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NXT kicks off tonight 2021 with a special episode.
A rematch of NXT’s Game of the Year 2020 headlines New Years Eve as Finn Balor defends the NXT Championship against Kyle O’Reilly tonight. At TakeOver 31 in October, Balor retained his title against O’Reilly, but suffered a broken jaw in the process. Tonight will be Balor’s first game since his surgery for the injury.
Karrion Kross v Damian Priest, Rhea Ripley v Raquel Gonzalez in a standing woman final, Santos Escobar v Gran Metalik for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship and the return of Xia Li and Boa are also scheduled for tonight.
Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher were originally scheduled to face each other in a Fight Pit match on tonight’s show, but WWE has announced that the match has been postponed due to Thatcher’s minor injury. WWE has said Thatcher is expected to return soon and the Fight Pit match will take place as soon as he heals.
New Year’s Evil is hosted by Dexter Lumis and will be presented “with fewer interruptions and more action”. Our live coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. EST.
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The show kicked off with Dexter Lumis entering the Capital Wrestling Center soundstage. He’s the host, but he hasn’t said anything. He turned the lights on and off in the house, then he saw that lever. So he pulled the lever, and the arena was magically filled with lights and crowds. Lumis was also known wearing a sports coat.
Karrion Kross (with Scarlett) defeated Damian Priest
Kross pinned Priest, but Kross fought almost to the end. The game was ad-free and they had plenty of time. It’s a PPV caliber match. Can even fit on a G1 card.
Priest sold his ribs during the match, and Kross worked on it.
Kross blocked Razor’s Edge and a chokeslam, but Priest came back with a springboard dive over the ropes to the ground. The priest delivered South of Heaven, but Krosss kicked it out. Kross interrupted him to return to work on the coast.
The fight returned outside the ring and Priest was slammed on the steps of the ring. They clashed again. The priest told Kross he was still standing, so Kross gave him a Saito suplex. Then Kross with a knockout to the back of the head, and Kross covered Priest for a pinfall.
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic begins next week on NXT.
Adam Cole and Roderick Strong’s Undisputed Era team were interviewed about the tournament. They face Breezango in a first round match. Cole put on their achievements, and said they fulfilled the Golden Prophecy. Cole went on to say they would do it again in 2021.
NXT Cruiserweight champion Santos Escobar (with Legado del Fantasma) defeated Gran Metalik (with Lince Dorado) to retain his title
Escobar pinned Metalik Clean in a fun match. Metalik is so underrated. He was arguably the best flyer in the world when WWE hired him several years ago. It remains awesome.
Metalik was able to show how great he was still a flyer, and that led to a moonsauklt Asai for a close fall. There was a sloppy spot before a commercial break. Heat Metalik during the break.
Escobar applied the tapatia as the show came back from the publicity. Metalik made a comeback, and he flew over the ropes with a tope con giro. Metalik with a springboard in a body press for a two count.
Metalik went to get another springboard, and Escobar met him with a knee kick in the air. Escobar followed with a tope through the ropes. Metalik still turned to two.
Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde went to interfere, and Dorado flew to make a save. Nonetheless, Metalik was stumbled. Escobar a moment later with the phantom pilot, and he pinned.
A sticker made Mercedes Martinez happy. She did a promo on NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai. Martinez attacked Shirai in a previous episode.
Xia Li defeated Katrina Cortez
Li pinned Cortez in an improvement match. Li was a new entry alongside Boa and the mysterious character who trained them.
Cortez wore a lucha-style mask, but she used a full name. It’s strange. Either way, it was a showcase match for Li.
Li presented her kicks and she tried to look like a killer. Li with a jump knee, then a high kick to mark the fall.
Raquel Gonzalez defeated Rhea Ripley in final women’s standing match
They started off with slugfest, so it felt like at least a grudge match. Gonzalez said stuff about how they were never friends. They could have talked about this detail earlier than last week. They have only been arguing for over months.
They fought on the ground. The handcuffs came into play and Ripled handcuffed Gonzalez to the wire fence. Gonzalez tore the chain link and she started hitting Ripley with the handcuffs.
Ripley tried using the hammer used for the bell, but Gonzalez blocked it. Ripley was in the background on the announcement desk, and she took an ugly bump. The table snapped and Gonzalez piled chairs and other debris on top of Ripley so she couldn’t beat the ten count. Nonetheless, Ripley crawled out from under the debris to break the count.
The game had a commercial break. Snoop Dogg was in a beer commercial during the break, and he was a featured attraction on that other wrestling show tonight.
Ripley was kicked from the stage after a commercial break. Gonzalez berated her and Ripley fired back. They went through a glass door which shattered.
Ripley made a Swanton bomb to put Gonzalez across a table. Suddenly Dakota Kai came out of nowhere to attack Ripley with a kendo stick. Ripley shot and she beat Kai. Ripley then shoved Kai into a locker, and she put a rolling suitcase in front of the locker. Kai was trapped there.
Ripley applied his inverted scorpion on stage. Gonzalez responded by sending Ripley crashing into a video card on the stage. Ripley and Gonzalez apparently tried to recreate the infamous bump with Shane McMahon and Kurt Angle, and Gonzalez suplexed Ripley into the video card.
They concluded with a bang. Gonzalez chokeslamed Ripley through a rigged part of the scene. Gonzalez was able to break the count, but Ripley was unable to meet the count of ten. Gonzalez won the match. Ripley did a stretcher job.
The Way asked police to export the building in a motorcade.
North American NXT champion Johnny Gargano was celebrating the breaking of his curse. He was joined by his wife, Candice LeRae, and their cohorts, Austin Theory and Indi Hartwell.
LeRae gave Gargano a plaque. Theory and Hartwell also have a present. They unveiled a picture they would have drawn of the stable. Gargano has announced that he and Theory will form a team in the Dusty Classic.
Shotzi Blackheart in his tank interrupted their celebration. The theory came out to confront, but he was shot in the groin by a tank. Blackheart then went to attack LeRae and Hartwell. Blackheart cleared the ring and Kushida came out to look back at her.
Dexter Lumis has rung the bell, hinting that this is now an impromptu tag match. Teddy Long had much better announcements. At least he spoke. Lumis never said a word.
Candice LeRae & Johnny Gargano vs. Shotzi Blackheart & Kushida in Mixed Tag Team Match
Kushida has pinned the North American champion, so maybe we’ll get a title match between the two soon.
LeRae & Gargano were in formal attire. Kushida mostly wore street clothes, but that’s her outfit now. Blackheart was dressed in her wrestling gear.
The match went through a commercial break, and LeRae got the heat on Blackheart. Kushida came out of a hot tag and he went wild.
They traded submission holds and the four of them did combos.
Kushida knocked Gargano off the apron and he held the ropes open so Blackheart could dive outside on LeRae.
The theory interfered with by Kushida stumbled, and the theory paid off. Kushida then pinned Gargano.
The TakeOver bext has been announced for February 14, which is also Valentine’s Day.
The Women’s Dusty Classic is also announced.
NXT Champion Finn Balor defeated Kyle O’Reilly to retain title
Balor submitted O’Reilly in a very good game. Maybe not better than their game a few months ago, but it was still good.
They started out with grappling and carpet work. They exchanged blows and holds. They built to trade strikes. From there, the pace started to pick up.
The intensity began to increase. There was a brace after O’Reilly landed a PK, but he skidded outside the ring after hitting the kick.
O’Reilly worked an arm, and Balor worked a jaw and O’Reilly’s face.
O’Reilly with leg warmers tried to tie Balor up, but Balor escaped by nailing O’Reilly in the jaw.
Balor with reverse DDT, and he switched to applying a transverse face to the injured face. O’Reilly escaped from the hold.
O’Reilly tried to rally, and Balor stopped the momemtum with a slingshot blade. Balor followed with a double stomp and a shotgun dropkick. Balor went to the top rope for the Coup de Grâce, but O’Reilly tripped him up.
Balor took a superplex and a brainbuster, then O’Reilly grabbed him in an armband. Balor managed to get a rope break. Balor was sort of open in his face and he bled.
Balor kicked O’Reilly in the liver. O’Reilly sold big, then Balor tricked him into a cobra twist. O’Reilly soon tapped.
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