Rivalries heat up before Halloween Havoc
Before we get to Sol Ruca’s unfortunate news and the return of the “Broken Hardys” we have…
Tatum Paxley and The Culling gather in the ring. Tatum gives Izzi Dame a big hug before she addresses the NXT Universe.
The crowd tells Tatum she “deserves it”.
“Guys! I freaking did it!” cries Tatum as Izzi claps and smiles.
Tatum says there is ONE friendship that has always been there for her: The NXT Universe. She calls Izzi her “best friend” and promises to bring gold to The Culling.
Fatal Influence’s music hits and out they come.
“Izzi, are you going to tell Tatum or will you make me do it?” asks NXT Women’s Champion, Jacy Jayne.
Jayne goes on to say that Tatum doesn’t have a chance against her at Halloween Havoc.
“When it matters most, you cannot beat me!” continues Jayne. “News flash, you little weirdo. You aren’t special. You are barely average.”
Jayne says The Culling would have had a better chance if Izzi had won.
Tatum tells Jayne that she won’t come between her and Izzi.
“On Saturday, you bet your ass it is my time to be a champion!” declared Tatum.
Fallon wonders if The Culling will abandon Tatum when she loses at Halloween Havoc?
Izzi reminds Fatal Influence that they turned on their “friend” just a few weeks ago.
Jacy calls Izzi a “babysitter” not a “leader”.
Tatum challenges Fatal Influence to a tag match tonight to see who the better allies really are.
“Be careful what you wish for, weirdo,” warns Jayne.
Jayne gives Fallon and Lainey Reid the signal. They attack Izzi and Tatum. The faces clear the ring. Izzi and Tatum double team Jayne. Before Tatum can give Jayne her finisher, the rest of the Influence pull her out of the ring to safety.
Backstage, Channing ‘Stacks’ Lorenzo and Arianna Grace have a chat. Stacks is curious as to why her dad called him a “future son-in-law” last week. Arianna admits to having a heart-to-heart with her dad about how things are going between them. Stacks asks her to accompany him to the ring tonight.
Je’Von Evans and TNA X Division Champion Leon Slater wince at what they just saw. Slater wants to put his belt on the line at Halloween Havoc. Evans advises him to focus on his match tonight. They shake hands.
‘Stacks’ Lorenzo versus Leon Slater (c) – TNA X Division Championship
Stacks knocks some pearly whites out of Slater’s mouth with a big back elbow to the jaw. Slater gives Stacks a really nasty flip out of a corner. It turns Slater inside out. Stacks avoids a second one.
We see Trick Williams walking through the parking lot.
Stacks whips Slater hard back and forth into the corners. Slater leaps over the top rope splashing Stacks on the floor. Arianna is upset. Evans takes a headset announcing a commercial break. Funny that. Arianna tries to help Stacks walk it off. Slater lays Stacks on the announce table chopping him over and over again.
Slater goes for a super kick. Stacks dodges out of the ring. Arianna stands in front of Stacks as he slips under the ring. Slater comes out to the floor where Evans warns him. Back in the ring, Stacks tries to blindside Slater. Slater kicks him in the head as he dives through the ropes. Slater tries to springboard off the top rope. Stacks pulls the ropes down on him. Slater lands throat-first on the top rope.
Arianna is back on the apron again. Slater bounces off the ropes knocking Ariana off the apron. Evans catches her. Stacks sees what happens and leaves the ring to confront Evans. He tosses Slater into the announce table. Slater dives onto Stacks on the floor and pins him back in the ring with his Swanton 450 splash from the top rope.
Winner: …and still TNA X Division Champion, Leon Slater.
Evans asks the crowd to give it up for Leon one more time. Slater suggests that they form a tag team and take on any team from TNA, NXT at Halloween Havoc. La Parka and Mr. Iguana from AAA arrive. The crowd cheers for Iguana. Iguana says he spoke to Ava and she likes the idea of them two against those two at Halloween Havoc. The crowd then cheers for La Parka.
Zachary Wentz versus Jasper Troy – NXT Speed Tournament
Wentz running body splashes Troy over the top rope to the floor. Wentz dives onto Troy on the floor. Troy catches him throwing him…back onto the apron? Wentz splashes Troy on the floor for a second time. Troy kicks out of a swanton from the top rope. Troy nails him with a body press and a Black Hole Slam for the quick win.
Winner: Jasper Troy
TNA Knockouts Champion Kelani Jordan tries to enter the women’s locker room. Lola Vice blocks her way. They dump her belongings on the floor. Lola: “Sorry, you chose Team TNA.” Jordynne Grace tells the women off but Jordan says she doesn’t need her help. Jaida Parker opens the door dumping out even more of Jordan’s belongings. “That should be all,” she says. Grace tells Jordan she knows how she feels. Jordan thinks Grace is jealous of her. She picks up the rest of her stuff from the floor.
Dark State and The Hardys trade disses via video promos. The Hardys are on their compound and wade into the lake to become “broken” again as Reby plays her piano.
Matt emerges as “Broken” Matt Hardy and Jeff is “Brother Nero” again.
“State of Dark, you have woken the broken Hardys,” says Matt gleefully. Jeff announces their Hallowen Havoc match will be a “Broken Rules” bout.
“A Broken Rules match has no rules because in the Broken Universe anything is possible and everything goes,” says Matt before calling State of Dark “obsolete” and need to be “deleted”.
We see footage of Sol Ruca with a brace on her knee and using a crutch to walk in the back with Zaria. Zaria asks Ruca if she really wants to do this? She is.
When we returns GM Ava, Ruca and Zaria are in the ring.
With tears in her eyes, Ruca explains that she injured her knee on Smackdown. Ruca says she is not cleared to defend her NXT North American Championship versus Blake Monroe at Halloween Havoc.
“I don’t know when I will be cleared. All that I know is I am not going to be good for Saturday,” she says as she begins to surrender the title. She states she will “earn it back”. GM Ava tries to change her mind.
Blake Monroe’s music plays. She is sorry for Sol.
“You need not worry about the future of the NXT North American title because I am right here,” says Monroe.
Monroe enters the ring claiming she should be the champion because she was the challenger this Saturday. Zaria tells Monroe that Ruca won the title and Monroe has done nothing to earn it. Monroe suggests that Zaria stop fighting Ruca’s battles and does something for herself for once.
Ruca tells Zaria: “She is kind of right. I don’t know when I will be back.”
Zaria: “That’s right. We don’t know.”
Zaria asks Sol if she can defend the title for her at Halloween Havoc in her honor?
GM Ava leaves the decision up to Ruca.
“There is no one than I trust more in this world than you, Zaria,” says Sol.
GM Ava makes the match official.
Hmmmm. I am thinking Zaria loses and disappoints Sol or Zaria and Blake are playing Sol.
When Monroe gets in GM Ava’s face, Zaria picks up and slams her.
More footage from NXT Anonymous. We see Myles Borne chatting with Tavion Heights in the back. They are disappointed that they lost badly last week. Briggs comes over an calls them “grown men crying”. Briggs mocks Borne for being eliminated first. He obviously didn’t listen to Ethan Page. “What about you Mr. Olympia? Are you going to wait another four years before you compete for gold?” Briggs asks Heights. Briggs says there is only place for one person at the top and that’s him. “At least you will be popular,” jokes Briggs.
Axiom versus Sean Legacy – Men’s Speed Match Tournament Match
Axiom kicks Legacy in the head as he is perched on the top rope. With like less than 10 seconds left, Axiom slams him to the mat for the pin.
Winner: Axiom
Ethan Page mocks Doctor Wagner Jr. in a video promo. He turns around to reveal that half his face is painted.
Hank Walker and Tank Ledger versus OTM (Bronco Nima and Lucien Price)
They are throwing hands on the floor before the bell even rings. Hanks gets the crap beat out of him. He finally tags in Tank who has to go it alone. Hank gets one-arm slammed to the canvass. Tanks gets double slammed.
Winners: OTM (Bronco Nima and Lucien Price)
OTM hit Hank in the head with the steel ring steps. They then slam Tank through the announce table.
Another awkward make-up ad from Wren Sinclair as she chats with Charles on the phone from Japan. Wren tells Lash Legend that she wants Charles to come home to a surprise. She wants her to join their group. Kendal Grey interrupts. She isn’t going to let Legend push around Wren. Legend she suggest that she let Wren fight her own battles.
Fatal Influence versus The Culling
Tatum goes to drop kick Jayne but Fallon pushes her out of the way and takes it instead. Jayne holds Tatum in the ropes so that Laine can hit a neck breaker for a two count. Fallon is on the apron again. Izzi takes her out. Lainey pulls Izzi to the floor as she runs the ropes. Jayne pins Tatum with an Encore Elbow. Lainey and Fallon take out Izzi Dame on the floor. Jayne calls them to the ring to surround Tatum. Tatum fights Lainey and Fallon with drop kicks and hits her finisher on Jayne. She then parades around with the title.
Winners: Fatal Influence
GM Ava has security in the ring for the contact signing between Saints and Williams. Williams thinks that Saints wishes he could be the champion he was. He owes NXT and TNA nothing. He is loyal to Trick Williams only.
“Trick Williams loves himself some Trick Williams,” he says as he signs the contract.
Saints says he has never changed but Williams has. He says that Williams’ problem is that he thinks he is bigger than the brand, the fans, everyone in the back and even the belt itself.
Williams mocks Saints for having to grind in the indies. Saints fires back that Williams would have folded.
They get in each other’s faces. Security comes between them. Williams punches Saints in the face as security holds him. As both men dispense with the security, Williams kicks Saints in the face. Saints is the one though who slams Williams through a table.
