5 things WWE NXT got right before New Year’s Evil: AJ Styles and Riddle lay down big challenges; Cora Jade shines again

The recent COVID-19 outbreak in WWE affected several NXT Superstars too. The creative team had backup plans to take several rivalries ahead while building new ones.

MSK returned to NXT after meeting The Original Bro, Riddle. Meanwhile, a match between Toxic Attraction and the team of Cora Jade and Raquel Gonzalez was changed to something bigger.

During the show, Carmelo Hayes and Roderick Strong came out for their contract signing segment. Von Wagner picked up another victory on NXT, but he remained unimpressive during the bout.

Two RAW Superstars also appeared and challenged some top guys for NXT New Year's Evil. Overall, the company did a good job at building towards the upcoming show.

Take a look at the five things WWE NXT got right before New Year's Evil.

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#5. Grayson Waller took down Odyssey Jones on WWE NXT

Grayson Waller and Dexter Lumis were scheduled to compete on WWE NXT. Lumis was unavailable Tuesday night, so Waller decided to come out and address the WWE Universe instead.

He talked up his appearance on Monday Night RAW and claimed AJ Styles just wanted to benefit from his star power. Soon after, Odyssey Jones walked out to face him on NXT.

Jones showcased his strength and threw Waller around with ease. The loudmouth mounted a comeback and used his heelish tactics to stay in the game. He exposed the turnbuckle and sent Jones hard into it.

A rolling cutter followed, and Waller picked up an impressive victory over the big man. After the match was done, Styles made an appearance on the titantron.

The Phenomenal One challenged Waller to a match at New Year's Evil. It looks like Grayson Waller is heading to the top in WWE. His meeting with Styles could turn out to be a game-changer for his career.

A victory over Jones already shows that he is ready to take on all types of opponents. A match against Styles will put him on the map and catapult him to the top of NXT.

#4. A massive six-man tag team match was booked for WWE NXT New Year's Evil

MSK returned to WWE NXT after their recent journey with RAW Tag Team Champion Riddle. The Original Bro couldn't appear on the show due to a change of plans.

Riddle told Nash Carter and Wes Lee to call out Imperium and challenge them for the NXT Tag Team Championships. He wished the two men well before MSK called out Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner.

The NXT Tag Team Champions walked out and taunted Lee and Carter right away. MSK asked the two heels to put their titles on the line on Tuesday night.

WALTER appeared on the giant screen with a plan of his own. He praised Barthel and Aichner and said MSK didn't deserve a title shot.

Riddle appeared on the screen again and told WALTER that he wasn't going to let him disrespect his bros. He challenged Imperium to a six-man tag team match at New Year's Evil.

WWE did well to book arguably the most significant match for next week with a single segment. Having The Bro back on NXT next week would be great. WALTER's return to the ring will be phenomenal and allow fans to look forward to some big rivalries for the big man.

#3. The Championship Unification Match signing on WWE NXT

Wade Barrett took to the WWE NXT ring for the contract signing segment. He introduced NXT Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong, who came out with Diamond Mine.

Malcolm Bivens believed Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams would not show up. Proving them wrong, the North American Champion came out with Trick.

Barrett gave both men a chance to speak before signing the contract. Hayes talked himself up ahead of New Year’s Evil and said he would end Strong at the show. The two men signed contracts, and Hayes got up to fight.

The Messiah of the Backbreaker remained seated as Barrett left the ring. Just when Hayes and Trick were ready to go, Bivens got the better of them. The Creed Brothers took advantage of a distraction and put Trick through the table as Hayes watched.

Both men did well to hype up one of the biggest matches for New Year’s Evil. However, it felt like NXT was holding Strong back so Hayes could get the upper hand in the segment.

The NXT Cruiserweight Championship will likely come to an end next Tuesday Night. Melo is the favorite to win the match as the brand's future.

#2. Solo Sikoa defeated Santos Escobar on WWE NXT

Xyon Quinn appeared on WWE NXT and told Elektra Lopez to choose between him or Legado del Fantasma. Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza, and Joaquin Wilde tried to question the former about the challenge, but Solo Sikoa interrupted. It led to a match between him and Escobar later in the show.

Sikoa dominated the former NXT Cruiserweight Champion early. Mendoza and Wilde provided some distractions to allow their leader to get back in the game.

Escobar sent Sikoa hard into the steel post and tried to work on his weak spots. Xyon Quinn arrived during the contest and approached Lopez, but Escober hit a suicide dive to take him out.

The chaos allowed Sikoa to hit a superkick and finish Escobar with a splash. The match was good and gave the winner a chance to display his skills against a top star. But it would be better if Sikoa changed his move set as it is too similar to The Usos.

Meanwhile, the rivalry between Quinn and Escobar is picking up. The two men will likely get a good match at New Year’s Evil or later.

#1. Raquel Gonzalez and Cora Jade took on Io Shirai and Kay Lee Ray in the main event of WWE NXT

Cora Jade and Raquel Gonzalez were set to team up against Toxic Attraction on WWE NXT. Io Shirai and Kay Lee Ray confronted them, both wanting the next title shot.

Mandy Rose decided to have some fun and changed the match for the night. She pitted the four women against each other in a tag team match. The winners of the match would challenge her at NXT New Year's Evil.

All four women took to the ring with the title shot in mind. Jade was isolated early and suffered at the hands of Kay Lee Ray. Gonzalez pulled her to safety and tried to mount a comeback for her team.

Shirai kept the action ticking with some great high-flying moves. Gonzalez used her strength to level out her opponents. She hit KLR with the Chingona Bomb before Jade made the blind tag.

The two argued for some time before Jade rolled up Ray for the win. The match was great and showed the diversity of NXT's women division. The former is being built as the perfect underdog, and she could end up stealing the match at New Year's Evil.

Gonzalez is more than ready for the main roster. WWE could look to move her to RAW or SmackDown following the 2022 Royal Rumble.