Ilja Dragunov kicked off NXT and said that he has already beaten one 'unstoppable machine,' referring to Gunther. Ilja added that he is looking to do it once more by beating Bron Breakker.
JD McDonagh interrupted the promo and said that he would end Ilja's career if he tried to get between him and the NXT title before Bron joined them as well. JD said that he wanted to face Bron after Breaker and Ilja beat each other up but the Champ proposed a triple threat match as NXT continued.
Backstage on NXT, Briggs & Jensen were in the middle of a brawl with Gallus while security tried to separate them and break it up.
WWE NXT Results (September 27th, 2022): Mandy Rose vs. Fallon Henley
Mandy started off strong and got a near fall off a cartwheel splash before mocking Fallon. Henley came back with a big lariat. Rose got a fallaway slam before locking in an abdominal stretch.
Henley broke the hold and got the X Factor for a near fall before getting a big forearm and a kick. Mandy recovered first and rushed Henley with a jumping knee strike before picking up the win.
Result: Mandy Rose def. Fallon Henley
Grade: C
Dragunov ran into Xyon Quinn backstage on NXT and they set up a match for later tonight.
Wes Lee vs. Tony D'Angelo on NXT
Lee sent Tony D out of the ring right off the bat and Stacks tried to hype the boss up at ringside before the match continued. Lee tried for a top rope move but Stacks got in the way before Lee took him out instead before rolling back into the ring and mocking him.
Stacks was furious and rushed the ring but instead of it being a DQ, Stacks was ejected from ringside. The match continued as D'Angelo dropped Lee with a tilt-a-whirl side slam. Lee hit a drop toehold on the turnbuckles and it seemed that D'Angelo was unable to get up due to an injury in the corner as the ref stopped the match.
Result: DNF
Grade: B
Carmelo Hayes was backstage on NXT when Oro Mensah walked up and we saw some trash-talking before they hyped up the ladder match for Halloween Havoc.
We got to see a day in the life of The Pretty Deadly and it mostly involved looking in the mirror, brushing their hair, and picking out outfits.
Sol Ruca vs. Amari Miller on NXT
Newcomer Sol Ruca started off strong and got a submission hold locked in early on but Miller reversed out of it and got a big move for a near fall. Sol tried to get away with a flip but was dropped.
Sol got an X Factor and a sunset flip for a near fall followed by a dropkick but was taken down with the headscissors. Ruca hit another big dropkick before getting a handstand strike and a flying legdrop for the win.
Result: Sol Ruca def. Amari Miller
Grade: C
Cameron Grimes vs. Joe Gacy on NXT
Gacy took a big beating early on and left the ring before The Dyad got in the way of Grimes' kick, distracting him. Gacy grounded Grimes after the distraction and got a near fall off a big DDT.
Back in the ring, Grimes got a few big kicks before setting up for the Cave In but failed to capitalize. The Dyad ran a distraction and it allows Gacy to get the handspring lariat in the corner for the win.
Result: Joe Gacy def. Cameron Grimes
Grade: B
Grayson Waller was backstage and said that he was nervous about Apollo Crews while revealing that his guests for the talk show next week would be Cora Jade and Roxanne Perez.
Nikkita Lyons vs. Kayden Carter on NXT
Carter started off strong and the two were able to counter each other's moves early on before Kayden grounded Lyons and got a quick near fall. Lyons managed to hit a big rana out of the corner and locked in a submission hold as the match went on.
Carter took a few boots and a Michinoku Driver before Lyons got a near fall. Carter got a double dropkick through the ropes before going up top but Lyons dropped her. Lyon followed up with a spinning kick and the split pin before picking up the win.
Result: Nikkita Lyons def. Kayden Carter
Grade: C
Andre Chase gave a speech to his students about going on to win the NXT North American Championship. One of the students dared to doubt Andre and got yelled at before everyone chanted 'Chase U' and NXT moved on.
Ilja Dragunov vs. Xyon Quinn on NXT
Quinn had the early advantage and got a few near falls but took a big kick to the side of the head before being caught with a huge slam. Ilja got a backbreaker and a splash before the two men slapped each other as a show of disrespect.
Dragunov got some German Suplexes before the crowd started going wild and chanting his name. Dragunov came in with a falling forearm before getting the running European Uppercut for the win.
Result: Ilja Dragunov def. Xyon Quinn
Grade: B+
Damon Kemp vs. Brutus Creed on NXT
Brutus and Kemp started brawling before the match was even started and they brawled their way back to the ring before the bell was rung. Kemp had his opponent in control with a headlock before Brutus powered through and tossed the big guy around the ring.
The match went outside and Kemp attacked Brutus with a steel chair, causing a DQ. Kemp kept attacking Brutus with the chair and yelling at the camera before a group of officials came out to stop the fight and NXT moved on.
Result: Brutus Creed def. Damon Kemp via DQ
Grade: B
Lyons and Stark ran into Toxic Attraction backstage and traded some smack talk before Mandy Rose threatened the duo since they were outnumbered. Alba Fyre came out of nowhere and joined Lyons and Stark, setting up a future match.
Briggs & Jensen vs. Gallus - Pub Rules match on NXT
The two teams started brawling right off the bat and trashcans came into play early on before Gallus took out a table and Briggs & Jensen brought out one of their own. Briggs and Jensen took Gallus down with steel chairs and sent them out of the ring before we headed for a break.
Back on the show, Gallus were whipping away at Briggs and Jensen with belts but the former UK tag champs managed to power through and take the weapons away before hitting Gallus with it instead.
Briggs and Jensen smashed glasses on top of their opponents' heads before Coffey showed up and got kicked off the apron. They put one of the Gallus through a table in the corner before putting a trashcan on the head of the other before getting their finisher for the win.
Result: Briggs & Jensen def. Gallus
Gallus started a big brawl with security and officials and punched some of them down. Policemen came out and handcuffed the trio before dragging them away as NXT went off the air.
Grade: A
Episode grade: B+
We got a big debut tonight on NXT while Ilja Dragunov made his in-ring return. We got to see a brutal main event while Joe Gacy's feud with Cameron Grimes continued.