WWE NXT took place from the WWE Performance Center in Winter Park, Florida. The Wagner Brothers and Hank & Tank advanced to the semifinals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, while Izzi Dame defeated Layla Diggs before accepting a Halloween Havoc match with Zaria. The show ended with Cruz Montana being restrained by police following his violent brawl with Dion Lennox.
Grayson Waller and Tony D’Angelo
Tony D’Angelo opened the show by calling NXT Champion Grayson Waller to the ring.
Waller recalled that he and D’Angelo signed with WWE and debuted around the same time. They were also teammates in WarGames as members of Team 2.0, but Waller said someone had always prevented them from facing each other.
D’Angelo questioned whether Waller would still be champion had their match at Heatwave been one-on-one. Waller insisted the outcome would have been the same but admitted that he wanted the satisfaction of defeating D’Angelo by himself.
Waller also admitted that he had always resented D’Angelo for being chosen and pushed despite knowing very little about NXT when he arrived. Waller said that resentment created the chip on his shoulder that made him tougher and eventually led him to the NXT Championship.
D’Angelo called Waller a hypocrite who hid behind jokes, memes and one-liners because he was desperate for attention. Waller described his behavior as mental warfare and claimed he had already defeated D’Angelo mentally.
Waller promised to take D’Angelo into deep waters at Halloween Havoc and allow him to drown himself.
D’Angelo described both men as foundational figures of the NXT 2.0 era. He acknowledged Waller’s success but reminded him that he was a Division I All-American who weighed 250 pounds and could physically tear him apart.
D’Angelo promised to drag Waller through hell at Halloween Havoc and find out whether the champion could survive in deep water with a shark.
Izzi Dame Confronts the Women’s Locker Room
Izzi Dame stood beside Zaria’s locker and complained that Zaria had destroyed the decorations from her gift bag.
Skylar Raye told Dame to leave Zaria alone, while Layla Diggs questioned why Dame continued escalating the issue. Diggs believed it was clearly about the NXT Women’s North American Championship.
Dame said it was not about the championship yet. Diggs responded that she wanted the title because she never received her championship match before being injured.
Dame warned Diggs not to interfere in her business. She promised to dismantle Zaria piece by piece and expose who she really was, even if she had to eliminate distractions such as Diggs along the way.
Birthright Promises to Win the Dusty Cup
Arianna Grace interrupted Vic Joseph and declared that Birthright would make an example of the AAA World Tag Team Champions.
Grace promised that Birthright would prove why winning the 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic was their destiny.
A black SUV arrived outside the Performance Center as Birthright walked away.
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Quarterfinal
Birthright vs. The Wagner Brothers
Charlie Dempsey and El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. opened with a technical exchange. Dempsey used a double wrist-lock takedown, headscissors neck lock and single-leg crab before Wagner targeted his left knee.
Wagner responded with two arm drags and trapped Dempsey’s arms with his legs. Lexis King and Galeno then entered the match.
King offered a handshake before kicking Galeno in the stomach. Galeno recovered with a shoulder tackle and tagged Wagner for an assisted hip-toss splash.
The Wagner Brothers continued working together until Arianna Grace stopped them from attempting simultaneous dives. Wagner still connected with a somersault plancha.
Birthright took control during the commercial break. Dempsey applied a triangle choke and targeted Wagner’s left shoulder before using a rear chin lock.
Wagner escaped with a belly-to-back suplex and reached Galeno. Galeno attacked both opponents with shoulder tackles, a knee strike, corner clotheslines, a bodyslam and a big splash.
Dempsey later trapped Wagner in the Octopus Stretch and hanging guillotine choke. King added a superkick before Galeno broke the submission with a vertical suplex.
King blocked Wagner’s frog splash with his knees. At ringside, Zilla Fatu attacked Uriah Connors before Grace slapped Fatu and escaped into the ring.
Galeno hit Dempsey with the Pounce. King attempted the Coronation, but Wagner countered with an exploder suplex and followed with the Wagner Driver.
Wagner tagged Galeno, who delivered the Frog Splash to advance his team.
Winners: The Wagner Brothers via Pinfall
After the match, Fatu threw Connors over the top rope and attacked Dempsey and King. Dempsey stopped the Triple Z, but Fatu avoided a clothesline and planted him with a pop-up Samoan Drop.
DarkState Discusses Cruz Montana
DarkState reviewed Cruz Montana’s promo from the previous week.
Cutler James suggested Dion Lennox had gone too far by contacting Montana’s mother. Lennox said Montana was different and acknowledged that there would be casualties.
Lennox promised to bring Montana back to a dark place before DarkState began discussing strategy.
Myles Borne and Tavion Heights Brawl
Tavion Heights addressed Myles Borne’s betrayal. Heights recalled believing Borne’s apology, only for his former partner to attack him again and stomp on a steel chair wrapped around his ankle.
He said he had watched Borne fail under the pressure of an NXT Championship No. 1 Contender’s opportunity and promised to become Borne’s biggest problem.
Borne attacked Heights from behind, leading to a fight through the crowd. The brawl spilled into the NXT parking lot, where referees and officials separated them.
Jackson Drake Receives a New Challenger
The Vanity Project encountered Chantel Monroe while heading to Robert Stone’s office. Ricky Smokes complimented Monroe’s vignette, prompting Myka Lockwood to tell him to remain focused.
Inside the office, Stone addressed Vanity Project’s confrontation with EK Prosper, Mini Vikingo and Chazz “Starboy” Hall. Jackson Drake claimed there had been no altercation and said they were only mocking Prosper for giving Vikingo and Hall false hope.
Stone revealed that he had planned a six-man tag team match, but Vikingo was not medically cleared. He then informed Drake that he would defend the NXT North American Championship against Prosper the following week.
Izzi Dame vs. Layla Diggs
Dame gained the early advantage with a side headlock, shoulder tackle and forearm. She drove Diggs shoulder-first into the turnbuckles before delivering a bodyslam.
Diggs responded by attacking Dame’s left shoulder. She applied an armbar, delivered a sit-out arm drag and avoided a big boot before Dame eventually caught her with the move.
Diggs sent Dame outside and delivered a moonsault press from the apron. Back inside, she connected with a powerslam and standing moonsault for a two-count.
Dame regained control with a pop-up kick to the ribs. She drove Diggs into the middle turnbuckle before delivering a pendulum backbreaker and sending her shoulder-first into the ring post.
Dame followed with a running lariat and swinging arm-ringer. Diggs mounted a comeback with an overhead kick, leg lariat, running knee, sit-out gourdbuster and Frog Splash.
Dame answered with a running crucifix bomb and an inverted backbreaker. She then countered a belly-to-back suplex into a cutter for another near fall.
Diggs countered a powerbomb with a hurricanrana and later stopped a flying Codebreaker with a leg lariat. Dame avoided a moonsault and connected with the Busaiku Knee.
Winner: Izzi Dame via Pinfall
After the match, Zaria confronted Dame and said the mind games involving photographs and videos had continued for long enough.
Zaria assumed Dame wanted an NXT Women’s North American Championship opportunity and offered her a title match at Halloween Havoc.
Dame accepted the match but told Zaria not to worry about putting the championship on the line.
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Quarterfinal
The Creed Brothers vs. Hank & Tank
Julius Creed controlled Tank Ledger with waist-lock takedowns before clotheslining him in the back of the neck. Brutus Creed entered and combined with Julius for a backstabber and fallaway slam.
Tank responded with punches, a knee strike and springboard shoulder tackle before tagging Hank Walker.
Hank attacked Brutus with knee strikes and body shots. Hank and Tank used frequent tags to isolate Brutus until he sent Hank into the turnbuckles and delivered a double-underhook facebuster.
The Creed Brothers controlled the match through the commercial break. Tank eventually entered with a slingshot splash and back body drop before Julius knocked him from the turnbuckles.
Brutus delivered a gutbuster, while Julius followed with another gutwrench gutbuster and a seated abdominal stretch.
Tank fought toward his corner but was repeatedly stopped. He finally knocked Brutus from the apron and avoided Julius long enough to tag Hank.
Hank entered with clotheslines, a double chop, running hip attack, Stinger Splash and running back elbow. He then delivered the Pounce to Brutus on the floor and the Bossman Slam to Julius.
Hank and Tank attempted the Honk Honk, but Brutus pulled Hank outside. After Brutus became sandwiched at ringside, Julius hit Tank with a running boot.
Tank avoided Julius in the corner, allowing Hank and Tank to connect with their running powerslam and headbutt combination.
Winners: Hank & Tank via Pinfall
Zilla Fatu Demands a Halloween Havoc Match
Birthright confronted Robert Stone backstage and complained that Zilla Fatu had cost them their Dusty Cup match.
Lexis King requested a match with Fatu, although Stone was unsure whether Fatu had received medical clearance.
Wren Sinclair and Kendal Grey interrupted. Sinclair praised Stone for bringing back the WrenQCC and prepared to sign her Halloween Havoc contract. Grey encouraged her to handle the moment independently.
Chantel Monroe appeared and demanded that Grey and Sinclair acknowledge her vignette. Grey told Sinclair to remain focused and promised to catch up with her later.
Kelani Jordan and Wren Sinclair Contract Signing
Wren Sinclair entered the ring and discussed her upcoming NXT Women’s Championship match against Kelani Jordan.
Sinclair acknowledged Jordan as “The Standout” but promised to make her stand down at Halloween Havoc. She called Jordan to the ring to sign the contract.
Jordan congratulated Sinclair on earning the opportunity and said she had brought her a gift.
Jordan then dragged a bloodied Kendal Grey onto the stage. Sinclair abandoned the contract signing and rushed to check on her friend.
The Halloween Havoc Wheel Returns
Robert Stone reprimanded Zilla Fatu in his office. Fatu said his attack on Birthright was only a preview of what was coming.
Despite wearing a cast, Fatu insisted that he was medically cleared and ready to fight Charlie Dempsey.
Fatu requested the return of the Halloween Havoc wheel so it could determine the stipulation for their match. He promised to settle the score with Dempsey at Halloween Havoc.
Dorian Van Dux Sidelined
Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno spoke with EK Prosper, Sean Legacy and Chazz “Starboy” Hall in the locker room.
It was revealed that Dorian Van Dux would be out of action for two months. Dar encouraged Legacy to remain positive and said Van Dux would recover.
Moreno predicted that Prosper would rebound by winning the NXT North American Championship the following week.
Legacy then argued with Saquon Shugars. Legacy accused Shugars of overextending himself and creating his own glass ceilings. Shugars told Legacy to worry about himself or risk joining his injured partner.
DarkState Attempts to Ambush Cruz Montana
Emily Agard prepared to interview Cruz Montana before his match with Dion Lennox.
DarkState took control of the camera and entered the men’s locker room to ambush Montana, but their plan failed.
NARAKU Warns Shiloh Hill
NARAKU addressed Shiloh Hill and said he had refused to follow previous warnings.
NARAKU described the effects of the red, green, orange and blue mist before warning that another color was even more dangerous.
NARAKU promised to unleash the black mist at Halloween Havoc and end the rivalry once and for all.
Lizzy Rain Challenges Chantel Monroe
Lizzy Rain congratulated Shiloh Hill on earning a match at his first Halloween Havoc. Hill said he had 10 days to determine how to prepare for the black mist.
Rain encouraged Hill by reminding him that he could accomplish anything.
Chantel Monroe interrupted and demanded praise for her “Reflection of Perfection” vignette. Monroe insulted Rain, who responded by saying she had managed to irritate the entire locker room within two hours.
Rain then challenged Monroe to a match the following week.
Halloween Havoc and Next Week’s NXT
Danhausen was announced as the host of Halloween Havoc.
The semifinals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic will take place on the following week’s NXT. The Vanity Project will face Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno, while Hank & Tank will battle The Wagner Brothers.
Jackson Drake will also defend the NXT North American Championship against EK Prosper.
Cruz Montana vs. Dion Lennox
Lennox kicked Montana before the bell, but Montana responded with punches, a powerslam and a ground-and-pound attack.
Lennox fought back with body shots, a belly-to-back suplex and spinebuster. Montana answered with two running chops, a senton and flying cannonball before delivering a sit-out powerbomb.
Lennox avoided a slingshot pescado and drove Montana face-first onto the steel steps. He then began removing the protective padding from the ringside floor.
Montana escaped a running powerslam and sent Lennox into the ring post. Both men returned to the ring before the referee’s count reached 10.
Lennox regained control with a corner Spear and bridging Northern Lights suplex. He followed with elbow strikes, a big splash, rear chin lock and Uranage.
Montana mounted another comeback with a superkick, step-up enzuigiri and roll-through cutter. Lennox answered with a running lariat and slingshot Thunder Bomb.
Lennox insulted Montana and made a remark about his daughter. An enraged Montana attacked before Spearing Lennox through the ringside barricade, leading to both men being counted out.
Result: Double Count-Out
After the match, Montana continued attacking Lennox and security personnel. Lennox provoked him again, prompting Montana to attack from behind.
Montana bodyslammed Lennox onto the exposed floor and delivered the Curb Stomp. He then struck Cutler James with the steel ring steps and fought off additional security guards.
Police officers eventually restrained Montana as NXT went off the air.
