Coverage

Mitchell’s NJPW AXS TV Report: Best of the Super Juniors 25, Final Round!

Published

7 years ago

June 22, 2018

The best of the Junior Heavyweight Division battled it out, and now the best two stand tall to face each other! Taiji Ishimori came to NJPW to prove he is THE best Junior Heavyweight in the world today, but he’ll have to go through Hiromu Takahashi to do it! Who will win and earn a shot at Will Ospreay’s title?

This review of Best of the Super Juniors 25 will be as broadcast by AXS TV.
Therefore, all images are courtesy of AXS TV.

Gifs courtesy of http://frentique.tumblr.com

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Best of the Super Juniors Finals: Taiji Ishimori VS Hiromu Takahashi; Hiromu Takahashi wins and will challenge Will Ospreay for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Dominion.

PLAY BY PLAY

NJPW and AXS review what led to this final round.

“Bone Soldier” returned to Bullet Club, but it was revealed to be Pro-Wrestling NOAH’s Taiji Ishimori! Wrestling Dontaku would be where and when Ishimori attacked Will Ospreay, and making his claim to the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. Both Ishimori and Ospreay participated in the premier Jr. Heavyweight round-robin tournament, and ended up tied 5-2, but one of Ospreay’s two losses was a loss to Ishimori! Not only would that help Ishimori advance, that proved he could defeat Ospreay clean.

But on the other side of things, Hiromu Takahashi, another of Ospreay’s rivals, also went 5-2 and advanced with his win over yet another of Ospreay’s rivals in Kushida! Now they meet, both determined to get one more match with the Aerial Assassin! Will the Ticking Time Bomb blow up the Bone Soldier? Or will Ishimori drive-by Takahashi on his way to the top?

Best of the Super Juniors Finals: Taiji Ishimori VS Hiromu Takahashi!

It’s a first-time-ever match-up of two of the best. Ishimori did everything there is to do as a Junior Heavyweight in Pro-Wrestling NOAH, from being a Three-Time GHC Jr. Heavyweight Champion to being a Six-Time GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champion. Meanwhile, Hiromu has only just begun his legacy. Whose legacy will grow with adding the Best of the Super Juniors trophy?

By the way, that sketch pad Hiromu has is given to commentary, and Jushin Thunder Liger takes a look inside. It seems Hiromu has written notes on his opinion of the other Super Jr. competitors. Clearly he prefers ACH more than he does Ishimori, going by that smiley face.

Hiromu’s opinions aside, Red Shoes does his check of both men and see they’re clear of anything prohibited. The bell rings, and the match begins, after the break.

NJPW on AXS returns and the fans are strongly behind Hiromu. Hiromu and Ishimori stare down, then slowly start to circle. They tie up but then back off. They approach again, but go back to circling. Finally they tie up, and are evenly matched in strength. Hiromu manages to back Ishimori up, but Ishimori turns it around to put Hiromu against the ropes. Red Shoes calls for the break, and Ishimori backs off, only to swing! Hiromu dodges and whips but Ishimori reverses. Hiromu stops himself to whip again, and reel Ishimori in for a forearm. He puts Ishimori on the second rope to then kick the rope, jacking Ishimori’s jaw. Hiromu runs and blasts Ishimori with a dropkick!

Ishimori ends up outside the ring, and Hiromu builds speed, but Ishimori comes back to headscissor Hiromu down! Ishimori goes after Hiromu in the corner for a whip, but Hiromu slides out. The chase is on as Ishimori pursues, but Hiromu leaps over! Ishimori holds ropes to prevent the sunset flip bomb. He backflips and now they start brawling with forearms! The brawl ends up going through the crowd! Hiromu knocks Ishimori down at the entrance, then drags him back up. Hiromu tosses Ishimiro over the railings, and now they go up the stairs! Ishimori breaks free of the headlock and they brawl again! Hiromu rakes the eyes, then stomps Ishimori down. Hiromu gets plenty of distance, and then runs back in for that John Woo Dropkick!

Ishimori gets blasted, and fans fire up for Hiromu. Hiromu wants everyone to clear the steps, and he brings Ishimori up by his hair. Hiromu brings Ishimori into bomb position, but Ishimori huricanranas Hiromu down those stairs!

Both men are down, but Ishimori is up first while Red Shoes checks on Hiromu. Ishimori walks down and fetches Hiromu, and the 20 count finally begins. It reaches 6 as Ishimori stomps on Hiromu. Ishimori leaves Hiromu at the mercy of the count, and he returns to the ring at 14. Hiromu scrambles to beat the count by 19! But Ishimori is upon him again, putting on a cravat hold to focus on that neck. Ishimori cranks on it, but Hiromu fights out. Ishimori snapmares, and grips Hiromu’s head with his feet. He spins around, and tweaks Hiromu’s neck! Hiromu rolls away but fans rally up for him. Ishimori just tunes it out while Hiromu gets away. Ishimori pursues and throws Hiromu into a post. Fans and Young Lions have to be careful as Ishimori bowls Hiromu into chairs!

Ishimori uses one chair to grind Hiromu into the ground, a wicked grin on his face. Ishimori backs off and returns to the ring, but Hiromu stands. Hiromu returns at the count of 9, but Ishimori is on him again. Ishimori chops Hiromu in a corner, then whips him corner to corner. Hiromu boots but is turned sideways for the swing kick! Ishimori runs, and hits Hiromu with a sliding German Suplex! Fans do applaud, giving credit where credit is due. Cover, TWO, and fans rally again for Hiromu. Ishimori drags Hiromu up, snapmare into chinlock. Hiromu endures while fans rally more. He stands up and fights out of the hold. Hiromu runs, but into the sleeper!

Ishimori gets a takedown, and turns his sleeper into a bully choke. Hiromu endures the wrenching and stretching, while also reaching and crawling for ropes. Hiromu uses his legs for the ropebreak. Ishimori lets go, but keeps his cool. He stalks Hiromu to a corner, and chops him again. He whips Hiromu corner to corner but Hiromu reverses with speed. Hiromu runs in but Ishimori slips out then back in, and then out again to shoulder Hiromu back. Ishimori springboards, but Hiromu trips him up. Hiromu runs, and gets the sunset flip powerbomb this time! The Bone Soldier just got blown up, and we go to break.

NJPW on AXS returns, and the 20 count begins again. Hiromu is up at 6, and in the ring at 10. Ishimori stirs at 13, and manages to beat the count at 19, though gingerly. Ishimori stands in a corner, but Hiromu runs in for a big clothesline. Hiromu rolls Ishimori out to then run and basement dropkick him. Cover, TWO. Hiromu keeps his cool while fans cheer for him. He stands, and toys with Ishimori. He brings Ishimori up to chop him into the corner. Then he whips Ishimori, but Ishimori reverses. Ishimori runs in, but into a boot! Hiromu grabs Ishimori for a hanging triangle headscissors! Red Shoes counts, and Hiromu lets go at 4. Then Hiromu drags Ishimori out, wheelbarrow facebuster on the floor!

But Hiromu has more in store as he gets on the apron. Ishimori stands up, and Hiromu blasts him with another John Woo Dropkick! Ishimori ends up bowling into chairs! Hiromu catches his breath before firing up. He fetches Ishimori from the front row and brings him into the ring. Hiromu climbs up, Ishimori stands, and Hiromu hits a flying cannonball! Cover, TWO, but very close. Hiromu stands while Ishimori stirs. He drags Ishimori up, fireman’s carry, but Ishimori slips out. Hiromu elbows Ishimori off the waistlock, then runs, but Ishimori follows. Ishimori handsprings, but Hiromu clobbers him out of the air! Hiromu’s seen Ospreay do that enough times to know how to counter.

Hiromu and fans fire up again, and he brings Ishimori up again. He brings Ishimori up in the fireman’s carry again, but Ishimori pops out to victory roll! TWO, into a crossface! Hiromu endures, but then Ishimori turns it into the Lebell Lock! Ishimori has that arm threaded, but Hiromu won’t quit. Hiromu drags himself with one arm and both legs, even as Ishimori wrenches back. Hiromu keeps going, and uses those legs to get the ropebreak again! Ishimori lets go, but he stomps Hiromu before bringing him up. Hiromu hits Ishimori, but Ishimori hits back. Ishimori dares Hiromu to hit him again, so Hiromu does. They brawl with forearms again, going back and forth. Hiromu hits, Ishimori hits harder, but Hiromu comes back to hit again and again and again. Hiromu runs, misses, Ishimori runs and tilt-o-whirls Hiromu into the Lebell!

Ishimori wrenches back but Hiromu drags himself around again. Hiromu inches closer and closer, but Ishimori rolls him away from the ropes! Ishimori keeps that Lebell on, but Hiromu refuses to quit! Fans are thunderous for Hiromu, and he claws at the grip. Hiromu drags himself around again, and grabs onto Red Shoes to keep himself from tapping. He then scrambles, only for Ishimori to make it Rings of Saturn! Ishimori even grabs at the legs, but somehow, Hiromu still gets the ropebreak! Ishimori lets him go, but both men are down from exhaustion. They catch their breath while rolling away from each other. Fans rally as both men drag themselves up to their feet.

Ishimori takes aim, runs in, but misses! Hiromu runs in but misses, but then he ducks Ishimori! Hiromu goes after Ishimori on the second rope, German Suplex! But Ishimori lands on his feet! He gets running, but runs into Hiromu’s overhead throw! Hiromu catches his breath while Ishimori is down in the corner. Ishimori slowly stands as Hiromu runs, and Hiromu runs Ishimori over with a powerful lariat! Hiromu drags Ishimori up, fireman’s carry, Time Bomb! Cover, TWO!? Ishimori survives?! Fans are thunderous while we go to break.

NJPW on AXS returns, and both men slowly stir. Hiromu sits up first, but Ishimori gets himself to a corner. Hiromu runs in, hits the clothesline, then hoists Ishimori up. He climbs up to join Ishimori, and hits a super wheelbarrow! Cover, TWO!! Hiromu grits his teeth as he stands up again. He brings Ishimoriu up, fireman’s carry, and then he Death Valley Drivers Ishimori right into buckles! Hiromu drags Ishimori up again, another fireman’s carry, and spins, but Ishimori slips off! Ishimori deflects the superkick but Hiromu deflects the knee strike. Hiromu SUPERKICKS this time, but then runs into a boot. Ishimori Poison-Steiners Hiromu! But Hiromu springs right up to do it back to Ishimori!

Both men are down from such damage to their heads. Fans are at a fever pitch, and still cheering Hiromu on. Both men stir and Red Shoes checks on them. They’re okay to continue, so a count begins. Hiromu and Ishimori stir, they’re up at 7. They crawl towards each other, and brawl with forearms from the mat. Hiromu hits, Ishimori hits, then back again. Hiromu grins with wild eyes as he hits Ishimori again, but Ishimori shakes his head and hits back. They brawl while standing up, and now it speeds up. Hiromu runs out of gas, and Ishimori brings him up for another shot.

Hiromu manages to stand and gets his second wind as he hits back with forearms from both sides. He spins around, but into Ishimori’s jumping knee! Hiromu staggers back, fires up, but runs into a clobbering clothesline! Cover, ONE?! Hiromu shocks Ishimori, but he’s still pretty tired. He slowly stands, but Ishimori is ready. Ishimori runs and blasts Hiromu with a dropkick, then runs corner to corner for double knees! Ishimori drags Hiromu up and into Tombstone position, but turns it into a modified code breaker! Hiromu is dazed, Ishimori covers, TWO!! The superhuman effort is keeping the fans at that fever pitch.

Ishimori gets up, and says BANG as he staggers over. He drags Hiromu up, and lifts Hiromu for a brainbuster, but Hiromu arm-drags out of it! Hiromu goes to headscissor but Ishimori counters with a powerbomb! High stack cover, TWO, and Hiromu gets Ishimori with a triangle hold! Ishimori cartwheels but Hiromu holds on. Ishimori endures, deadlifts, but is brought down again! Hiromu squeezes as tight as he can, but Ishimori tries for a cover. It doesn’t stay, so he deadlifts again, buckle bomb! Ishimori is free, but both men are out of breath. Ishimori rolls away, then runs back in, for a big clothesline. He yurinagi slams Hiromu, then fires himself up. Ishimori climbs up, takes aim, but his 450 hits knees!

Ishimori writhes in pain, but Hiromu’s legs took some damage, too. Both men slowly get up, run in, Hiromu gets around to headscissor Ishimori into the triangle hold! Ishimori deadlifts again, but Hiromu lets go to double underhook! D DRIVER!!

Hiromu can’t make the cover, he’s just too tired. So he goes for the triangle again! Ishimori fades, already dazed from that driver. Ishimori tries a second effort as he grabs at Red Shoes. He keeps moving, reaching, and gets a ropebreak! Hiromu lets him go, but he’s still focused. He brings Ishimori up, fireman’s carry, but Ishimori slips out. Ishimori wants his brainbuster but Hiromu resists. Hiromu lifts again, for another Death Valley into buckles! Hiromu drags Ishimoro up one more time, and swings him for THE Ticking Time Bomb! Cover, Hiromu wins!!

Winner: Hiromu Takahashi, by pinfall; wins the Best of the Super Juniors 25, and will challenge Will Ospreay for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship

For the first time in his career, Hiromu Takahashi is THE Best of the Super Juniors! The award ceremony will begin after the break.

NJPW on AXS TV returns…

Ishimori is helped out of the ring and to the back. Fans applaud, showing respect to him for his valiant effort. Meanwhile, Hiromu is presented with the Best of the Super Juniors trophy, poses for pictures, and sits down before taking the mic.

“I don’t like it. I don’t like it much at all.” That is to say, he doesn’t like saying this after the tournament. So he must apologize first. But Ospreay! Accept his challenge for that IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship! Will Ospreay comes out! He joins Hiromu in the ring, his title in hand. Aerial Assassin and Ticking Time Bomb stand, and Ospreay congratulates his rival. Everyone is so proud, even Ospreay. Hiromu won Best of the Super Juniors, well done. But that doesn’t mean a thing compared to the belt, because that means Ospreay is the real best Jr. Heavyweight.

Ospreay reminds everyone that he is already up two wins on Hiromu in the past, so Ospreay knows that Dominion will be easy. Ospreay vows to leave with his title, and proves he really is the best in the world. Champion raises his belt, challenger raises his trophy, who will be raising their hands after Osaka?

Ospreay takes his leave, and Hiromu says, “Ospreay. Thank you meow.” The Ticking Time Bomb is not intimidated, and continues to say “Did you all just see that?” Even those watching at home on TV, did they see it? For that matter, did all the Heavyweights see that? Even Liger saw that, right? This is how SUPER JUNIORS do it! Liger has to applaud for that one. “Five years ago today, in this same spot, I still remember what I said.” Hiromu still feels that way. His dream is to hold that IWGP J. Heavyweight belt, and to be a Jr. Heavyweight main event, prime timer!! “Nothing has changed! I’m exactly the same as I was then.” But even more, more, more, more, more, “Let’s have fun!” With everything he has to say already said, Hiromu finally celebrates.

But not just him, the rest of LIJ joins him! Naito, Bushi, EVIL and Sanada appear, and Hiromu shows off his trophy to them. And together, LIJ celebrate.

Hiromu kneels while Naito, Bushi, EVIL and Sanada move aside. Oops, the wing…

Well, that tarnishes the win a little bit. Hiromu kneels in apology to the hurt trophy. Is this a bad omen of things to come?

Backstage interviews.

Taiji Ishimori admits defeat. Today, Hiromu was the better man. But, Ishimori knows there’s more for him to show. There’s unfinished business. Ishimori agrees, though, it’s tough, but fun. Ishimori wants more, more, more! “New battles, exceeding our limits.” He wants to have more fun with Hiromu. “It’s reborn!”

Hiromu said this in the ring, but this tournament is more than just to name a #1 contender. He’s said it all along. Hiromu does apologize, he’s already challenged and lost to Ospreay many times this year. But just one more chance, that all he needs. Ospreay is the best, but so is Hiromu. They’ll settle this once and for all! Dominion is coming, who will truly be THE Best of the Super Juniors?

My Thoughts:

I was surprised to see AXS TV bring up the finals of the Super Juniors, but I suppose it really is the most important part of the tournament. At the same time, this does help AXS speed up their coverage of NJPW so that they can get to Dominion sooner. This is also the match that THE Dave Meltzer award 5.5 stars, thereby breaking his 5 star system, again. While Meltzer is right in giving this the best rating out of all the BOSJ matches, going over 5 stars seems a bit much. Just reaching 5 stars is more realistic, because it really did have great action and even great character and story work. They went all around the arena, and Ishimori was dead set on a submission victory, but Hiromu showed two can play that game.

It’s really great for Hiromu to go over here because his rivalry with Ospreay has been longer standing, Ishimori only just got to NJPW, and Hiromu is vastly more popular, as the fans showed tonight as they did not sway in their support of him. Hiromu’s interaction with Ospreay was great, but I’m a little sad AXS cut out the interactions with the rest of LIJ. There’s a great little bit where Naito and Hiromu were childishly fighting over the trophy until Naito hands the trophy back with a bow. It means a lot in story for Naito to give that sign of respect to his protege.

My Score: 9/10

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It’s AEW Dynamite on 34th Street, and the greatest Christmas gift is a ticket to the Continental Classic semifinals at Worlds End this Saturday in Orlando! But who reaches the goal while the others get coal?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

AEW Continental Classic, Gold League: Will Ospreay VS Brody King; wins.
Toni Storm VS Taya Valkyrie w/ Deonna Purrazzo; wins.
AEW Continental Classic, Gold League: Darby Allin VS Ricochet; wins.
AEW Continental Classic, Blue League: Shelton Benjamin VS Kazuchika Okada; wins.
AEW Continental Classic, Blue League: Kyle Fletcher VS Daniel Garcia; wins.
AEW Continental Classic, Gold League: Claudio Castagnoli VS Komander; wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Here are the current Continental Classic Gold League standings!

Claudio Castagnoli: 3-1, 9 points
Ricochet: 3-1, 9 points
Will Ospreay: 2-2, 6 points
Darby Allin: 2-2, 6 points
Brody King: 2-2, 6 points
Komander: 0-4, 0 points [ELIMINATED]

Here are the current Continental Classic Blue League standings!

Mark Briscoe: 3-2, 9 points
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Kazuchika Okada: 2-1-1, 7 points
Daniel Garcia: 2-1-1, 7 points
Shelton Benjamin: 2-2, 6 points
The Beast Mortos: 0-5, 0 points [ELIMINATED]

AEW Continental Classic, Gold League: Will Ospreay VS Brody King!

The Aerial Assassin wraps his run on Christmas against the King of Death, and both men are in a must-win situation! Will Ospreay be headed to Orlando for Worlds End? Or will the House Always Win?

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SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

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Mitchell’s WWE NXT Results & Report! (12/24/24)

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1 day ago

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Golden tickets make for great stocking stuffers!

With Nathan Frazer & Axiom still NXT Tag Team Champions, they need new contenders for New Year’s Evil! Who wins a Fatal 4 Way to head for LA?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Stephanie Vaquer VS Cora Jade; Vaquer wins.
NXT Heritage Cup Championship: Charlie Dempsey w/ No Quarter Catch Crew VS Lexis King; King wins and becomes the new NXT Heritage Cup Champion.
Jacy Jayne & Jazmyn Nyx w/ Fallon Henley VS Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn; Alba & Isla win.
Ashante THEE Adonis VS Dion Lennox; Adonis wins.
NXT Tag Team Championships #1 Contenders Christmas Chaos Fatal 4 Way: Myles Borne & Tavion Heights VS Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo & Luca Crusifino VS OTM VS Hank ‘n’ Tank; OTM wins and will challenge Nathan Frazer & Axiom for the titles.

PLAY BY PLAY

Santa Claus is here!

Lowell, Massachusetts is excited that Kris Kringle is going around ringside, but enough about him, it’s time for action!

Stephanie Vaquer VS Cora Jade!

The Dark Angel is here on this not so silent night to shut up her opponent. The Generation of Jade doesn’t care that she’s on the naughty list, but will she get herself on the short list of contenders to a women’s title? Or will Vaquer give Cora a nightmare before Christmas?

The bell rings and Vaquer circles with Cora while the fans rally up. They tie up, Cora pulls hair, but the ref reprimands. Cora puts Vaquer in a corner, lets off, but then Vaquer rushes up. Vaquer waistlocks and SLAMS Cora, then clamps on a facelock. Cora fights up, wrenches out and steps over, La Magistrol! TWO, Vaquer turns things over to a cover, ONE! Vaquer sweeps legs, cover, ONE! Cora sweeps legs, covers, ONE! Cora knuckle locks but Vaquer fights up and RAMS Cora. Cora cranks the wrist but Vaquer RAMS her again. Vaquer then goes up, ARABIAN PRESS ARM-DRAG! Cora staggers away while fans fire up.

Vaquer runs up on Cora, victory rolls her, TWO! Cora scrambles away but Vaquer eggs her on. Cora runs up, tilt-o-whirls and RANAS, then she runs at the ropes! Vaquer dodges, then comes back to 6- NO, Cora ducks the 619 and wags her finger. The fans cheer, Vaquer smirks, and the two rush in. Vaquer catches and wrenches Cora to a snap suplex! Vaquer drags Cora into the headscissors! The fans fire up as Vaquer turns Cora over, but Cora rolls and rolls to get the ROPEBREAK! Vaquer lets Cora go and Cora bails out to the outside. Vaquer hurries after Cora, they cat ‘n’ mouse around the ring, but then Vaquer and Cora slide into the ring.

The fans fire up as things speed up, Vaquer ducks ‘n’ DROPKICKS! Cora sputters, the fans fire up, and Vaquer smirks as she looms over Cora. Vaquer pushes Cora down to then IMPLODER KNEE DROP! Something similar to Cora’s move set, and Vaquer whips Cora to a corner. The fans rally, Cora goes up but waits to lure Vaquer in! BACKSTABBER! Cora laughs at Vaquer and fans boo, but NXT goes to break.

NXT returns and Cora has a motorcycle stretch on Vaquer. The fans rally as Vaquer endures and fights to her feet. Vaquer turns things around, arm-drags Cora away, and Cora goes to a corner. Vaquer runs up, Cora dodges then comes back to SHINING WIZARD! Snapmare and cover, TWO! The fans rally but Cora clamps onto Vaquer with a chinlock. Vaquer endures, even as Cora leans on the hold. The fans rally again and Vaquer fights up. Vaquer turns around to JAWBREAKER free! Cora blocks a kick, ROCKS Vaquer, but then Vaquer pulls hair to reel Cora in! BIG back suplex and the fans fire up!

The ref checks, both women stir, and they go to corners. Cora runs in but Vaquer dodges the shining wizard! SOLE FOOD! Vaquer runs corner to corner to LARIAT! Cora sits down, so Vaquer goes again, METEORA! Vaquer drags Cora to center, then wraps on the headscissors! The fans fire up but Cora rolls and rolls to ropes again! Vaquer just puts on the squeeze, and rolls Cora back! HEADSCISSOR DRILLER! Cover, TWO! Vaquer brings Cora up but Cora pulls hair! The fans boo, Cora kicks but Vaquer blocks it! Vaquer turns things into a STANDING STF!! Cora endures, hops on one foot, and she THROWS Vaquer onto ropes!

Cora runs to BACK ELBOW! And then GUT WRENCH PLEX! Cover, TWO! Vaquer stays in this and Cora shrieks. The fans boo Cora’s tantrum, but Cora hauls Vaquer up. Vaquer fights the underhooks to ROCK, SOBAT and underhook in return! PRIMERA BACKBREAKER! Cover, Vaquer wins!

Winner: Stephanie Vaquer, by pinfall

Cora gets coal for Christmas in the form of a loss, but that’s not all! Kelani Jordan runs out here to SMACK away on Cora with a kendo stick! Vaquer has Kelani stop, if only to keep from wearing out that kendo stick. The Standout still wants to stomp Cora out, when and where will she get her fight with the Generation of Jade?

The D’Angelo Family speaks.

Stacks likes Luca’s vest, and Luca likes Stack’s jacket. Tony D tells his guys that they’ve been doing great, and Luca thanks The Don for getting them an early Christmas present. They have a spot in the Christmas Chaos Fatal 4 Way! Tony says it’s about time the entire family has some gold. That reminds Stacks of Christmas Eve as a kid: staying up late, camping on the couch, waiting for Santa to come. Stacks remembers one night when he was half asleep, seeing Santa digging through his gifts like a raccoon in a dumpster! Santa was shaking ’em around and acting like he owns the place! Before Stacks could do anything, his mom runs in with a broomstick and starts hitting Santa in the face!

Adriana Rizzo says Diana Lorenzo is a saint among women. Stacks says, “A saint? She’s a freakin’ enforcer!” But turns out, it was just Mr. Fabrizio from down the street. He didn’t go Christmas shopping, the cheapskate. Tony says no one should be snoopin’ around like The Grinch. The point is, “presents under the tree, a tag team title opportunity for Luca and me. So Hank ‘n’ Tank…” “NQCC…” “And OTM… You try to take that from us, we’ll bash your heads in like my mother.” Like his mother! The warning has been issued, will someone be sleepin’ with the fishes for Christmas?

Lexis King prepares backstage.

Mr. William Regal walks over to say hello. He has been watching Lexis these past few months, and both his growth and dedication have been remarkable. Lexis deserves this opportunity. Regal would be honored to be in Lexis’ corner again this time. Lexis really appreciates that, he is very honored, because he is finally becoming the best version of himself. So then, is he going to do it? Yes, of course. Lexis will become the NEW Heritage Cup Champion! Lexis heads out, and Regal brings out the brass knuckles. Regal says that wasn’t what he was asking. Will the Drama King claim his crown the right way? Or will he do it regally?

NXT Heritage Cup Championship: Charlie Dempsey w/ Wren Sinclair VS Lexis King w/ William Regal!

It is another clash of second generation superstars, each trying to prove they’re not like their fathers. Though, that only makes it all the more intriguing that Dempsey’s father is trying to help his opponent. Will Lexis finally have his moment? Or will Regal still expect the worst out of him?

The introductions are made, the cup is raised, and we see just how far the King has come!

The bell rings and round one begins. The fans rally as these two tie up, and then King headlocks. Dempsey powers right out, and King goes toa corner. The two reset, tie up, and King waistlocks then headlocks. Dempsey powers up and out, but King runs him over! Things keep moving, King turns hip toss into takedown, roll, ghost pin! TWO, but King is right up, only for Dempsey to deflect the dropkick! Dempsey grabs a leg, ANKLE LOCK! King rolls free, but Dempsey RAMS him, then whips. King reverses and DROPKICKS! Dempsey flounders, the fans fire up with King, but Regal has a point that King needs to focus on Dempsey.

King and Dempsey reset, tie up, and Dempsey waistlocks. King breaks that to switch, but Dempsey drop toeholds into a HEEL HOOK! King hurries to turn but Dempsey floats to the arm! FUJIWARA! King rolls, arm-drags and has the wristlock! King makes it a cording hold and the fans rally. Dempsey bridges, rolls back, then stands. They fight for wristlock control but Dempsey spins, slips through and wrenches for a wristlock! Dempsey wrangles King, twists that arm around, and we hit a minute. King reaches up but Dempsey fights the headscissors. They both stand, and Dempsey shifts to a cravat neck wrench.

King endures, powers up and out, and King hits a hip toss! Cover, TWO as Dempsey bridges, then CRAVAT PLEXES! Cover, TWO, but Dempsey keeps that cravat. King fights up and we’re at 30 seconds. Wren coaches Dempsey but King scoops to SLAM! Dempsey still drags King down! The neck wrench is on tight but King fights up. Ten seconds, King fires hands as the fans count it down. King gets his headlock on Dempsey, the bell sounds for the round!

Round 1 – Dempsey: 0; King: 0

King holds on and thrashes Dempsey, but then Dempsey hits a BACKBREAKER! The ref reprimands them both, and tells them to listen better. Both men refresh in their corners, and now it’s round two! Dempsey runs up but King dodges! King CHOPS and CHOPS and whips corner to corner. Dempsey reverses with a BRIDGING whip! King hits buckles hard! Dempsey storms up to KNEE King in the side! King goes to a corner but Dempsey brings him out. Dempsey fires forearms and UPPERCUTS, then ROCKS King again. King hits back but Dempsey KNEES and GUT WRENCH PLEXES! Cover, TWO!

Dempsey keeps on King with a shove and a forearm to the back! King hobbles to a corner but Dempsey is on him. Dempsey digs a knee in, the ref counts, but Dempsey lets off to CLUB King. Dempsey UPPERCUTS King int he back! King CHOSP! And CHOPS! Dempsey knees low then CLUBS King again! Dempsey hauls King up with a GOTCH PLEX! Cover, TWO! King stays in this but Dempsey stays on him with a HALF CRAB! King endures, uses his free leg to push up, but Dempsey digs his elbow into the lower back! Dempsey makes King drop to his stomach and then sits deep on the hold! King endures, we drop under a minute, and King fights!

King turns, kicks free, and goes to another corner. Dempsey CLUBS him again! Dempsey fires a forearm, whips corner to corner, but King SUPERKICKS! King goes up to FLYING SUNSET FLIP! High stack, TWO!! Dempsey gets lucky, and then he blocks a kick! DRAGON SCREW! Dempsey waistlocks and GERMAN SUPELXES! Bridging cover, TWO!! King escapes that one but we hit 10 seconds as Dempsey has the BOW ‘N’ ARROW! King endures, so Dempsey stomps away! The bell rings to end the round!

Round 2 – Dempsey: 0; King: 0

Dempsey gets more stomps in but the ref backs him off! The ref warns Dempsey, this is two rounds in a row that there’ve been extracurricular activity. But at the same time, two rounds and no score, that is rare for Dempsey. King crawls his way to Regal to refresh while Wren helps “Charles,” and NXT goes to break.

NXT returns and apparently round three all happened during break! No one scored a fall, so this is already round 4!

Round 3 – Dempsey: 0; King: 0

The bell rings on this fourth round, and both men run up! King CLOBBERS Dempsey! And CLOBBERS him again! The fans fire up as King ducks a shot to then BACK SUPLEX BACKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! King stays on Dempsey with a chinlock and he grinds Dempsey down. Dempsey fights around, the fans rally up, and Dempsey fights up. Dempsey fires body shots, then he snapmares free. Dempsey CHOPS, so King CHOPS and CHOPS and CHOPS! King whips Dempsey corner to corner hard, and the fans fire up as King runs in! LARIAT, then CHOP, then NORTHERN LIGHTS! Bridging cover, TWO!

The fans rally and Regal seems impressed as King climbs. Dempsey stands, and King CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO! King is frustrated but he and Dempsey rise again. Dempsey UPPERCUTS King, King UPPERCUTS Dempsey, repeat! They go back and forth, again and again! King CHOPS, UPPERCUTS, but Dempsey hooks the arms! King fights it so Dempsey spins him around! King fights the underhooks and SUPERKICKS! Dempsey rebounds to KNEE! We’re under a minute as both men run! DOUBLE ROLLING ELBOWS!! Both men fall and the fans fire up! Wren shouts at “Charles” to get up, and the ref tells her to get off the apron.

Regal takes this distraction as an opening to slide the brass knuckles right into King’s hand! King is dazed, but he knows what those are! King argues with Regal that this is not how he wants to do this! We’re under 25 seconds as REGAL DECKS KING?!? The fans boo but Dempsey sees the knuckles! Dempsey picks those up, we hit 10 seconds, but the ref sees Dempsey with the knuckles, too! The ref assumes the worst and DISQUALIFIES Dempsey!!! That’s an automatic WIN for King!!!

Winner: Lexis King, by disqualification (NEW NXT Heritage Cup Championship)

That’s right! No Champion’s Advantage in a Heritage Cup match! Regal ended up helping King after all, but not in the way anyone thought! King kisses the cup, and even Regal is shocked, though also a bit amused. Will this Christmas miracle lead King to become not only the best version of himself, but the best Heritage Cup Champion yet?

OTM speaks.

Bronco Nima says everyone’s excited about the holidays. But for them, OTM gives it to you real as the realest tag team in NXT. And for them, the holidays ain’t nothing but a facade. Lucien Price says tomorrow, you’ll wake up, open presents, and be disappointed when it hits you like a brick. You’ll look at your family, tell ’em all thanks, knowing damn well what they got you was trash. And let’s be honest, you probably don’t even like your family. You can’t wait for them to leave! Just like NQCC, Hank ‘n’ Tank and the D’Angelo Family. OTM can’t wait for them all to be out of this tag title picture. OMT have next!

And unlike Frazer & Axiom, OTM doesn’t pretend to have each other’s backs, they are for real. And this Christmas Chaos is about to be real. All three other teams will move out the way! Best believe that in 2025, OTM will be the NEW NXT Tag Team Champions! Will Nima & Price drag the rest of the division down so that they can get #OutTheMud?

Kelani Jordan argues with Stephanie Vaquer backstage.

The Standout says La Primera had no right to stop her from going after Cora. Respectfully, Kelani does not need Stephanie to protect her. Stephanie had her match with Cora, she won it, congratu-freakin’-lations! Lola Vice walks over to calm Kelani down. Stephanie was just looking out for her. Kelani tells Lola that Lola cannot tell her to calm down. Lola is the last person to tell someone to calm down! Lola interfered in every single one of Jaida Parker’s matches to get at her, and it’s FINE~! Lola says Jaida started that beef. Kelani says no, they both started it. Kelani says, “Don’t don’t even get me started on you,” Stephanie.

Stephanie and Giulia were best friends one week, fighting the next, and it’s FINE~! But now that Kelani wants retaliation on Cora, now Kelani’s the problem? How about they all practice what they preach and get outta her face! Kelani storms off and both Lola and Vaquer are stunned. Is the Standout about to stand alone against the world?

Jacy Jayne & Jazmyn Nyx w/ Fallon Henley VS Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn!

The Fatal Influence are a bunch of haters hating on the “freaky” girls, such as Tatum Paxley, Gigi Dolin and Shotzi Blackheart. But according to the Unholy Union, at least those three have unity while Jacy, Jazmyn & Fallon are just faking it. Will Jacy & Jazmyn make sure this NXT homecoming is very toxic for the former tag team champions? Or will Fyre & Dawn make sure there’s a mean girl meltdown for Christmas?

NXT returns as the Fatal Influence makes their entrance. The fans boo but the Influence just soaks it up. Oh hey, “Santa” is in the upper deck, and he has some special guests! It’s KC Squared, Katana Chance & Kayden Carter! They’re also home for the holidays, will they like what they see out of all these former rivals? The teams sort out and Isla starts against Jazmyn in a battle of the pigtails. They circle, tie up, and go around. Jazmyn powers Isla to a corner, the ref counts, and Jazmyn shoves Isla. So Isla SHOVES Jazmyn! Jazmyn runs up, but Isla puts her in the corner and KICKS her!

Isla snapmares Jazmyn then UPPERCUTS her in the back! Cover, TWO! Isla whips Jazmyn, DROPKICKS her down, but Jazmyn flounders away. Tag to Jacy and she tells Isla to back off. Jacy runs up, but Isla dodges! Isla wrenches and SAIDOS! Jacy flounders, Isla runs up and ELBOWS her! Isla sits Kacy down, tells Jazmyn to kiss this, and then she HIP ATTACKS Jacy! Tag to Alba and she drags Jacy up to send her at the corner! Isla catches Jacy into a TARANTULA, and then Alba SUPERKICKS Jacy! Jacy falls, Alba covers, TWO! Alba drags Jacy up but Jacy mule kicks! Jacy shrieks, whips, but Alba wrenches to HOOK KICK!

Alba CHOPS Jacy, CHOPS her again, but Jacy catches a shot to swing around. Alba stays up, swings Jacy but Jacy arm-drags Alba. Alba comes back but Jacy ducks under. Jazmyn sneaks a tag before the RANA! Then PENALTY KICK! Cover, TWO! Alba stays in this, Kayden & Katana are mildly amused, but Jazmyn KICKS Alba in the back. Jazmyn clamps on a chinlock and she grinds Alba down. The fans rally, Alba endures and fights up, and Alba fires elbows. Jazmyn throws Alba down by her hair! The fans boo and the ref reprimands but Jazmyn talks smack as she drags Alba up again. Jazmyn snapmares and KICKS Alba again!

Jazmyn taunts Isla, drags Alba up again, but Alba CHOPS! And wait, here come Tatum, Gigi & Shotzi! Jazmyn ROCKS Alba, but now the “freaks” outnumber the mean girls 5v3. Wait, now we see Shawn Spears, Brooks Jensen & Niko Vance watching this backstage. The Chair Man still wants female representation in his faction, who could he be scouting this time? As for ringside, Fallon shouts at “the freaks” to go away, but no, they’re here to stay. As for in the ring, Alba rolls up Jazmyn! TWO!! Jazmyn escapes, Alba JAWBREAKERS her! Tag to Isla, and then they GOURD BUSTER to METEORA! The fans fire up with the “freaks” while NXT goes to break.

NXT returns and Jazmyn taunts Isla while pulling her hair. Isla takes swings on Jazmyn but Jazmyn CLUBS her down. Jazmyn whips Isla to the corner, then tags Jacy. Jacy stomps a mudhole into Isla, digs her boots in, but lets off as the ref counts. Jacy taunts everyone, then runs up to STOMP Isla! Jacy drags Isla up, snapmares her and KICKS her in the back! Then mule kicks her down! Jacy howls, the fans boo, and Jacy does a two-step. Jacy KNEES and ELBOWS Isla, then clamps on a chinlock. Isla endures, the fans rally, and Isla fights up. Isla fires elbows into Jacy, breaks free, then rolls her up! TWO, and Jacy CLOBBERS Isla!

Fallon applauds but the fans boo as Jacy rains down fists. Jacy traps Isla’s arms to rain down more shots, then she lets off to talk more trash. Jacy bumps Isla off buckles, digs her boots in, but lets off to tag Jazmyn. The Influence mugs Isla, then Jazmyn whips Jacy in. Jacy ELBOWS Isla, then feeds her to Jazmyn’s drop toehold. Jazmyn says kiss this, and she hits a FISHERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO! Not quite perfect but Jazmyn CLUBS Isla. Isla hits back with body shots and forearms! Jazmyn ROCKS Isla, then runs, but Isla dodges! Jazmyn CALF KICKS first! Cover, TWO! The fans rally but Jazmyn stays on Isla with a chinlock.

Isla endures, fights up, and fires body shots! Jazmyn KNEES low, whips Isla to the corner, but Isla BOOTS Jazmyn! And ELBOWS Jacy! Fallon freaks out but Isla dodges Jazmyn! Jazmyn hurries to grab a foot, but Isla hops up, reaches out, but Jazmyn drags her back! Isla turns around to ENZIGIRI! The fans fire up as Isla crawls, Kayden & Katana are now on the ground floor. Jazmyn grabs legs again, Isla BOOTS her away! Hot tag to Alba! Alba is on fire as she DOUBLE CHOPS again and again! Then she scoops to SLAM Jazmyn! Jacy gets in but Alba SUPERKICKS! Alba wrenches Jazmyn, KICKS Jacy, TORNADO DDT on Jazmyn!

Alba keeps going, GOURD BUSTER! Alba tells Jazmyn to get up, and then SUPERKICKS her down! Cover, Jacy breaks it! The fans boo but Isla TOSSES the toxic rockstar! But then Jacy drags Isla out and SMACKS her off the apron! Jazmyn ENZIGIRIS Alba! Hot tag to Jacy, and Jacy runs up to BOOT Alba! Jacy vows to end this! Jacy whips, Alba reverses, DOUBLE HEADBUTTS collide!! The fans fire up while everyone in the match is down. As for everyone else, Fallon argues with Kayden & Katana about why they’re even here. Jacy BOOTS Alba from the corner, but Gigi SHOVES Jacy down! Tag to Isla!

Alba hooks Jacy up, SOMETHING WICKED!! Cover, Unholy Union wins!!

Winners: Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn, by pinfall

Fallon freaks out, realizing what just happened! She got distracted by everyone else and left her supposed friend hanging! And while the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships are out there, there is a title much closer in the NXT Women’s North American Championship. Will the walls close in on the toxic cowgirl? Or can Fallon keep NXT under the Influence?

Myles Borne & Tavion Heights prepare backstage.

They’re both upset over the Heritage Cup match. Dempsey got robbed! Disqualified for something he didn’t even do. Now King has the Cup. Heights says it’ll be fine, Dempsey will figure something out. But for them, they gotta win the Fatal 4 Way tonight so they can go after Frazer & Axiom again! And after how close Deadline was, Fraxiom doesn’t want a round two with NQCC. Myles says yeah, but for tonight, they’ll focus on the Christmas Chaos. Heights says there will be bodies and presents flying everywhere! It’ll be like Christmas growing up for him. What was Christmas like for Myles? Myles says Christmas was always pretty quiet.

Myles says he’ll go get taped up, and Heights thinks on that last part. But can Myles & Heights go the distance against three other teams?

Zaria and Sol Ruca talk backstage.

After last week’s loss to Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson, the Agent of Change has to know: Did Sol mean to push her out of the way of that boot? Sol says yes, she did. Then… thanks. Zaria knows they don’t know each other that well, but- But losing to Meta Four sucks? Yeah, it does. But then in steps Izzi Dame, and she says these two are prime examples of why Izzi doesn’t team up with anyone. She learned early on that she’s better off alone. But then in steps Spears and his team. He says that just because Izzi is alone doesn’t mean she has to be alone. No one should be alone this time of year. Okay, ew, is Spears stalking her?

Plus, what has being with anyone ever done for Izzi anyway? Just leave her alone. Spears and his group move on, and Izzi tells Zaria that she’s better off alone. Zaria tells them all that she’s good for right now. But will things change in the New Year?

Ashante THEE Adonis VS Dion Lennox!

The NXT romcom/dramady/whatever it’s supposed to be continues, but now a misunderstanding has turned Adonis against his “best friend.” Dion says he’s done with the drama, but will he at least leave things with a win? Or will we see that Adonisly, love conquers all?

NXT returns and Adonis makes his entrance. Lowell boos, they apparently don’t like guys who can’t just commit. The bell rings, Dion tries to explain to Adonis that the hug was just a hug. Adonis doesn’t believe him, and he shoves Dion! Dion shoves back, so Adonis UPPERCUTS! Dion drops to a knee, Adonis feels bad because that’s still his friend, but then Dion FLAPJACKS Adonis real high! Then Dion DROPKICKS Adonis and Adonis goes to a corner. Dion runs up, Adonis BOOTS him, then Adonis fires off hands! Adonis ROCKS Dion, whips, but Dion reverses. Dion BACKDROPS Adonis away!

The fans fire up while Adonis flounders to ropes. Dion storms up, scoops Adonis, but Adonis slips free and throat chops! The fans boo but Adonis stomps and KNEES away! Wait, here comes Nikkita Lyons! Fans like seeing the Lyoness, but Adonis doesn’t appreciate her being out here. Lyons says she’s cheering Adonis on! Adonis CLUBS Dion, KICKS him around, then soaks up heat. Adonis drags Dion up and turns him, but Dion turns that into a backslide! TWO, and Adonis CLOBBERS Dion! Cover, TWO! Adonis is frustrated and conflicted, but he kicks Dion around. Dion goes to a corner, but then he fires hands!

Dion fires haymakers and backs Adonis down! Dion whips, Adonis reverses and he ELBOWS Dion down again! Adonis swaggers, Lyons likes what she sees, and Adonis clamps onto Dion with a chinlock. Adonis squeezes tight, the fans rally up, and Dion rises. Adonis throws Dion down and grinds the chinlock tighter. Dion endures, fights back up, and he throws body shots. Adonis clamps on another chinlock but Dion powers out! Dion THRWOS Adonis into a corner, Adonis staggers out, and Adonis takes a swing! Dion ducks it to DECK Adonis! And DECKS him again! Dion runs corner to corner to LARIAT!

Adonis almost goes up and out of the ring, but Dion brings him in to OVERHEAD BELLY2BELLY! Dion kips up, and he hits a SPINEBUSTER! Dion is all fired up and the fans are with him! Dion scoops Adonis to POWERSLAM! Cover, Lyons helps with the ropebreak! The fans boo but Lyons acts all innocent. Dion suspects something and argues with the ref. Adonis tries to tell Lyons that he didn’t need help, but Dion O’Conner Rolls him! TWO and Adonis has it, bridging back! Adonis wins!!

Winner: Ashante THEE Adonis, by pinfall

Lyons celebrates with her man, but Adonis keeps trying to refute that. Actions speak louder than words, but will Karmen Petrovic have something to say?

Hank ‘n’ Tank speak.

The smell of peppermint is in the air, and “it’s giving candy cane.” Hank corrects Tank, that’s more like a cinnamon smell. Cinnamon cookies in a peppermint forest? And chocolate chip! It’s that time of year for sure. How much does Tank love Christmas? “Uh, I dunno, Hank, it’s the one time of the year that we get to eat, drink and be merry! You could even say it’s the MO-” Hank stops Tank there. No singing. Okay, good call. But it is the most wonderful time of the year, and how much does Hank like… chaos? Chaos?~ You mean eight men, smashing into each other, anything goes, like a jingle bell mosh pit?!

Yeah, Hank likes that. Then how about adding some stakes. Steaks? Sirloin? No, no, stakes. High stakes! Something on the line! Because when Hank ‘n’ Tank win tonight, they will be the #1 contenders to Fraxiom. Oh, that’s a present Hank wants in his stocking. Then let’s bring those titles ho-ho-home in 2025! Three teams are waiting out there for Hank ‘n’ Tank to deliver that Yuletide HONK HONK! Let’s go! Milk ‘n’ cookies, golden tickets, will Hank ‘n’ Tank have it all for Christmas?

Tatum, Gigi & Shotzi regroup backstage.

They had so much fun messing with Fatal Influence. Gigi’s so smart. Well, she had a plan and it all came together. What a great look on Jacy’s face while she was falling. And then they cross paths with Kayden & Katana. Hello, ladies, they saw you out there tonight. What are they doing back in NXT? Well, same goes for Shotzi. We all know NXT has the best women’s division, so they all wanted to check it out. But then SKIRRRR~! Lash Legend slams on the brakes as she and Jakara pull up. If you wanna talk the Women’s Tag Division, then look no further than the Meta Girls. Oh, yeah, Kayden & Katana do see you, but they aren’t worried about you.

Oh, excuse you! You better recognize. No, you heard Kayden right. Oh snap! Kayden & Katana head out, Shotzi says those girls got balls. Not sure about Meta Four. Ew, wait a minute, why is Shotzi talking? The Bougie Bully & Miss Jackson argue with the Power Goth Girls, will all these teams go after gold in the New Year?

Roxanne Perez speaks.

“When I first walked through the doors of the WWE, nobody imagined that I’d be one of the greatest NXT Women’s Champions. I was just a 20-year-old girl from Laredo, Texas who had some buzz from the little name I’d made on the independent scene. But when the WWE signed me, they didn’t realize that they’d made one of the greatest free agent signings in company history. Is that a cocky statement? Some will say yes. Name the accolade, I’ve achieved it. Women’s Breakout Tournament winner, Women’s Tag Team Champion, Iron Survivor, TWO-TIME NXT Women’s Champion, and I could go on and on and on.

“Were there some bumps along the road? Yeah, absolutely. Everyone knows that the climb to the top is never a straight line. But I have dedicated the last three YEARS of my life to get in the conversation of NXT greats that have carried the NXT Women’s Division, and now I am at the forefront. I’ll put this division against any NXT Women’s Division of the past. I called my shot the day that I stepped foot in the ring and called myself the Prodigy, and every single day, I live up to that legacy. At 23 years old, most women don’t even know what they wanna do with their lives, and here I am, breaking records and writing down history.

“I wouldn’t expect anyone to understand the greatness that they see before them, but maybe if you were someone like Simone Biles or Caitlyn Clark, you would understand. In two weeks, Giulia walks into New Year’s Evil the underdog to someone who is a bit younger, a little smaller, and the woman who is gonna carry this division into 2025. That doesn’t speak to how good Giulia is. That speaks volumes to how great The Prodigy, Roxanne Perez, is.” The most confident she’s ever been, will Roxie be able to survive Giulia a second time at New Year’s Evil?

Lexis King is backstage with the Heritage Cup.

Sarah Schreiber finds him to congratulate him, but she does want to ask him about how it happened. Lexis says this is his first championship. His first championship! And he just knew that if he stuck to being a man of integrity, stuck to his gut, that he would take the night, and he did it! Yes, but the fact is- Lexis says he could’ve cheated. He could’ve taken shortcuts. But he proved to himself, to everyone here and to everyone back home that he is a man of integrity who doesn’t need those shortcuts to win. Then Sarah does need to know how-

Lexis knows she needs to talk to him as the new Heritage Cup Champion, but there is a lot going through his head, he’s very emotional, and a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders. He needs some time to let that sink in. Lexis heads out, but then… does he not know that a misunderstanding and a disqualification led to this moment?

Ethan Page speaks.

“I’ve seen the outrage on social media. ‘Ethan Page, how could you break the jaw of NXT’s favorite son, Je’Von Evans?’ Well, the person to blame for my heinous act is Je’Von Evans. I had to listen to you carry on about how great your year was. Well now, it’s ending with you eating through a straw, thanks to me. Je’Von, you’ve talked about my personal life. You want to show the world the real Ethan Page? Well, you’ve got it. I can still hear the sound of your mandible cracking. You laying there in shock, pain, and fear. No longer the kid with an infectious smile. Because I took that from you.

“I’ve had a week to reflect on my actions. Maybe I should feel some remorse or regret. But I don’t. Last week was the highlight of my year. So thank you, Je’Von, for helping me find my smile… by taking yours.” Ethan does smile a sinister smile, is there no stopping the Ego Maniac now?

NXT Tag Team Championships #1 Contenders Christmas Chaos Fatal 4 Way: Myles Borne & Tavion Heights VS Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo & Luca Crusifino VS OTM VS Hank ‘n’ Tank!

‘Tis the night before Christmas, and right here in Lowell are four hungry tag teams all with the same goal. There can be only one team that heads for the gold, who will be the three left out in the cold?

NXT returns as the NQCC have already made their entrance, and the same for Nima & Price. That leaves Hank ‘n’ Tank and their entrance for last! The bell rings and the brawl is on! Hank CLOBBERS Heights with a Christmas tree! Myles goes out to help Heights while the D’Angelo Family brawls with OTM! The fans fire up as Hank pushes the shopping cart, with Tank inside! HONK HONK, Christmas tree JOUST! Down goes Myles! The brawl in the ring spills outside, and OTM storms up on Hank ‘n’ Tank. Hank ‘n’ Tank just pick up their cart and RAM it into OTM! It’s like a Black Friday sale but somehow less violent.

Wait, hold on, Luca & Stacks are setting up a table in the ring, but not on its legs. They’re using it as a barricade so they can SNOWBALL FIGHT! Stacks is chucking baseballs at Hank ‘n’ Tank so they take cover under the apron. The fans fire up already with “This is Awesome!” Hank ‘n’ Tank both rush in, but Luca uses a fire extinguisher to blast ’em!! That’ll cool off Hank ‘n’ Tank a bit, but now Myles & Heights get in! Myles CLOBBERS Stacks with a present box, Heights throws one to Luca, and Myles DROPKICKS it into Luca! Heights then takes the extinguisher to BLAST Stacks! Heights is all fired up and the fans are, too!

Myles puts the table aside, Nima gets in with a chair, but Heights BL- Wait, no, hold on. BLA- Uh oh. Is it out? Heights wants Nima to forgive him, but Nima JAMS him with the chair instead! And then he JAMS Myles! SMACK for Heights, but Myles DROPKICKS the chair into Nima! Price is back to LARIAT Myles! The fans are torn as OTM regroups, but Hank ‘n’ Tank are back, and so is the Christmas tree! TANENBAUM LARIAT! The fans fire up and even Santa approves! The fans cheer on “SANTA! SANTA!” but Stacks & Luca have regrouped. Luca SMACKS Tank with a present box while Stacks uses a stocking madball on Hank!

The fans fire up with every SMACK, and hey, it’s a briefcase! Just what Luca wanted! Thanks, Santa! Luca CLUBS Tank down with the briefcase, then he and Stacks each have the legs! The fans wanna see it, and we get STEREO LEG SPLITTING LEG DROPS! Somewhere, the Charismatic Enigma is smiling. The D’Angelo Family see Tank go to a corner, so Luca whips Stacks in to CANNONBALL! Rizzo hands Luca a present, and he opens it up. It’s a bowling ball! The fans fire up for this, and Luca takes aim. The Legal Eagle bowls himself a STRIKE!! Hank’s jingle bells are rocked and the fans fire up!

The fans cheer “NXT! NXT!” for giving them this gift of a main event. Then Luca slides out to go after OTM while Stacks PLANCHAS at NQCC! They both get caught! APRON POWERSLAM for Luca on one end, and then DOUBLE SPINEBUSTER through a table for Stacks! There go the cookies for Santa! The fans fire up more as NQCC and OTM stare down from across the way. They all rush in and start throwing hands! Price DECKS Myles but Heights TACKLES Nima! Nima and Heights fall out of the ring, Price hauls Myles up. Price choke grips, and CHOKE- RKO?! Myles is looking like a Legend Killer as he covers, but Hank ‘n’ Tank break it!

The fans are thunderous as all eight men are down around ringside, and NXT goes to break!

NXT returns once again and NQCC is literally gift wrapping Price up! Then Myles goes out to fetch a particularly long gift box. He opens it up and surprise! It’s a kendo stick! Myles gives that to Heights and he SMACKS Price! Myles finds a candy cane kendo stick, and he SMACKS everyone else around! Then he joins Heights to SMACK Price! Then NQCC winds up, but Hank ‘n’ Tank slide in! Hank LARIATS Heights up and out while Tank LARIATS Myles up and out! And then they HONK HONK! BIG BELLY SANDWICH for Price! Hank scoops Price but Nima slides in! Hank has to drop Price so he can dodge Nima!

Tank then runs up to get the BOOSTED LEG LARIAT! Cover, but Heights SMACKS it apart with the kendo stick! Myles returns so he can SMACK away on Hank! NQCC take it to Hank ‘n’ Tank, and put them in corners. They climb up, CHOKE Hank ‘n’ Tank with the sticks, but then Luca & Stacks return, with extra big candy canes! They use those hooks to trip up Myles & Heights! Then they use the candy canes to CHOKE Myles & Heights! Myles & Heights endure, reach out for each other, but OTM gets in! Luca & Stacks let go of Myles & Heights to swing on OTM! but OTM both block the candy cane strikes!

Price TOSSES Luca while Nima BREAKS Stacks’ candy cane! Nima then TOSSES Stacks out the side! OTM see Hank ‘n’ Tank still in corners, so Nima BOOT WASHES Tank while Price LARIATS Hank! Nima fetches a chair and slides that in to Price. Price positions it just right, brings Myles up, but Myles fires hands first! The fans fire up as Myles runs, but Nima clinches! URENAGE onto the chair! Nima then gets Heights up, back suplex FACEBUSTER onto the chair! Price drags a table into the ring and the fans fire up! The table is propped up in a corner, OTM gets Myles up. They aim and DOUBLE HIP TOSS him through the table!!

The fans are thunderous while OTM is all fired up! But Hank FLYING LARIATS Price! Tank dodges Nima to go up, up and FLYING SHOULDER TACKLE! The fans are going wild as Hank ‘n’ Tank clear the ring. Then they both climb a corner, to STEREO VADER BOMB to the outside!! But wait, Tyriek Igwe & Tyson Dupont attack Hank ‘n’ Tank?! It seems what Wes Lee said last week not only got through to Tyriek, it convinced Tyson to do the same! They brawl with Hank ‘n’ Tank to the back and the fans boo. The Don says now’s the right time, and he gives Stacks & Luca some candy cane crowbars! And they use those to CRACK Myles! Then they CRACK Heights!

The family waits on Price as he staggers to his feet, SHATTER MACHINE!! Cover, Nima breaks it! Tony is upset, but wait, Santa attacks Tony!? We know The Don’s been a touch naughty but c’mon! REDEEMER DDT?!? Nima HEADBUTTS Luca, then he hauls Stacks up. OTM hit the GTA!! High stack, OTM wins!!

Winners: OTM, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contenders to the NXT Tag Team Championships)

Nima & Price waited for their opening and they took it! The fans boo them and they boo Santa, because surprise! That’s RIDGE HOLLAND! The Yorkshire Grinch just stole Christmas away from The D’Angelo Family, is he gonna take that North American Championship in the New Year? Will OTM do the same to Fraxiom?

Trick Williams is here!

Lowell chants along, “Whoop Dat Trick!” as the NXT Champion returns after last week’s clearly controversial conclusion to his match with Eddy Thorpe. Trick echoes Booker T on the mic, “Uh-huh! I like it!” But let’s talk about it. Last week, all y’all saw what happened! Wait, here comes Oba Femi! The Ruler has a mic already and he says no, we’re done talking about last week. Now, we look to the future. Well, no, because here comes the Alpha Wolf himself. Eddy has them cut his music so he can tell Oba that while Oba may not care about last week, Eddy sure does. So Oba will have to deal with this, too.

Eddy joins Trick and Oba in the ring, and he claims he didn’t get pinned last week. Eddy’s foot was under the rope, and the referee raised his hand in victory. Trick did not beat Eddy, he escaped! And he should be ashamed to call himself a champion. Trick says Eddy should shut the hell up! The fans cheer that! Trick says we all know Trick had Eddy beat. In fact, the idea of them being on the same level just sounds crazy. Oba says hold on, Trick. Trick is champion right now, isn’t that right? Yes, Trick IS the champion. Then it only remains that way for two more weeks, up until New Year’s Evil.

Eddy tells Oba that while Oba won the Iron Survivor Challenge (pause for the massive booing), Eddy and Trick have unfinished business. Oba’s title match will just have to wait. Wait? Is Eddy telling Oba to wait? Oba is done waiting! Two weeks ago, Eddy came out here, claiming Oba screwed him out of the Iron Survivor, and he put that on his people! HIS PEOPLE! And then he still got a title opportunity, because he LIED. Trick says both Oba and Eddy need to shut up. Trick is tired of Eddy talking about the past, and he is tired of Oba talking about the future. Let’s talk about right now. The fans like that.

Trick says right now, he and Eddy have a problem. Right now, he and Oba have a date for New Year’s Evil, correct? Then this is how we do it. They’ll just make it a TRIPLE THREAT! Trick is putting his title on the line, and before anyone gets carried away, yes, Trick Willy does know that he doesn’t have to get pinned to lose the title. But he also knows that once he beats both Eddy and Oba, he’ll shut up all the haters and the doubters, and he’ll prove to everyone he can Whoop Dat Trick. Oba laughs, and says Trick sure is slick. This is very slick. Trick might be the slickest man in all of WWE today.

Because see, Trick knows he can’t beat Oba 1v1, so he added Eddy to make it a Triple Threat so Trick can just pin Eddy and escape with the title. Eddy speaks up, fans boo, and Oba tells Eddy to be QUIET. Oba says Eddy couldn’t beat Trick 1v1 either, so now with Oba in this match, Eddy’s chances are literally zero. ZERO. Wait, here comes Ava Raine to sort this mess out. Before this goes any further, if this is what Trick wants, then she is more than happy to sign off on it. Trick says yeah, set it up, Ava, this is what he wants. Ava says okay then. In two weeks, in Los Angeles, for New Year’s Evil, it will be Trick VS Oba VS Eddy for the NXT Championship!

The fans cheer and Trick nods. Eddy swings on Trick! Trick ducks, the haymaker hits Oba, so Eddy just keeps swinging! Trick turns Eddy around to fire hands on him! Oba runs up, Eddy & Trick both dodge, but then Oba comes back with a DOUBLE BACK ELBOW! Oba has the fans all fired up, and he UPPERCUTS Eddy in a corner! UPPERCUT for Trick! Repeat! Trick staggers up, into a POP-UP POWERBOMB! Oba brings Eddy over, but Eddy slips away! The Alpha Wolf is more like a chicken right now, but Oba holds up the belt. Will this still be the scene at New Year’s Evil? Or can Trick find a way to still be NXT Champion?

My Thoughts:

A great NXT, lots of great build towards New Year’s Evil but also all the other stories. Great opening match from Vaquer VS Cora, and great win for Vaquer, but Kelani does have a point that she didn’t need to stop Kelani from beating up on Cora. I feel that Kelani getting upset with Vaquer and Lola is them bringing back that unfinished “new attitude” storyline Kelani had going with Dana Brooke. Mean Kelani is here, and I feel like the counterpoint will be Lola and Vaquer just wanted Kelani to keep that positive attitude. Cora might even take credit for corrupting Kelani, only making Kelani angrier to where that’ll be her downfall.

Very good promo from Regal and Lexis before the Heritage Cup match, clearly foreshadowing what was going to happen in the match. I’m a little disappointed round 3 was skipped during a commercial, but I really liked that finish. Regal got mad, tried to screw Lexis over, but then they use the fact there’s no Champion’s Advantage in the Heritage Cup Division. And Lexis’ promo after was great, because he was clearly still out of it from getting punched, and had no idea what rule even won him that match. I’m sure Dempsey will bring that up next week, maybe there’s another Heritage Cup match for New Year’s Evil, it’s going to be great stuff.

The tag match of Fatal Influence VS Unholy Union was a lot of fun, especially with the overbooking happening. Good promo from Tatum’s trio with KC Squared and Meta Four, and that’s certainly some sort of tag team match in the making. Speaking of, good promo from Zaria, Sol, Izzi and Shawn Spears. Spears’ group needs a name already, I can’t keep typing out all the names or just saying “Spears’ group.” But clearly Spears still wants Izzi on his team, she doesn’t care, and she even takes a jab at the short lived team-up of her and Kiana James. Zaria and Sol don’t really need to be a real tag team, but there do need to be loose alliances between Faces for when Heel groups like Fatal Influence come around.

A good match from Adonis VS Dion, and I should’ve figured Lyons would show up on behalf of Adonis. The drama continues, and I’m sure there will be more of this for New Year’s Evil, such as another mixed tag. I know I said this should end on Vengeance Day, aka the NXT Valentine’s Day special, but I overestimated them being able to stretch this out. Good promo from Ethan Page, though he didn’t exactly add much from what he physically did to Je’Von. And good promo from Roxanne Perez, though what is there to add when she pretty much already is a top star? Plus, it’s a rematch with Giulia, they already did plenty the first time around.

Very good promos from all four tag teams tonight going into their great Christmas Chaos Fatal 4. Lots of fun stuff with the winter and Christmas themed weaponry, and I’m rather surprised Tyriek & Tyson got on the same page so quickly. They’re both Heels, they’ll feud with Hank ‘n’ Tank a little more, and then depending on how the tag title match goes, maybe Hank ‘n’ Tank win to get at the titles themselves. OTM winning was itself a surprise, but I suppose with Myles & Heights already having a turn, Ty & Ty taking Hank ‘n’ Tank out of the equation, and the D’Angelo Family being Faces, it had to be OTM.

And we also got payoff on Santa showing up here and there, but I’m pretty sure it changed to Ridge before the end of the night. For all anyone knows, Ridge mugged the guy who was in the costume off camera, then came out in the suit so he could get closer to Tony D. Ridge going for the North American Championship is fine, and I feel like that should’ve been his first step before trying for Trick and the NXT Championship, but whatever. And speaking of Trick, very good promo from him, Oba and Eddy, and I suppose we should’ve seen this Triple Threat coming. Oba has a good point, Eddy’s taking that loss. And unless they just leave go-home math behind, Trick probably does pin Eddy to retain the title. Oba stood tall, and when you stand tall, that usually means you don’t win.