5 things WWE NXT 2.0 got right before Halloween Havoc: Johnny Gargano reenters title picture; Diamond Mine suffers setback

This week’s episode of WWE NXT 2.0 before Halloween Havoc built towards the matches for next week’s special show. NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa was ready to team up with his challenger once again to compete in a tag team match.

Meanwhile, a Triple Threat Match was booked between one superstar from each team participating in the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships match at Halloween Havoc.

Carmelo Hayes was expected to come out with Trick Williams to celebrate his surprise NXT North American Championships victory last week. Meanwhile, LA Knight punched his ticket to become the host of Halloween Havoc for next Tuesday’s show.

Cora Jade stunned Elektra Lopez with another big win on NXT 2.0. Meanwhile, Tony D’Angelo continued to impress as he picked up another quick win to push ahead on the brand.

The action was tight on this week’s show and allowed the brand to build towards the upcoming special episode. Take a look at the five things WWE got right on NXT 2.0 before Halloween Havoc.

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#5. Johnny Gargano reentered the title picture on WWE NXT 2.0

Carmelo Hayes surprised the WWE Universe last week when he cashed in his contract on the NXT North American Champion. Hayes went after Isaiah “Swerve” Scott moments after he emerged victorious from a contest against Santos Escobar.

The new NXT North American Champion came out to celebrate with Trick Williams by his side. The Final Boss did not waste any time and put himself over as the top champion in NXT 2.0.

Hayes was looking to have a good time on Tuesday night, but Johnny Gargano interrupted him. He wanted to get back in the ring and win the NXT North American Championship right away.

Trick Williams tried to intimidate Johnny Wrestling, but Dexter Lumis arrived to back up his on-screen father-in-law. Gargano took the NXT North American Championship from Carmelo.

Later on, Lumis invited Melo and Trick for a visit to the haunted house at Halloween Havoc if they wanted the title back.

NXT 2.0 did well to get Gargano back in the game. He had been away for some time and could prove to be the best first opponent for Carmelo. Lumis and Gargano work well together, and WWE should look to keep them paired up for some time.

#4. Imperium handed The Creed Brothers their first loss on WWE NXT 2.0

The Creed Brothers have been looking to make a statement as part of Diamond Mine on WWE NXT 2.0. Malcolm Bivens came out with the group to explain that Diamond Mine was done playing nice.

Julius and Brutus Creed prepared to take on NXT UK’s Imperium in a tag team match. The brothers manhandled Marcel Bartel and Fabian Aichner early on to showcase their superior strength.

Imperium mounted a comeback, but Roderick Strong distracted them to allow The Creed Brothers to regain control of the bout. Just when it looked like Julius and Brutus would pick up the win, Ikemen Jiro and KUSHIDA arrived.

Brutus was distracted by their arrival, and Bartel took advantage to stack him up for the pin. After the match, MSK attacked Imperium and gave them a shot at the NXT Tag Team Championships for Halloween Havoc.

NXT 2.0 made the right call to allow an established team to hand Creed Brothers their first loss without denting their value. Meanwhile, it’ll be good to watch Jiro team up with KUSHIDA to take on the brothers. It will keep the heels out of the NXT Tag Team titles picture for some time.

#3. Io Shirai defeated Persia Pirotta and Jacy Jayne on WWE NXT 2.0

Three top tag teams from WWE NXT 2.0 picked one member each to compete in a Triple Threat Match. A chance to spin the wheel at Halloween Havoc for the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships was on the line.

Io Shirai, Persia Pirotta, and Jacy Jayne took to the ring for the contest. Pirotta showcased her strength early on to lay out her two opponents. Shirai came back and sent Pirotta out of the ring. She laid both women out with a moonsault off the apron.

Jayne was unable to carry on and it was up to Shirai and Pirotta to take the contest forward. Both women exchanged explosive moves to keep the action ticking.

Pirotta did well against the former NXT Women’s Champion and kept her on the edge for some time. The Genius of the Sky applied a crossface late in the match, but Pirotta got up on her feet.

Shirai hit a German Suplex and ended the match with an Over the Moonsault for the win on NXT 2.0. The Genius of the Sky spun the wheel, determining that the NXT Women's Tag Team Championships would be contested in a Scareway to Hell Ladder match.

The contest allowed Pirotta to showcase her skills against arguably the best in WWE. It was unfortunate that Jayne could not do the same on NXT 2.0. However, the action was good and gave fans a glimpse of what to expect at Halloween Havoc.

#2. Legado del Fantasma picked up a victory to stay relevant on WWE NXT 2.0

Action has been fast-paced on WWE NXT 2.0 over the past several weeks. With newcomers appearing on the brand, older superstars have taken a backseat.

Legado del Fantasma looked to return to prominence by taking on Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen in a match after a backstage altercation. The face-off allowed Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde to return to the ring after some time.

Briggs and Jensen were shaken up by the backstage attack by Legado del Fantasma. They were still looking to teach the heels a lesson.

They kept control of the match before the match spilled over to the floor. Santos Escobar slammed Briggs into the side of the ring to further injure him.

The former NXT Cruiserweight Champion continued to interfere during the contest to allow Mendoza and Wilde to keep the upper hand. Jensen had enough and took him out at ringside to level the field.

Inside the ring, Mendoza and Wilde found an opening to hit their finisher to pick up the win over the new tag team. The action was good and allowed both teams to shine on NXT 2.0.

Legado del Fantasma has picked up a few too many losses over the past several weeks, and it was good to watch them pick up a win on NXT 2.0. The faction needs to find new opponents or turn face soon to take on Diamond Mine.

#1. Tommaso Ciampa and Bron Breakker defeated The Grizzled Young Veterans on WWE NXT 2.0

Tommaso Ciampa and Bron Breakker teamed up once again on WWE NXT 2.0. The two men took on The Grizzled Young Veterans in a tag team match.

Zack Gibson and James Drake came into the match looking a bit too confident. They tasted Breakker’s power soon after and realized things weren’t going to be so easy. Breakker threw Drake around with ease to warm up the contest.

Ciampa tagged himself in to break the big man’s momentum. The NXT Champion dominated Gibson and Drake and hit a series of clotheslines. The Grizzled Young Veterans bounced back and found an opening to isolate The Blackheart.

Ciampa tagged Breakker back in with a hard slap. Breakker nearly attacked the NXT Champion but caught Drake instead. A military press powerslam helped him pick up the win with ease.

The show ended with the NXT Champion and the challenger staring each other down. NXT 2.0 has teamed up opponents for tag team matches way too often now. However, this pairing worked very well the second time around.

It will be difficult for NXT 2.0 to protect either man during the match at Halloween Havoc. However, the action will be top-notch.