WWE NXT Halloween Havoc 2023 Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights

WWE NXT presented one of the biggest nights of the fall season with Halloween Havoc. Night 1 would feature the women's division in full force, competing in five high-stakes matches.

The main event was the most important as Becky Lynch battled Lyra Valkyria in a first-time bout between the top Irish women in professional wrestling. Could The Valkyrie achieve her championship dream at the expense of The Man?

In the culmination of two heated rivalries, Roxanne Perez and Kiana James kicked off the show in a Devil's Playground match, while Gigi Dolin and Blair Davenport brawled in a Lights Out contest.

The Women's Breakout Tournament continued with semifinal matchups of Lola Vice vs. Karmen Petrovic, and Kelani Jordan vs. Arianna Grace.

The NXT Tag Team Championships were on the line as The Family faced Chase U. Lexis King would also make his NXT debut.

It was all hosted by Shotzi and Scarlett, who promised a spooky night with plenty of unique costumes.

Devil's Playground: Roxanne Perez vs. Kiana James

Roxanne Perez dominated Kiana James in this inventive Devil's Playground match, which was mostly contested at ringside.

The Prodigy used The Businesswoman's bag with a brick inside against her, before finishing her rival off with Pop Rox.

This was a smooth brawl, much cleaner than it looked to be on paper. Perez was clearly in the driver's seat moving the action through some fun set pieces.

While it could have been bigger, it was a solid start to the show. Perez picked up an important win that will continue to propel her back to the top of the women's division.

James loses nothing here as she was working out of her element in the Devil's Playground. If anything, she continues to look better with each performance, solidifying an expected call-up sooner than later.

Result

Perez def. James by pinfall.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• New Years Day performed "Vampyre" to a montage to set up the night.
• Scarlett and Shotzi opened the show in costumes inspired by Marie Antoinette and Pinhead from Hellraiser.
  
• Roxanne Perez also came out as Freddy Krueger from Nightmare on Elm Street.
• During the action, James took some rough hits to the head, leading to a visible bump on her forehead.
  

Lexis King vs. Dante Chen

After beating down Dante Chen throughout the match, Lexis King hit a swinging DDT off the second rope to take the win.

This was a fairly standard squash match. King is more polished than the typical newcomer to NXT, but he also has higher expectations on him due to his pedigree and All Elite Wrestling history as Brian Pillman Jr.

The 30-year-old has a chance to establish himself as a big name in NXT, charting a course similar to Eddy Thorpe as the new era of the brand develops.

No one truly knows King's full potential yet. His new name may not be the best gimmick on its own, but it should allow him to build a legacy separate from his late father, Brian Pillman.

Result

King def. Chen by pinfall.

Grade

C

Notable Moments

• King appeared while sitting on a throne, and while on his way down the ramp, he said: "Brian Pillman is dead. Long live Lexis King."
• King lost his bandana a minute into the action. Probably best to leave that off for future matches.
  
• Vic Joseph questioned Carmelo Hayes about Trick Williams' injury. Melo was more focused on challenging Ilja Dragunov.
• While Shotzi and Scarlett read tarot cards for Meta-Four, Akira Tozawa stole the Heritage Cup behind Noam Dar's back.
  

Women's Breakout Tournament: Kelani Jordan vs. Arianna Grace

Kelani Jordan elbowed Arianna Grace off the top rope and then hit a split-legged moonsault to seal her victory.

This was a solid showing from two up-and-coming talents in NXT. While Jordan seemed to hold back, working at Grace's pace, they built the drama together in the ring to a memorable home stretch.

This is not a match most will seek out, but it served as a sign that NXT has multiple interesting female wrestlers to watch among its next generation of stars.

Jordan winning was predictable. She should probably beat Lola Vice in the final as the most ready-made star in the women's division.

Result

Jordan def. Grace by pinfall to advance to the finals of the Women's Breakout Tournament.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments

• Jordan hit a standing somersault leg drop for a near-fall. Grace responded by throwing her into the second rope and hitting a side suplex for her own near-fall.
• Von Wagner continued to improve in rehab. He questioned why Mr. Stone challenged Bron Breakker. He responded by calling Wagner his friend.
  

NXT Tag Team Championship: The Family (c) vs. Chase U

After a competitive battle, Jacy Jayne tried to get Andre Chase to cheat to win. While he refused, Jayne took an accidental bump off the apron that distracted Tony D'Angelo for a sunset flip to seal the upset victory.

This was genuine fun to watch. The action was fast and heavy. Chase U and The Family competed like top tag teams, delivering for a raucous crowd that was invested in the action.

While it was a shame to see The Family lose the gold so soon, this has been a long time coming for Chase U. One of the best stories in NXT, this group has gotten over through sheer dedication to the gimmick.

It is especially good to see Duke Hudson finally win a big one. He has had a rocky road in WWE since signing three-and-a-half years ago, but it has all come together in the past year.

Result

Chase U def. The Family by pinfall to become the new NXT tag team champions.

Grade

A

Notable Moments

• The Family wished Chase U luck backstage before the match.
  
• Shotzi and Scarlett showed off their second costumes as Edward Scissorhands and a vampire. They booked a Tables, Ladders and Scares match for The Creed Brothers vs. Humberto Carrillo and Angel Garza.
• Hudson got the hottest tag of the night, running over both members of The Family including slamming The Underboss on top of The Don.
• Chase took a superplex into a diving headbutt, but The MVP threw D'Angelo into the pinfall to barely break it up.
• Later in the night, Chelsea Green and Piper Niven mocked Chase U, setting up a match with Jayne and Thea Hail next week.
  

Lights Out: Blair Davenport vs. Gigi Dolin

Blair Davenport was more in her element in this physical encounter. She sent Gigi Dolin off the announce table through a table at ringside with a Falcon Arrow and followed up with a short-arm knee smash for the win.

This was the first part of the night that did not work. Too much time was spent setting up spots, probably affected by the dark lighting. That's a shame because the action was solid.

The two clicked much more in this setting than they did in their first encounter. If they had just focused on brutalizing each other in the ring rather than setting up tables at ringside, this could have been a breakout match for both.

Davenport needed to win this as she remains one of the most interesting stars in the women's division. She needs more credibility before she can step up to someone like Becky Lynch.

Result

Davenport def. Dolin by pinfall.

Grade

D+

Notable Moments

• Dolin came out in Beetlejuice-inspired gear, while Davenport arrived looking like Georgie from It.
• Davenport took at least half-a-minute setting up a table in the limited light. It was used for the best spot of the match with the Falcon Arrow.
  
• Nathan Frazer challenged "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio for Halloween Havoc Night 2 on Hard Hitting Home Truths.
• Baron Corbin decried Carmelo Hayes stealing his opportunity.

Women's Breakout Tournament: Lola Vice (w/ Elektra Lopez) vs. Karmen Petrovic

Karmen Petrovic brought the fight to Lola Vice throughout, but it took her opponent just one roundhouse kick to win it.

Kelani Jordan confronted Vice afterward.

This was shorter than it should have been, but Petrovic stood out in the time she got. Her offense looked crisper than her last outing. That did come at Vice's expense as the two were mostly hitting moves rather than working in tandem.

The obvious result happened once again as Vice has dominated the field. However, she has yet to really compete. She will need to have a complete match with Jordan next week.

At this point, Jordan is far readier for a title shot than Vice.

Result

Vice def. Petrovic by pinfall.

Grade

D

Notable Moments

• This started fast as Petrovic planted Vice with a running flip kick. She responded by throwing Petrovic over the top rope.
  
• Vic Joseph interviewed Ilja Dragunov, who talked about his rough childhood that led to his success in the ring.
• Carmelo Hayes watched the interview before he was confronted by Shotzi and Scarlett, dressed as the Grady girls from The Shining, who said he was behind the attack on Trick Williams.
• Bron Breakker praised Melo for his initiative and warned that he would face him again soon.
  
• Fallon Henley was dressed as Tiffany Stratton and got into a brawl with the real Buff Barbie. Henley's impression was spot-on.
  

NXT Women's Championship: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Lyra Valkyria

Becky Lynch continued to grow more frustrated as Lyra Valkyria tested her time and again in the night's main event.

The Man went for a second Man-Handle Slam, but The Valkyrie flipped it into a surprise stack-up pin to steal the victory.

Lynch struggled to deal with her emotions after the loss, but she handed the belt to her challenger and hugged her.

This was a star-making performance. Valkyria seemed to genuinely have the number of The Man, showing how much she has scouted her over the years. She countered Lynch's best shots with precision.

It was a dramatic contest that built to one of the most shocking near-falls of the year as Valkyria was the rare woman to kick out of the Man-Handle Slam.

NXT must carry this forward. It's time to let the best in-ring performer in the company fly. She has a host of exciting new challengers coming for her and can define the next six months or more for the gold brand.

Lynch did so much in a short time for the stock of the NXT Women's Championship. WWE should let Valkyria look just as good on Raw as well as in NXT.

Result

Valkyria def. Lynch by pinfall to become the new NXT women's champion.

Grade

A+

Notable Moments

• Jade Cargill appeared on the stage and watched the match from a throne.
  
• Dueling chants for Lynch and Valkyria were loud and often throughout.
• The Man missed a baseball slide. The Valkyrie responded with a swinging dropkick to the floor and then brought Lynch back to the ring for a hanging leg drop for a near-fall.
• Lynch barely escaped a leg-trap double-arm stretch, but Valkyria kept hold and transitioned into a sheer-drop suplex.
• The Man managed to kick out of the roundhouse kick, but The Valkyrie managed to kick out of the Man-Handle Slam to the shock of everyone.
  

Overall Show

Halloween Havoc Night 1 felt like an emphatic statement. After relying a bit too heavily on main roster stars recently, Tuesday's show put the focus back on the talented roster.

It delivered shocking title changes, fantastic in-ring action and direction to the future that continue to showcase the longevity of the gold brand.

While this wasn't a perfect show, it was one of the most exciting ones NXT has produced. In particular, it highlighted the women's division in a way no other WWE show has in years.

The majority of the air time for the night was driven by a respect for a growing women's roster that is arguably outshining the men's as of late. Even without Becky Lynch, that should only continue.

Sprinkle in a welcome NXT Tag Team Championships change for good measure. Chase U has finally made it, and hopefully Duke Hudson and Andre Chase get time to deliver as titleholders.

Night 2 has a tough act to follow, even with an exciting rematch of Carmelo Hayes vs. ilja Dragunov. Night 1 has earned Shawn Michaels and the booking crew some deserved trust for what is to come.

Overall Grade: A