NXT: New Year's Evil (2022)
| NXT: New Year's Evil | |||
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 NXT: New Year's Evil logo | |||
| Promotion | WWE | ||
| Brand(s) | NXT | ||
| Date | January 4, 2022 | ||
| City | Orlando, Florida | ||
| Venue | WWE Performance Center | ||
| NXT special episodes chronology | |||
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| NXT: New Year's Evil chronology | |||
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The 2022 NXT: New Year's Evil was the second annual NXT: New Year's Evil professional wrestling event produced by WWE. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event aired as a special episode of WWE's weekly television series NXT, broadcast on the USA Network. It took place on January 4, 2022, at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. This was the final event to feature the NXT Cruiserweight Championship, as it was unified into the NXT North American Championship at this event.
Four matches were contested at the event. In the main event, Bron Breakker defeated Tommaso Ciampa to win the NXT Championship. In other prominent matches, North American Champion Carmelo Hayes defeated Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong in the opening bout to unify both titles and Mandy Rose defeated Cora Jade and Raquel González to retain the NXT Women's Championship. The event also marked an appearance by Rick Steiner, who had not appeared in the company since 1994. After the event went off-air, Steiner celebrated with his son, Bron Breakker, after he had won the NXT Championship.
Production
Background
New Year's Evil is a professional wrestling event currently produced by WWE. It was used for a special episode of WCW Monday Nitro on December 27, 1999; WWE acquired World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 2001. After 21 years since that WCW event, WWE revived the name for their January 6, 2021, episode of NXT. At NXT WarGames, it was announced that the second edition of NXT: New Year's Evil would be held on January 4, 2022, at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.[1][2]
Storylines
NXT: New Year's Evil featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.[3]
On October 26, 2021, at Halloween Havoc, Tommaso Ciampa defeated Bron Breakker to successfully retain his NXT Championship.[4] At NXT WarGames, Team 2.0 (Breakker, Grayson Waller, Tony D'Angelo, and Carmelo Hayes defeated Team Black & Gold (Johnny Gargano, L. A. Knight, Pete Dunne, and Ciampa) in a WarGames match, with Breakker pinning Ciampa to win for his team.[1] On the December 21 episode of NXT, Ciampa told Breakker that he earned his second chance at the title, and will get it at New Year's Evil.[5]
At Halloween Havoc, Mandy Rose defeated Raquel González in a Chucky's choice Trick or Street Fight match to win the NXT Women's Championship.[4] At NXT WarGames, Cora Jade, Io Shirai, Kay Lee Ray, and González defeated Dakota Kai and Toxic Attraction (Rose, Gigi Dolin, and Jacy Jayne) in a WarGames match, with Jade pinning Jayne to win for her team.[1] On the December 21 episode of NXT, after beating Kai in a Street Fight match, González called out Rose to demand a title rematch but got Jade instead, leading to Rose appearing on the titantron to challenge both of them in a Triple Threat match for the title at New Year's Evil.[5] The following week, Rose arranged a tag team match between Jade and González against Shirai and Ray, where the winning team gets to challenge her for the NXT Women's title at New Year's Evil. Later in the episode, in the main event, Jade won for her team after pinning Ray.[6]
On the September 21 episode of NXT, Roderick Strong defeated Kushida to win the NXT Cruiserweight Championship.[7] Three weeks later, Carmelo Hayes cashed in his NXT Breakout Tournament contract, and defeated Isaiah "Swerve" Scott to win the NXT North American Championship.[8] After the two men brawled with each other on the December 21 episode of NXT, Malcolm Bivens challenged Hayes to a match on Strong's behalf, leading to a contract signing the following week, where both titles will be up for grabs and unified at New Year's Evil.[5][6]
Event
Main event
- NXT Championship: Tommaso Ciampa (c) vs. Bron Breakker
Bron Breakker broke an X on his way to the ring to symbolically show how he was ending the former era of NXT. The big man looked dominant early, but The Blackheart began ducking the rookie while hitting a big dropkick and corkscrew plancha. Breakker fought back and went to the top rope, but Ciampa tripped him into the tree of woe for more stomp and a running low dropkick. The rookie answered with a spinebuster and standing moonsault for two. He again went to the second rope but hesitated, allowing The Blackheart to send him outside. Once again, Ciampa tried to send Breakker hard into the unprotected cement, but Breakker answered by sending him into the announce table. The rookie followed up with the military press powerslam, barely broken up by Ciampa grabbing the rope. The Blackheart caught Breakker between the legs with the rope and hit two running knees into the Fairy Tale Ending for a crazy nearfall. The two fought on the second rope, and Breakker fought back to hit a bulldog then locked in the Steiner Recliner for a tap out. Afterward, Ciampa gave a nod of approval to the young star earning his win.
Results
| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times[13] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carmelo Hayes (North American Champion) (with Trick Williams) defeated Roderick Strong (Cruiserweight Champion) (with Hachiman and Malcolm Bivens) by pinfall | Singles match to unify the NXT North American Championship and NXT Cruiserweight Championship[9] | 15:29 | ||
| 2 | Riddle and MSK (Nash Carter and Wes Lee) defeated Imperium (Walter, Fabian Aichner, and Marcel Barthel) by pinfall | Six-man tag team match[10] | 13:50 | ||
| 3 | Mandy Rose (c) defeated Cora Jade and Raquel González by pinfall | Triple Threat match for the NXT Women's Championship[11] | 12:33 | ||
| 4 | Bron Breakker defeated Tommaso Ciampa (c) by submission | Singles match for the NXT Championship[12] | 15:28 | ||
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References
- ^ a b c Moore, John (December 5, 2021). "NXT WarGames results: Moore's live review of two WarGames matches, Roderick Strong vs. Joe Gacy for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship, Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel vs. Kyle O'Reilly and Von Wagner for the NXT Tag Titles, Cameron Grimes vs. Duke Hudson in a hair vs. hair match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- ^ Defelice, Robert (December 5, 2021). "NXT New Year's Evil 2022 Set For January 4". Fightful. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
- ^ Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks, Inc. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
- ^ a b Moore, John (October 26, 2021). "10/26 NXT 2.0 results: Moore's review of Halloween Havoc with Tommaso Ciampa vs. Bron Breakker for the NXT Title, plus Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal stipulations for Raquel Gonzalez vs. Mandy Rose for the NXT Women's Title, and MSK vs. Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel for the NXT Tag Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
- ^ a b c Moore, John (December 21, 2021). "12/21 NXT 2.0 results: Moore's review of AJ Styles responding to Grayson Waller, Raquel Gonzalez vs. Dakota Kai in a street fight, Pete Dunne vs. Tony D'Angelo, Dexter Lumis vs. Trick Williams, Julius Creed and Brutus Creed vs. Zack Gibson and James Drake, Von Wagner in action". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
- ^ a b Moore, John (December 28, 2021). "12/28 NXT 2.0 results: Moore's review of Raquel Gonzalez and Cora Jade vs. Io Shirai and Kay Lee Ray for spots in the Triple Threat for the NXT Women's Championship, Solo Sikoa vs. Santos Escobar, Grayson Waller vs. Odyssey Jones, Harland vs. Andre Chase, Tiffany Stratton vs. Fallon Henley". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on December 30, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
- ^ Moore, John (September 21, 2021). "9/21 NXT 2.0 results: Moore's review of Kushida vs. Roderick Strong for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
- ^ Moore, John (October 12, 2021). "10/12 NXT 2.0 results: Moore's review of Isaiah Scott vs. Santos Escobar for the North American Championship, Tommaso Ciampa vs. Joe Gacy, Kyle O'Reilly and Von Wagner vs. Pete Dunne and Ridge Holland, Ivy Nile's in-ring debut". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on October 23, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
- ^ "Carmelo Hayes and Roderick Strong collide for unified title at New Year's Evil". WWE. December 29, 2021. Archived from the original on December 31, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ "WALTER returns to lead Imperium in Six-Man Tag Team Match against Riddle & MSK". WWE. December 29, 2021. Archived from the original on January 4, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ Bryant, Nathan (December 21, 2021). "Mandy Rose, Raquel Gonzalez and Cora Jade clash in Triple Threat Match for the NXT Women's Title". WWE. Archived from the original on January 4, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- ^ Bryant, Nathan (December 21, 2021). "Tommaso Ciampa gives Bron Breakker another opportunity for the NXT Championship". WWE. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- ^ Moore, John (January 4, 2022). "1/4 NXT 2.0 results: Moore's review of Tommaso Ciampa vs. Bron Breakker for the NXT Title, Gunther, Fabian Aichner, and Marcel Barthel vs. Riddle and MSK, Mandy Rose vs. Raquel Gonzalez vs. Cora Jade for the NXT Women's Title, Carmelo Hayes vs. Roderick Strong in a title unification match, AJ Styles confronts Grayson Waller". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022.