WWE NXT New Year’s Evil was supposed to feature a throwdown for the NXT Championship in its main event, which would have put Ilja Dragunov against Trick Williams. That ended up not happening though after Dragunov was not medically cleared for the match, but Williams ended up having to fight for that Title shot once again in a match against Grayson Waller thanks to the actions of Carmelo Hayes. Waller proved a worthy foe, and at one point it looked as if Hayes might cost Williams the match. Thankfully that didn’t happen thanks to some timely help from Kevin Owens, who came in and got some payback on Waller to help set up Wiliams for the win. Williams is still your number-one contender.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Wiliams got off to a hot start and shifted control in his favor after throwing Waller over the announce table. Waller got things back on track in the ring, locking in a submission in the center of the ring, though Williams was able to make his way to the bottom rope and break the hold.
Williams got back on his feet and hit Waller with an array of strikes and then hit twin clotheslines before dropping Waller to the mat, though Waller broke up the momentum by pulling Williams over the ropes. Williams rebounded though and caught Waller’s finisher and hit an uppercut into a cover, but Waller was able to kick out.
Williams went up top and slammed Waller to the mat, but Waller broke up the cover with a foot on the bottom rope. Waller went for the finisher again and hit it, but Williams kicked out of the cover. Waller missed the move and Williams knocked Waller down. Hayes came out to the ring and talked to Williams, and Williams reminded him he didn’t want him at ringside.
Waller took some time to regroup outside of the ring, but then the crowd lost it and Kevin Owens showed up and knocked Waller to the floor with a punch to the face. Owens rolled Waller back into the ring and Williams took advantage, clocking Waller with a knee strike and pinning him for the win to keep his number-one contender status.
Now Williams still has his Title shot at the NXT Championship, but it remains to be seen when that match will happen. Dragunov suffered an injury during his last match that necessitated him being carted off in a stretcher, and no details have been released on his status or when he will be good to go again. NXT Vengeance Day seems like a perfect spot, as the premium live event will take place on February 4th, but it’s not known if WWE will push this match out that far.
If there was going to be a place for Williams to take the Title, Vengeance Day is an intriguing option, but we’ll just have to wait and see. Hopefully, WWE will provide more clarity on Dragunov’s status soon.
What did you think of the match? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!
