WWE NXT Deadline Review - December 10, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Roxanne Perez def. Cora Jade, Kiana James, Zoey Stark and Indi Hartwell in an NXT Women's Championship No. 1 Contender's Iron Survivor Challenge Match

All five women busted their ass here and did their best to make the first-ever Iron Survivor Challenge match. There weren't rapid pinfalls like we got in the men's, and there were definitely a few points where it wasn't overly interesting, but on the whole, they put together an enjoyable opener. Even James, who I haven't been high on in the past, held her own. Perez starting out and then winning the whole thing was the right call. She really needs to be the one to dethrone Mandy Rose as NXT Women's Champion, but I continue to fear it will be Nikkita Lyons.

Isla Dawn def. Alba Fyre

As someone who watched Dawn's entire run in NXT UK, I can't recall a single above-average match she had there, but to her credit, this was a quality contest. Of course, I think Fyre had a lot to do with that. Then again, Dawn had two stinkers with Meiko Satomura of all people in NXT UK, so who knows why this worked and her other matches didn't. Unfortunately, this was ruined by a terrible finish with Dawn seemingly using her witch powers on the referee and causing him to cough up black blood. I wasn't thrilled with Fyre losing in the first place, and I realize this technically protected her in defeat, but that was just awful.

The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) def. Pretty Deadly to Win the NXT Tag Team Championship

Outside of Pretty Deadly, The Creed Brothers and Indus Sher, NXT's tag team division isn't all that interesting, and considering Creed Brothers and Indus Sher are currently feuding, Pretty Deadly were right when they said they had no one left to face. Thus, I love the move to put the belts on New Day. It switches things up and gives New Day a whole batch up new teams to work with on a brand they've never been on before as a tandem. Plus, they've made history as only the second team ever to become Triple Crown Tag Team Champions in WWE (The Revival/FTR being the first). This was an entertaining outing to boot and I'd be down for a rematch on NXT TV or at New Year's Evil.

Grayson Waller def. Axiom, Carmelo Hayes, JD McDonagh and Joe Gacy in an NXT Championship No. 1 Contender's Iron Survivor Challenge Match

Of the two Iron Survivor Challenge matches, this was definitely the stronger one. The women's wasn't bad whatsoever, but the action was much more exciting in this one and there was never a dull moment. It was perfectly paced and all five guys killed it. Hayes was the odds-on favorite and who I wanted to win as well, but Waller made sense as well seeing as how he's never challenged Breakker for the NXT Championship before and Hayes can (hopefully) be saved for either Vengeance Day or Stand & Deliver. This was one of the best bouts I've seen in NXT all year.

NXT Champion Bron Breakker def. Apollo Crews

Most people probably assumed Breakker winning was a foregone conclusion, but he's been champ for so long that we've reached a point where he could feasibly lose the title at any time. Plus, Crews becoming champion after so many years would've made for a nice moment, but I'm glad they stayed the course and kept the belt on Breakker. This was a good match between two athletic bigger guys who wrestle somewhat similar explosive styles. It didn't reach the higher gear I thought it would, and Crews having a "vision" mid-match was stupid, but they delivered in the main event spot, nonetheless.

Overall Show

The two title matches and undercard women's match filled out the card, but Deadline was largely about the Iron Survivor Challenge matches and if they'd pan out or not. I'd certainly say they did, but even if they weren't your cup of tea, this was still a thumbs-up event on the whole. The weekly NXT product isn't always the greatest, but the brand tends to produce their strongest stuff on the specials and this was no exception. I also like how we have a decent idea of the direction NXT is headed in as we approach New Year's Evil and Vengeance Day.

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