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 —. Izzi Dame defeated Layla Diggs before accepting a Halloween Havoc showdown with Zaria. The program wrapped up 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 presentation by calling NXT Titleholder Grayson Waller to the ring.
Waller recalled that he and D’Angelo put pen to paper with WWE and debuted around the same time. They were what's more teammates in WarGames as members of Team 2.0, still Waller noted someone had always prevented them from facing each other.
D’Angelo questioned whether Waller would still be title holder had their contest 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 furthermore admitted that he had always resented D’Angelo for being chosen and pushed despite knowing exceptionally little about NXT when he arrived. Meanwhile, waller mentioned that resentment created the chip on his shoulder that made him tougher and eventually led him to the NXT Crown.
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 contended he had already vanquished 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. Additionally, he acknowledged Waller’s success on the flip side 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 things were unmistakably about the NXT Women’s North American Gold.
Dame noted it was not about the championship yet. Diggs reacted that she wanted the gold because she never received her championship match before being suffering from a setback.
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. Adding to the story, the Wagner Brothers
Charlie Dempsey and El Hijo del Dr — interestingly enough, wagner Jr. opened with a technical exchange. Additionally, dempsey used a double wrist-lock takedown, headscissors neck lock and single-leg crab before Wagner targeted his exited knee.
Wagner dismissed back 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 parted ways with 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 significant splash.
Dempsey later trapped Wagner in the Octopus Stretch and hanging guillotine choke. King continued a superkick before Galeno broke the forced submission with a vertical suplex.
King blocked Wagner’s frog splash with his knees. At ringside, Zilla Fatu blindsided 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 encounter, Fatu threw Connors over the top rope and ambushed Dempsey and King. Dempsey stopped the Triple Z, still 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 remarked 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. Only for his one-time partner to attack him again and stomp on a steel chair wrapped around his ankle, heights recalled believing Borne’s apology.
He mentioned he had watched Borne fail under the pressure of an NXT Championship No. 1 Hopeful’s opportunity and promised to become Borne’s biggest problem.
Leading to a fight through the live crowd, borne attacked Heights from behind. The brawl spilled into the NXT parking lot, where referees and officials separated them.
Jackson Drake Receives a Fresh Challenger The Vanity Project encountered Chantel Monroe while heading to Robert Stone’s office. Interestingly enough, 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 maintained there had been no altercation and expressed they were only mocking Prosper for giving Vikingo and Hall false hope.
Stone revealed that he had planned a six-man two-person unit match, although Vikingo was not medically cleared. He then informed Drake that he would defend the NXT North American Gold against Prosper the following week.
Izzi Dame vs. Layla Diggs
Shoulder tackle and forearm, dame gained the early advantage with a side headlock. She drove Diggs shoulder-debut into the turnbuckles before delivering a bodyslam.
Diggs responded by attacking Dame’s parted ways with shoulder. Delivered a sit-out arm drag and avoided a big boot before Dame eventually caught her with the move, she applied an armbar.
Diggs sent Dame outside and delivered a moonsault press from the apron. To add further context, 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. What's more, she drove Diggs into the middle turnbuckle before delivering a pendulum backbreaker and sending her shoulder-debut into the ring post.
Dame followed with a running lariat and swinging arm-ringer. What's more, diggs mounted a return 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 remarked the mind games involving photographs and videos had continued for long enough.
Zaria assumed Dame wanted an NXT Women’s North American Gold opportunity and offered her a championship match at Halloween Havoc.
Dame accepted the match though told Zaria not to worry about putting the gold on the line.
Dusty Rhodes Pairing 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 blindsided 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 bout through the commercial break. It's worth noting that 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 at long last 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, though 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 Encounter
Birthright challenged Robert Stone in the gorilla position area and complained that Zilla Fatu had cost them their Dusty Cup clash.
Lexis King requested a match with Fatu, although Stone was unsure whether Fatu had received medical clearance.
Wren Sinclair and Kendal Grey interrupted. Sinclair spoke highly of Stone for bringing back the WrenQCC and prepared to sign her Halloween Havoc arrangement. Grey encouraged her to handle the moment independently.
Chantel Monroe was spotted 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 Arrangement Signing
Wren Sinclair entered the ring and spoke about her looming NXT Women’s Belt battle against Kelani Jordan.
Sinclair acknowledged Jordan as “The Standout” but promised to make her stand down at Halloween Havoc. To add further context, she called Jordan to the ring to sign the contract.
Jordan congratulated Sinclair on earning the opportunity and noted she had brought her a gift.
Jordan then dragged a bloodied Kendal Grey onto the stage. Meanwhile, 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 articulated 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 battle. 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 shared that Dorian Van Dux would be out of action for two months. Dar encouraged Legacy to remain positive and mentioned Van Dux would recover.
Moreno predicted that Prosper would rebound by winning the NXT North American Belt 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 hurt partner.
DarkState Attempts to Ambush Cruz Montana
Emily Agard prepared to interview Cruz Montana before his encounter with Dion Lennox.
DarkState took control of the camera and entered the men’s locker room to ambush Montana, though their plan failed.
NARAKU Warns Shiloh Hill
NARAKU addressed Shiloh Hill and conveyed 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 stated 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 called out Monroe to a encounter the following week.
Halloween Havoc and Next Week’s NXT Danhausen was unveiled as the host of Halloween Havoc.
The semifinals of the Dusty Rhodes Partnership Classic will take place on the following week’s NXT. While Hank & Tank will battle The Wagner Brothers, the Vanity Project will face Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno.
Jackson Drake will also defend the NXT North American Prize against EK Prosper.
Cruz Montana vs. Dion Lennox Lennox kicked Montana before the bell, yet Montana fired back 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 enthusiasts favorite-inaugural 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 resurgence 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. Interestingly enough, an enraged Montana attacked before Spearing Lennox through the ringside barricade, leading to both men being counted out.
Result: Double Count-Out
After the battle, 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.