NXT starts 2021 tonight with a special episode.
A rematch of the NXT 2020 game of the year is the headline of New Year’s Evil, while Finn Balor defends the NXT championship against Kyle O’Reilly tonight. At TakeOver 31 in October, Balor maintained the title against O’Reilly, but broke his jaw in the process. Tonight will be Balor’s first game since he was operated on for this injury.
Karrion Kross vs. Damian Priest, Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Gonzalez in a Last Woman Standing fight, Santos Escobar vs. Gran Metalik for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship and the return of Xia Li and Boa are also scheduled for tonight.
Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher were originally set to face each other in a Fight Pit fight on tonight’s show, but WWE announced that the match was postponed due to Thatcher suffering a minor injury. WWE said Thatcher should return soon and that the Fight Pit fight will take place as soon as he recovers.
New Year’s Evil is being introduced by Dexter Lumis and will be presented “with less interruption and more action.” Our live coverage starts at 8 pm Eastern Time.
**********
The show started with Dexter Lumis entering the Capital Wrestling Center studio. He’s the host, but he didn’t say anything. He switched the lights on and off in the house and then saw a lever. Then he pulled the lever, and the arena was magically filled with lights and a crowd. Lumis was also known for wearing a sport coat.
Karrion Kross (with Scarlett) defeated Damian Priest
Kross defeated Priest cleanly, but Kross fought almost to the end. The game was free commercial and they had a lot of time. This is a PPV gauge game. It can even fit on a G1 card.
Priest sold his ribs during the match and Kross worked on them.
Kross blocked Razor’s Edge and chokeslam, but Priest came back with a springboard jump over the ropes to the floor. Priest turned in South of Heaven, but Krosss kicked out. Kross interrupted him by going back to work on his ribs.
The fight went back out of the ring and Priest was thrown on the steps of the ring. They faced each other again. Priest told Kross that he was still standing, so Kross gave him a Saito suplex. Then Kross with a knockout on the back of the neck, and Kross covered Priest for a pin drop.
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic starts next week on NXT.
The Adam Cole and Roderick Strong Undisputed Era team was interviewed about the tournament. They face Breezango in a tag match in the first round. Cole praised his achievements and said that they fulfilled the golden prophecy. Cole said they would do it again in 2021.
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar (with Legado del Fantasma) defeated Gran Metalik (with Lynx Dorado) to retain his title
Escobar defeated Clean Metalik in a fun game. Metalik is so underrated. He was arguably the best driver in the world when WWE hired him several years ago. He remains great.
Metalik managed to show what a great flyer he still is, and that led to an Asai moonsauklt for a close fall. There was a critical failure before the commercial break. Heat in Metalik during the break.
Escobar applied the tapatia when the program returned from the commercial. Metalik came back and flew over the ropes with a smooth top. Metalik with a trampoline in a body press for a count of two.
Metalik went to another trampoline, and Escobar found him with a knee in the air. Escobar tapped the strings. Metalik still kicked at two.
Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde went to interfere and Dorado flew to make a defense. However, Metalik stumbled. Escobar a moment later with the Phantom Driver, and he scored a pinfall.
A vignette excited Mercedes Martinez. She did a promotion on NXT women’s champion Io Shirai. Martinez attacked Shirai in a previous episode.
Xia Li defeated Katrina Cortez
Li defeated Cortez in an improvement match. Li was a new entry alongside Boa and the mysterious figure who trained them.
Cortez wore a lucha-style mask, but she used a full name. This is weird. Anyway, this was a demo game for Li.
Li showed off his kicks and tried to look like a killer. I read with a bouncing knee strike, and then a high kick to mark the pinfall.
Raquel Gonzalez defeated Rhea Ripley in a Last Women Standing match
They started with slugfest so at least it looked like a bit of a grudge. Gonzalez talked a little about them never being friends. They could have talked about this detail before last week. They have been fighting for just more months.
They fought on the floor. Handcuffs came into play and Ripled handcuffed Gonzalez to the wire fence. Gonzalez tore the link off the chain and she started hitting Ripley with the handcuffs.
Ripley tried to use the hammer used on the bell, but Gonzalez blocked it. Ripley was in the background at the advertisers table and got a nasty scare. The table broke and Gonzalez piled chairs and other debris on top of Ripley so she couldn’t beat the ten count. However, Ripley crawled out of the rubble to break the count.
The match had a commercial break. Snoop Dogg was in a beer commercial during the break, and tonight he was a featured attraction at that other wrestling show.
Ripley was kicked off the stage after a commercial break. Gonzalez scolded her and Ripley responded. They passed through a broken glass door.
Ripley made a swanton bomb to put Gonzalez on the table. Suddenly, Dakota Kai ran out of nowhere to attack Ripley with a kendo stick. Ripley fired and hit Kai. Ripley then pushed Kai into a closet, and she placed a box on wheels in front of the closet. Kai was stuck there.
Ripley applied her inverted scorpion while on stage. Gonzalez responded by sending Ripley against a video card on stage. Ripley and Gonzalez apparently tried to recreate the infamous collision with Shane McMahon and Kurt Angle, and Gonzalez suposed Ripley on the video card.
They concluded with a feat. Gonzalez gave Ripley a chokeslam in a section of the stage. Gonzalez was able to break the count, but Ripley was unable to answer the ten count. Gonzalez was awarded with the match. Ripley did a stretcher job.
The Way caused the police to unmask the building in a motorcade.
American NXT champion Johnny Gargano was celebrating the end of his curse. He was accompanied by his wife, Candice LeRae, and his companions, Austin Theory and Indi Hartwell.
LeRae gave Gargano a sign. Theory and Hartwell also has a gift. They revealed an image they supposedly drew from the stable. Gargano announced that he and Theory would form a team in the Dusty Classic.
Shotzi Blackheart in his tank interrupted the celebration. The theory came out to confront, but he was shot in the groin by a tank. Blackheart then went to attack LeRae and Hartwell. Blackheart cleared the ring and Kushida left to look after her.
Dexter Lumis rang the bell, implying that it is now an impromptu tag match. Teddy Long had much better ads. At least he did. Lumis did not say a word.
Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano against Shotzi Blackheart and Kushida in a mixed doubles match
Kushida defeated the American champion, so maybe we can get a title fight between the two soon.
LeRae & Gargano were in street clothes. Kushida mainly wore normal clothes, but this is his outfit now. Blackheart was dressed in his wrestling gear.
The match went through a commercial break and LeRae got the better of Blackheart. Kushida left and ran wildly.
They exchanged submission holds and the four made some combos.
Kushida dropped Gargano from the apron, and he held the ropes open so that Blackheart could dive out into LeRae.
The theory interfered with stumbling Kushida, and the theory paid for it. Kushida started to pin Gargano.
The BeOver bext was announced for February 14, which is also Valentine’s Day.
Also announced is the Women’s Dusty Classic which will arrive soon.
NXT champion Finn Balor defeated Kyle O’Reilly to retain the title
Balor submitted O’Reilly in a great fight. It may not be better than the couple a few months ago, but it was still good.
They started with fighting and mat work. They exchanged movements and holds. They prepared to exchange blows. From there, the pace began to accelerate.
The intensity started to increase. There was a double down after O’Reilly hit a PK, but he skidded out of the ring after hitting the kick.
O’Reilly moved his arm and Balor moved O’Reilly’s chin and face.
O’Reilly with leglock submissions tried to tie Balor, but Balor escaped by hitting O’Reilly in the chin.
Balor with a reverse DDT, and he made the transition to applying a crossface to the injured face. O’Reilly got out of control.
O’Reilly was trying to compose himself and Balor stopped the moment with a slingshot blade. Balor followed with a double trample and a shotgun dropkick. Balor went to the upper rope for the Coup de Grace, but O’Reilly tripped him.
Balor took a superplex and a brainbuster, and then O’Reilly took it in an armbar. Balor managed to break the rope. Balor was somehow cut in his face and bled.
Balor hit O’Reilly with a kick to the liver. O’Reilly sold a lot, and then Balor trapped him in a snake trap. O’Reilly soon knocked.