner. High crossbody by Malik for two, rollup for another two. D’Angelo goads Blade in and takes him down, belly to belly and then a big suplex and a swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker for the pinfall.

Winner: Tony D’Angelo (4:42)
Rating: **
Thoughts: Obvious result is obvious. D’Angelo is technically solid but I wasn’t super-impressed outside of that. The crowd loves him though, and he has star potential if he can realize it.

* McKenzie asks Carmelo and Trick about the match being an Elimination Match, and Hayes takes shots at D’Angelo before saying that he got them into a title match without using his title contract. They talk some trash about tonight’s match and walk off.

* Mei Ying vs. Indi Hartwell is next.

Indi circles Mei and goes in to attack, but gets thrown down. Indi locks in a wasitlock but gets overpowered, flipped over and kicked in the gut. Indi gets another headlock, shot into the ropes and comes off but Mei will not go down. She fires back and knocks Indi on her ass, then ends up choked in the corner. Ying with a nerve pinch to the neck muscles, Indi gets out and fights back but gets knocked down. Mei with the carotid lock and they’re out of the ring, Persia runs in and takes a kick from Mei which gives Indi her chance!

Indi pushes Mei into the ring post and gets back in. Springboard elbow drop and a pinfall!

Winner: Indi Hartwell (2:53)
Rating: N/A
Thoughts: I guess the Tian Sha experiment is overish then?

Mei Ying gets up as Indi and Persia leave.

* Lash is talking about how much hot tea she’ll have next week when Tony D’Angelo walks in and suggests himself as a guest. She says she’ll think about it and Tony leaves. Lash says he was great in the Sopranos movie and takes credit for FB and Instagram going out yesterday.

* Raquel comes out, and she’s talking next.

* We get a vignette about the Diamond Mine learning what makes everyone special. Hachiman teaches the others how to be special and his accolades are bone through. Ivy Nile is half-human, half-pitbull and has the greenlight to knock out every single woman in NXT. Her Titan Games history is brought up, and she says now that she’s training with the Diamond Mine she’s better than ever.

Bivens says the XXX are his favorites and he runs through their strengths, before we move onto Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong who says the group has taken him to new heights.

* Samantha is in the ring with Raquel and asks about Toxic Attraction’s attack last week. She says they’ve been making headlines and asks if Mandy’s hair dye is seeping into her head. Raquel has been dominating NXT and says the title means she’s the best in the best women’s division in the world. She says if Mandy touches her title again, she’ll be posing for a body cast. As for the two little —

And here come TA! Mandy tells Raquel to please stop, and says she used to admire Raquel’s strength, tenacity and ambition. But now she’s coming off as really desperate, a desperate champion who knows her championship reign is coming to an end. They’re taking over and Raquel can’t stop them. Gigi says it’s not Raquel’s fault because they’re all championship material and Raquel can’t help but stare in awe of them.

Raquel says she stares in awe at the six staples Raquel put in her had and Gigi is pissed, but Jacy takes over on the mic and says they’re all over Raw and Smackdown; they’re the faces of NXT 2.0 and soon they’ll be holding all the gold in the women’s division. Because they’re not just Toxic Attraction; they’re THE attraction. The trio circle the ring and Mandy says it’s time to have some fun, ordering Gigi and Jacy in — but here come Zoey and Io! They slide in the ring and face off. Mandy is done and she says it’s time to go, so off TA go.

* Von walks up to an icing-up Kyle and says next week it’s them vs. Ridge and Pete. Whether KOR likes it or not, Van is the only one who’s got his back right now.

* Raquel says she didn’t ask for Io and Zoey’s help. Zoey plays peacemaker until Persia and Indi come up and say that they want the titles too. Raquel walks off, Io reminds Indi that they beat her for the title but Persia says there’s new blood. Io says the only gold they’ll have is on their rings and in their ears, and the champs walk off.

* Set for Next Week:
– Joe Gacy vs. Tommaso Ciampa
– Kyle O’Reilly & Von Wagner vs. Pete Dunne & Ridge Holland
– NXT North American Title Match: Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Santos Escobar

Gibson and Lee start off, with Gobson taking Lee down before Lee leaps onto his shoulders and rolls him up. Counters and flips, Carter is in and the champs kick the shit out of Gibson before Carter hits a double stomp to his back. Openhanded slam, springboard armdrag and Hayes tags himself in, taking it to Carter. Springboard Slingblade, and he tags in Trick. Double clothesline and a double-team bulldog for two. Carter pushes off and Brooks Jensen tags in. Trick slaps him across the face and gets punched. Trick with some hard shots and he comes off the rope with a leaping fist. Hayes with a leaping kick, bit he comes off into an atomic drop and Jensen tags in Briggs. They take out Hayes, and Trick comes in into a double team slam. Briggs and Jensen pull GYV in and beat on them.

Briggs invites Lee in and tells him to flip; Lee dives over the ropes onto Trick and Hayes! MSK with a double team neckbreaker for three and Tick and Hayes are out. We’re on break.

We’re back with Lee and Gibson in, with Lee picked up and sliding off Gibson’s back. He goes to get a tack but is cut off, and Gibson takes him down before tagging in Drake. Missile dropkick/Flatliner for two. Double team on Lee with the GYV and they clothesline him down for a two-count. Gibson yells at Lee and picks him up for a hard right, then an overhead blow to the back. Drake tagged back in, double Irish whip but Lee grabs the ropes and kicks Gibson. He sidesteps Drake and tags in Carter, who comes in hot! Chops to Drake and he comes off the ropes, grabbing Drakes leg and tripping him! Aerial dynamics, standing shooting star press and a cover. Gibson pills Drake out but Carter goes up top and takes them both out. He rolls Drake in and goes to follow, bit Gibson grabs his boot and it lets Drake recover. Carter into the ropes, Gibson covers bit Briggs got the tag off the ropes! Gibson turns around, gets decked, assisted chokeslam/powerbomb by Briggs and Jenson and the GYV are done!

Briggs and Jensen lie in wait and Lee gets up. He’s striking at Jensen, big dropkick. Lee comes off the ropes bit gets blasted by Jensen. Briggs in, assisted big boot and a cover for two and 7/8. Briggs is pounding on Lee, he tags in Jensen, Lee off the ropes into a double chokeslam. Jensen throws Lee into Briggs, they go for the same chokeslam/powerbomb finisher but Carter is in and takes out Briggs! Lee gets a cover and it’s over!

Winner: MSK (my timer screwed up)
Rating: *** 1/4
Thoughts: Very good match that showed how much potential there is in the tag division right now. That said, poor Grizzled Young Veterans who look like they’ll never get hat title run at this point..

Briggs and Jensen give MSK a show of respect and leave. Imperium then attacks MSK and lay waste to them. Briggs & Jensen come and make the save too late.

And with that, we’re done for the night!