NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa def. Joe Gacy (Non-Title)Had Gacy won this match, he would have been added to the NXT Championship match between Ciampa and Bron Breakker at Halloween Havoc. Thankfully, that didn't happen. They had a fairly competitive match and Gacy looked good in defeat. His gimmick is incredibly cringeworthy, but the guy can hold his own in the ring. The creepy bald dude that attacked Ciampa afterward was Parker Bordeaux, who I've heard plenty of praise for dating back to when WWE signed him earlier this year. Toxic Attraction Addressed NXT Women's Champion Raquel Gonzalez and NXT Women's Tag Team Champions Io Shirai and Zoey StarkIt seems that Toxic Attraction get more mic time than any other act in NXT, which goes to show you how hard they're being pushed at the moment. As I've said before, Rose is the perfect person to be leading this faction and it's even better if Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jane benefit from it as well. I like they talk as much as Rose does and it isn't all on Rose. The NXT Women's Tag Team Championship match was announced later, but this established that Rose will challenge Gonzalez for the NXT Women's Championship at Halloween Havoc. Xyon Quinn def. Malik BladeQuinn is one of the few people out of everyone we've seen on NXT 2.0 that I've been thoroughly impressed by from what I've seen so far and believe he has potential. We've hardly heard from him at all and he's definitely still green in the ring, but his intensity has helped him stand out. This was a straightforward squash for him and I hope we get to find out more about him soon. As long as he isn't given a campy gimmick like everyone else, he could do well. Ivy Nile def. Valentina FerozAdd Nile to the list of new acts I think can go far with more seasoning. This marked her in-ring debut for the brand and she had a super solid showing, especially better than Feroz. She'll have to improve in the charisma department, but otherwise, she's a fantastic fit for Diamond Mine, a group that NXT is firmly behind at the moment. I don't want to see her going after the title any time soon, but she'll benefit from the additional experience, assuming she doesn't get lost in the shuffle with everyone else NXT is attempting to push at the moment. Julius Creed def. Ikemen JiroThis bout came about while Diamond Mine were still in the ring following Nile's victory. I thought Jiro would issue a challenge to Roderick Strong for the NXT North American Championship the same way Grayson Waller did a few weeks ago, but instead, he was solely there as someone Creed could beat. I'm a fan of The Creed Brothers and their upside, but I don't know if I needed to see one of them beat a guy who could have been a possible title contender in the Cruiserweight division. Then again, the Cruiserweight division is basically dead, so I probably shouldn't have a problem with it. Kyle O'Reilly and Von Wagner def. Pete Dunne and Ridge HollandThis Von Wagner fellow is just abysmal. The backstage promo he cut last week with O'Reilly was awful and he hasn't stood out in the ring in any major way so far. The real rivalry should be between O'Reilly and Dunne because I have no doubt those two could rip it up against each other like they did earlier this year. Instead, we got Wagner pinning Holland like it means anything with Holland getting pinned quite a bit before he leaves for SmackDown soon. Duke Hudson def. Grayson WallerThis was a match that didn't need to happen because both guys need wins. I think both guys are talented and have potential in their own ways, but the gimmicks are horrid. Hudson is apparently a poker player now while Waller is obsessed with dating apps. This never had a chance to get out of first gear because it was so short. I don't know how much he really gained from this as a result. Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta def. Sarray and Amari MillerPirotta is basically filling in for Candice LeRae who is now pregnant. By the way, where is Johnny Gargano? Is he taking time off, too? Hartwell and Pirotta work well as a team. It's just a shame there isn't much of a women's tag team division in NXT, though they have at least three times as many times as the main roster does. Sarray was a total non-factor here, but the match served its purpose in giving Hartwell and Pirotta a win. The NXT Women's Tag Team Championship will be defended at Halloween Havoc in a Triple Threat tag team match. NXT North American Champion Isiah "Swerve" Scott def. Santos Escobar; Carmelo Hayes def. Scott to Win the NXT North American ChampionshipI think we all knew what to expect out of the main event, but to their credit, NXT did an excellent job of "swerving" us (see what I did there?) at the end there. The match itself between Scott and Escobar was terrific and no less entertaining than any other encounters over the NXT Cruiserweight Championship last year or in Lucha Underground. They'll forever have strong chemistry together. Scott winning took me by surprise, but then it became clear where this was going instead. Hayes "cashed in" his guaranteed championship opportunity that he earned from winning the NXT Breakout Tournament and captured the gold just over four months removed from his NXT TV debut and less than a year after he was signed. I'll continue to sing his praises because the dude is a star and I'm happy they pulled the trigger on him here. Overall ShowThat title change and the way it was booked was a brilliant way to go off the air. There hasn't been a lot that I've loved about NXT 2.0, but that was a clear twist. The rest of this show was slightly better than usual. We got more matches announced for Halloween Havoc in two weeks, and many more showcase matches. As I say every week, can they please spot spotlighting so many new people at once? It's difficult to keep track of who's who and it's going to make it even more difficult for the talent to get over because you can't focus on everyone at once. NXT 2.0 is slowly finding its footing, but the show isn't nearly as exciting as it once was with this new format.
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