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The first NXT episode of the year, aptly named New Year's Evil, surely lived up to the hype by delivering a terrific show with not a single disappointing development. All the matches on the card were entertaining, with the kind of outcomes that will take the brand in a genuinely intriguing direction.
While Finn Balor and Kyle O'Reilly expectedly tore the house down with yet another brutal encounter, Rhea Ripley and Raquel Gonzalez over delivered to have a match that has already gotten into the conversation of being an early MOTY contender.
On the other hand, Karrion Kross continued his undefeated streak and, Santos Escobar continued his dominance over the Cruiserweight Divison. More teams announced themselves as entrants in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Tournament, while a major announcement regarding the Women's Dusty Rhodes Tournament was made by the NXT GM William Regal.
So without any delays, let's dive in and check out all the developments from the show that have gotten the WWE NXT Universe buzzing.
#5 NXT Champion Finn Balor defeats Kyle O'Reilly, possibly moving ahead with a clash against Karrion Kross
Finn Balor vs. Kyle O'Reilly II was a great bout from start to finish with an insane display of reversals and chain wrestling. The two Superstars unleashed the very best version of themselves in the relatively short 20 minutes they were allotted here. Though they didn't touch the heights of their clash from NXT TakeOver: 31, this was yet another example of O'Reilly's incredible talents and why he should consistently be in the main event of the brand.
The two had the momentous task of bettering the clash between Rhea Ripley and Raquel Gonzalez, which many already proclaimed to be an early match-of-the-year contender, and they did certainly reach close to that level.
The ending saw Balor lock O'Reilly in a submission maneuver that is hard to describe but seemed painful enough for the challenger to submit. Post match, the challenger was distraught over the loss, with his Undisputed Era stablemates consoling him, all while Balor stared into the camera with an intense look.
Balor coming on top was the expected outcome and will probably embark on a feud with Karrion Kross for the title, while O'Reilly's direction on NXT going forwards is still up in the air. Maybe a split from the stable and a heel run could save him from getting lost in the shuffle.
#4 Raquel Gonzalez accumulates a career-boosting win over Rhea Ripley on NXT
Clashes between friends turned foes are never short of intensity, and this match on NXT was no different. Both Raquel Gonzalez and Rhea Ripley wrestled with searing intensity and displayed genuine hatred for each other during the proceedings.
The most surprising part was that Ripley showed heelish tendencies in the opening stages of the bout. From handcuffing Gonzalez to a fence to introducing the bell hammer into the match, the former NXT Women's Champion was hell-bent on winning no matter what it takes to come up on top.
Soon, the action went backstage, where the two women continued to brutalize each other by smashing each other through a glass door. After that, Ripley dived onto Gonzalez through a table. However, Dakota Kai made her way into the match by assaulting Rhea Ripley for a good couple of minutes until she was hilariously stuffed into a locker by Ripley.
The ending saw Gonzalez delivering a massive chokeslam to Ripley through the stage floor, putting both down. The former was eventually able to stand on her feet before the ten-count, giving her the career boosting win.
Gonzalez now seems all set to be a main-event player in NXT's women's division, while Ripley, in all probability, should be moving to the main roster now.
#3 Karrion Kross vanquishes Damian Priest, continues his undefeated streak in NXT
Karrion Kross made his much anticipated return to prominence on today's episode of NXT in a match against Damian Priest. After being away from action since August, he was urging to get back the NXT Championship he vacated just a day after winning it. However, he had to go through The Archer of Infamy before finding his way into the championship picture.
While not being as strong as other matches on the show, this was still a pretty brutal affair between the two as they told a logical story of Kross taking advantage of Priest's injuries, all while the latter fought resiliently.
Kross coming on top was the predictable outcome, as he seems all set to be the next challenger for the NXT Championship. His undefeated streak continues here on NXT, and it's to hard believe that creative would end it anytime soon, considering the absolute star he has proved to be for the Black and Gold brand.
The reports of Damian Priest possibly moving to the main roster have emerged, and this was quite a decent way to bid adieu to NXT.
#2 Major announcements regarding Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Tournament on NXT
Earlier in the show, Undisputed Era stablemates Adam Cole and Roderick Strong announced themselves as entrants in the NXT Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament starting next week. The two have instantly become the favorites, to come on top as the eventual winners. It would be intriguing to see Cole returning to the tag-division after being on top for so long. To be honest, the NXT tag division has been stagnating for a while, and a star of his level would certainly infuse it with energy.
Later during Johnny Gargano's celebration to mark his first successful NXT North American title defense, he and Austin Theory also announced themselves as confirmed participants in the coveted tournament. That segment and the ensuing match also saw KUSHIDA emerging as the next challenger for Gargano's title, as he successfully pinned the champion.
However, the most important development was the announcement of the Women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Tournament by NXT General Manager William Regal and Dexter Lumis. It will open up tremendous opportunities for those female Superstars in NXT that aren't able to get sufficient screentime owing to a stacked roster.
#1 Gran Metalik shines in a loss against Santos Escobar for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship
After making an appearance on last week's NXT by defeating El Legado Del Fantasma in a tag team match, Gran Metalik got the opportunity to challenge Santos Escobar at New Year's Evil this week. The Lucha House Party member rose to the occasion and put up one of his best performances in recent times.
Escobar being an incredible talent he is, also gelled well with the luchador to have this highly entertaining encounter driven by aerial maneuvers. Now that he has convincingly defeated his opponent, albeit a minor distraction of which Lince Dorado took care of, he can be expected to move to newer challengers in the future on NXT. The likes of Jake Atlas would be gunning to get a shot at Escobar's title.
As for Gran Metalik, he and Dorado accumulated a big win over RAW Tag Team Champions, The Hurt Business this week, and will likely be embroiled in a feud for the title with them in the coming weeks.
