WWE NXT Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights From October 6

With Halloween Havoc quickly approaching, WWE NXT looks to lock in a compelling card for its next premium live event, even with nothing currently set in stone.

Kelani Jordan's NXT Women's Championship challenger at Halloween Havoc will be determined by way of a Battle Royal featuring talent across WWE, AAA and TNA. With champions such as Zaria and Xia Brookside involved, the outcome feels genuinely unpredictable.

Scores will also be settled as Shiloh Hill battles Naraku in a rematch from a few weeks back and Zilla Fatu fights Lexis King of BirthRight. Meanwhile, the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic will continue when Hank and Tank take on Shido Ash and Viktor Zanov in first-round action.

Despite finding itself in a state of flux as of late, NXT has managed to keep the spotlight on the fresher faces and kill time until Halloween Havoc with interesting albeit brief programs and above-average action. The next several weeks of television will be imperative in making that show as strong as possible.

Here are the complete results, grades and reaction for the Oct. 6 edition of WWE NXT as it airs live on The CW.

Zilla Fatu vs. Lexis King

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Last Time in Action: BirthRight def. Zilla Fatu, EK Prosper and Sean Legacy (NXT, Sept. 22).

It was a competitive contest throughout with Lexis King taking it to Zilla Fatu early on and coming across as his equal, despite being booked as an undercard competitor for the better part of the past three years.

King caught Fatu with a flurry of kicks to the chest but was thwarted by an emphatic Samoan Drop from Fatu. A short while later, he laid out King with a diving headbutt in the corner before wiping out most of BirthRight on the apron and no-selling a superkick from King.

Fatu clinched the victory after dropping King with his signature Samoan Spike. BirthRight jumped Fatu afterward, sent him into the steel steps at ringside and used them to crush his hand.

Result

Zilla Fatu defeated Lexis King.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments and Observations

• NXT is definitely doing a better job of portraying BirthRight as more of a dominant force. Granted, the outcome of this contest was never in doubt, but at least King got some offense in before eating defeat.
• Fatu is still early on in his NXT run but is already getting over nicely with this audience. It's also wise to keep him out of the NXT Championship picture for the foreseeable future as not to rush his development.
• The post-match angle was effective in furthering the feud and allowing BirthRight to get his heat back. Don't be surprised to see Fatu run through other members of the group before he gets his hands on King again.

Dusty Classic First Round: Hank and Tank vs. Shido Ash and Viktor Zanov

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Last Time in Action: Keanu Carver def. Tank Ledger (NXT, July 7); Carver def. Hank Walker (NXT, July 21); Shido Ash and Vikor Zanov's NXT TV in-ring debut.

Shido Ash and Viktor Zanov represented Evolve in this tournament. We heard from them briefly beforehand via a quick vignette where they explained their judo backgrounds, which served as a perfectly fine introduction to the team, but they didn't show much personality in their promo.

In the ring, though, they showed signs of potential. Their unique judo style did give them the advantage at various points, specifically down the stretch when they countered Hank and Tank's tag finisher and nearly upset the former NXT Tag Team champs with a swift takedown.

Hank and Tank pulled through, however, battling back from the adversity to put the newcomers away in decisive fashion

Result

Hank and Tank defeated Shido Ash and Viktor Zanov to advance to the quarterfinals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments and Observations

• Ash and Zanov are obviously works in progress, but with this marking their NXT in-ring debut, they held their own and had a solid showing. The fact this wasn't booked as a straightforward squash is an encouraging sign for their future.
• Hank and Tank have been spinning their wheels for quite some time and this served as a nice reminder of what they can do. That said, they have virtually no chance of getting past the quarterfinals with The Creed Brothers being their next opponents.