NXT New Year’s Evil: Finn Balor retains

NXT kicked off the new year with a special event titled, New Year’s Evil that delivered in every sense of the word from start to finish.

2021 is off to a hectic and puzzling start everywhere. That was sure to continue in NXT as they presented NXT New Year’s Evil on Jan. 6, packed with some big matches across the card. Title rematches and last woman standing matches made this an exciting start to the year, with the potential of memorable matches all throughout the night.

Damian Priest and Karrion Kross locked up in the center of the ring. Their intensity was so impactful that it sent both men over the top ropes, still locked together. Priest got the early advantage landing strikes, but that did not stop Kross from getting his hands on his opponent, slamming him to the mat. Kross gave Priest very little room to breathe, staying on him with heavy strikes and even threatening with the steel steps.

Priest found himself laughing at the onslaught, using that to turn the tables on Kross. Even with all the big shots, he could not knock Kross from his feet. Kross had the advantage when he was finally able to get Priest down, focusing on the arm. Kross would not go away, shrugging off everything that Priest sent his way. Priest even landed the Razor’s Edge, but Kross kicked out with ease. Everything that Priest landed was just not enough.

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The end came after a slew of brutality from Kross. Priest ate a nasty powerbomb inside the ring, then was slammed onto the steel steps. Priest stood back up, only to take a Saito Suplex, then a club to the back of the head. Kross pinned him there to earn the win.

Gran Metalik was on an excursion of sorts from SmackDown and had a title shot at the NXT Cruiserweight title against Santos Escobar.

Metalik vs. Escobar was every bit as extravagant as expected. They started off with some back-and-forth grappling, but when Metalik took the sky he began to put on a show. Metalik was rolling until Escobar blocked a hurricanrana and slammed him into the barricade outside the ring. From that point, Escobar slowly started to grind away at the challenger.

Metalik continued to try to take back the momentum, but Escobar continued to cut him off at the path. As much as Metalik fought back, that did not stop Escobar from hitting the Phantom Driver and getting the victory.

Xia Li and Katrina Lopez had a singles match, but this was all about Li beating Lopez up from start to finish. Lopez did not have much of a chance in this battle, eating knees, kicks to the midsection, and everything else.

The Last Woman Standing match was next. Raquel Gonzalez and Rhea Ripley had one goal – beat their opponent up so badly they cannot get back up. The two women did not look to wrestle, they came to brawl, which is exactly how this started out.

It did not take long before the weapons came out. Chairs and kendo sticks were used, even with Gonzalez swatting Ripley out of the air with a chair. Ripley handcuffed Gonzalez to the chain-linked fence which resulted in Gonzalez ripped the fence apart with her bare hands. Gonzalez put Ripley through a table and piled everything on top of her to keep her from being unable to answer the count.

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Ripley was on the wrong end of a lot of offense, but things changed when she speared Gonzalez through the glass door. She remained in control until Dakota Kai came out swinging a kendo stick. But she was stuffed in a locker for her trouble. The big moment came when Gonzalez hoisted Ripley up and slammed her through the ground, crashing through the stage. Gonzalez stood up and emerged from the hole, winning the match.

An impromptu match broke out between Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano, taking on Shotzi Blackheart and Kushida.

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The surprise nature of this match played into the hands of Blackheart and Kushida early, but LeRae was able to gain control for her team. Things picked up when Kushida got his hands-on Gargano, going after the arm with multiple submission attempts. Indi Hartwell and Austin Theory tried to get involved in the match, but it did not help the other members of The Way. What occurred is that Gargano was used as a weapon against Theory, then rolled right up into a pinfall, giving Blackheart and Kushida a win.

Kyle O’Reilly and Finn Balor were the main event of the evening in a highly-anticipated rematch for the NXT title. The two men started off exchanging grappling holds, and O’Reilly had to use his mouth to break the hold on the ropes, until Balor kicked the rope, nearly knocking teeth out of O’Reilly’s mouth.

The two men were looking to break out every move possible to cause damage, with Balor focusing on O’Reilly’s jaw. That did not stop O’Reilly from landing his own knees and combinations to ground the champion. O’Reilly focused on trying to grapple the champion while Balor continued to assault O’Reilly’s face with blow after blow. Balor looked to retain the title, going up for the Double Foot stomp off the top, but O’Reilly stopped him. The finish came when Balor locked in a submission hold, putting pressure on O’Reilly’s face, forcing him to tap.

NXT New Year’s Evil Results

Karrion Kross defeated Damian Priest via pinfall

Santos Escobar defeated Gran Metalik via pinfall

Xia Li defeated Katrina López via pinfall

Raquel Gonzalez defeated Rhea Ripley in the Last Woman Standing match

Kushida and Shotzi Blackheart defeated Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae via pinfall