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WWE NXT wanted to kick off 2021 on a high, and they did just that with New Year’s Evil. With five huge matches announced for the night, fans couldn’t contain their excitement until the opening bell.
Finn Balor defended his WWE NXT Championship against Kyle O’Reilly, while Santos Escobar defended his title against WWE RAW’s Gran Metalik. However, the Fight Pit match between Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa was called off, as Thatcher was declared injured, leading to an improvised match taking place.
Raquel Gonzalez looked to prove her dominance in the Last Woman Standing match against Rhea Ripley, and Karrion Kross was out to prove a point against Damian Priest. Xia Li also made her return at New Year’s Evil and scored a big first victory for 2021.
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Following an action packed night on Wednesday, let’s take a look at the 5 things WWE NXT got right at New Year’s Evil.
#5 Damian Priest stands his ground against Karrion Kross at WWE NXT New Year’s Evil
There aren’t many men who have stood their ground against Karrion Kross in WWE NXT. However, Damian Priest looked to end Kross’s winning streak and leave a mark on New Year’s Evil. The two massive men opened up the show with a hard-hitting match.
The match could have ended in a squash victory for Kross, but NXT did the right thing by allowing Priest to match Kross in the ring perfectly. Both men delivered some big moves throughout the contest, and The Archer of Infamy kept finding a way to get over The Herald of Doomsday throughout the contest.
The match had its fair share of botches where both men had to rethink their moves. Priest could not deliver the Razor’s Edge cleanly, while Kross seemed rusty in the ring. The action slowed down way too much later on, and at times it seemed like it was moving in slow-motion.
However, this was a great way to get Kross over once again without diminishing the value of Priest. The Archer stood his ground much better than Tommaso Ciampa and Dominik Dijakovic did against the big man.
It was more than obvious that Kross would pick up the victory. However, Priest sold his injuries well in the match and still managed to put on a good show. The Doomsday Deviant was visibly impressed by Priest’s work in the ring, and the WWE NXT Superstar will likely head to the main roster sooner than later.
#4 Gran Metalik continued to impress during WWE NXT New Year’s Evil
Gran Metalik has had a great few months in WWE. Last week on WWE NXT, he defeated Legado Del Fantasma with Lince Dorado by his side. This week on New Year’s Evil, Metalik got an NXT Cruiserweight Championship opportunity against Santos Escobar.
Metalik came into the match with a lot of momentum and confidence and kept taking down the Champion with some big moves. He made Escobar pay for his early arrogance, and continued to fly around the ring with ease.
While WWE NXT could have looked to make Escobar shine during the contest, it was Metalik who was the more prominent Superstar in the fight. A couple of messy moves ruined the overall mood of the contest, but Metalik continued to show why he’s known as The King of the Ropes.
Escobar showed little respect for his competitor and nearly ripped his mask off in frustration. While it seemed like Metalik would score a major upset, Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde almost got involved to cause a distraction.
This allowed Escobar to plant Metalik with Legado followed by the Phantom Driver. The match was decent and could have been better had Escobar moved around the ring more efficiently.
Metalik was the shining star in the contest, and WWE NXT will need to get Escobar’s overall game up if they plan to keep the title on his for longer. Fans have now seen many matches where Escobar’s challengers have overshadowed his performance.
#3 KUSHIDA pinned Johnny Gargano at WWE NXT New Year’s Evil
Earlier in the night, WWE NXT General Manager William Regal announced that the Fight Pit match was called off after Timothy Thatcher wasn’t medically cleared to compete. The sudden change in plans forced NXT to come up with something in the moment, and they did just that.
The Way, comprising of Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae, Austin Theory, and Indi Hartwell made an impressive entrance. After some chatter, Gargano announced that he and Theory would compete in the Dusty Rhodes Classic.
Shotzi Blackheart ruined their show by coming out and attacking Theory before KUSHIDA joined her in the fun. New Year’s Evil host Dexter Lumis made the match between the teams of Gargano and LeRae, and Blackheart and KUSHIDA official.
The match was fast-paced and fun and had a few memorable spots. After Blackheart showed her potential in the ring, KUSHIDA earned a big roll-up victory for his team.
WWE NXT needed to have a time-consuming segment and match on NXT New Year’s Evil, and the four Superstars managed to put on a good show. KUSHIDA’s victory will likely lead to an NXT North American Championship shot soon.
#2 Raquel Gonzalez and Rhea Ripley put on a show-stealer at WWE NXT New Year’s Evil
One of the biggest matches of WWE NXT New Year’s Evil saw Rhea Ripley and Raquel Gonzalez compete in a Last Woman Standing match. Right after the bell, the two women took the match outside the ring where they used weapons to take each other down.
While Ripley was the more accomplished woman in the match, it was Gonzalez who had the better build-up coming into the fight. She used her strength to overshadow Ripley’s power, and continued to keep the former NXT Women’s Champion down.
The two women fought their way to the backstage area where The Nightmare shattered a glass door with Gonzalez’s back. While Ripley had the upper hand, Dakota Kai arrived to beat her down with a Kendo Stick. However, Ripley ended up trapping Kai in a locker to take her out of the equation.
While it seemed like nothing could stop the two women from carrying on with the match forever, Gonzalez powerbombed Ripley through the stage to pick up the victory.
This was arguably the best match of the night and it certainly helped Gonzalez come away looking extremely strong. Finally, it seems like WWE NXT has a Superstar at the ready who can realistically dethrone Io Shirai as the NXT Women’s Champion.
#1 Finn Balor takes his revenge at WWE NXT New Year’s Evil
The biggest match of WWE NXT New Year’s Evil headlined the night as Finn Balor defended his NXT Championship against Kyle O’Reilly. O’Reilly had broken Balor’s jaw during their previous contest, but Balor could not break O’Reilly’s will.
The Prince was out for revenge during the contest, while O’Reilly was looking to win his first singles championship in WWE. Both WWE NXT Superstars kicked off the match with some holds before O’Reilly made the mistake of using his teeth on the ropes to break the action. The move proved to be extremely costly as Balor smashed KOR’s jaw into the ropes, possibly causing it to break.
The entire contest revolved around O’Reilly’s jaw, as Balor tried to take advantage of the injury throughout. KOR, on the other hand, kept the NXT Champion at bay with some great offense and showed the heart of a lion.
The Prince of NXT used the crossface pretty consistently and went for the submission rather than a pin after hitting the 1916 DDT. KOR countered a Coup de Grace attempt and hit The Prince with a superplex followed by a brainbuster.
Balor used O’Reilly’s injuries to his advantage and locked in an abdominal stretch where he targeted KOR’s jaw simultaneously. This caused the challenger to tap out and fail to win the title again.
O'Reilly once again proved that he is among the best wrestlers in WWE today. The injury may have taken a toll on him, especially after all the physical contests he’s had over the past two months. Balor got his revenge and will continue to extend his NXT Championship reign.
