Ladies and gentlemen, the superstars of the World Wrestling Federation’s NXT Generation returned to the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, tonight for the final stop on the road to Halloween Havoc!
And what an interesting evening it turned out to be.
The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic produced its two finalists, Jackson Drake defended the North American Championship against EK Prosper, and Grayson Waller decided that the best way to prepare for his championship match against Tony D’Angelo was to go wandering around the man’s neighborhood.
But before we get into all that, I have an important announcement.
CHANTEL MONROE CAN WRESTLE!
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the beautiful newcomer who occupied a rather considerable portion of our preview has officially answered the question that was apparently troubling the entire Titanquisitor wrestling department.
And she won! Granted, she cheated, but if Eddie Guerrero taught us anything it’s that if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying. And tried she did!
But we’ll get to that.
With Halloween Havoc coming Saturday night, let’s head to the ring and see what happened on tonight’s episode of WWF The NXT Generation!
Noam Dar & Romeo Moreno vs. The Vanity Project — Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinal
Winners: Noam Dar & Romeo Moreno — Advance to the Final
The evening opened with the reigning NXT Tag Team Champions, Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes, facing Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno for a place in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic final.
Dar entered the contest with an injured forehead, giving the Vanity Project an obvious target. The champions wasted little time taking advantage, repeatedly isolating their opponents and attempting to keep Dar from building momentum.
Moreno provided some much-needed offense, while Dar demonstrated remarkable toughness despite the punishment he was receiving.
The match developed into a wild exchange of double-team maneuvers, submission attempts, and near falls. The Vanity Project appeared close to victory on several occasions, but Dar and Moreno refused to surrender.
Myka Lockwood attempted to involve herself in the proceedings, although her efforts ultimately failed to produce the desired result.
The finish came when Dar and Moreno connected with a combination back elbow and leg sweep, securing the pinfall and advancing to the tournament final.
The reigning NXT Tag Team Champions had been eliminated!
Stinger’s View: WELL, WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT!
I predicted Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno would win this match, and for once, the wrestlers actually had the decency to follow my analysis!
This was a competitive opener with a meaningful result. Dar and Moreno have now defeated Fraxiom and the reigning champions during their tournament run, giving them an impressive argument for being taken seriously. The Vanity Project may still possess the championship belts, but losing to Dar and Moreno should raise some uncomfortable questions about their position at the top of the division. And that’s exactly what a good tournament should accomplish.
A victory ought to mean something beyond simply advancing to the next round.
Chantel Monroe vs. Lizzy Rain
Winner: Chantel Monroe — Pinfall
Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve arrived at the moment you’ve all been waiting for.
Well, perhaps not all of you. But after our preview, I’m certainly not going to pretend I wasn’t interested.
Chantel Monroe made her official NXT singles debut against Lizzy Rain, and the beautiful newcomer had an opportunity to demonstrate whether her abilities inside the ring could match her considerable confidence outside it.
And wouldn’t you know it?
The girl can wrestle!
Monroe and Rain began with a series of technical exchanges, trading holds and counters before the contest developed into a more physical encounter.
Rain delivered several impressive offensive maneuvers, including a spinning kick, German suplex, and spinebuster. Monroe responded with her own offense, including a neckbreaker across the ropes, and demonstrated that she could handle herself against a competitive opponent.
The match lasted more than nine minutes, giving both women an opportunity to showcase their abilities.
Unfortunately, the finish wasn’t entirely legitimate. Rain attempted a roll-up, but Monroe reversed the situation and grabbed the bottom rope for additional leverage while securing the three-count.
Chantel Monroe had won her debut, although she certainly hadn’t done it fairly. But when you look like that, you can get away with stuff. That’s the rules, I didn’t make them I just follow them.
Stinger’s View: First of all, I’d like to congratulate Chantel Monroe on her victory. I know she had it in her. I predicted her victory after all. In the preview, I asked whether she could wrestle even half as well as she looks. I’m pleased to report that she’s off to a promising start.
And considering how good she looks, that’s quite a compliment!
All joking aside, I was glad this wasn’t a thirty-second squash match designed to put the newcomer in her place. Rain received meaningful offense, Monroe had an opportunity to demonstrate her abilities, and those rather dashing looks, and the match gave viewers a reason to remember both competitors.
The rope-assisted finish also established something important about Monroe’s personality. She’s arrogant, confident, and apparently not above bending the rules to get what she wants. I don’t blame her one damn bit, do what you have to do to get the W, my queen. In other words, she’s going to fit right into professional wrestling.
Would I have preferred a clean finish? Absolutely. But I can appreciate the character development.
And yes, Theia, before you send another complaint to the editorial department, I did actually watch the wrestling match! I was practically glued to it.
Saquon Shugars vs. Sean Legacy
Winner: Sean Legacy — Pinfall
Saquon Shugars and Sean Legacy met in singles competition following their recent backstage confrontation.
Both men demonstrated impressive athleticism, exchanging holds and counters before Shugars began taking control through a more physical approach.
Legacy responded with several spectacular maneuvers, including a standing moonsault and a springboard attack that nearly secured the victory.
Shugars eventually connected with the F-12, but Legacy managed to place his foot on the bottom rope before the referee completed the three-count.
That mistake proved costly.
Legacy survived another offensive attempt and connected with a standing Spanish Fly to secure the victory.
Stinger’s View: This was a solid match, and I enjoyed the finish. Shugars had an opportunity to win but failed to properly secure his opponent. Legacy took advantage and earned the victory. That’s the kind of straightforward wrestling psychology I like.
Sometimes a wrestler loses because he makes a mistake. Not because six people run down the aisle, somebody hits the referee with a chair, or a mysterious masked stranger suddenly appears. Imagine that! Shugars has plenty of potential, but he needs to learn that arrogance doesn’t replace proper ring awareness. And Sean Legacy deserves credit for taking advantage of the opportunity.
Hank & Tank vs. The Wagner Brothers — Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinal
Winners: Hank & Tank — Advance to the Final
The second Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic semifinal featured Hank Walker and Tank Ledger against AAA World Tag Team Champions El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. and Galeno.
With Dr. Wagner Jr. watching from ringside, his sons had an opportunity to advance to the tournament final and add another accomplishment to their family’s wrestling legacy.
Unfortunately for the Wagner Brothers, Hank and Tank had other plans.
The match was a physical encounter featuring plenty of power moves, hard strikes, and impressive displays of strength.
Galeno used his considerable size to dominate portions of the contest, while his brother delivered several spectacular attacks, including a moonsault.
Hank and Tank survived the punishment and eventually rallied, using their teamwork to neutralize the larger opponents.
The finish came when Hank and Tank delivered simultaneous splashes from opposite corners, securing the pinfall and advancing to the final.
Stinger’s View: Well, ladies and gentlemen, I got this prediction wrong. I picked the Wagner Brothers to win, but Hank and Tank had other ideas. And as I said in the preview, that’s why they wrestle the matches instead of simply asking me to pick the winners!
This was an entertaining heavyweight tag team encounter, and I appreciated that the winners earned their victory without outside interference.
However, I’m becoming increasingly curious about Hank and Tank’s direction. Their recent behavior has raised questions about whether they’re heading toward a more villainous attitude, yet tonight they defeated the AAA champions without resorting to underhanded tactics. That’s not necessarily a problem, but I hope NXT has a clear destination in mind.
Either way, the Dusty Rhodes Classic final is now official.
Hank & Tank vs. Noam Dar & Romeo Moreno.
And one important scheduling note: the final will take place on next week’s NXT broadcast, Wednesday, November 4, rather than at Halloween Havoc.
Jackson Drake vs. EK Prosper — NXT North American Championship
Winner: Jackson Drake — Retains the Championship
Jackson Drake defended the NXT North American Championship against EK Prosper in one of the evening’s most important matches.
Prosper entered the contest looking to capture his first major championship, while Drake hoped to continue the Vanity Project’s impressive collection of gold.
The challenger delivered an excellent performance, repeatedly using his athleticism to overcome the champion’s offense.
Prosper connected with several impressive maneuvers, including a tornado DDT, a poison rana, and a spectacular leaping Frankensteiner.
Drake responded with his own aerial attacks, including a springboard Spanish Fly that nearly ended the contest.
As the match approached its conclusion, the Vanity Project attempted to interfere, creating additional distractions for the challenger.
And then Kam Hendrix appeared.
Hendrix shoved Prosper from the top rope while the referee was distracted, leaving him vulnerable to Drake’s finishing maneuver.
The champion capitalized and secured the pinfall, retaining the North American Championship.
Stinger’s View: OH, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! EK Prosper had an excellent opportunity to capture the championship, and once again, somebody who wasn’t involved in the match decided to interfere. I enjoyed the wrestling. Both men demonstrated impressive athletic ability, and Prosper looked entirely capable of competing at the championship level.
But the finish? Come on! Jackson Drake is supposed to be the champion. He’s supposed to be one of the best wrestlers in the division (don’t @ me, I didn’t book this). Yet apparently, he needs an entire entourage and an unexpected appearance from Kam Hendrix to survive a title defense. This is par for the course in the World Wrestling Federation at all levels. Anything can happen in the World Wrestling Federation, except apparently a clean finish in a championship match.
Now, I understand the purpose of the finish. Hendrix has inserted himself into Prosper’s business, creating another potential rivalry while protecting the challenger from a decisive defeat. That’s perfectly reasonable storytelling.
But after spending the evening enjoying several legitimate finishes, I was hoping the championship match might follow the same pattern. Silly me, standing up in the rafters like an idiot, thinking I might actually get to see a proper ending to a championship match like it isn’t the year 2026.
Instead, Prosper gets robbed, Drake escapes with the title, and the Vanity Project continues celebrating as though they’ve accomplished something extraordinary.
Congratulations, gentlemen. You successfully outnumbered somebody.
I’m sure Dusty Rhodes would be thrilled.
Grayson Waller Takes His Rivalry With Tony D’Angelo Too Far
The biggest non-wrestling storyline of the evening involved NXT Champion Grayson Waller and his Halloween Havoc challenger, Tony D’Angelo.
Waller decided to play mind games with D’Angelo by appearing outside his family home.
Naturally, Tony wasn’t all that pleased. I wonder why?
D’Angelo left the Performance Center to confront the champion, but Waller continued leading him around, eventually directing him toward a familiar family restaurant.
The champion appeared to be enjoying himself immensely, taunting D’Angelo and attempting to provoke an emotional reaction before their championship match.
The evening concluded with Waller addressing the audience inside the arena, boasting about his intelligence and claiming that D’Angelo had become soft.
But Tony finally caught up with him.
The two men brawled outside the building, crashing into the surrounding landscaping before D’Angelo threw Waller into the back of a truck.
And that’s how NXT went off the air.
Stinger’s View: Now THIS is how you build anticipation for a championship match! Grayson Waller is an obnoxious little weasel, and I mean that as a compliment to his ability to portray a villain (I mean a heel; I can use the proper insider terminology like a respectable journalist watching from the couch, er, standing in the rafters).
Showing up outside another man’s family home is an excellent way to make the audience want to see somebody knock your teeth down your throat. It’s why we see it done so frequently.
Tony D’Angelo has every reason to be furious, and the final confrontation gave viewers a taste of the violence awaiting them Saturday night. I enjoyed that the segment ended with D’Angelo finally getting his hands on Waller. Sometimes you need to let the good guy (that’s a babyface, look at me and my smark knowledge) deliver a little punishment before the big match. And if Saturday’s championship encounter is anything like their confrontation tonight, we could be in for an entertaining fight. Or not, you never know!
Halloween Havoc: Weapons Wild, Unsanctioned Violence & More
Several other important developments occurred throughout the evening as NXT prepared for Halloween Havoc.
Myles Borne and Tavion Heights confronted each other ahead of their scheduled match, with both men exchanging increasingly personal accusations about their former partnership.
Danhausen eventually appeared and introduced the infamous Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal concept.
The wheel selected a Weapons Wild Match for their Halloween Havoc confrontation.
Meanwhile, Zilla Fatu attempted to address his upcoming encounter with Charlie Dempsey before being attacked by members of Birthright disguised as druids.
Izzi Dame continued her psychological campaign against Zaria, while Wren Sinclair expressed confidence that she could defeat Kelani Jordan for the NXT Women’s Championship.
And Cruz Montana’s increasingly personal rivalry with Dion Lennox received another development when General Manager Robert Stone announced that the two men would meet in an Unsanctioned Match next week.
Stinger’s View: There’s certainly no shortage of hostility heading into Halloween Havoc. I somewhat like the Weapons Wild stipulation for Borne and Heights. Their rivalry has become personal enough that an ordinary wrestling match might not provide a satisfying conclusion.
As for the masked druids attacking Zilla Fatu, well, apparently Halloween Havoc has officially become an excuse for everybody to dress like a cult member.
And I’m beginning to think Robert Stone deserves hazard pay for managing this roster.
John Cena and Cody Rhodes Coming to NXT
One additional announcement deserves special attention.
John Cena will appear on next week’s NXT broadcast, while Cody Rhodes is scheduled to present the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic trophy to the tournament winners.
That’s a significant amount of star power for the NXT generation, particularly with the Dusty Classic reaching its conclusion. It has nothing at all to do with the show being on Wednesday night next week due to election coverage.
Stinger’s View: I love seeing established stars participate in NXT when their appearances contribute something meaningful. And Cody Rhodes presenting the trophy named after his father is an especially appropriate touch. The Dusty Rhodes Classic should always feel like an important accomplishment, and having Cody involved in the presentation helps reinforce that significance. I’m looking forward to it.
Now having said that, I can already hear the whining from certain AEW fans about counter-programming. Yes, TKO forced The CW to have election coverage so they could compete for one night against AEW. I like them both, but if you think John Cena talking about his silly little Classic and Cody Rhodes presenting a trophy pose a serious ratings threat to BLOOD & GUTS then you might as well say AEW has problems. This isn’t exactly a stacked roster NXT is working with these days, lovely ladies excluded of course.
So if Shawn Michaels (scratch that, this is kayfabe, I mean Robert Stone) wants me to tune into NXT over Blood and Guts, he’s gonna have to do to a helluva lot more than John Cena and Cody Rhodes. They have until showtime next Wednesday night to announce a Chantel Monroe match or they’re not getting watched.
Stinger’s Final View: A Solid Night Before Halloween Havoc
WWF The NXT Generation delivered an entertaining episode tonight, with the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic providing two meaningful matches and several young competitors receiving opportunities to demonstrate their abilities. Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno scored another impressive victory, defeating the reigning NXT Tag Team Champions to advance to the final. Hank and Tank continued their successful tournament run by defeating the Wagner Brothers, setting up an intriguing championship tournament conclusion next week.
Sean Legacy earned a solid victory over Saquon Shugars, while Jackson Drake retained the North American Championship thanks to interference from Kam Hendrix.
And, of course, Chantel Monroe made a successful NXT singles debut.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, she’s gorgeous. Yes, she can wrestle. And yes, she apparently cheats. I fail to see the problem. Grabbing the ropes is a much more dignified way to win a match than having half the roster interfere on your behalf. With that said, if she needs a run-in to secure a victory in the future, then I volunteer my services.
I believe we’ve now thoroughly investigated the matter. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be investigated further. I believe it’s worth a second viewing. And perhaps a third.
The final confrontation between Grayson Waller and Tony D’Angelo also provided an effective conclusion to the broadcast, leaving viewers with a reason to anticipate their championship match at Halloween Havoc.
The show wasn’t perfect. I could have done without the interference in the North American Championship match, and some of the Halloween Havoc rivalries could use a little more development.
But there was plenty to enjoy.
Match of the Night: Noam Dar & Romeo Moreno vs. The Vanity Project
Biggest Surprise: Hank & Tank defeating the Wagner Brothers
Biggest Development: The Dusty Rhodes Classic final is set for November 4
Biggest Frustration: Kam Hendrix interfering in the North American Championship match
Most Important Discovery: Chantel Monroe can, in fact, wrestle, and damn, she looks good doing it.
Stinger’s Rating: 3.5 out of 5
A solid episode that successfully established the Dusty Rhodes Classic finalists while providing some additional momentum heading into Halloween Havoc.
Until next time, this is Stinger, signing off from the rafters of Titanquisitor Hall.
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