NXT Deadline (stylized as DEADL1NE) was a

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

livestreaming Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but no ...

event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of e ...

produced by

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

. It was held primarily for wrestlers from the promotion's

NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...

brand division. The event took place on Saturday, December 10, 2022, at the

WWE Performance Center The WWE Performance Center is the official professional wrestling school system of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The promotion currently operates two Performance Center locations, which serve as training facilities for WWE wre ...

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

. Deadline replaced

NXT WarGames NXT WarGames (originally known as NXT TakeOver: WarGames) was a professional wrestling event produced annually by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. Held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's developmental territ ...

as the brand's December event, as the WarGames concept was moved to the main roster for that year's

Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the sec ...

event for the

Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...

and

SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...

brands. Additionally, Deadline debuted the Iron Survivor Challenge match-type in WWE, with one each for the men and women. Seven matches were contested at the event, including two

dark match Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence ...

es that were later streamed on '' Level Up''. In the main event,

Bron Breakker Bronson Parmar Rechsteiner (born October 24, 1997) is an American professional wrestler and former American football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Bron Breakker and is the current NXT ...

defeated

Apollo Crews Sesugh Uhaa (born August 22, 1987) is a Nigerian-American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Apollo Crews. He started his career in 2009, originally working under the ring name ...

to retain the

NXT Championship The NXT Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. It is defended as the top championship of the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. In ...

. For the event's Iron Survivor Challenges,

Grayson Waller Matthew Farrelly (born 21 March 1990) is an Australian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Grayson Waller. Before signing to WWE, he previously wrestled on the independent ...

won the men's, while the women's, which was the opening bout, was won by

Roxanne Perez Carla Gonzalez (born November 5, 2001) is an American professional wrestler signed to WWE where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Roxanne Perez, where she is the current NXT Women's Champion in her first reign. She is a former ...

. In another notable match, SmackDown's The New Day (

Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Kofi Kingston. He appeared on WWE's NXT brand as one-hal ...

and

Xavier Woods Austin Watson (born September 4, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Xavier Woods. He appeared on WWE's NXT brand as one-half of the current NXT Tag T ...

) defeated

Pretty Deadly ''Pretty Deadly'' is a creator-owned American comic book series by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Spanish artist Emma Ríos, distributed by Image Comics. The story combines elements from western and horror genres, and draws on aspects from mythology a ...

(

Elton Prince Pretty Deadly is a British professional wrestling tag team consisting of 'Elton Prince'' (born 21 May 1997) and 'Kit Wilson'' (born 4 August 1994). They are currently signed to WWE, where they perform on the NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extens ...

and

Kit Wilson Kit may refer to: Places *Kitt, Indiana, US, formerly Kit * Kit, Iran, a village in Mazandaran Province * Kit Hill, Cornwall, England People * Kit (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Kit (surname) Animals * Young animal ...

) to win the

NXT Tag Team Championship The NXT Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. Introduced on January 23 ...

for the first time, becoming the third WWE Tag Team Triple Crown Champions. This also marked their record 12th WWE-branded tag team championship as a team, and Kingston's record 15th WWE-branded tag team title individually. The event received positive reviews, with critics praising both Iron Survivor matches, but were very critical of the

Isla Dawn Courtney Florence Stewart (born 2 February 1994) is a Scottish professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, performs on the NXT brand under the ringname Isla Dawn. Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (2013–2016) On 17 Oct ...

vs.

Alba Fyre Kayleigh Rae (born 11 August 1992), better known as Kay Lee Ray, is a Scottish professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar t ...

match.

Production

Background

On October 15, 2022, the American

promotion

filed to trademark the name "NXT Deadline" for their

developmental brand In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

. During a media conference on October 21 the night before NXT Halloween Havoc, WWE executive

Shawn Michaels Michael Shawn Hickenbottom (born July 22, 1965), better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative. Widely regarded as one of ...

confirmed that NXT's next

event would be Deadline. It was scheduled to be held on Saturday, December 10 at NXT's home venue, the

, and aired on

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...

in the United States and the

WWE Network WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television network owned by the American entertainment company WWE. It primarily distributes original professional wrestling events, films, television and ...

in international markets. Deadline replaced

as the brand's December event, after the WarGames concept was moved to the main roster for the 2022 Survivor Series for the

and

brands A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

Storylines

The card included matches that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed

heroes Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...

villains A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...

, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the NXT brand, while storylines were produced on the weekly television program, ''

'', and the supplementary online streaming show, '' Level Up''. On the November 15 episode of ''NXT'', WWE executive Shawn Michaels announced a new match format for WWE called the Iron Survivor Challenge, which would occur at Deadline, with one each for the men and women. The rules are as follows: *Five wrestlers compete in the match, which lasts 25 minutes. *Two wrestlers start the match, which begins the timer, and every five minutes, another wrestler enters with the fifth and final participant entering at the 15-minute mark. *Each time a wrestler scores a pinfall, submission, or being the victim of a disqualification, they gain a point. Points can be gained even before other participants have entered. *A wrestler who is pinned, submitted, or is disqualified goes into a penalty box for 90 seconds. *The winner of the match, dubbed the Iron Survivor, is the wrestler who scores the most points at the end of the 25-minute time limit. In the result of a tie, those who are tied enter sudden death overtime. *The winners of the men's and women's matches become the number one contenders for the

and

NXT Women's Championship The NXT Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. Introduced on April 5, 2013, t ...

, respectively. On the November 29 episode of ''NXT'', the first four contestants for the men's Iron Survivor Challenge were revealed as

Carmelo Hayes Christian Brigham (born August 1, 1994) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Carmelo Hayes. Hayes is a former one-time NX ...

JD McDonagh Jordan Devlin (born 15 March 1990) is an Irish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name JD McDonagh. He previously ...

, and

Joe Gacy Joseph Ruby (born August 8, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Joe Gacy. He is the leader of The Schism. Gacy is best known for his work in Combat Zon ...

, while for the women's match,

Zoey Stark Theresa Serrano (born January 25, 1994) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Zoey Stark, and is a former NXT Women's Tag Team Champion. Professional wrestli ...

Cora Jade Brianna Coda (born January 14, 2001) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, performing on the NXT brand under the ring name Cora Jade, where she is a former NXT Women's Tag Team Champion. Before signing to WWE, she previous ...

, and

Kiana James Kayla Klingensmith (' Inlay; born May 23, 1997), is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE performing under the ring name Kiana James and is a former NXT Women's Tag Team Champion. Early life Inlay was born in Sioux ...

were revealed as the first four participants. The following week,

Axiom An axiom, postulate, or assumption is a statement that is taken to be true, to serve as a premise or starting point for further reasoning and arguments. The word comes from the Ancient Greek word (), meaning 'that which is thought worthy or f ...

won the fifth and final spot in the men's match by defeating Von Wagner and

Andre Chase Chance Barrow (born April 22, 1989) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE where he performs for the NXT brand under the ring name Andre Chase. He was previously known by the ring name Harlem Bravado where he teamed with his ...

in a

triple threat match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

, while

Indi Hartwell Samantha De Martin (born 17 August 1996) is an Australian professional wrestler, best known by the ring name Indi Hartwell. She is signed to WWE, performing on the NXT brand, and was a member of The Way. She is a former NXT Women's Tag Team Cha ...

won the fifth and final spot in the women's by defeating

Wendy Choo Karen Yu (born January 18, 1992) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to the promotion WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Wendy Choo. She is also known for her appearances with Ring of Honor and ...

and

Fallon Henley Theresa Schuessler (born September 25, 1994) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE performing under the ring name Fallon Henley on the NXT brand and currently is one-half of the NXT Women's Tag Team Champions with ...

, also in a triple threat match. On the November 15 episode of ''NXT'',

warned NXT Champion

that his goal was to become champion. Later, after Crews' match, Breakker appeared to confront him. The following week, Breakker was scheduled to defend the NXT Championship against Crews at Deadline. On the December 6 episode of ''NXT'', while NXT Tag Team Champions

(Elton Prince and Kit Wilson) were reading a

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

story, they were interrupted by SmackDown roster members The New Day (

and

), who attacked the duo and challenged them for the titles. The match was made official for Deadline. On the November 15 episode of ''NXT'',

lost her NXT Women's Championship match thanks to interference from

, who made her NXT debut. On the December 6 episode, Fyre attacked Dawn after the latter's match. Later that night, a match between Fyre and Dawn was made official for Deadline.

Event

Dark matches

Before the event went live, two

es took place that would later stream on the December 16 episode of ''Level Up''. In the first, Ivy Nile (with Tatum Paxley) defeated Lash Legend, while in the second, Chase University (Andre Chase and Duke Hudson) (with Thea Hail) defeated the team of Javier Bernal and Xyon Quinn.

Preliminary matches

The actual event began with the women's Iron Survivor Challenge, featuring Indi Hartwell, Cora Jade, Kiana James, Roxanne Perez, and Zoey Stark as the five participants. Perez and Stark were the first two entrants. James entered third. Stark performed a K-360 on Perez to score the first point. Jade entered fourth. Perez attempted Pop Rocks on James, but Jade tossed Perez aside and performed a Superkick on James to score a point. Hartwell entered last and pinned Perez after a big boot to score a point. Perez pinned Stark with a roll-up to score a point. Perez performed Pop Rocks on Jade to bring herself in the lead. In the end, Jade performed a DDT on Perez, who rolled out of the ring as the time expired. As a result, Perez won the match with two points, and was named the women's Iron Survivor. In the second match, Alba Fyre took on Isla Dawn. In the end, Fyre performed a Swanton Bomb, but the referee coughed up black goo. Dawn took advantage by shoving Fyre into an exposed turnbuckle, and then performed the Eye of the Hurricane to win the match. In the third match, Pretty Deadly (Kit Wilson and Elton Prince) defended the NXT Tag Team Championship against The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods). During the match, all four competitors tossed one of the title belts to the other to pretend that they were hit by them, in an homage to

Eddie Guerrero Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was an American professional wrestler. He was a prominent member of the Guerrero wrestling family, being the son of first-generation wrestler Gory Guerrero. Eddie Guerrero is ...

. In the climax, Wilson and Prince attempted Spilt Milk on Woods, but Kingston pulled Wilson out of the ring and performed Trouble in Paradise. Kingston and Woods then performed the Midnight Hour on Prince to win the titles for the first time, making them the third WWE Tag Team Triple Crown Champions. This also marked their record 12th WWE-branded tag team championship as a team, and record 15th WWE-branded tag team title for Kingston individually. The penultimate match was the men's Iron Survivor Challenge, with Axiom, Joe Gacy, Carmelo Hayes, JD McDonagh, and Grayson Waller as the five participants. McDonagh, the first entrant, attacked Axiom, the second entrant, during the latter's entrance. The third entrant was Hayes, who pinned Axiom after suplexing McDonagh onto him to score the first point. The fourth entrant was Waller, who performed Ace Crushers on Axiom and McDonagh to pin both men and score two points. Axiom rolled up Waller to score a point, and performed the Golden Ratio on McDonagh to score another. The final entrant was Gacy, who forced Axiom to submit to the Rings of Saturn to score a point, and pinned Hayes after performing the Upside-Down World to score another. Hayes forced Waller to submit to a crossface to score another point. In the closing moments, Hayes performed a diving leg drop on Axiom, but Waller dragged Hayes out of the ring and pinned Axiom himself to score his third point. Waller then ran around the ring until the time expired, winning the match and being named the men's Iron Survivor.

Main event

In the main event, Bron Breakker defended the NXT Championship against Apollo Crews. This was an evenly contested match. At one point, Crews performed a Military Press Powerslam of his own on Breakker for a nearfall. In the end, Breakker performed a Spear on Crews to retain the title. After the match, Grayson Waller appeared and performed an Ace Crusher on Breakker. Waller then held the title over Breakker as the event ended.

Reception

Thomas Hall of ''

411Mania This is a list of professional wrestling websites. Online websites who focus mostly or exclusively on professional wrestling. News websites Historical websites Sales websites Comedy websites See also * Dirt sheet * List of professional wre ...

'' gave the event an 8.5 out of 10. He was critical of the twist ending during the Dawn-Fyre match but praised the rest of the card, highlighting the men's Iron Survivor Challenge for being the energetic "race against the clock" he hoped the women's Challenge would be (which he also found good). He concluded: "It's definitely not a Takeover, but for the new generation of NXT, this worked out very well ... Not a classic, but it's an easy watch with good stuff throughout and that's a nice way to go." Kevin Berge of ''

Bleacher Report Bleacher Report (often abbreviated as B/R) is a website that focuses on sport and sports culture. Its headquarters are in San Francisco, with offices in New York City and London. Bleacher Report was acquired by Turner Broadcasting System in Aug ...

'' gave praise to the NXT Tag Title bout and men's Iron Survivor Challenge but was critical of the "deflating" finish to the Dawn-Fyre match and felt the NXT Championship main event came across as "a filler title defense for NXT television."

Aftermath

After Deadline, it was announced that Roxanne Perez and Grayson Waller would get their respective championship matches at ''NXT'': New Year's Evil on January 10, 2023. On the following episode of ''NXT'', however, NXT Women's Champion

Mandy Rose Amanda Rose Saccomanno (born July 18, 1990) is an American professional wrestler, television personality, and fitness and figure competitor. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Mandy Rose. Rose began ...

attacked Perez. The women's title match was subsequently rescheduled for that episode's main event, where Perez defeated Rose to win the title for the first time, ending Rose's reign at 413 days. The next day, Rose was released from WWE due to violating the terms of her contract by posting explicit content on her FanTime page (a subscription website similar to

OnlyFans OnlyFans is an internet content subscription service based in London, United Kingdom. The service is used primarily by sex workers who produce pornography, but it also hosts the work of other content creators, such as physical fitness experts ...

). Also on ''NXT'', NXT Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) celebrated their win at Deadline, only for Pretty Deadly (Kit Wilson and Elton Prince) to interrupt. Kingston and Woods told them that they would get another shot at the championship if they recited the

Pledge of Allegiance The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is a patriotic recited verse that promises allegiance to the flag of the United States and the republic of the United States of America. The first version, with a text different from the one used ...

. However,

Josh Briggs Joshua Bruns (born March 5, 1993) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Josh Briggs. He is currently signed to WWE where he performs on the NXT brand. In WWE, he is a one-time NXT UK Tag Team Champion with Brooks ...

and

Brooks Jensen Benjamin Buchanan (born August 21, 2001) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Brooks Jensen. In WWE, he is a one-time NXT UK Tag Team Champion with Josh Brigg ...

interrupted, and recited the pledge themselves. As a result, they became the number one contenders for the title. The match was scheduled for the December 20 episode, where Kingston and Woods retained. Prior to the match, Kingston and Woods agreed to give Wilson and Prince a rematch if they found everything on a list. On the January 3, 2023, episode, Wilson and Prince stated that at New Year's Evil, they would be competing in a

gauntlet match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

against three other teams to determine the number one contenders for the NXT Tag Team Championship. At New Year's Evil, Pretty Deadly were the last team eliminated by a returning Gallus (

Mark Coffey Mark Coffey (born February 13, 1990) is a Scottish professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand. He is the younger brother of Joe Coffey and the pair occasionally tag team together as The Coffey Brothers. ...

and Wolfgang). The following week, Pretty Deadly interrupted The New Day as they spoke in the ring, followed by Gallus, and then a brawl between the three teams, which led to Pretty Deadly being added to the match, turning it into a

triple threat tag team match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. So ...

. The match was subsequently scheduled for Vengeance Day. On the January 24 episode, The New Day announced a tag team invitational for the following week's episode, where the winners would be added to the title match, turning it into a

fatal four-way tag team match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

, which was won by Chase University (

and

Duke Hudson Brendan Vink (born 8 February 1990) is an Australian professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Duke Hudson. He is also known for his time in Melbourne City Wrestling (MCW), where he wa ...

). At New Year's Evil, Grayson Waller's match against Bron Breakker for the NXT Championship ended when the middle rope snapped, causing Waller to fall out of the ring and be counted out, allowing Breakker to retain the title. Due to the issue of the ropes, a

Steel Cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

between the two for the title was subsequently scheduled for Vengeance Day. An Extreme Resolution match between Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn was scheduled for the January 3, 2023, episode of ''NXT'', where Fyre was victorious. On the January 17 episode, Fyre lost to Sol Ruca due to a distraction from Dawn. The following week, Fyre and Ruca failed to win the

NXT Women's Tag Team Championship The NXT Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling women's tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. The current cha ...

due to another distraction from Dawn. On the January 31 episode, Fyre sided with Dawn, thus turning heel in the process.

Results

Women's Iron Survivor Challenge statistics

Men's Iron Survivor Challenge statistics

References

External links

* {{2022 WWE Network events 2022 WWE Network events December 2022 events in the United States WWE NXT 2022 in professional wrestling in Florida Events in Orlando, Florida Professional wrestling in Orlando, Florida