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WWE NXT Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From Dec. 16
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of WWE NXT on December 16.
Oba Femi, Sol Ruca, Je'Von Evans and Leon Slater all had their biggest matches to date this past weekend at Saturday Night's Main Event, but Ruca was the only one to return to NXT with a victory under her belt.
As the roster prepares for New Year's Evil on January 6, we should start seeing the card come together in the next couple of weeks.
For now, here is what WWE advertised for Tuesday's show:
How did Ricky Saints explain his actions from last week? What's next for Tony D'Angelo? Let's take a look at what happened on Tuesday's show to find out.
Blake Monroe vs. Thea Hail
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Last time in action: Monroe defeated Ruca (NXT, Nov. 18), Hail defeated Arianna Grace (NXT, December 2)
The show opened with a recap of what happened at Saturday Night's Main Event with Femi, Ruca, Evans and Slater, and then it transitioned to showing some of the events from Deadline with Ricky Saints costing Evans his shot at the NXT title.
Evans was shown waiting for Saints in the parking lot before we went live in the arena for the women's North American title bout between Blake Monroe and Thea Hail.
Monroe went for a kick, but Hail dodged it and immediately started focusing on her arm to weaken her for the Kimura. Monroe seemed to have trouble figuring out how to fight the former Chase U student.
This was more physical than a lot of people probably expected it to be, but neither of these wrestlers have ever shied away from working this kind of match.
Unfortunately, the ending to this fell flat due to what appeared to be a miscommunication. Hail pinned Monroe in a moment that looked like it was supposed to lead to a kickout.
Even Hail looked confused. Monroe's music began to play, but then it switched to Hail's and she was crowned the new North American champion. It felt like a botched ending that might not have been intended to lead to a title change.
It's very hard to say exactly what went wrong, but whatever it was took the wind out of everyone's sails. It sucks that this is how Hail wins her first title because she has worked hard for an opportunity like this.
Result: Hail defeated Monroe
Grade: C
Notable Moments and Observations
- As good as she was with the group, getting Hail away from Chase U has been good for her character growth.
- Monroe has sneaky power. She doesn't look more muscular than a lot of the women on the roster, but she seems to be able to do certain things a bit easier than most.
- It feels like nobody is ever giving Booker T instructions on commentary. He just says whatever pops into his head.
Moose Wants NXT Gold
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After a break, Ethan Page made his way to the ring. He gave a pretty standard heel promo until Stacks came out to brag about being the TNA international champion.
The former Tony D henchman said he wanted some more gold, and he wants a shot at the AAA mixed tag team titles with Arianna Grace.
In a surprising moment, TNA's Moose showed up and stared daggers at Stacks as he walked to the ring. He complained about another NXT talent holding a TNA championship.
All Ego was all too happy to let them hash out their issues until Moose said he was actually there to talk to Page. He wanted to take an NXT belt back to TNA, and he already got Ava to sign off on a title match at New Year's Evil.
This was kind of a weak way to get a title match added to the NYE card. The segment didn't feel like it had any direction until the very end, and once we knew where it was heading, it was already over.
Grade: C-plus
Hank and Tank vs. OTM
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Last time in action: OTM defeated Hank and Tank (NXT, Oct. 21)
After a short run in Japan's NOAH promotion, Hank and Tank returned to NXT this week to take on Lucien Price and Bronco Nima.
These are four big, beefy men, so this was never going to be a pretty, technical showcase. This was always going to be four guys trying to hit each other as hard as they can.
Sadly, the pacing was completely off during the first couple of minutes because both teams were doing too much posturing and not enough fighting.
It never felt like this match reached its potential, which is sad because both duos have a lot of potential. Hank and Tank are former tag champs, and OTM is just waiting for its breakout moment.
Their last encounter barely lasted three minutes, so it was nice to see them get more time to work, and things definitely picked up after the commercial break, but it felt like too little, too late.
Hank ended up getting the pin for his team with an inside cradle. This puts them even at one win each, so we will likely get a rubber match soon.
Result: Hank and Tank defeated OTM
Grade: C
Notable Moments and Observations
- It would have been cool if we got to see more of Hank and Tank with the GHC tag titles on NXT TV.
- OTM's entrance needs some work. It's missing something.
- Booker T made fun of someone driving a Chevy when we saw an arrival in the parking lot in the middle of the match.
- Tank's Swanton looked pretty good.
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Why, Ricky? Why?
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Saints was the man shown arriving in an SUV during the tag match. He made his way to the ring after the break to talk about why he cost Evans the NXT title at Deadline. He had several security guards surrounding the ring.
The crowd booed as Saints said he was not there to apologize. He said he came to NXT to prove that he is as good as he says he is.
Saints claimed he tried to give Evans some advice, but he failed to listen and paid the price. The Young OG showed up and went after Saints, which was easy since the security team left one side of the ring unguarded.
Saints took control and sent him into the steel steps before clearing off the announce table. He put Evans through the table with his finisher to end the segment.
This is one of the few times when the crowd being so noisy actually hurt the segment. Saints gave a decent promo to establish his heel turn, and coming out on top in his fight with Evans helped cement it.
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
- Jasper Troy was told by Ava that a tournament would take place to find the next contender for the Speed title.
- WWE loves a loud crowd, but sometimes it would benefit from turning the crowd noise down during promos.
WrenQCC vs. Fatal Influence
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Last time in action: Sinclair lost to Zaria (NXT, Nov. 4), Grey won the Iron Survivor match (Deadline), Fatal Influence lost to Grey, Ruca and Lola Vice (NXT, Dec. 2)
Henley and Reid were out first to take on Sinclair and Grey in tag team action. Grey and Reid started the match with a fast-paced exchange.
This was a competitive back and forth fight that made all four women look good, but if we had to pick a standout, it would be Grey.
She has impressed with every showing and continues to improve at a faster rate than most. At this rate, she could be one of the best in WWE within a few years.
The match ended with Grey getting a submission win over Reid with an armbar.
Result: Sinclair and Grey defeated Fatal Influence
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
- Grey has no right being as smooth as she is this early in her career.
- The way Reid hit a stunner from the apron looked cool.
- Jayne was great on commentary. She seems to know when to add to the conversation and when to let the action in the ring do the talking.
Dion Lennox vs. Joe Hendry vs. Leon Slater vs. Myles Borne
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Last time in action: All four men lost the Iron Survivor match (Deadline)
The main event was the Fatal 4-Way with the four men who lost the Iron Survivor match to find the next challenger for Femi's NXT title.
All four men got right into the fight, but Slater and Hendry were tossed out early so Lennox and Borne could have a brief exchange by themselves.
Lennox, Borne and Hendry are all versatile workers, and Slater is one of the best young high-flyers out there, so they were able to be creative with some of the spots they mixed into the match.
If you watch NXT regularly, you already know that all of these guys are good at what they do, so telling you this was a good match is probably the least surprising thing you have read all day.
Nobody had a clear advantage, so the outcome was less predictable than usual. In the end, Slater got the win with a 450 on Borne to become the new No. 1 contender.
Result: Slater defeated Lennox, Hendry and Borne
Grade: B-plus
Notable Moments and Observations
- Hail was interviewed backstage about winning the NA title. Monroe showed up and said she wanted a rematch because the ref screwed up.
- Booker T singing Hendry's entrance music is the funniest thing he has done all year.
- Slater began favoring his knee after an awkward landing at ringside, but he got back into the ring and kept going.
The Final Word
7 of 7Tuesday's NXT was the definition of a mixed bag. The women's tag match was decent, and the main event was a lot of fun, but the thing most people will be talking about was the botched finish that led to an unplanned title change.
Monroe was clearly not meant to lose this bout, but WWE went with the finish as called by the referee, so Hail celebrated winning her first title in NXT during a backstage interview.
Nobody is going to try to argue that Hail is undeserving, but it's unfortunate that her first championship victory was due to a mistake.
The Fatal 4-Way was definitely the best thing on the show, but the promo and subsequent fight with Saints and Evans is worth watching, too.
Grade: C
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