NXT Deadline: Previewing the Last PLE of 2024
Coming off the heels of Survivor Series: War Games, WWE looks to continue its momentum with the NXT Deadline on Sunday, December 7th. This will be the last Premium Live Event of 2024, featuring superstars attempting to beat the clock in the annual Iron Survivor Challenges. This match has been deemed the best 25 minutes in WWE and has been a fixture of the Deadline event. Other matches on the card include Trick Williams defending the NXT Championship against a more aggressive Ridge Holland, Lola Vice and Jaida Parker taking their rivalry to another level in an Underground match, and Nathan Frazer and Axiom looking to retain their titles against No Quarter Catch Crew’s Myles Borne and Tavion Heights.
Trick Williams vs. Ridge Holland - NXT Championship Match
Williams has arguably been NXT’s hottest superstar for the past two years. He regained the NXT Championship on NXT’s premiere episode on the CW Network against Ethan Page. After retaining against Page in a rematch at Halloween Havoc, Holland attacked Williams from behind with the help of Page before being saved by Bubba Ray Dudley. This led to a tag team match on the November 6th episode of NXT in which Holland got the pin over Williams. Holland beat Andre Chase in a number one contender's match to earn the right to face Williams at Deadline, and he also disbanded Chase U in the process. He has fully embraced turning heel, and we have seen a way more grittier, angrier version of him. Holland went as far as to deliver the Redeemer on Williams on top of the announce table on the December 3rd episode. This sent Williams to the hospital, leaving the match in question, but NXT General Manager Ava tweeted later that night that the match was still a go for this Sunday. However, how healthy is Trick Williams because this new version of Holland makes him a credible threat to take the title off of Williams this Sunday?
Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge
This has the potential to steal the show because the NXT women’s division might be the hottest division of all three brands right now. This match will feature three of the newest international signings to NXT, Giulia, Stephanie Vaquer, and Zaria, as well as mainstays Sol Ruca and Wren Sinclair, who will be making her PLE debut. All the women in this match bring something unique to the table. Whether it be the aerial dynamics of Giulia, the strength and power of Zaria, the agility of Stephanie Vaquer, the technical prowess of Sinclair, and Ruca’s ability to hit her finisher out of nowhere. This match has all the ingredients to be an all-time classic for women’s wrestling. The winner of this match will become the number one contender to the NXT Women’s Championship and will face Roxanne Perez for the title at New Year’s Evil.
Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge
This match is a blend of up-and-coming superstars with veterans looking for championship opportunities again. The participants in this match are Je’Von Evans, Wes Lee, Page, Frazer, and Eddy Thorpe. Evans is the crowd favorite and is the youngest competitor in this match. Lee is tired of other people holding him back, so he has now accepted his new heelish attitude and will stop at nothing to win the NXT Championship. Page is a former NXT Champion and is looking for the opportunity to win it back. Frazer is one-half of the NXT Tag Team Champions, but he is more focused on his singles opportunities than defending the tag team titles with Axiom. Thorpe is the wild card in this match because he has had issues with management over the past few weeks, but he was shockingly attacked backstage in the closing seconds of the December 3rd episode of NXT. So, his status is in question for the match, and who attacked him? Could we see a return from the Ruler of NXT, Oba Femi? The winner of this match will become the number-one contender for the NXT Championship and will face the champion at New Year’s Evil.
Lola Vice vs. Jaida Parker - NXT Underground Match
These two simply cannot stand each other, and it all started when they joined forces against a common enemy. On the CW premier, they teamed up and lost to Fatal Influence in a tag team match. They lost as a result of Parker walking out on Vice after an inadvertent hit by Vice caused by Fatal Influence. One backstage fight later, and these two superstars are looking to tear each other apart. They fought in a Hardcore match on the November 6th episode of NXT, a match won by Parker. However, Vice cost Parker two opportunities to qualify for the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge, leading Parker to call out Vice for an Underground match, NXT’s version of a No Hold Barred MMA type of match that can only be won by knockout or referee stoppage. This match plays into Vice’s MMA background, but Parker did knock her out with a spinning elbow on the December 3rd episode.
Nathan Frazer and Axiom vs. Tavion Heights and Myles Borne-NXT Tag Team Championship Match
This match has the least build-up to it, but it was an opportunity to highlight all the tag teams in NXT. General Manager Ava called out the tag team division and asked them to step up. Well, this led to backstage fights, parking lot brawls, and ringside fights between the tag teams. All this chaos led to a tag team battle royal where competitors had to throw their opponents over the top rope, and the winning team would face Frazer and Axiom, also called Fraxiom by the NXT Universe, at the Deadline for the Tag Team Championships. Tavion Heights and Myles Borne of No Quarter Catch Crew won the match; however, the biggest question is, can Fraxiom get on the same page? For weeks, they have been out of sync due to Frazer focusing more on the Iron Survivor challenge and a potential singles push rather than focusing on his tag team with Axiom. In what could be a night for the NQCC, Heights, and Borne could be the new tag team champions, and Wren Sinclair could be the Iron Survivor winner by the end of the Deadline.
NXT continues to elevate and reinvent itself, reminding the WWE fans that this is more than just a development brand. Fans could be in for a wild, unpredictable night on Dec. 7th. The future of the silver and black brand could look very different as we head into 2025. However, that is what makes it much more fun to watch because you never know what could happen.
