Storylines
The card consisted of matches that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the NXT brand, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television program, NXT, and the supplementary online streaming show, Level Up . [6] [7]
At NXT Deadline, Giulia won the Women's Iron Survivor Challenge to earn an NXT Women's Championship match against Roxanne Perez, with the match scheduled for New Year's Evil. [8]
On the November 19 episode of NXT, Eddy Thorpe participated in an Iron Survivor Challenge qualifier where he lost to Nathan Frazer after being distracted from the NXT tag team division brawling outside the ring. [9] Two weeks later, Thorpe won a fatal four-way last chance match to qualify for the Iron Survivor Challenge at NXT Deadline. However, he was later found attacked backstage [10] and was ruled out of Deadline. [11] At the event, a returning Oba Femi took Thorpe's place and won the Men's Iron Survivor Challenge to earn an NXT Championship match against Trick Williams at New Year's Evil. [8] On the following episode of NXT, Thorpe confronted Williams and Femi, stating that Femi was the one who attacked him. Thorpe also demanded a title shot, which Williams agreed. Upon signing the title match contract, Thorpe revealed to NXT general manager Ava that he staged his own attack to ease his way into an NXT Championship match. [12] The title match on the December 17 episode ended in a double pinfall with Williams retaining. [13] The following week, Thorpe disputed the result of the match, and Williams stated that he would defend the championship in a triple threat match against Thorpe and Femi at New Year's Evil, which was made official by Ava. [14]
On the October 29 episode of NXT, Lexis King faced No Quarter Catch Crew's Charlie Dempsey for the NXT Heritage Cup. King was accompanied by Dempsey's father, William Regal. During the match, Regal passed his signature brass knuckles for King to use against Dempsey, but King refused, wanting to win the Cup on his own merit and lost the match by 0–2. [15] On the December 24 episode, King, again with Regal as his cornerman, faced Dempsey in a rematch for the Heritage Cup. Regal again passed the brass knuckles to King, but King again refused. Regal then punched King to which the brass knuckles fell into the ring. The referee disqualified Dempsey and crowned King the new NXT Heritage Cup Champion after he saw Dempsey with the brass knuckles and assumed that Dempsey used it on King. [14] However, due to a grey area in the British Rounds Rules on whether the Cup can change hands via disqualification of the reigning champion, Ava ordered King to give the Cup back to Dempsey (WWE would still recognize King as the official champion) and announced that they would face each other in a one-fall match for the Cup at New Year's Evil, which would be the first time that a match for the Cup would not be contested under British Rounds Rules. [16]
On the December 10 episode of NXT, Cora Jade attacked Stephanie Vaquer backstage, resulting in a tag team match between Jade and Roxanne Perez and Vaquer's ally, Giulia, and Kelani Jordan, which was won by Jade and Perez. After the match, Vaquer attacked Jade. [12] This led to a match between Jade and Vaquer two weeks later, which Vaquer won. After the match, Jordan attacked Jade as Vaquer tried to restrain Jordan. Later that night backstage, Jordan confronted Vaquer and said she did not need her help, but Lola Vice appeared and said Vaquer was looking out for Jordan. [14] This led to a match between Jordan and Vice the following week, which Jordan won after interference from Jade, who attacked both women after the match, but Vaquer came to their defense. Vice subsequently tried to hit Jade, but accidentally hit Vaquer instead. Later that night backstage, an argument and brawl ensued between Jordan, Vice, and Vaquer, much to the delight of Jade. NXT General Manager Ava subsequently scheduled a fatal four-way match for New Year's Evil, where the winner would become the #1 contender for the NXT Women's North American Championship. [16]
On the November 26 episode of NXT, Fallon Henley defeated Tatum Paxley to retain the NXT Women's North American Championship after interference from Henley's Fatal Influence stablemates, Jacy Jayne and Jazmyn Nyx. [17] After the match, the group attacked Paxley, who was saved by the returning Gigi Dolin. Two weeks later, Jayne and Nyx defeated Dolin and Paxley in a tag team match. After the match, Fatal Influence attacked Dolin and Paxley, but the returning Shotzi appeared to even the odds. [12] On the December 31 episode, Dolin and Shotzi competed in a triple threat tag team match, which they lost after interference from Fatal Influence. A six-woman tag team match between the two teams was later scheduled for New Year's Evil. [16]
