WWE NXT Deadline Review - December 9, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Kickoff Show: Axiom def. Nathan Frazer

I totally forgot that these two had a series of matches against each other around this time a year ago. They haven't done much of note since, but they got to rekindle their rivalry for one night and have the match we know they're capable of. It was smart to put this on the Kickoff show as the crowd was into all of the action. My only regret is that I arrived late to the building and couldn't see it in person.

Shawn Michaels Welcomed CM Punk

Well, this was a pleasant surprise. Okay, so it wasn't much of a surprise that Punk showed up with it being heavily teased by WWE on social media throughout the day, but it was still a surreal moment to see him in an NXT ring (especially opposite of AEW Collision, a show he helped anchor early on). This didn't last long, but it felt organic and kicked off the main show on a high note. No, Punk is not signing with NXT, but this was a cool cameo. I can't say I had an interaction between him and Michaels on my 2023 wrestling bingo card.

Dragon Lee def. "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio to Win the NXT North American Championship

Lee and Mysterio had a better bout when they last went one-on-one on Raw a few months ago, but this was still an enjoyable match from these two. Mysterio has improved a ton this year and Lee has been killing it since joining the main roster. Having Rey Mysterio on commentary was a nice touch given the "hated" he has for his son. One main roster guy beating another main roster guy for the title doesn't do much for NXT, but I realize Shawn Michaels was put in a tough spot with the original number one contender, Wes Lee, getting hurt.

Blair Davenport def. Tiffany Stratton, Fallon Henley, Kelani Jordan and Lash Legend NXT Women's Championship No. 1 Contender's Iron Survivor Challenge Match

The biggest thing this match suffered from was the crowd not familiar with most of the women. In fact, Stratton was the only one who received a decent reaction when she came out. Despite that, they had a very good match with everyone putting forth a strong effort. Legend in particular had an impressive performance and it's encouraging that she's finally improving. Davenport was a logical choice to win, but Jade returning afterward and attacking current champ Lyra Valkyria immediately overshadowed her victory.

Carmelo Hayes def. Lexis King

Hayes has had some bangers on the NXT live specials over the past two years. This, however, was not one of them. That's not to say it was bad necessarily. Rather, it paled in comparison to the rest because it was simply "solid" at best. I still have hope for King, but having him lose clean in his NXT premium live event debut wasn't exactly ideal. Post-match, he admitted that he didn't actually attack Trick Williams two months ago and that he only instigated Hayes to get on this show, which got a chuckle out of me.

Trick Williams def. Bron Breakker, Dijak, Tyler Bate and Josh Briggs in an NXT Championship No. 1 Contender's Iron Survivor Challenge Match

Much like last year's men's Iron Survivor Challenge match, this was such a blast. It was perfectly paced and everyone had a chance to shine. Briggs benefited as much as Legend did in the women's matchup as he proved he could hang with the established singles star. It was never boring and there were plenty of memorable moments. Yes, Williams scoring four falls in under 90 seconds was completely ridiculous, but it also got the biggest pop of the night by far. You can't do that sort of stuff often, but it really worked here and made Williams look like a star.

Kiana James def. Roxanne Perez in a Steel Cage Match

The Bridgeport crowd wasn't electric to begin with, but they definitely died a death with this match and the stipulation didn't seem to help. Perez and James have been feuding for a while, and Perez is over with the NXT audience, but James is not and I'm not sure beating Perez on this show will help with that (at least until she can develop her character some more). I legitimately couldn't tell from where I was sitting who it was that helped her win and the crowd sat on their hands. Apparently it was Izzi Dame, who hasn't appeared on NXT TV much at all prior to this point. The match was passable, but it was largely underwhelming with a flat finish.

NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov def. Baron Corbin

This obviously wasn't on the level of Dragunov's matches with Hayes, but I still found it to be an entertaining main event. There were several points where the crowd was quiet, but I applaud them for telling a story and they had quality chemistry together. Dragunov retaining wasn't really in doubt, but Corbin's streak of delivering in NXT continues. I wonder where he goes from here, if not back to the main roster. The tease at the end with Williams and Hayes was well done. The ultimate reveal of Hayes being the one who attacked Williams in October is near.

Overall Show

I liked being in attendance for the event, but it may have been NXT's weakest live special of the year, or at least since Vengeance Day. The crowd wasn't familiar with a lot of the stars or invested in most of the matches, but there was enough thumbs-up stuff to make it worthwhile. I will say that although it's only been two years, the Iron Survivor Challenge concept has quickly proven to be a success and I hope we get to see it used on the main roster eventually (with the new rules and not as the old Scramble match).

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