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

For the second year, WWE NXT ended the year of WWE premium live events with an exciting event, Deadline.

Five men and five women would compete in NXT's most innovative match, the Iron Survivor Challenge. Would favorites Bron Breakker and Tiffany Stratton win big? Could underdogs like Fallon Henley and Trick Williams pull off the victory?

The winners would get a title shot at a time of their choosing. The men would keep a close eye on the battle for the NXT Championship between Ilja Dragunov and Baron Corbin.

Lyra Valkyria would await the winner of the women's match. She was also likely to watch Roxanne Perez and Kiana James end their rivalry inside a steel cage.

After an unfortunate injury to Wes Lee, "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio was required reignite a rivalry with Dragon Lee, who would be backed up by the legendary Rey Mysterio.

Carmelo Hayes would finally get his hands on Lexis King while Axiom and Nathan Frazer would make a splash on the Kickoff show.

Deadline was certain to be an exciting night, showcasing the best and brightest in NXT to end an important year for the gold brand.

Kickoff: Nathan Frazer vs. Axiom

Nathan Frazer closed in on a win, but he could not put Axiom away. The Superhero caught Frazer with a top rope Spanish Fly into the Golden Ratio to win. Afterward, the two shook hands.

Axiom and Frazer are always good together. This was not their best match together but still a solid showcase of two great athletes.

The two tried to tell a story of Frazer getting too cocky, but he did not sell it enough in his acting. It mostly just felt like another fun athletic fight between friends where the loser got exasperated in moments.

If the plan is to turn Frazer heel, there is more story left to tell to sell it. That said, Frazer could use the opportunity to freshen up his character as he feels directionless in NXT.

Result

Axiom def. Frazer by pinfall.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments

• 1 minute into this match, after a spirited athletic exchange, the first NXT chant broke out.
• The commentators sold the idea of Frazer possibly turning heel soon, highlighting his growing arrogance and frustration.
  
• Frazer nearly took the win off a superplex and spinning neckbreaker. He again nearly got him off a superkick counter to the Golden Ratio.
  

North American Championship: "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio vs. Dragon Lee

Shawn Michaels opened the show to hype Deadline before CM Punk arrived. The Best in the World teased possibly signing with NXT instead of Raw or SmackDown.

"Dirty" Dominik Mysterio was too focused on Rey Mysterio at ringside throughout his title match. Dragon Lee made him pay with a a tilt-a-whirl DDT, winning the North American Championship.

This match started slow, and the climax moved a bit faster than expected for a premium live event setting. However, Dirty Dom and Dragon still remain very good together.

The chemistry was obvious in a contest that had the crowd invested throughout. This is probably the end of The Ex-Con's time in NXT, and he did well with the spotlight.

It is likely Wes Lee was supposed to beat Dirty Dom for the title, and WWE pivoted to Dragon. The luchador should do well with the title and hopefully is ready to work both NXT and SmackDown for a while.

Result

Dragon def. Dirty Dom by pinfall to become the new North American champion.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments

• Punk came out in a Bret Hart hoodie and declared his hope to see HBK and The Hitman mend fences.
  
• Rey joined commentary where Booker was unafraid to talk up Dirty Dom and talk down The Master of the 619's career.
• The Ex-Con hit the Three Amigos on Dragon then refused to take the three count.
• The luchador caught Dirty Dom in the tree of woe outside the ring then sent him to the floor with a gnarly double foot stomp.
• Dragon and Rey hugged afterward, celebrating the luchador's first title win.
  

Women's Iron Survivor Challenge

Blair Davenport and Fallon Henley opened the match followed by Tiffany Stratton at three. Kelani Jordan came in at four while Lash Legend was the last in.

While Legend stole two early falls on Henley and Stratton when she arrived, it was Davenport who managed three falls, two over Henley and one over Jordan, to win it.

The winner called out Lyra Valkyria, who was ready to face off with Davenport. Cora Jade arrived to attack The Valkyrie from behind and hold her NXT Championship high.

Last year, the women struggled with the Iron Survivor Challenge, but this was better. It helped that Henley and Stratton were the heart of the action, selling their rivalry consistently.

The action struggled a bit when those two women were out of the ring though. Legend was heavily protected in her 10 minutes, barely leaving her feet. Davenport and Jordan were solid but were not consistently in focus besides during near-falls.

Davenport was the right woman to win this. She has momentum and a strong story, building off her NXT re-introduction. She is unlikely to dethrone Valkyria though, especially with Jade taking some of her spotlight with her return.

Result

Davenport (3) def. Legend (2), Henley (1), Stratton (1) and Jordan (0) to earn an NXT Women's Championship match at New Year's Evil.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• Henley was double-teamed by Stratton and Davenport, setting up Davenport to steal the first fall from Stratton on Henley.
• When the bar owner returned to the action, she ran down The Center of the Universe and pinned her with a Shining Wizard.
• Legend came in fast and planted Henley on Stratton to take two points.
• Noam Dar, Oro Mensah and Jakara Jackson blocked the door when Stratton and Henley tried to leave the penalty box. They escaped through the top before The Center of the Universe sent her rival through the announce table.
• Stratton got a late decision with the Prettiest Moonsault on Legend, but she missed hitting Jordan too to get a second.
• Cora Jade refused to tell Kelly Kincaid her next move after returning to NXT.
  

Carmelo Hayes vs. Lexis King

With distractions abound, Carmelo Hayes struggled to focus on taking down Lexis King. Finally, Melo found his conviction and planted King with Nothin' But Net.

King taunted Melo afterward, saying that he didn't attack Trick Williams but appreciate the premium live event spotlight.

This was overlong and oddly slow paced despite Melo dominated large stretches. Hayes did a lot of heavy-lifting in a match that felt more like a mid-show NXT TV match.

The action was fine, but this should have gone half the time it did. King never truly looked like a real threat to Melo and lost in clean and decisive fashion.

Despite this, NXT played King's music to end the segment after he revealed he pretended to attack Trick to get a PLE match. It all came off awkward and a waste of Melo's considerable talent.

Result

Melo def. King by pinfall.

Grade

D+

Notable Moments

• Melo told Trick that he would win the Iron Survivor Challenge. Trick told him to focus on beating King.
• Hayes got aggressive with King early, leaving the heel on the back foot until he threw Melo outside and blasted him on the steel steps.
• King demanded Melo shake hand. He did late in the match but then threw up a middle finger and headbutt his opponent.
  

Men's Iron Survivor Challenge

Dijak and Josh Briggs opened the match. Tyler Bate came in at three. Trick Williams came in hot at four. Bron Breakker came in hot to take the lead.

After a physical battle, Trick Williams had no falls in the last 2 minutes. He rolled up Briggs, Dijak and Bate for three falls before catching Bron Breakker with a running knee with seconds to spare to get his final fall and win.

Whoever put this match together was meticulous. It was obvious how much had been planned ahead of time. It was almost too choreographed, but the spots were great consistently.

The action was chaotic but never too hard to follow. The story of Trick rising up from the ashes in the last minute was very well done and elevated the contest to memorable levels.

It is time to consider crowning Trick as NXT champion. He is the most over man in NXT and is up there with the most over stars in WWE. By the end, it was clear that this match was the moment he was made.

Dijak was heavily protected in the finish and should still be in title contention. Briggs looked like he belonged. Breakker and Bate were reliably good throughout.

Result

Trick (4) def. Breakker (3), Dijak (3), Bate (3) and Briggs (2) to earn an NXT Championship match at New Year's Evil.

Grade

A-

Notable Moments

• Dijak took the first pin with Feast Your Eyes on Briggs at five minutes.
• Briggs came back in and hit a running clothesline on Dijak for a fall.
• Hard Justice returned to break up a pin after the Tyler Driver 97, but Bate reversed an attempted Feast Your Eyes into a stack-up pin for a fall.
• Trick jumped off the back of Briggs and caught Dijak mid-air with a clothesline. However, he took a fall to Bate after the Tyler Driver 97.
• Breakker speared Briggs, Bate and Dijak for three straight points right after he arrived.
• Trick dived onto the field outside but walked back into a discus big boot from Dijak, who got his second fall.
• Breakker sent Dijak into Bate's arms for a Tyler Driver 98, taking a third fall.
• Dijak and Briggs looked cohesive together and hit double moonsaults on Trick and Breakker for falls.
• Eddy Thorpe cost Dijak a fourth fall by pulling the referee outside.
• Afterward, Meta-Four taunted Briggs and Fallon Henley backstage, starting a brawl.
  

Steel Cage: Roxanne Perez vs. Kiana James

Kiana James went for a steel chair, which Roxanne Perez stole from her. Izzi Dame blasted The Prodigy with the steel cage door, setting up James to hit the Deal Breaker for the victory.

NXT took a chance on Perez and James, putting them in this match over the Iron Survivor Challenge and keeping the NXT Women's Championship off the card. It did not quite pay off.

Perez and James put together a solid match but not one that felt right for a premium live event, especially given the finish. Dame's interference was heavily telegraphed and took away from the potential career-defining win for James.

These two women have evened the score in singles action, so this may not be the end of the rivalry. The assumption though is that NXT wants to book James vs. Lyra Valkyria in 2024 and needs to built up the heel for that spot.

The Prodigy has done good work in NXT, but it may be time for her to move on. She has more value to the SmackDown or Raw women's rosters in 2024.

Result

James def. Perez by pinfall.

Grade

D+

Notable Moments

• James was shown heading to the arena directly from WWE Headquarters.
• Perez took too long to pin James off a Pop Rox due to the damage she had suffered
  

NXT Championship: Ilja Dragunov (c) vs. Baron Corbin

Baron Corbin beat on the ribs of Ilja Dragunov, but The Mad Dragon would not break. He hit a hard-fought jackknife powerbomb to set up three H-Bombs and the Torpedo Moscow to win.

Trick Williams came out to signal his intent for the NXT Championship to end the show with Carmelo Hayes following slowly behind.

It was always going to be tough to work a slower main event style after the chaotic Iron Survivor Challenge matches, but Dragunov and Corbin sold the physicality of their war ina distinct way to the rest of the card.

The Mad Dragon is one of the best in the world, and he makes every match feel special. This was no different. This may be Corbin's most complete match of his career, certainly at least up there with his Carmelo Hayes match.

Dragunov was never going to lose, but the story of the match did not need unpredictability to land.

This wasn't quite as impactful as the men's Iron Survivor Challenge, but it told its own story and sold its importance as the main event.

Result

Dragunov def. Corbin by pinfall to retain the NXT Championship.

Grade

A-

Notable Moments

• Corbin came out on a motorcycle with a Hellboy-inspired titantron.
• The former Lone Wolf mocked The Mad Dragon with a hug before planting him with a uranage. Just before the finish, Dragunov hugged Corbin and whispered in his ear.
  
• Dragunov sold his ribs throughout this match, including having trouble lifting Corbin and hurting himself on a diving senton.
• Corbin countered the Torpedo Moscow with a Deep Six then planted The Mad Dragon with an inverted fireman's carry slam into a brainbuster for a near-fall.

Overall Show

NXT had a chance to end the year with a bang, but the night was mostly just good enough. There were two truly outstanding matches for the night, but there were also two bout that probably should not have been on the show.

Trick Williams' story in winning the men's Iron Survivor Challenge was fantastic. That contest was the highlight of the night, especially the pop from that final stretch.

Ilja Dragunov delivered again, pushing Baron Corbin to a top career performance. The main event showed once again why The Mad Dragon is NXT champion.

Carmelo Hayes had one of his worst matches at a premium live event with Lexis King. Roxanne Perez and Kiana James could not elevate themselves in a steel cage match that did not live up to the build.

The rest of the card was solid filler for Deadline. The women delivered their own fun Iron Survivor Challenge. "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio vs. Dragon Lee and Nathan Frazer vs. Axiom were solid rematches from some of NXT's better rivalries.

With all the hype though, the hope was for bigger moments across the card. CM Punk's appearance ended up feeling bigger than most of the card, and Dragon's title win was overshadowed by the fact that it should have been Wes Lee.

As a whole, Deadline was a good enough time but may be largely forgotten outside of the implications for the NXT Championship scene.

Overall Grade: C+