NXT Halloween Havoc 2025 is in the books — and it delivered **new champions, breakout performances, and some wild surprises!**
🏆 **Tatum Paxley** shocks the world as the new NXT Women’s Champion — is she ready, or is this a developmental gamble?
💥 **Blake Monroe** captures the North American Title — but what’s next for Sol Ruka and Zarya after their emotional split tease?
🎭 Ethan Page proves once again he’s **main roster ready** with another brutal street fight.
💀 **The Hardy Compound returns**, Dark State regains gold, and Trick Williams may have had his final NXT match.
Peter Klein breaks down every big moment from the show — the highs, lows, and everything in between — with his unfiltered analysis and passion for pro wrestling.
💬 **What did you think of NXT Halloween Havoc?** Who impressed you most? Drop your thoughts below — Peter replies to as many comments as possible!
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00:00Let's move now to a recap of what we saw on Saturday as NXT brought Halloween Havoc back for another year.
00:08And things have been a little scary around NXT at times, but I do think that they made a couple good decisions along the way.
00:15So, it is NXT Halloween Havoc that's now behind us, and a couple of new champions have been crowned.
00:32Up first, it was Tatum Paxley as the new NXT Women's Champion.
00:38I didn't think they would do this, but I kind of dig it.
00:42I don't think Paxley is a finished product by any stretch.
00:47When you look at level of in-ring ability, promo ability, all of that, she is not on the level of women's champions of the past, or even the recent past.
00:56But she had the promo of her life on Tuesday, best promo of her career, which is admittedly saying more about her past promos than the current one, but she still did a really good job.
01:07And then this match was really, really solid as well.
01:10And so, I get like, is she Asuka? No.
01:13Is this Stephanie Vaqueror, Julia? No.
01:16But, I think it's worth a shot.
01:18You already have those established talents moving on.
01:21You have some very, very talented humans on this roster.
01:25I don't mind giving it a shot.
01:26This is still a developmental brand.
01:29So, develop.
01:30And, I think we saw JC Jane certainly elevate her game after this.
01:35And, maybe it just put a spotlight on the elevation and evolution of that character that has been happening for a bit now.
01:41But still, you need that kind of a spotlight to show that, oh, hey, this is actually someone who's a viable character.
01:46And, I think Fatal Influence now, with the changes that have been made, I actually think they're more main roster ready than they were before.
01:56And, I get that it was pretty callous in how they did it.
01:58A girl that's been working there for a while asks for any kind of a raise, and they say no and fire her.
02:05That sucks.
02:06But, I do think that the group now, as currently constituted, is ready to go up to the main roster.
02:13And, I think JC Jane's improvements as a performer, as a wrestler, as a character, all of that, really do help that out.
02:19And, so now, Paxley has an opportunity to kind of carry that on and continue to develop her game and show that she is main roster ready.
02:28There's also some interesting stories that you can tell with the culling and different things around that as well.
02:34So, I am very, very interested in what they do now with this particular character and with this particular storyline going forward.
02:44Blake Monroe wins the North American Championship.
02:46Needed it.
02:47We'll get to her in a second.
02:48I know the Sol Ruka-Zarya breakup is coming, and I don't want it to.
02:53I was one of the ones in the beginning who hated the team because Zarya is supposed to be this big monster.
02:58She's Godzilla in her thing, her video, and now she's making TikToks and doing all these different things.
03:05But, it added some personality to her.
03:07And, it made them very likable.
03:10And, so I have, I have finally attached to them.
03:15I, I finally have now a connection with them, I feel like.
03:18And now, we know they're going to break up.
03:21And, it sucks.
03:22And, like, it, storyline, it's going to be great.
03:24The matches are going to be a lot of fun.
03:25And, I think it's going to be really important for Zarya to be able to show some of the depth of her wrestling as a singles performer.
03:30And, this, that, and the other thing.
03:32So, this, Blake Monroe winning the North American title.
03:34Needed it after a subpar feud with Jordan Grace.
03:37All of it makes 100% sense, and I understand it fully.
03:40I just don't want it to happen.
03:42Because, I like these two as a team.
03:44I think they're an interesting tag team.
03:46I think Sol Ruka is one of the most talented performers in wrestling anywhere, period, right now.
03:52And, I think Zarya has a very unique look.
03:55And, has potential to be a very good performer as well.
04:00And, I think that they're a perfect match together.
04:03Now, that probably means they'll be perfect as rivals as well.
04:05But, I just, I, I, I just wanted them to have a bit of a longer run.
04:09With me accepting that this is what their team is as well.
04:12So, part of it is just, I was late to the party.
04:13But, um, as it is, again, Blake needs this.
04:16Needed it bad, I think.
04:17It's an interesting story.
04:19I did think that there could be a story to tell where Zarya wins and defends the title for Sol Ruka.
04:24And, then you keep playing up the title jealousy aspect that way.
04:27But, Blake Monroe needed this in a big time way.
04:30And, I think it sets up a few interesting stories coming out of it.
04:33Overall, this was a pretty solid show for NXT.
04:36Um, I thought Javon Evans and Leon Slater looked great against Leigh Parka and Mr. Iguana.
04:41Do want to remind everyone, um,
04:43This Leigh Parka, not the Leigh Parka you watched in WCW in 1997.
04:46Booker T seemed to confuse that on commentary.
04:49I don't know how he thought that.
04:51And, I get where we're at in the world right now.
04:54But, I saw people being like, man, Leigh Parka was on wrestling in 1997.
04:58That's how he looked.
04:58And now he's looking like this?
04:59What happened?
05:00And immediately, oh, it's Ozempic, bro.
05:02It's that Ozempics.
05:02Or, different human.
05:07Different person under the mask.
05:09It's a mask and a full body suit.
05:11I could go under there.
05:12And, you wouldn't know.
05:14Yeah, you'd probably figure it out pretty quick.
05:15But, you can hide anyone you want under that thing.
05:19That's why they did that.
05:20With the DDP Macho Man thing.
05:21And, he was Leigh Parka.
05:22And, he beat him.
05:22And, oh my god.
05:23And, oh, it's actually a really fun story.
05:25But, you can do that.
05:26Because, you can hide anyone under that fucking thing.
05:27And, you're not going to know who it was.
05:30So, I'm very surprised at the amount of people.
05:33Also, there was, not to be crass about it.
05:35There was a Leigh Parka who died.
05:37Like, a decade ago.
05:39And, people at that point were going like thoughts and prayers to Leigh Parka.
05:42Grew up watching him.
05:43Again, different dude.
05:45He, I think L.A. Park in MLW.
05:47He left a while ago.
05:48He's still wrestling.
05:49But, he's not that guy anymore.
05:52But, Triple A owns the character.
05:55So, why not?
05:56Give it a go.
05:56They have gone with a couple iterations of this now.
05:59But, yes.
06:00Cannot stress enough.
06:02That dude.
06:03Who's doing all the stuff.
06:05And, getting hit with flying cutters.
06:06And, all of that.
06:07Is not the same guy who was the chairman of WCW in 1997.
06:11Getting the bejesus spirit out of him by Goldberg.
06:14Rant over.
06:15Ethan Page continues to show he's main roster ready.
06:19With a really solid match with El Gio Del Dr. Wagoner Jr.
06:22He just, he does the WWE style of street fight really, really well.
06:29And, brings it serious to it that a lot of guys don't.
06:32And, now they let him.
06:33Like, he's not out there hitting guys with shillelaghs and stuff like that.
06:36But, the added drama of ripping the mask.
06:40And, ripping it in a way that it still was kind of, you were a little worried that it could fall off the guy at any point.
06:46I know that there are some who find that disrespectful.
06:48And, I'm sure if he just did that on his own.
06:52A, the reaction from El Gio Del Dr. Wagoner Jr. would be different.
06:55But, also, like, that'd be a shitty thing to do.
06:57Seemed like a couple consenting adults in that one, though.
06:59So, I think it was just great heel work by Ethan Page.
07:02I really like, um...
07:05God, it's a mouthful every time.
07:07I really like El Gio Del Dr. Wagoner Jr.
07:09Dr. Wagoner Jr.
07:10I, I think he, like, there's a presence to him.
07:14His in-ring ability is obviously solid.
07:16Um, and so he is one of the ones that has been a real nice kind of shining star in this new AAA WWE era that we are in right now.
07:25I don't love putting the tag team belts back on Dark State.
07:28But, I get it because they're going to be sticking around and the Broken Hardys aren't.
07:32But, getting the Broken Hardys for a match was cool.
07:34We got the promo.
07:35We got to see the old Hardy compound and all of that.
07:38So, that was kind of fun to bring that back.
07:40I don't think we could do that every week.
07:41I think we established that in WWE.
07:43But, I think this was kind of a cool, cool little throwback.
07:46Especially for a Halloween Havoc show.
07:49But, Dark State, I mean, I, I guess on the one hand, like, I, if we are going to hold them to the same standard.
07:55Like, I don't think Tatum Paxley is at the level of past champions.
07:57But, Dark State is just so far behind what we've seen in tag team wrestling and NXT over the years.
08:03That it's a bit of a bummer, uh, right now.
08:04But, maybe they'll develop into something.
08:06And then, Rookie Saints retaining.
08:07That was the only move against Trick Williams.
08:08Um, honestly, I felt like that was pretty predictable.
08:12And, I get that these are two kind of main event guys.
08:14And, you're trying to establish Rookie Saints as such.
08:17So, you want to put them in the main event.
08:18I thought if you were ending with Tatum Paxley winning, I thought they could have main evented with her.
08:22And, and on that good, feel good moment.
08:25Because, the Saints, Trick Williams won, it, it, would have taken a lot to convince me that Trick was going to win that title again.
08:32So, I, I think he should move to the main roster now.
08:34Um, I think he has developed all he's going to develop in NXT.
08:37And, I think he's ready now for something.
08:39Honestly, like, if he's one of, if I'm wrong on the Brock thing.
08:42And, he's one of the shoes in the, the promos for tonight.
08:45Or, the, the, the teases for tonight.
08:47Would love it.
08:47Absolutely would love it.
08:48Because, the, the kids main roster ready.
08:50A hundred percent right now.
08:51So, that's my breakdown of NXT Halloween Havoc.
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