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WWE NXT has been hosting shows with interesting themes recently. The Black and Gold brand will kick off 2021 with the first-ever edition of NXT New Year’s Evil. What’ll likely make the show more interesting is the fact that Dexter Lumis will be hosting New Year’s Evil.
Five big matches have already been announced for Wednesday night, one of which will see Finn Balor defend his NXT Championship against Kyle O’Reilly once again. Rhea Ripley will battle against Raquel Gonzalez on the show. Fans can expect a new challenger to appear for Shirai’s title following the match.
Gran Metalik will challenge Santos Escobar for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship, while Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa will take their rivalry into the Fight Pit.
Ahead of NXT's first show in 2021, we will look at the five things that must happen at New Year’s Evil.
#5 Gran Metalik has a great showing against Santos Escobar on NXT New Year’s Evil
Gran Metalik ended 2020 in a positive manner where he challenged The Miz on the last RAW of the year. Not only did The King of the Ropes impress in the match, but he also managed to defeat the former WWE Champion to score a big upset win.
That’s not all, as Metalik then teamed up with Lince Dorado on NXT, where the two men took on Legado Del Fantasma. The Lucha House Party emerged victorious, and the result earned Metalik a Cruiserweight Championship match against Santos Escobar.
NXT New Year’s Evil will be a big event for The King of the Ropes, who will be looking to win the Cruiserweight Championship for the first time in his career. Since Metalik has already had an excellent end to 2020, he should begin 2021 on a high and deliver a stunning performance on Wednesday.
While it seems unlikely that Escobar will drop his title in a match without much buildup, Metalik must be allowed to shine at New Year’s Evil.
Metalik is one of the best cruiserweights in WWE today who hasn’t gotten the opportunities he deserves. New Year’s Evil will be an excellent platform for him to become a staple of the Cruiserweight Championship picture in the months to come.
#4 Timothy Thatcher stamps his authority once again in the Fight Pit on NXT New Year’s Evil
Timothy Thatcher made his NXT debut in early 2020 and helped Matt Riddle defend the Tag Team Championships in the absence of Pete Dunne. However, it did not take long before Thatcher turned on Riddle and the two men took their rivalry to the Fight Pit in May 2020.
While Riddle was the more experienced man in the contest, Thatcher managed to pick up the victory. This week on NXT New Year’s Evil, Thatcher will compete against Tommaso Ciampa in the Fight Pit. This will be the first time Ciampa will compete inside the steel structure, and Thatcher should use his experience to take his opponent down.
Thatcher has been a victim of mixed booking in NXT, but a win inside the steel structure against someone like Ciampa will propel him to new heights at the start of the year. The result will help Thatcher come across as a much bigger threat, and it will also help WWE build some future major Fight Pit matches for The British Messiah.
#3 Karrion Kross dominates Damian Priest on NXT New Year’s Evil
Karrion Kross might still have been the NXT Champion had the Superstar not been forced to relinquish his title due to an injury. The man who halted Keith Lee’s rise on the Black & Gold brand is back in the ring, and he’ll be looking to reach the top once again without wasting too much time.
Kross will have his first major match since his return at New Year's Evil against Damian Priest. However, Priest is unlike any of the other men Kross has faced in the WWE ring as he is one of the few who can match Kross’s size and strength in the ring.
However, given that Kross is returning from an injury, he needs to look strong, and a dominant win over Priest will do just that. Even though Priest is a former North American Champion, Kross needs to be put back into the NXT title picture. Unfortunately for the Archer of Infamy, Kross' title pursuit might begin at his expense
Keeping that in mind, The Herald of Doomsday could possibly squash The Archer to leave a lasting impact on the Black and Gold brand. Fans could then watch Priest head to the main roster after this match at the 2021 Royal Rumble.
#2 Raquel Gonzalez is the last woman standing at NXT New Year’s Evil
At NXT Halloween Havoc, Raquel Gonzalez and Rhea Ripley delivered one of the best matches on the card that lasted almost 13 minutes. Ripley emerged victorious to further cement her position in the NXT women’s locker room.
Since that match, Gonzalez has grown as a performer and has become much more lethal. The two women have reignited their rivalry, and fans will get to witness the second chapter on NXT New Year’s Evil.
While The Nightmare has more experience in the NXT ring, Gonzalez must come out of the match as the victor. Gonzalez can be a future top Superstar in WWE, and this match would be the perfect time to push her further on the Black and Gold brand.
Ripley has done it all and won it all in NXT and could be headed to the main roster soon. Keeping that in mind, the Last Woman Standing match could turn out to be the perfect platform to give Gonzalez a major push in NXT.
#1 Finn Balor retains his NXT Championship at New Year’s Evil
Finn Balor’s WWE NXT Championship reign has lasted over 110 days. In those 110 days, Balor has managed to defend his title only once. At NXT TakeOver: 31, Balor defended his title against Kyle O’Reilly. While Balor was able to defeat his opponent, he suffered a jaw injury that kept him out of the ring for two months.
Now that Balor is back, he must have a memorable run as NXT Champion. After all, The Prince is a former Universal Champion who was handed the title to increase its value.
Keeping that in mind, Balor must defeat O’Reilly once again and retain his NXT Championship at New Year’s Evil. While O’Reilly has shown that he’s someone who can be trusted with the title, Balor's time as champion has only just begun, and NXT should invest some more time in him.
There are several dream matches for Balor waiting to take place, including ones against Roderick Strong, Pete Dunne, and Karrion Kross. Therefore, The Prince must retain his title at NXT New Year’s Evil.
