WWE NXT Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights from Oct. 15

In a return to the WWE Performance Center on October 15, WWE NXT promised major build toward Halloween Havoc.

Trick Williams would be watching closely as "All Ego" Ethan Page faced Wes Lee and Je'Von Evans to crown the next No. 1 contender for his NXT Championship.

With Roxanne Perez waiting for her own next challenger, Stephanie Vaquer looked to make a statement in her NXT in-ring debut against Wren Sinclair.

Tony D'Angelo threw a title celebration after dethroning Oba Femi as NXT North American champion last week.

Lexis King looked to prove himself against Oro Mensah in a Gentlemen's Duel, and Riley Osborne looked for revenge in a rematch with Ridge Holland.

Lola Vice welcomed back Nikkita Lyons in a one-on-one contest.

This week was crucial for the silver-and-black brand and would set the expectations for Halloween Havoc on October 27.

Tony D'Angelo toasted Oba Femi, which led to The Ruler coming out to address the new North American champion.

The challenger rolled the Halloween Havoc wheel for the rematch and landed on Tables, Ladders and Scares.

This was a simple and effective follow-up from last week. D'Angelo spoke with confidence, perhaps taunting Femi a little too much. The Ruler set his own confident statement, promising to take his title back.

While D'Angelo and Femi are not the typical type of competitors for a great ladder match, they have proven chemistry and have varied it with each match.

This could be a show-stealer at Halloween Havoc and will not need much more build to sell the final contest with the North American Championship on the line.

However, Femi is going to take out The Don's family before Halloween Havoc to add an extra personal edge.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• The arena was dark beyond a single spotlight on D'Angelo at a red table with a wine glass. It was an effective presentation.
  
• The Don said he used Femi's pride against him by baiting him into position for a sunset flip pin for the victory.
• Luca Crusifino wanted a match against Femi next week.
  

Wren Sinclair tried to keep the focus on her, but she was overwhelmed by the power and technical offense of Stephanie Vaquer.

La Primera sealed the win with a package backbreaker.

After the win, Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade attacked Vaquer until Giulia arrived to make the save.

The new stars of NXT sent Jade and Perez reeling and then La Primera laid out a tag team challenge to the heels for Halloween Havoc.

This was a fairly one-sided battle, but Sinclair did her part to make La Primera look dangerous from the outset. It was a fun showcase of what makes Vaquer one of the best women's wrestlers in the world today.

Still, much more is going to be seen from her in the coming months. The next hurdle will be a tag team match at Halloween Havoc.

A Fatal 4-Way match with the NXT Women's Championship on the line would have been interesting for the premium live event, but this does protect the future challengers without giving them another loss.

Result

Vaquer def. Sinclair by pinfall.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments

• Vaquer's new WWE theme sounded generic despite a solid red-lighting presentation. Hopefully, it is not the final form of her entrance.
  
• Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade watched backstage for the first few minutes before walking away to get a closer look.
• Kelani Jordan told Trick Williams backstage that she would face whoever NXT general manager Ava picked as her next challenger. Fatal Influence headed to her office.
• Ava confirmed the tag team match for Halloween Havoc. Fatal Influence demanded a Women's North American Championship match, and Ava agreed...if they fight Giulia and Vaquer next week.
  

Before this match, the full rules were established for this Gentlemen's Duel including some complicated tricks to avoid attacking a downed opponent.

While both men had near slip-ups on the regulations, a final sequence of pin attempts ended with an impressive double leg-trap bridging pin that took the victory.

Adding unique rules to a wrestling match can be difficult for fans to follow, but King and Mensah did a great job early establishing the major pitfalls to avoid in this type of contest.

Once that was established, the two men mostly rolled, though it felt like they ran out of steam near the end. It was verging on great early but fell to just good by the closing stretch.

King winning was a surprise, but he is clearly committed to his babyface evolution. Perhaps this is the opportunity to finally give him a shot up the card. NXT should not forget about Mensah, though, who has lost the popularity he garnered feuding with Ethan Page.

The Gentlemen's Duel may not be a stipulation that NXT can pull out often, but it's worth considering at the right time for certain opponents. It's an opportunity for a more grounded contest, keeping the competitors contained to the ring.

Result

King def. Mensah by pinfall.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• King used the rules to his advantage early and planted all limbs on the floor to avoid the attack of Mensah.
• King almost knocked The Main Man over the top rope and had to be warned by the referee.
• Afterward, King shook the hand of Mensah and showed him respect.
• King thanked No Quarter Catch Crew for the help on the Gentlemen's Duel rules and teased he may be ready to challenge for the Heritage Cup.
  

As Lola Vice was rolling, Jaida Parker blasted Vice with the Hipnotic and set up Nikkita Lyons for a Lion's Roar to win.

It feels like a lifetime ago that Lyons was at the top of the NXT women's division, but it's impressive that she was even able to return in 2024 at all after a pair of ACL tears in early 2023 and early 2024.

The NXT women's division has improved significantly in terms of depth since she was last able to work consistently, but she is no longer an obvious title contender.

It was a big challenge to put her up against Vice, who is a made woman in NXT. Perhaps that is why Lyons picked up what should be considered a major upset, even with the interference.

Vice did the heavy-lifting in this match, but the two had solid chemistry that carried them through.

Lyons still has work to do to get back to full speed, but she looked better than expected.

Result

Lyons def. Vice by pinfall.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments

• NXT highlighted Lyons' story and recovery in a pre-match video package.
• The crowd was genuinely behind the returning Lyons, cheering her more than Vice.
  
• Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson laid out a challenge to Damage CTRL for next week.
• Parker interrupted Tatum Paxley's interview about Wendy Choo, which almost caused an incident between the two women.
  

Riley Osborne brought the most fight he has to any match in this battle with Ridge Holland, but he was simply overwhelmed. He took a Redeemer to end it.

Andre Chase hit the ring to save Osborne from a Redeemer on the announce table and knocked Holland clean out of the ring.

Osborne is figuring it out, and this is by far the best he has looked. It's a shame the two did not have more time as there is obvious chemistry between him and Holland.

However, this went from a fun brawl to a squash at the drop of a dime and made clear that Holland is at a different level to the Chase U student.

It would have a disappointing result if The Professor did not make his return to prove he is the kind of motivated threat that could topple the Englishman.

This heel turn was not perfectly delivered in the moment, but Holland has taken to the role. NXT has committed to establishing him as a dominant monster, and it feels like he should be in the world title picture if Chase cannot defeat him.

Result

Holland def. Osborne by pinfall.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• The Chase U student got a more pronounced entrance, highlighting his speed. It was a much stronger presentation than a pure Chase U showcase.
  
• Once again, Osborne brought the fight to Holland before the bell.

Karmen Petrovic poured out the remnant of a rose from Ashante "Thee" Adonis on the ring, and the distraction turned the momentum of the match.

Brooks Jensen, with an assistance from Shawn Spears, took the win via a hanging DDT.

This was more angle than match as Jensen and Adonis went through the motions until the messy finish. Still, the right man won, and both angles advanced in the best direction.

Jensen's heel run is still not fully working and is not helped by his undefined in-ring style. He just cannot seem to put this character together despite having the obvious athletic pieces.

He still needed the win here more than Adonis, who has yet to find his own clear spot on the card. His relationship with Petrovic has finally begun to advance, but it's unclear where it is going.

Result

Jensen def. Adonis by pinfall.

Grade

C-

Notable Moments

• Adonis apologized to Reece for costing her the match against Wendy Choo and Rosemary last month. Spears and Jensen interrupted to destroy his rose.
• Karmen Petrovic picked up the battered rose. Adonis ignored her backstage but seemed to finally notice her during the match.
  

After a seriously competitive battle, Je'Von Evans had Wes Lee out on the mat after a springboard corkscrew, but "All Ego" Ethan Page snuck in to stack up The Young OG for three.

Page called out Trick Williams to spin the Halloween Havoc wheel. It determined their rematch would be a Devil's Playground bout before All Ego blasted the NXT champion with his title.

Nothing in the ring on this night was anywhere near the main event. On a night of solid story-driven moments, this was all action. These men were flying, especially The Young OG.

After an unfortunate end to the biggest match of his career last week, this contest was all Evans, who looked like a world-beater with the whole NXT audience behind him.

Despite Lee coming off as the most obvious next man up, it looks like NXT will revisit Trick vs. Page one more time, hoping for the Devil's Playground stipulation can bring them their best match.

With limited time before Halloween Havoc, this was for the best and allows Lee and Evans more time to build a feud with Trick down the line.

The rushed end of the night would have been worse if Trick and Page did not have so much history already established.

Result

Page def. Evans and Lee by pinfall to become the new No. 1 contender to the NXT Championship.

Grade

A-

Notable Moments

• Nathan Frazer and Axiom tried to talk with Evans and Cedric Alexander, but Lee interrupted to taunt The Young OG.
• Page trained on his own, staying quiet and focused for the main event.
• All Ego planted Lee on the announce table only to get blasted by a diving Evans.
  
• Before the main event, Delta's arrival drew closer for NXT in another vignette.
• Evans planted Page with a top-rope Spanish Fly into a handspring enzuigiri to Lee but could not get the three-count.

With just one week left after this show to build for Halloween Havoc, NXT was in overdrive to create a card for the event on October 27..

This led to a night filled with story-driven moments but lacked the highlights in the ring beyond the main event.

In particular, the return of Andre Chase, the debut of Stephanie Vaquer and subsequent tag team challenge and Jaida Parker falling down a darker path were highlights.

Hopefully, the Halloween Havoc card will be more fully established by next week, allowing the key angles to dominate the show with less need to rush angles.

Even if Halloween Havoc does not manage to reach lofty heights, though, NXT has plenty of promising stories brewing and challengers lined up for every champion on the roster.

Overall Grade: B