The man event of WWE NXT’s New Year’s Evil was the anticipated rematch between Tommaso Ciampa and Bron Breakker for the NXT Championship. Breakker came out first, breaking some chains and then destroying the NXT X as he made his way to the ring. Then Ciampa came out and was all business. They circled each other briefly and then locked up, but the referee broke it up. They locked up again in the corner, and then Ciampa hit him with a chop but Breakker didn’t even flinch and smirked a little. Ciampa then sent right at Breakker and hit a few moves but Breakker lifted Ciampa for what seemed like forever and slammed him down hard before getting right back to his feet.
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Ciampa tried to grab Breakker’s foot but he didn’t move and Breakker lifted him up and slammed him down hard on his back. Breakker punched him in the back after a bounce off the ropes and then did it again, knocking Ciampa down.
Breakker went to do it a third time but Ciampa hit an elbow and then a chop. They traded punches and chops and then Ciampa got Breakker down a bit with a knee to the head. He rubbed Breakker’s face across the ropes and then delivered punches on the ropes. Breakker sent him reeling to give him some space and then Breakker leapfrogged Ciampa only to be caught by Ciampa’s dropkick.
Ciampa went to keep him down with a kick and more punches, and then he dodged a leap from Breakker and gave him a knee to the jaw to send him to the floor. He followed it up with a leap over the ropes to knock him back down and he was on another level.
Ciampa then went for a headlock but Breakker got back to his feet. Ciampa then jumped on top of his back and locked in the move again, but Breakker slammed backward to get free and do some additional damage to Ciampa’s back. Chops and punches were traded and then Breakker hit two clotheslines. He then sent Ciampa into the corner and hit a splash and then caught Ciampa in mid-air and slammed him down instantly.
He then speared Ciampa in the corner and put him up top. Breakker went up top as well but Ciampa evaded him and kicked his legs so that he came down right on the turnbuckle. Ciampa then kicked a caught Breakker over and over in the corner and finished it off with a dropkick to the head. Ciampa picked up Breakker for a Fairy Tale Ending but Breakker blocked it. More punches followed and then Breakker hit an out of nowhere Spinbuster and followed it up with a standing Moonsault.
Ciampa got back to his feet and sent him reeling and then hit a hard knee to the head, but Breakker speared Ciampa and both men were down. More punches followed, and then Ciampa hit a flurry of punches that sent Breakker down in the corner. Breakker hit a Frankensteiner in the corner but Ciampa kicked out. Breakker lifted Ciampa but Ciampa got away and hit a DDT from the ropes. Then Ciampa locked in a submission on Breakker’s leg but Breakker was eventually able to get to the ropes.
Ciampa then pulled the mat off the floor and reset the count. He then went to pull Breakker but he resisted, and so he kicked him in the head. He got him down but Breakker lifted Ciampa and slammed him into the announce table, shattering it.
Breakker then rolled Ciampa into the ring and lifted him into a slam and a pin but Ciampa grabbed the rope with his hand to break the count. Breakker went to lift Ciampa but Ciampa was holding the ropes. Breakker went to get out of the ring and Ciampa pulled the ropes hard to hit him with a low blow. Ciampa then hit two running knees and then hit the Fairy Tale Ending and went for the pin, but at the last second Breakker kicked out.
Ciampa put him up on the top turnbuckle and then went up as well, trying to lift him but Breakker broke it up and pushed him down. Breakker hit a Bulldog from the top and then pulled the straps down and locked in a submission and that was all Ciampa could handle, making Breakker the new NXT Champion.
After the match Bronson’s father, the legendary Rick Steiner, came out to the ring to celebrate with him, making an already great night even better.
What did you think of the match? Let us know in the comments or as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!
