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After WWE Hell in a Cell, NXT’s Halloween Havoc was the most anticipated show of the week as the brand had promised a few first of a kind matches for the night. Long-time fans would remember WWE Halloween Havoc from 1997, and NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar dressed up as Rey Mysterio from that night to pay homage to the legend.
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During the show, the North American and the NXT Women’s Championships were defended. That wasn’t all, as Rhea Ripley got her hands on Raquel Gonzalez while Cameron Grimes tried to prove his worth once again in a match against Dexter Lumis.
However, it was a shocking return that made the headlines as Pat McAfee managed to recruit another Superstar to his new faction.
In this article, we will look at the five things NXT got right at Halloween Havoc.
#5 Dexter Lumis takes Cameron Grimes through the Haunted House of Terror at WWE NXT Halloween Havoc
One of the matches announced for the night saw Cameron Grimes take on Dexter Lumis in a Haunted House of Terror match. This was the perfect way to give NXT Halloween Havoc the flavor it needed.
While Grimes was confident ahead of his match in the haunted house, he was unable to keep his courage when he faced Lumis. He decided to try and run away from The Tortured Artist, but could not get too far away from him.
Grimes tried to make his way out but ended up seeing Lumis in the van after which he ran down the street in terror. He made his way back to the NXT arena where he was greeted by zombies who crawled their way towards Grimes and forced him back into the ring.
A zombie climbed over Lumis and then jumped onto Grimes. This allowed Lumis to plant Grimes with the kata-gatame into the Silence to pick up the victory via submission.
While the match wasn’t too physical, it did what it had to do. Grimes once again came across as the overconfident and narcissistic Superstar who can’t deliver when required. He was perfect for the role as he plays the part extremely well.
However, the match helped build Lumis into an even bigger force that is feared by most of the NXT mid-card.
#4 Rhea Ripley and Raquel Gonzalez get extremely physical at WWE NXT Halloween Havoc
Rhea Ripley and Raquel Gonzalez are the two powerhouses of the Black and Gold brand, and they went to war at WWE NXT Halloween Havoc. Gonzalez got a chance to display her strength early on in the match and she decided to powerbomb Ripley into the glass panel set up on top of the barricades.
After taking some punishment from Gonzalez, Ripley got back in the game and showed the fans why she is a former NXT Women’s Champion. She took the fight to Gonzalez and even delivered a beautiful head scissors takedown when Gonzalez attempted a one-arm powerbomb.
It wasn’t long before The Nightmare caught her in a Riptide and picked up a huge victory after a very physical fight. While we have seen the men of NXT deliver several physical matches, it was great to watch two powerhouses from the women’s division deliver their best.
The two had great chemistry in the ring, and Ripley could be the perfect Superstar who could help Gonzalez become a breakout singles performer in NXT.
#3 Johnny Gargano becomes a two-time WWE NXT North American Champion at Halloween Havoc
The first match of WWE NXT Halloween Havoc was booked between Johnny Gargano and North American Champion Damian Priest. Priest came out to an epic entrance and the Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal chose a Devil’s Playground match for the two men.
This allowed them to use weapons during the match, and both men were quick to pull out some weapons of their choice.
While Gargano went for the kendo stick, The Archer of Infamy got hold of his signature nightstick.
They fought their way into the NXT backstage area which was lined up with some Halloween props. While Priest seemed to be in control of the match, someone in a mask caught him with a steel pipe while the two men made their way back into the arena.
The Rebel Heart then managed to smash a tombstone over Priest’s head which allowed him to knock the big man off the stage and then pin him to win the NXT North American title for the second time in his career.
This was a fun match that allowed Priest to have some big spots. However, it was unexpected to see his reign as the NXT North American Champion come to an end so quickly.
Gargano has been fighting without purpose in NXT for quite some time, and his second reign could help him become a much bigger player on the Black and Gold brand.
#2 Pete Dunne returns to Shock the System at WWE NXT Halloween Havoc
After winning the WWE NXT Tag Team Championships with the help of Pat McAfee last week, Oney Lorcan, Danny Burch, and McAfee made their way out to the ring this week on Halloween Havoc.
McAfee ran his mouth once again as he taunted The Undisputed Era and told the WWE Universe that he had chosen Ridge Holland to do his dirty work but was forced to change his partners after Holland suffered an injury.
After McAfee spoke about his current position a little more, Kyle O’Reilly from The Undisputed Era made his way out to the NXT ring. He wasn’t alone as Pete Dunne surprised the NXT Universe by following O’Reilly out and it seemed like the two men were ready to teach McAfee and his new partners a lesson.
However, The Bruiserweight turned heel and attacked O’Reilly with a steel chair before the other three men helped him lay out the final member of The Undisputed Era.
It was great to watch the former NXT North American Champion return and turn heel to get into a rivalry with The Undisputed Era again. We’d already watched Dunne compete against The Undisputed Era as a babyface a couple of years ago, and his return as a heel could help demolish the greatest faction in NXT’s history.
Dunne’s partnership with Lorcan and Burch could turn out to be gold as all three men have a very similar style of fighting.
#1 Io Shirai and Candice LeRae steal the show at WWE NXT Halloween Havoc
The only way possible to make Io Shirai’s entrance more epic is by having Poppy play her in, and that is exactly what the company treated the NXT Universe to at Halloween Havoc. The NXT Women’s Champion came out to the ring, and the Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal decided Candice LeRae would fight Shirai in a Tables, Ladders, and Scares match.
With the extreme stipulation, the match got very brutal from the opening bell as LeRae was determined to replicate her husband’s success from earlier in the night during the match.
With the title hanging high above their heads, they started to set up ladders after some initial blows to try and end the match early.
The Joshi Judas attempted a moonsault but missed it and landed on her leg on a steel chair. LeRae found the opening from thereon and went after Shirai's bad leg for the middle portion of the match.
A person in a mask ran in to try and help The Poison Pixie pick up the victory, but Shotzi Blackheart was quick to respond and took down the individual before they could do any damage.
Once LeRae climbed the ladder, The Genius from the Sky knocked her off the ladder and she went through another ladder outside the ring. This allowed Shirai to climb the ladder and pull down her title.
This was a great match that showed that NXT’s women’s division is at par, if not better, than their men’s division. Shirai has been one of the top performers in WWE since the beginning of the year, and LeRae has proven time and time again that she is one of the toughest women in all of wrestling today.
