WWE NXT: New Year's Evil Review - January 10, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Dijak def. Tony D'Angelo

The heel vs. heel dynamic in this match was weird, but then again, Dijak has seemingly been portraying a tweener as of late. It didn't matter too much to me because both of these guys are very talented and had a good match. It was less about the wrestling and more about the storytelling, which was well done. Dijak winning was logical as he prepares to challenge Wes Lee for the NXT North American Championship.

Jinder Mahal and Sanga Attacked The Creed Brothers

Creed Brothers were originally scheduled to face Indus Sher on this show, but I assume it was bumped because Veer is still hurt (though that wasn't explicitly said). Instead, Mahal showed up to help Sanga lay out Creed Brothers. He got a big pop from the crowd, but I definitely think reuniting Indus Sher with Mahal (or at least Veer because Sanga was never previously aligned with Mahal) is a step backward for them. Yes, Mahal is a former WWE Champion, but he's damaged goods and they were doing perfectly fine without him.

Gallus (Wolfgang and Mark Coffey) def. Pretty Deadly, Edris Enofe & Trick Williams, and Brian Williams & Jimmy Jackson in an NXT Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contender's Gauntlet Match

I don't think this was advertised in advance, but was it really necessary to do a number one contender's tag team Gauntlet match on NXT one day after doing one on Raw? That one was far from the best I've seen in recent years, but it was still better than this. That said, this was only intended to tell a story with Pretty Deadly overcoming a few obstacles. They beat the jobber team (who came out to The Rockers' theme, which was cool) and Enofe and Blade before falling to the returning Gallus. Gallus vs. The New Day should be fun.

Tiffany Stratton Addressed the Audience

The "Countdown to the New Year" vignettes have been airing weekly since Deadline and it was obvious from the first one that they were for the returning Stratton, who has been off NXT TV for a few months. She was showing real improvement in the ring the last time we saw her, so I hope she can pick up where she left off. This was a fairly basic promo from her, but on the bright side, it looks like she might be developing her character past the silly "daddy's little rich girl" crap.

NXT Champion Bron Breakker def. Grayson Waller by Count-Out

I was surprised as anyone that this kicked off the second hour instead of going on last, but the wonky finish made it pretty clear why they did that. The match itself was well worked and they had quality chemistry together. Breakker's title defenses are consistently solid and this was no exception, though I feel they're capable of better. They likely held back because they knew a rematch would be set for inside a steel cage at Vengeance Day. The execution of this finish was stupid, but I guess they wanted to go with something a little more unique than Breakker getting himself disqualified.

Charlie Dempsey def. Hank Walker

Dempsey's an absolute badass and the best thing they can do with him is to continue having him rack up wins. He can start with the lower-level guys like Walker before working his way up to the midcard/NXT North American Championship level. Walker plays his role well and got some hope spots here, but this largely felt like a showcase for Dempsey, who won with a brutal-looking submission move. It's also only a matter of time before Drew Gulak snaps on Walker. Maybe he'll recruit Dempsey instead and start a stable. Damon Kemp could be a nice fit, but then again, he just left Diamond Mine, so jumping from one stable to another may not be ideal.

Jinder Mahal def. Julius Creed

This match was pretty much proof of why I don't want Mahal in NXT. He's serviceable, but despite his experience and accolades, he's bound to bring down anyone he's associated with, including Creed Brothers if this feud continues as it's expected to. Mahal and Creed had a passable match, but I don't want this latest Mahal push to come at the expense of Creed Brothers. All I can hope for is that it will be short-lived.

Toxic Attraction Won the NXT Women's Championship No. 1 Contender's Battle Royal

This was basically every Battle Royal you've ever seen in that it wasn't given a ton of time and most of the eliminations had to be rushed as a result. On the bright side, they furthered plenty of stories and kicked off a few new feuds. I know Toxic Attraction have said they had Roxanne Perez in their sights, but I didn't think they'd actually become number one contenders to the NXT Women's Championship. This got interesting when it came down to the two of them, but I didn't think they'd both be deemed winners like it was the 1994 Royal Rumble match. Perez vs. Dolin vs. Perez doesn't feel like it's worthy of taking place on a live special since there's zero chance Perez loses the title to either of them.

Overall Show

I've always said that the weekly NXT show isn't always the most eventful or exciting but that the brand tends to produce its strongest work on the "premium live events" and on the special episodes of NXT TV. Unfortunately, I found this to be one of the weakest special shows NXT has done in the last two years. We got disappointing finishes, no memorable matches, and... Jinder Mahal. Ugh. At least they set up a few different matches for Vengeance Day next month, which needs to be a big show to justify NXT being back on the road. On a side note, I'm looking forward to the remaining contracted NXT UK talent coming in as they'll all be welcome additions to the roster.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews