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.

Grayson Waller Addresses His Successful NXT Championship Defense

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One week removed from successfully defending the NXT Championship, Grayson Waller emerged to discuss how impressive EK Prosper was and the heart he showed in defeat last Tuesday night.

He also talked about wanting to make the NXT Championship matter again and getting it back to a point where title defenses feel as important as they once did. That brought out Myles Borne, who recently severed ties with Tavion Heights to cement his status as a heel.

Borne is done doing what's expected of him, he said, and he now his sights set on the one piece of gold in NXT he hasn't held yet. Tony D'Angelo then walked out to make it clear that he has unfinished business with the belt before explaining that he didn't answer the open challenge last week because he doesn't want Waller to have any excuses.

Waller told Borne and D'Angelo that he'll defend against whoever wins between the two of them next week. The segment ended with Borne laying out D'Angelo with a loaded fist and facing off with Waller.

Grade

B

Notable Moments and Observations

• Waller is always his annoying heel self in his promos, so it was notable when he said that Prosper "crushed it" against him last week. That was an awesome endorsement of Prosper's potential, along with Prosper's backstage interaction with William Regal later in the show.
• Borne has a bit of momentum right now following his heel turn, despite losing both of his bouts at Heatwave in August. Borne vs. Waller isn't an interesting match on paper because of the heel vs. heel dynamic, so Heights costing Borne the win to further that feud would be logical.
• It's a shame that whatever took Mason Rook out of action is going to prevent him from getting the shot he earned at the NXT Championship at Halloween Havoc, too. Waller vs. Rook will happen eventually, but NXT might be going in a different direction for right now in case Waller vs. Rook was supposed to be more than a one-off.

Shiloh Hill vs. Naraku

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Last Time in Action: Naraku def. Shiloh Hill (NXT, Sept. 1).

This was a rematch from the Sept. 1 edition of NXT where Naraku beat Shiloh Hill after cheating with his mist.

Hill gradually built momentum in the early goings of this bout by planting Hill with a shoulder block. Naraku retaliated down the stretch with a powerful sit-out slam, but it wasn't enough to earn him the victory.

Hill kept the crowd behind him by hitting some of his signature stuff, including a reverse flipping senton. After blocking Naraku's mist, Hill ducked out of the way when Naraku went for it a second time, which resulted in the referee getting misted and calling for the bell.

Result

Shiloh Hill defeated Naraku by disqualification.

Grade

C

Notable Moments and Observations

• We are now two matches into this feud and neither encounter has been overly exciting. Both guys are technically sound but don't have the strongest chemistry as opponents evidently.
• The disqualification finish was fine as it avoided the usual formula of Hill avenging his previous loss to Naraku, but the execution could have been a bit better. The two brawling to the back after the match was over was underwhelming as well.
• Needless to say, a third match is in order and it should have some sort of a stipulation to raise the stakes, perhaps something relating to the mist. The endgame of this program should ultimately be to elevate Hill to championship contention.

Dusty Classic First Round: BirthRight vs. Toyko Boys

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Last Time in Action: BirthRight def. Sean Legacy, Dorian Van Dux, Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno (NXT, Aug. 25); Tokyo Boys' NXT TV in-ring debut.

Earlier in the evening, Uriah Connors and Channing Lorenzo were shown attacking Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux backstage. Robert Stone then declared that Legacy and Van Dux would be replaced by BirthRight's other two members, Charlie Dempsey and Lexis King.

Despite fighting twice on the same show, King fought valiantly and survived Toyko Boys' thrilling aerial offense. Toyko Boys did seem to have the upper hand early on before BirthRight weathered the storm and regained control.

In the closing moments of the match, Dempsey planted one of Tokyo Boys with a beautiful suplex (shades of his father William Regal) to score the three count.

Result

BirthRight defeated Tokyo Boys to advance to the quarterfinals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.

Grade

D+

Notable Moments and Observations

• While there wasn't anything technically wrong with this match, it was simply way too short to be anything out of the ordinary. That's a bummer considering Tokyo Boys have shined in AAA this year and didn't get much of a chance to show what they can do here.
• BirthRight being given another opportunity in the Dusty Classic even though they were responsible for taking out Legacy and Van Dux is a rather dumb development. Why would the general manager reward the group with another opportunity in the tournament?
• This would have benefited from being a few minutes longer, but they made the most of the time they were allotted. It's safe to assume this was cut short to ensure the Battle Royal main event didn't have to be rushed.

NXT Women's Championship No. 1 Contender's Battle Royal

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Participants: Indi Hartwell, Xia Brookside, La Catalina, Lizzy Rain, Nikkita Lyons, Izzi Dame, Layla Diggs, Zaria, Ivy Nile, Skylar Raye, Thea Hail, Reina Volcan, Kali Armstrong, Arianna Grace, M by Elegance, Adelicious, Heather by Elegance, Lady Shani/Wren Sinclair, Chantel Monroe, Kiana James

Layla Diggs, who we haven't seen on NXT TV since she was supposed to challenge for the NXT Women's Championship over the summer, was immediately eliminated. It's possible it was a botch considering how strange it looked and how quickly it happened, but that may have been by design.

Izzi Dame was taken out seconds later by Zaria but got her revenge later in the bout by returning to the ring to ensure Zaria got eliminated. Those two are surely on a collision course for Halloween Havoc.

Reina Volcan scored some eliminations but was tossed over the top rope by multiple women not long after. Miscommunication between The Elegance Brand resulted in them losing thanks to Thea Hail taking advantage.

The two Aussies Zaria and Indi Hartwell had a cool face-off at one point. Hartwell and Xia Brookside eliminated each other because they'll be facing each other for the TNA Knockouts World Championship this Sunday at Bound for Glory.

Kiana James lasted almost the entire time but was the third-to-last person eliminated. Kali Armstrong and Lizzy Rain had a brief battle on the apron that resulted in Armstrong seemingly winning the whole thing before Lady Shani slid back into the ring, sent Armstrong over the top rope for the win and revealed herself to be the suspended Wren Sinclair in disguise.

Result

Wren Sinclair won the NXT Women's Championship number one contender's Battle Royal.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments and Observations

• This was one of the better Battle Royals NXT has done in recent memory. It received a ton of time, several stories progressed simultaneously and the finish wasn't a foregone conclusion. The crowd ate this up and rightfully so.
• It's easy to forget that Sinclair was "suspended" in storyline for attacking Kelani Jordan a few weeks back, so it was genuinely surprising when she took the mask off to reveal her true identity, especially for those who aren't as familiar with Lady Shani's work in AAA and what she looks like.
• The TNA representation in this match was refreshing to see. There's been a lot of conversation online lately about the working relationship between WWE and TNA being over, so this was a great way to get it going again and to promote TNA's biggest pay-per-view of the year Bound for Glory.

Overall Show

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The last few weeks of NXT TV were carried by the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and the excellent action in those matches. That wasn't as much the case this week with both of those bouts being mostly forgettable, but the Battle Royal delivered as the focal point of the episode.

Zilla Fatu vs. Lexis King was an enjoyable opener, but Shiloh Hill vs. Naraku was once again mediocre at best. The talking segment with Grayson Waller, Tony D'Angelo and Myles Borne was solid and was what it needed to be ahead of next week's number one contender's match.

This wasn't the strongest effort from NXT since Heatwave, but most of what we got was necessary in setting the stage for Halloween Havoc at the end of the month. Thankfully, most of the matches we appear to be getting at the event have been building for a while, so the rest of the month should give viewers a clearer picture of what else the card will entail with each week that passes.

Final Grade

C+

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.