| Halloween Havoc | |||
|---|---|---|---|
_Poster.jpg) Promotional poster featuringTrick Williams,Roxanne Perez,Giulia,Oba Femi,Ethan Page, andKelani Jordan | |||
| Promotion | WWE | ||
| Brand | NXT | ||
| Date | October 27, 2024 | ||
| City | Hershey, Pennsylvania | ||
| Venue | Giant Center | ||
| Attendance | 4,940[1] | ||
| WWE Network event chronology | |||
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| Halloween Havoc chronology | |||
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| NXT major events chronology | |||
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The 2024Halloween Havoc was aprofessional wrestlingevent produced byWWE. It was the fifth annualHalloween Havoc held for the promotion'sdevelopmental brandNXT, and the 17th Halloween Havoc event overall. It took place on Sunday, October 27, 2024, at theGiant Center inHershey, Pennsylvania. This was the second NXT Halloween Havoc to be held as alivestreaming event, after2022, as the2020,2021, and2023 events were held astelevision specials ofNXT, and also returned the event to one night as the 2023 edition was a two-night event. It was also the first NXT livestreaming event to solely use the WWE branding.
Five matches were contested at the event. In the main event,Trick Williams defeatedEthan Page in aSpin the Wheel, Make the Deal:Devil's Playground match to retain theNXT Championship. In another prominent match,Giulia andStephanie Vaquer defeatedRoxanne Perez andCora Jade in atag team match, and in the opening bout,Tony D'Angelo defeatedOba Femi in a Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal:Tables, Ladders, and Scares match to retain theNXT North American Championship. This event was notable for the appearance ofWWE Hall of FamerBubba Ray Dudley.
The event received mostly negative reviews from fans and critics alike, with the most common criticisms being directed towards the opening match and the Ambulance Match being the main focal points, with some even going as far as calling it one of the worst NXT events of all time.
Halloween Havoc is aprofessional wrestling event currently produced byWWE. As the name implies, it is aHalloween-themed show held in October. It was originally produced as an annualpay-per-view (PPV) event byWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1989 until 2000 as WWE purchased WCW in 2001. The2000 event was the final Halloween Havoc until WWE revived the show as an annual event for theirdevelopmental brandNXT in 2020.[2] The2020,2021, and2023 events were held astelevision specials of theNXT program on theUSA Network, but for2022, it was alivestreaming event.[3] The 2023 edition was also two nights.[4]
On July 15, 2024, it was announced that NXT Halloween Havoc would return as a one-night livestreaming event. The fifth annual NXT Halloween Havoc, and 17th Halloween Havoc overall, was scheduled to take place on Sunday, October 27, 2024, atGiant Center inHershey, Pennsylvania, marking the first NXT Halloween Havoc to take place outside of the brand's home base, theWWE Performance Center inOrlando, Florida. Additionally, followingNXT's premiere onThe CW in October, the 2024 Halloween Havoc became NXT's first livestreaming event to solely use the WWE branding instead of the NXT branding.[5][6]
The event comprised five matches that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the NXT brand, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television program,NXT, and the supplementary online streaming show,Level Up.[7][8]
DuringNXT'sCW premiere episode on October 1, a vignette aired with an unidentified wrestler approaching a road sign with the numbers "10" and "27". Several observers interpreted the vignette as indicating Australian wrestlerDelta would debut at Halloween Havoc.[9] A follow-up vignette that aired on the October 22 episode revealed that Delta would perform in NXT, but under the name Zaria; she then appeared in person to close the show.[10]
AtHeatwave,Ethan Page defeatedTrick Williams to win theNXT Championship in afatal four-way match which also involvedJe'Von Evans, the latter of whom Page pinned.[11] Williams vowed to regain the championship from Page, which he did onNXT's CW premiere episode on October 1 withRaw'sCM Punk as thespecial guest referee.[12] The following week, Williams celebrated his victory, only to be interrupted byWes Lee, who stated that he would take the title from Williams. Later that night, Page blamed Punk for losing the title and demanded a rematch. At the end of the show, NXT General ManagerAva announced that Lee, Page, and Evans, the latter of whom Ava added to the match after being impressed by his performance againstSmackDown'sRandy Orton, would compete in atriple threat match the following week to determine the challenger for Williams at Halloween Havoc,[13] which was won by Page. After the match, Page spun theSpin the Wheel, Make the Deal wheel, landing on theDevil's Playground match, which was made official for Halloween Havoc.[14]
On the October 8 episode ofNXT,Tony D'Angelo defeatedOba Femi to win theNXT North American Championship, ending Femi's reign at a record-setting 273 days.[13] The following week, D'Angelo celebrated his title win before Femi interrupted him. Femi announced that a rematch would take place at Halloween Havoc. Femi then spun the Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal wheel, confirming that the match stipulation would be aTables, Ladders, and Scares match.[14] On October 22, NXT General Manager Ava announced that the match would only be decided by pinfall.[10]
OnNXT's CW premiere episode on October 1,Roxanne Perez defeatedGiulia to retain theNXT Women's Championship. In the closing moments, Perez attempted to use the championship belt to strike Giulia with it, only for a hooded individual to attack Giulia, costing her the match. After the match, the hooded individual was revealed to be the returningCora Jade.[12] The following week, Jade stated why she attacked Giulia, feeling as if the fans forgot about her while she was recovering from her ACL injury and that she and Perez were working on mending their friendship. Giulia appeared, albeit with former rivalStephanie Vaquer by her side as a brawl ensued between the four women.[13] The following week, Vaquer defeatedWren Sinclair in her NXT debut match, only for Jade and Perez to ambush her before Giulia came to her defense. Vaquer and Giulia then challenged Jade and Perez to atag team match at Hallowen Havoc, which was later confirmed.[14]
On the June 18 episode ofNXT,Ridge Holland was accepted as an official member ofChase University despite initial pushback fromRiley Osborne andDuke Hudson.[15] On the August 13 episode ofNXT, Holland andAndre Chase defeatedNathan Frazer andAxiom to win theNXT Tag Team Championship[16] but lost the titles back to them atNo Mercy. After the match, Holland viciously attacked Chase, defecting from Chase U and reverting to a heel in the process. Chase was subsequently strechered out of the arena and taken by ambulance to a hospital.[17] After his defection, Holland vowed to take down Chase U. On the September 10 episode ofNXT, Holland defeated Hudson and took out Hudson with the barricade after the match.[18] On the October 15 episode ofNXT, Chase returned to save Osborne from being taken out by Holland after their match.[14] The following week, Chase challenged Holland to anAmbulance match at Halloween Havoc, which was made official.[10]
Since September, Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne,Fallon Henley, andJazmyn Nyx) had been feuding withNXT Women's North American ChampionKelani Jordan, setting their sights on the title. On the October 22 episode ofNXT, it was announced that Jordan would defend the championship at Halloween Havoc against one member of Fatal Influence; however, she would not know which member until the event. Later that night, Jordan prevented Nyx from interfering in Jayne and Henley's match against Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer, which they ultimately lost. After the match, Jayne spun the Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal wheel, landing on Spinner's Choice, allowing Fatal Influence to choose the stipulation for the match at Halloween Havoc, and they chose a Gauntlet match.[10]
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Commentators | Vic Joseph |
| Booker T | |
| Spanish commentators | Marcelo Rodríguez |
| Jerry Soto | |
| Ring announcer | Mike Rome |
| Referees | Adrian Butler |
| Chip Danning | |
| Dallas Irvin | |
| Derek Sanders | |
| Felix Fernandez | |
| Interviewer | Sarah Schreiber |
| Pre-show panel | Megan Morant |
| Sam Roberts | |
| Dave LaGreca | |
| Bubba Ray Dudley |
The event began with Tony D'Angelo defending the NXT North American Championship against Oba Femi in a Tables, Ladders, and Scares match. During the match, D'Angelo's stablemates,Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo, Luca Crusifino, and Adriana Rizzo, appeared, but were taken out by Femi, who took a crowbar away from Rizzo. D'Angelo then speared Femi off the apron through a bridge ladder. Femi performed a powerbomb on D'Angelo for a nearfall. In the end, as Femi attempted another powerbomb, Rizzo and Crusifino struck him with a crowbar and a steel chair, respectively, and Lorenzo and Crusifino performed Shatter Machine on Femi. D'Angelo then performed a spinebuster on Femi through a table to retain the title.[19]
In the second match, NXT Women's Champion Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade took on Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer. In the end, Giulia suplexed Perez from the ropes and Vaquer pinned Perez with a corkscrew dive to win the match. Afterwards, Zaria was shown looking at Perez, Jade, Giulia, and Vaquer.[19]
After that, Ridge Holland took on Andre Chase in an ambulance match. During the match, Chase performed a DDT on Holland onto the announce table. Chase hit Holland with a stretcher board and threw a pumpkin at Holland. Chase followed up with a cannonball dive from the top of the ambulance on Holland. Holland prevented the doors from closing and gouged the eyes of Chase. Holland followed up by swinging the ambulance door into Chase, catapulting Chase into the doors, and performing a DDT on Chase before tossing him into the ambulance and closing the doors to win the match.[19]
In the penultimate match, Kelani Jordan defended the NXT Women's North American Championship against Jazmyn Nyx, Jacy Jayne, and Fallon Henley in a gauntlet match. Jordan eliminated Nyx after an Angle Slam and a 450 splash. Jayn performed a running knee strike on Jordan for a nearfall. Jordan ducked a rolling elbow and pinned Jayne with a rollup to eliminate her. Henley entered last and performed a middle-rope neckbreaker on Jordan for a nearfall. In the end, distractions by Nyx and Jayne allowed Henley to counter the 450 splash by putting her knees up. Henley then performed a shining wizard on Jordan to win the title. After the match, Zaria appeared and laid out Nyx, Jayne, and Henley.[19]
In the main event, Trick Williams defended the NXT Championship against Ethan Page in a Devil's Playground match. During the match, Page performed an Ego's Edge on a bloodied Williams through a table for a nearfall. Officials arrived to check on Williams, who decided to keep going. In the end, Page performed a low blow on Williams, who later performed the same move on Page. Williams then struck Page with the steel steps and pinned him following the Trick Shot to retain the title. After the match, Ridge Holland joined Page in attacking Williams before being saved byBubba Ray Dudley.[19]
Jason Powell ofPro Wrestling Dot Net stated that Halloween Havoc belonged in the "fine if you saw it, fine if you missed it" category. The main event featured "a standard WWE hardcore style brawl". For the NXT Women's North American Championship match, Powell wondered if WWE made "the same mistake they did with Roxanne Perez by rushing a belt on her too quickly" as they did with Kelani Jordan, who "hasn't fully connected with the audience". For the NXT North American Championship match, Powell stated that it was "weak" to have Tony D'Angelo's sidekicks "play such a big part in the finish", but it "was a pretty good hardcore brawl otherwise".[19]
Kevin Berge ofBleacher Report gave the overall event a grade of D+, calling it the "worst show NXT has produced all year" and "a premium live event that hardly felt like one", while stating that the better moments "were lost in the shuffle of rough booking". Berge assumed that the event could have been better "with greater stakes that focused most clearly on the talent at the heart of NXT". The lowest rated match was the ambulance match, which received a grade of D, and the highest rated match was the NXT Championship match, which received a grade of B+.[20]
Zaria wrestled her debut WWE match on the following episode ofNXT, defeating Brinley Reece.[21] Zaria would then qualify for the women'sIron Survivor Challenge atDeadline by defeatingWren Sinclair on the November 19 episode.[22] Stephanie Vaquer and Giulia would also qualify for the match on the November 19 and 26 episodes, respectively.[22][23]
Also onNXT, Ethan Page vowed to win back the NXT Championship, only to be interrupted by Ridge Holland, who put himself as the next challenger. Bubba Ray Dudley then appeared and suffered an attack by Page and Holland until NXT Champion Trick Williams made the save. Later, it was announced that Dudley would team with Williams to take on Page and Holland atNXT 2300 on November 6,[21] which Holland and Page won when Holland pinned Williams.[24] On the November 12 episode ofNXT, a match between Holland and Chase was scheduled for the following week with the stipulation that the winner would challenge Williams for the NXT Championship at Deadline and if Chase lost, Chase University would have to disband.[25] The match was won by Holland.[22]
| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times[19] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tony D'Angelo (c) defeatedOba Femi bypinfall | Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal:Tables, Ladders, and Scares match for theNXT North American Championship[26] The match could only be won bypinfall orsubmission. | 15:20 | ||
| 2 | Giulia andStephanie Vaquer defeatedCora Jade andRoxanne Perez bypinfall | Tag team match[26] | 14:15 | ||
| 3 | Ridge Holland defeatedAndre Chase | Ambulance match[26] | 14:30 | ||
| 4 | Fallon Henley defeatedKelani Jordan (c) bypinfall | Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal: Spinner's Choice match for theNXT Women's North American Championship[26] Fatal Influence chose aGauntlet match, with all three participating in this order:Jazmyn Nyx,Jacy Jayne, andFallon Henley. | 14:15 | ||
| 5 | Trick Williams (c) defeatedEthan Page bypinfall | Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal:Devil's Playground match for theNXT Championship[26] | 18:00 | ||
| |||||
| Elimination | Wrestler | Eliminated by | Elimination move | Times[19] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jazmyn Nyx | Kelani Jordan | Pinned after a 450 splash | 3:35 |
| 2 | Jacy Jayne | Pinned with a roll-up | 8:00 | |
| 3 | Kelani Jordan | Fallon Henley | Pinned after a shining wizard | 14:15 |
| Winner: | Fallon Henley | — | ||