NXT Halloween Havoc Preview And Predictions

The black and yellow brand is bringing the WWE Universe another classic event to Wednesday night. Here we’ll determine who’s leaving Halloween Havoc victorious.

NXT is bringing another throwback show out of the WCW vault in Halloween Havoc. The event is taking place just days before Halloween, which means the spooky theme will appear throughout the card. Shotzi Blackheart is hosting this year’s event and will undoubtedly play a huge role during the evening.

So far four matches have been announced, two of them with championships on the line. There’s also bound to be some fallout from Pat McAfee’s big reveal and the Undisputed Era. The title match stipulations will be determined via “Spin the wheel, make a deal.” This caveat ensures Halloween Havoc will have at least three gimmick matches. The possible matches on the wheel are as follows:

Coal Miner’s Glove on a Pole, Blindfold match, Casket match, Chamber of Horrors, Biker’s Chain match, Buried Alive match, Devil’s Playground match, Boiler Room Brawl, Shotzi’s Choice, Weapons Wild match, Trick or Street Fight, and TLS (Tables, Ladders, and Scares).

Wade Barrett & Vic Joseph costume contest

The announcers are set to square off to see who embraced Halloween best.  Costumes are typically a staple amongst superstars this time of year. Some of the better costumes over the years were courtesy of the New Day. One could only hope for Barrett to rehash his “bad news” gimmick in defiance of dressing up. This could also be a chance for Breezango to save some face after dropping the titles and have some fun in one of their various disguises.

Prediction: The fans win

Cameron Grimes vs. Dexter Lumis in a “Haunted House of Terror” match

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1319089056958025728

Cameron Grimes had a small run-in with Dexter Lumis backstage, which ended with Grimes costing Lumis the North American title. Lumis is set to exact his revenge is what is being called a “Haunted House of Terror” match. This could be incredibly good or incredibly bad if you recall the “House of Horrors” match with Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt. Let’s stay positive and say this will be nothing like that match. This is an opportunity for Lumis to go more in-depth into his character and show a sinister side. Expect Grimes to be running for his life throughout this house in what should be a cinematic match. Lumis wins and continues his push since returning from injury.

Prediction: Dexter Lumis wins

Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel González

The two titans of the women’s division are finally squaring off. This feud between Rhea Ripley and Raquel Gonzalez has been brewing for months. Both superstars have tried to one-up each other on Wednesday nights, and in the weight room according to social media. Ripley has been champion before and is destined to hold a title again, whether on NXT or another show. Gonzalez, since debuting earlier this year has primarily been the sidekick of Dakota Kai. This is her opportunity to step out and get a huge win under her belt. Ripley quietly has been building this NXT women’s division on her back. She’s eaten pins in various matches and this time will be no different. She’ll help make Gonzalez a star and viable threat to challenge for the title.

Prediction: Big Momma Cool picks up a win

Johnny Gargano vs. Damian Priest (c) for the North American title; stipulation determined by “Spin The Wheel, Make The Deal”

The real match here is Johnny Gargano versus the wheel. Gargano gets a second chance against Priest after pushing the North American champ to his limits at Takeover 31. Priest is having a good run holding the title, and the best part is his character is developing. He is the new rockstar of NXT, shout out to Shinsuke Nakamura. Priest has defended his title well and partied hard after his work was done. Gargano has done all there is to be done in NXT, but having a couple occupy titles is enticing. The WWE shop website even recently dropped “power couple” merchandise for the Garganos.

The stipulation is going to play a large role here, and that’s where Shotzi comes into play. This is going to be a Shotzi’s choice match. Blackheart will get even with LeRae for taking a loss a couple of weeks back. Johnny will seemingly have the odds against him in what could be a “Chamber of horrors” match. Expect the Garganos to assist each other in their respective matches as well. With the tag belts being flipped already, tied in the season premiere atmosphere in the company, Gargano gets a win here. In this scenario, the stipulation aids Johnny and doesn’t hurt Damien in a loss. The North American title gets the hot potato treatment for a while.

Prediction: Johnny Gargano wins the North American title

Io Shirai (c) vs. Candice LeRae for the NXT Women’s championship; stipulation determined by “Spin The Wheel, Make The Deal”

Io Shirai is one of the greatest wrestlers in the world, and she leads the deepest division in the WWE. Since winning the NXT women’s title she’s been untouchable in the squared circle. Her dominance even extends back to her character change in 2019, she has yet to take a pin in any type of match. If you recall before that change Shirai was friends with her opponent and turned on her. We’ve now come full circle with the roles reversed. These two are perfect dance partners for each other, and they deserve a rivalry that lasts a few months. LeRae has embraced the dark character and the dinner segments aid her promo work perfectly. It’s extremely difficult to bet against Io Shirai, but that’s where the stipulation helps out.

Having luck at the wheel feels like an oxymoron in this case but perhaps LeRae was onto something. A “Trick or street fight,” or “Tables, ladders, and scares” are the likely match types to take place. With the use of weapons and no disqualification rules LeRae can pull out all the stops to avenge her Takeover 31 loss. Regardless of where this match falls on the card and if there’s a new North American champ or not, Johnny will play sidekick to assist Candice. Shirai’s last televised singles loss came to Shayna Baszler at Takeover 25. She’ll remain strong in losing based on match shenanigans and immediately be in hot pursuit of reclaiming her crown. But for the prophecy of the power couple wearing gold is in full effect.

Predictions: Candice LeRae wins NXT Women’s title