{"id":107191,"date":"2021-12-30T18:00:09","date_gmt":"2021-12-30T23:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=107191"},"modified":"2021-12-30T08:57:29","modified_gmt":"2021-12-30T13:57:29","slug":"nxt-2-0-gears-up-for-new-years-evil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2021\/12\/30\/nxt-2-0-gears-up-for-new-years-evil\/","title":{"rendered":"NXT 2.0 Gears Up For New Year\u2019s Evil"},"content":{"rendered":"

December 28\u2019s episode of NXT 2.0 <\/em>marks the last episode of 2021, and also the proverbial go-home show before their special New Year\u2019s Evil <\/em>episode on January 4, 2022. NXT 2.0 has seen many changes since the NXT <\/em>brand was overhauled in September 2021. Signature performers of the \u201cblack and gold\u201d incarnation of NXT saw their screen time diminish considerably, while several new performers premiered. New Year\u2019s Evil <\/em>seems set to continue the trend of putting a spotlight on NXT 2.0\u2019s \u201cnew class\u201d<\/a>, even enlisting some special appearances by members of WWE\u2019s main roster. The matches on the card are largely consequential encounters, including:<\/p>\n

Bron Breakker vs. Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Championship:<\/strong><\/p>\n

This one was inevitable. The tension has been swirling between Ciampa and Breakker since the premiere of NXT 2.0. The formidable newbie has been eyeing Ciampa\u2019s title from the off. Breakker is one of the most impressive members of the new class: his mesomorphic physique, bone-crushing move set, and feral charisma call to mind Goldberg, <\/strong>but a certain roughness around the edges hearkens more to \u201cStone Cold\u201d Steve Austin.<\/strong> As for Ciampa, he is the heart and soul of NXT<\/a>: one of the crop of performers who were at the vanguard of Triple H\u2019s<\/strong> vision that NXT find its place as WWE\u2019s third brand, led by gritty indie veterans whose authenticity in the ring made NXT a sleeper hit with serious-minded pro wrestling fans. He\u2019s beloved by the audience, and though it is written in the very blueprint of NXT 2.0 that Ciampa would pass the NXT championship onto the ferociously ambitious Breakker, it will be a bittersweet moment when it occurs on New Year\u2019s Evil<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong>: The time has come. Breakker will emerge from New Year\u2019s Evil <\/em>NXT champion, the first of the \u201c2.0 class\u201d to hold the honor.<\/p>\n

Mandy Rose vs. Cora Jade vs. Raquel Gonzalez for the NXT women\u2019s championship:<\/strong><\/p>\n

October 26\u2019s Halloween Havoc <\/em>was a good night all around for Toxic Attraction<\/a>. <\/strong>Not only did Gigi Dolin<\/strong> and Jacy Jayne<\/strong> claim the NXT women\u2019s tag team championships, but Mandy Rose<\/strong> secured the NXT women\u2019s championship, as well. Toxic Attraction walked away from the event with every title in NXT\u2019s women\u2019s division. On January 4, Rose puts the women\u2019s championship on the line against Cora Jade <\/strong>and Raquel Gonzalez<\/strong> in a triple threat. Jade and Gonzalez won the right to face Rose on December 28\u2019s NXT 2.0 in a qualifying tag team match against Io Shirai <\/strong>and Kay Lee Ray.<\/strong> In recent weeks, Gonzalez has been a mentor figure to Jade, but now they are both vying for a shot at the belt. Rose revealed that she called for a triple threat to exploit the weaknesses she saw in Gonzalez\u2019s and Jade\u2019s seemingly strong bond as a team, their mutual ambitions for her championship. Standing on her own and fighting against both Rose and Gonzalez will be a coming of age moment for Jade, showing her as a competent competitor rather than the baby sister of the women\u2019s division\u2019s babyface corps.<\/p>\n

Conclusion: <\/strong>Gonzalez has had her day as NXT women\u2019s champion, and while there is certainly a spotlight on Jade she is not ready to carry a title just yet. Toxic Attraction would be weaker as a heel stable if Jayne and Dolin have gold but Rose loses hers\u2019 so abruptly. Mandy Rose will retain, and Toxic Attraction will continue to dominate the women\u2019s division.<\/p>\n

Riddle and MSK vs. Imperium <\/strong><\/p>\n

Riddle <\/strong>was revealed to be the \u201cshaman\u201d<\/a> that MSK<\/strong> were seeking in a series of vignettes. He\u2019s been their mentor as they seek to regain their \u201cmojo\u201d after losing the NXT tag team championship to Imperium<\/strong> at Halloween Havoc.<\/em> Riddle will join MSK in a six-man tag match at New Year\u2019s Evil, <\/em>facing off against Imperium once more.<\/p>\n

This time, Marcel Barthel <\/strong>and Fabian Aichner<\/strong> will be joined by the imposing WALTER<\/strong><\/a>. It marks WALTER\u2019s first appearance on the rebranded NXT. He lost the NXT UK<\/em> championship at the final NXT TakeOver <\/em>ppv, NXT TakeOver 36 <\/em>on August 22, to rival Ilja Dragunov, <\/strong>in a rematch as highly regarded as their first encounter in October 2020. The end of WALTER\u2019s reign as NXT UK champion marked the end of WWE\u2019s longest championship reign in the modern era, of 870+ days.<\/p>\n

Conclusion: <\/strong>Riddle is no joke in the ring, and while his presence fighting alongside MSK will no doubt draw some viewer interest, WALTER\u2019s formidable aid to Imperium will most likely be more decisive, with Imperium coming out victorious over MSK once again.<\/p>\n

Carmelo Hayes vs Roderick Strong, Unification Bout for the North American and Cruiserweight Championships<\/strong><\/p>\n

Carmelo Hayes <\/strong>quickly became one of the luminaries of NXT 2.0\u2019s freshman class. He won the 2021 NXT Breakout Tournament,<\/em> beating out Odyssey Jones, <\/strong>then bested Isaiah \u201cSwerve\u201d Scott <\/strong>for the North American Championship. The winner of his bout with Cruiserweight champion Roderick Strong<\/strong> will see the winner crowned North American champion. The Cruiserweight championship will be dissolved, unified with the North American title. Thus ends the Cruiserweight title that was once the raison d\u2019etre of 205 Live,<\/em> whose existence kicked off with the 2016 Cruiserweight Classic<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Conclusion: <\/strong>Strong previously held the North American title in 2019 for 126 days. However, with Hayes enjoying such a rapid ascent at NXT 2.0, it is most likely that the current, reigning North American champion Hayes will walk away from the encounter holding the unified incarnation of the belt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

December 28\u2019s episode of NXT 2.0 marks the last episode of 2021, and also the proverbial go-home show before their special New Year\u2019s Evil episode on January 4, 2022. NXT 2.0 has seen many changes since the NXT brand was overhauled in September 2021. Signature performers of the \u201cblack and gold\u201d incarnation of NXT saw […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3715,"featured_media":103172,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[316,5336,4,5,3],"tags":[629,1139,7986,7740,7299,1702,7297,267,1248,5042,304,8023,1752,4140,7264,7143,6991,6984,280,2073,8061,75],"class_list":["post-107191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-205live","category-nxt-uk","category-wwe","category-nxt","category-wwe-universe","tag-stone-cold-steve-austin","tag-kay-lee-ray","tag-bron-breakker","tag-carmelo-hayes","tag-cora-jade","tag-fabian-aichner","tag-gigi-dolin","tag-goldberg","tag-walter","tag-imperium","tag-io-shirai","tag-jacy-jayne","tag-mandy-rose","tag-marcel-barthel","tag-msk","tag-new-years-evil","tag-raquel-gonzalez","tag-riddle","tag-roderick-strong","tag-tommaso-ciampa","tag-toxic-attraction","tag-triple-h"],"modified_by":"Alex Richards, LWOF Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3715"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107191"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107191\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}