 Roxanne Perez def. Kiana James in a Devil's Playground MatchFor all intents and purposes, this was a No Disqualification match, but it was a very PG version of one, if that makes sense. The "weapons" around ringside were ridiculous, but they made the most of the stipulation and had a fun match. James held her own and having an opponent the caliber of Perez obviously helped. Here's hoping this means Perez can move on and challenge Becky Lynch for the NXT Women's Championship soon. Lexis King def. Dante ChenLexis King is the new name for Brian Pillman Jr. I can't say I'm sold on it (and I understand the origin of the moniker), but it won't be impossible for him to overcome. So far, so good. The vignettes were really well produced, but now it's up to him to deliver on the mic and in the ring. There wasn't anything special about this squash (he could probably use a better finisher), but I thought they nailed his presentation and entrance. I'm really looking forward to seeing how he develops. Kelani Jordan def. Arianna Grace in an NXT Women's Breakout Tournament Semifinal MatchBoth of these ladies have bright futures in NXT, but they're also inexperienced and that showed here. I appreciated their effort, but this was not very good for as long as it lasted. The biggest issue with this tournament is that none of these women are seasoned enough to carry a match, but at least they're getting exposure. Grace does well with her current gimmick (shades of her father with the Ms. WrestleMania act from 2009), but Jordan was the better choice to advance to the finals. Chase U (Andre Chase and Duke Hudson) def. The Family to Win the NXT Tag Team ChampionshipThe Family had been champs for almost three months and had an extremely uneventful reign. I dig the duo of Tony D'Angelo and Channing Lorenzo, but it seemed like Shawn Michaels didn't know what to do with them after they won the titles. This was a quality contest and the crowd was behind both teams and popped for the finish. Amazingly, Chase U have had more development than most acts in NXT, so while I would've hated them with the tag titles a year or two ago, they're much better than they once were and it's cool that they finally got their moment here. Blair Davenport def. Gigi Dolin in a Lights Out MatchYes, the lights were actually turned down for this match (unlike in AEW), but otherwise, this was very similar to the Devil's Playground opener. I wish both bouts weren't put on Night 1 because this paled in comparison to Perez vs. James. They had a nice brawl, but they didn't click as well as I thought they would. It didn't matter to me who won, but I'm all for building Davenport up (especially with the new NXT Women's Champion crowned later on being a babyface). Lola Vice def. Karmen Petrovic in an NXT Women's Breakout Tournament Semifinal MatchThis was along the same lines as the other semifinal match from earlier in that it was rough at points but basic on the whole. I can't say I expected them to have an instant classic, so keeping this on the shorter side was for the best. Petrovic has impressed me with her work on Level Up, but Vice is clearly the one management is high on at the moment. She has the charisma and a legitimate fighting background, but there's plenty of room for improvement as far as her in-ring work is concerned. Lyra Valkyria def. Becky Lynch to Win the NXT Women's ChampionshipI was really surprised that this match didn't get more time. It started close to the top of the hour and immediately went into a commercial break as soon as it started. It lacked the big fight feel early on as a result, but it turned into a strong main event coming out of the break. The nearfalls were excellent and the crowd were more into Valkyria than I thought they might be. She got the big endorsement from Lynch by beating her clean and sharing a hug with her afterward. Lynch loses the title after only one month, but it's awesome she put over Valkyria in the fashion she did and hopefully made a new star in the process. Overall ShowShotzi and Scarlett served as the hosts (and will again next week), which was a treat, and we also got two compelling sit-down interviews with Carmelo Hayes and Ilja Dragunov. Their rubber match next week should be a banger, but Night 1 of Halloween Havoc was all about the women and they shined. Plus, the Lexis King debut was well done and we've got new NXT Tag Team Champions. It was quite the newsworthy episode and I was thoroughly entertained throughout. I'm a mark for Halloween, so these specials will always get a thumbs-up in my book.
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