WWE NXT Live Coverage - October 17th, 2023
– The show opens with a lengthy video package recapping last week's jam-packed show featuring Cody Rhodes, John Cena, Paul Heyman, The Undertaker, Asuka, The Judgment Day and others.
The Bada Bing Bada Boom Tag Team Battle Royal
After the package wraps up, we shoot inside the CWC where The Creed Brothers' theme hits and the team of Julius and Brutus Creed make their way out to the ring.
Already in the ring are the tag-teams of Chase U, Brooks Jensen & Josh Briggs vs. Charlie Dempsey & Drew Gulak, OTM, Hank Walker & Tank Ledger, Damon Kemp & Myles Borne, Gallus, Angel & Humberto, and Malik Blade & Edris Enofé.
The bell sounds and we're officially off-and-running with our opening contest, which is The Bada Bing, Bada Boom Tag-Team Battle Royal. The winning two teams will square off on next week's show to determine the challengers for The Family's NXT Tag-Team Championships.
Drew Gulak is eliminated almost immediately. The fans sing "Na-na-na-na, hey-hey-hey, goodbye!" as he is forced to head to the back. Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs are eliminated at the same time a few moments later. Ridge Holland ends up eliminating the team of Malik Blade & Edris Enofé by himself.
We see a shot of Tony D'Angelo and Stacks of The Family sitting in the luxury section in the CWC eating some Italian food as they enjoy the action in the ring to determine their next tag-team title challengers. Hank Walker and Tank Ledger are eliminated next. Gallus is also gone.
The OTM duo of Bronco Lima and Lucien Price are tossed out, as are The Brawling Brutes duo of Ridge Holland and Butch. They continue brawling on the floor after all four went over the top-rope at the same time. It looked like Angel and Humberto were tossed out, but the referees didn't see it, so they come back in and throw out The Creed Brothers.
NXT Tag-Team Title Eliminator: Chase U vs. Angel & Humberto
The teams of Chase U and Angel & Humberto are the final two teams remaining. The referees restore order after the confusion with The Creed Brothers and now Drew Gulak and Humberto Carrillo kick things off for their respective teams as the bell sounds to get this match off-and-running.
As the action continues, we shift gears and head into a mid-match commercial break. When we return from the break, we see the action is ongoing in the ring with Angel taking it to Andre Chase as the fans chant "Chase U! Chase U!" to try and rally behind the Chase U leader.
We see Thea Hail and Jacy Jane watching on at ringside and cheering the Chase U leader on. Chase eventually makes the hot tag to Hudson and he comes in and helps shift the offensive momentum to their favor. After some heel tactics sees Angel and Humberto nearly steal the win, out comes Brutus Creed of The Creed Brothers to even up the odds of justice.
This leads to the Chase U duo picking up the win. With the victory, Andre Chase and Duke Hudson will be challenging Tony D'Angelo and Stacks for the NXT Tag-Team Championships at NXT Halloween Havoc 2023.
Winners and NEW NXT Tag-Team Championship No. 1 Contenders: Chase U
– We shoot to a special message from Blair Davenport, who talks into the camera as highlights from recent weeks are shown of her ongoing rivalry with Gigi Dolin. She challengers her to a match at NXT Halloween Havoc 2023.
– After that, we go the backstage area inside the CWC where we see former NXT World Champion Carmelo Hayes walking the hallways. He is heading to the ring next. On that note, we shift gears and head into a quick commercial break.
– When we return from the break, we see the latest vignette for Lexis King, a.k.a. Brian Pillman Jr. He again talks about how he is going to make his name bigger than his ever was. He is hyped up for NXT Halloween Havoc 2023 as well.
– Back inside the CWC, we hear the familiar sound of Carmelo Hayes' theme music. Out comes the former NXT World Champion to a big pop from the Orlando crowd. He settles in the ring and tells the crowd it's good to be 'Melo. He mentions standing in the ring last week with John Cena.
He then mentions how he also stood shoulder-to-shoulder with "The Phenom," WWE Hall of Fame legend The Undertaker. As he continues to talk about how good things are going for him, he is interrupted by the theme song for Baron Corbin.
Corbin emerges from the back to a ton of boos. He tells 'Melo he was listening in the back and couldn't sit by and let ten more minutes of 'Melo being a fan-boy in front of the world. He mentions seeing him and Cena sitting in Shawn Michaels' office.
He mocks him for taking photos with Cena and Cody Rhodes and doing The Undertaker's pose with him. Corbin tells Hayes if he focused as much on being a Superstar as a fan, he might still have the NXT World Championship.
Dijak's theme song hits to interrupt Corbin and Hayes and out he comes. He tells them they should be focused on what he's going to do, because he's going to beat both of them tonight and then go on to take the NXT World Championship from Ilja Dragunov at NXT Halloween Havoc.
He goes on to tell Hayes that he's never put his name on a jersey. He tells Corbin he wants everyone to be afraid of him, but he isn't. The fans chant "Carmelo Hayes!" to the tune of John Cena's theme song as he tries talking. Hayes then says if Dijak keeps talking, he'll happily put his name on a jersey.
They keep talking but are interrupted by the reigning NXT World Champion Ilja Dragunov on the big screen. "The Mad Dragon" says instead of talking, they should be focused on the fierce battle that awaits them. He says he'll be watching to see who he'll be facing at NXT Halloween Havoc.
Dragunov says last week was historical and before Cody Rhodes left his duties as NXT G.M., he made one more decision. He says tonight's main event will not be a triple-threat match for the shot at his title, it will be a fatal-four-way. He says the fourth person will be this man. Trick Williams' theme hits and out he comes to loud "Whoop that Trick!" chants.
Trick comes to the ring and says it is what it is because this triple-threat match has become a fatal-four-way match. He says let's talk about it. Dijak says let's talk about how he just stabbed his best friend in the back. Trick talks about Dijak's ugly ass pants. He also dogs Corbin for being ugly.
Hayes seems to be upset about things, especially with Corbin claiming Trick did this behind his back. Carmelo says he knows who he is, and he knows who Trick is, and he knows exactly what it takes to win that NXT World Championship and he's willing to put anyone down to end up back on top.
Dijak asks what about him and points to Trick. Trick and Hayes go to stare each other down but Dijak and Corbin attack from behind. Trick and Hayes knock them both out of the ring. Hayes looks ready to take out Trick from behind when he turns around but he decides against it. That's how this entertaining segment comes to an end.
– We shoot to the women's locker room where everyone is talking when Tiffany Stratton comes in. She and Kiana James end up bickering back-and-forth and then Tiffany walks off as we head to another commercial break.
NXT Women's Breakout Tournament: Karmen Petrovic vs. Jaida Parker
When we return, we're inside the CWC where the theme for Karmen Petrovic hits and out she comes for first round action in the ongoing NXT Women's Breakout Tournament. She settles in the ring and her entrance tune dies down.
Jaida Parker's theme hits next and out she comes as the opponent to Karmen Petrovic for this first-round tournament bout. As she settles in the ring, a split-screen promo from Parker is shown. The bell sounds and we're officially off-and-running with this one.
Petrovic starts off strong, but it isn't long before Parker takes over. She begins dominating the action for a prolonged period of time. She ends up sinking in a unique choke with her legs, which prompts Jada to tap out. With the victory, Petrovic advances to the next round where she faces Lola Vice.
Winner and ADVANCING to the next round: Karmen Petrovic
– Backstage we see Tegan Nox stretching for her match when up walks Natalya. The two have a quick word and Nattie tells Nox she's here to have her back tonight since Nox had hers recently as well.
Tegan Nox vs. Lyra Valkyria
Inside the CWC, Tegan Nox comes out accompanied by Natalya. The two head to the ring as we shift gears and head to a quick pre-match commercial break.
When we return from the break, Lyra Valkyria is in the middle of finishing up her entrance to the ring. The bell sounds and we're officially off-and-running with this women's singles bout here on NXT on USA.
We see Nox start off strong, as Nattie is shown at ringside cheering her on. Valkyria starts to take over and after hitting a big high spot on Nox on the floor at ringside, we shift gears and head into a mid-match commercial break as the action continues.
As we settle back in from the break, we see Valkyria continuing to work over Nox inside the ring as the fans try and rally behind Nox. Nox and Valkyria each come off the ropes and hit a high cross-body splash into each other at the same time.
When it looks like Nox is about to take over and pull off the victory, we see Undisputed WWE Women's Tag-Team Champions Chelsea Green and Piper Niven come down to ringside. They distract Nox, which sets up Valkyria for the win.
Winner: Lyra Valkyria
– After the match, we see Natalya and Nox brawling with Green and Niven at ringside. Valkyria gets on the mic and says she promised nothing would stand in her way as she is on her journey towards a NXT Women's Championship showdown against Becky Lynch.
Becky Lynch appears on the big screen and talks about her history with Valkyria as well. She talks about it being history making to see two Irish girls going head-to-head in a WWE ring for a world championship. She says Valkyria is really, really good, but she is better. Vic Joseph confirms it as the main event for week one of NXT Halloween Havoc 2023.
– Now we return backstage and we see Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams talking out their problems. They are tense at first but end up coming to an understanding. They say no matter what happens tonight, they're still Trick-Melo Game and they always will be. We head to another commercial break.
– When we return, we see Gigi Dolin walking backstage. She is asked about being challenged by Blair Davenport for Halloween Havoc. Dolin says she loves Halloween. Dolin ups the stakes. It will be spin the wheel make a deal. She reveals the wheel and spins it. It lands on a Lights Out match. She says "Blair Davenport, next week, it's lights out b*tch!"
– Vic Joseph and Booker T show the vicious attack that Von Wagner suffered several weeks ago at the hands of Bron Breakker. We then shoot to footage of Von Wagner going through physical therapy. Robert Stone is with him trying to help him focus. Stone says he started it and when Von is 100-percent healthy he knows he'll finish it. Von gets motivated by that and works out harder.
Kiana James vs. Shotzi
We head back inside the CWC where Kiana James' theme hits and out she comes with her hand bag as always. As she settles in the ring, we see what went down between she and Shotzi on last week's show.
The theme for Shotzi hits next and out she comes in a mini-tank to a huge pop from the Orlando crowd. The SmackDown Superstar settles inside the squared circle and her music dies down.
The bell sounds and we're officially off-and-running with this women's one-on-one showdown here on NXT on USA. Kiana starts off strong, however when she slaps Shotzi, this only fires her opponent up.
Shotzi starts to take over on offense. She drops down at one point and lets out a crazy scream. Shotzi rolls Kiana up but James kicks out before the count of three. Shotzi hops on Kiana's back, but Kiana runs her into the corner to get free.
We see James fight back into the offensive lead. She sends Shotzi sailing out to the floor, where she crashes and burns hard at ringside. On that note, we shift gears and head into a mid-match commercial break as the action continues.
As we settle back in from the break, we see James try to sneak her hand bag into the match, but Roxanne Perez gets it first and pulls out a brick. She throws it to Shotzi, who blasts James with it and then tosses it to her and pretends she got hit with it. The ref throws the bag out and then Shotzi hits a senton off the top-rope for the pin fall victory.
Winner: Shotzi
– Now we shoot backstage where we see Oro Mensah being interviewed about Jakara Jackson being injured and forced out of the NXT Women's Breakout Tournament. Noam Dar calls him live and acts like the injury is way worse than it is.
As they continue to talk, the commentators reveal that something is going on in another area backstage. The camera catches up to the situation to reveal Trick Williams has been laid out. We head to a commercial break.
– When we return, we are informed that Trick has been sent to the hospital after the attack by the mystery man, and that tonight's four-way title eliminator will revert back to the originally scheduled triple-threat match.
– We shoot over to McKenzie Mitchell, who attempts to get a word from Dominik Mysterio about his brawl at WWE Monday Night Raw last night against Nathan Frazer. He says he's done talking about that fool.
In comes Frazer, who tells Dom-Dom there aren't any referees around to break things up tonight. The two break out in a wild brawl that spills out to the ring. Frazer gets the better of "Dirty" Dom until Rhea Ripley turns up and helps Dom slide out. The two retreat to the back.
– Backstage, we see Shotzi and Roxanne Perez talking about what just happened with Kiana James and the hand bag with a brick out in the arena moments ago. They approach the giant Spin the Wheel Make a Deal wheel for Halloween Havoc. Perez gives it a spin and it stops on a Devil's Playground match. She says it will be Kiana's hell.
NXT Women's Breakout Tournament: Arianna Grace vs. Brinley Reece
We shoot back inside the CWC where Arianna Grace is in the ring with a Miss America type outfit, crown and sash on. She talks about Jakara Jackson being pulled from the tournament. She gladly accepts her bye into the next round.
Or so she thinks.
The theme for her replacement opponent, Brinley Reece, plays and out comes the newcomer. She is shown in a split-screen promo from earlier today talking about her chances in the tourney. The bell sounds and we're officially off-and-running with this one.
Grace is in full-character mode, telling Reece to kiss her hand like a beauty contest participant, and even bows and thanks her loving audience after hitting spots in the match.
Reece hits a big clothesline and hoists Grace up for her finisher, but Grace thumbs Reece in the eye and escapes. She then follows up by hitting her own finisher and she scores the pin fall victory. With the win, she advances in the tournament, where she will face Kelani Jordan in the next round.
Winner and ADVANCING to the next round: Arianna Grace
– Vic Joseph and Booker T run down the updated brackets for the 2023 Women's Breakout Tournament, with the semifinals scheduled to take place as part of night one of WWE NXT Halloween Havoc 2023.
After that, we shoot backstage and see the participants in our scheduled triple-threat main event to determine Ilja Dragunov's challenger for the NXT World Championship main event of WWE NXT Halloween Havoc warming up backstage. On that note, we shift gears and head to another commercial break.
– When we return, McKenzie Mitchell is standing backstage with Bron Breakker, who gloats about last week's show being the biggest in history because of him. He also boasts about his attack of Von Wagner. This brings in Robert Stone, who challenges him to a match for Halloween Havoc. Breaker accepts.
NXT World Championship Eliminator: Carmelo Hayes vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dijak
Back inside the CWC, already in the ring are Baron Corbin and Carmelo Hayes, who are each introduced. The theme for Dijak hits as the lights go down and out he comes last for our triple-threat title eliminator main event to determine Ilja Dragunov's opponent for night two of NXT Halloween Havoc.
The bell sounds and we're officially off-and-running with this one. The fans immediately break out in a "We want Trick!" chant, even though he is "in the hospital" after the mystery attacker beat him down earlier this evening. We see Corbin and Dijak taking turns beating down Hayes early on. They finally turn their attention to each other and begin going at it.
Fans chant "Melo! Melo!" as he fires up on offense and takes out Corbin after Corbin laid out Dijak. He goes to the top-rope for a high spot but Dijak takes him out. Dijak turns his attention to Corbin again and the two continue to duke it out in the center of the ring as Hayes recovers.
Hayes does recover and takes out Corbin and Dijak with a beautiful double-DDT for a big pop from the Orlando crowd. He goes for a cover on Corbin, who kicks out at two. He tries covering Dijak, but he also kicks out at two. As the action continues, we shift gears and head into a mid-match commercial break.
When we return from our final commercial break of the evening, we see the match still in progress. Each guy takes turns hitting big high spots for close near fall attempts. The fans break out in a loud "NXT! NXT!" chant as the three slowly recover. Dijak and Hayes do and Dijak goes to work on Hayes in the corner while Corbin continues to recover.
A big stacked spot with all three guys in the corner leads to everyone in the match being down and out and slowly recovering once again. The fans loudly chant "Holy sh*t!" and it is censored off of the television broadcast. The fans chant for 'Melo as he gets back to his feet. Corbin decks Hayes and knocks him out of the ring.
Corbin goes for a chokeslam on Dijak, but Dijak flips through and lands on his feet and takes out Corbin. He hoists Corbin up for his finisher but Corbin counters and connects with his End of Days finisher. Hayes immediately follows up with his Nothing But Net finisher on Corbin for the pin fall.
With the victory, Carmelo Hayes will go on to challenge Ilja Dragunov for the NXT World Championship in the main event of night two of NXT Halloween Havoc 2023. Hayes celebrates his victory as Vic Joseph hypes Hayes vs. Dragunov for the NXT title in week two of Halloween Havoc.
Winner and NEW NXT World Championship No. 1 Contender: Carmelo Hayes
– We shoot backstage and we see Lyra Valkyria in her locker room watching Carmelo Hayes celebrating his victory in the ring via a monitor. She pulls a picture of Becky Lynch off of her locker and tears it up. "In one week, your title is mine!" she says as she walks off.
Then we see an image of Jade Cargill pointing to her watch on her wrist and then saying one, alluding to her debut coming in one weeks time, presumably. That's how this week's episode of NXT on USA goes off the air.
