WWE NXT 2.0 Heatwave Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights

WWE NXT 2.0 presented NXT Heatwave 2022, a night of title matches and heated rivalries coming to a head. With a card that could have graced a pay-per-view, this was likely to be one of the best nights of the year for the show.

Bron Breakker has defeated some of the best in NXT but his next challenger, JD McDonagh, is a sadistic man who has gotten in his head. With the NXT Championship on the line, both men knew this would be a struggle.

Mandy Rose has climbed up the ranks of great NXT women's champions with an impressive near-300-day reign. While she has overcome most of the brand's best, Zoey Stark was a ghost from her past who seemed to have her number, hoping to have her title soon as well.

In a pair of grudge bouts, Roxanne Perez looked to make Cora Jade pay for betraying her and throwing away their NXT Women's Tag Team Championships while Santos Escobar put his career on the line to take back Legado del Fantasma from Tony D'Angelo.

In the final title match of the night, Carmelo Hayes would face the crafty and athletic Giovanni Vinci in a battle for the NXT North American Championship. Julius Creed also promised to expose the truth of Diamond Mine after weeks of turmoil.

It was a big night for NXT 2.0. Only the best and brightest would emerge victorious, and the brand could be witness to a new era of young champions.

Carmelo Hayes found himself outmatched by the speed and power of Giovanni Vinci, but Trick Williams saved The A Champion.

After Vinci powerbombed Trick, Melo reversed another powerbomb attempt into a headscissors takedown for three.

The match ended just as it was really getting going. Two of the best athletes in the business held a bit back. That's not to say it was anything less than good, but these two could have done something special with five more minutes.

Given how much help The A Champion needed to escape with his title, it would not be a surprise if there was a rematch soon.

Vinci has been stellar in the ring lately and has earned a title run if the stars can align.

Result

Melo def. Vinci by pinfall to retain the NXT North American Championship.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• Paul Heyman narrated the opening promo for NXT Heatwave.
• Melo caught Vinci in the ropes for an inverted springboard leg drop and then caught his opponent with a superkick, but he could not get the win off either.
• The Italian hit a crazy running diving crossbody onto Melo and Trick and then a springboard moonsault in the ring, but Trick got The A Champion's foot on the rope.

Julius Creed called out Roderick Strong for potentially conspiring against Diamond Mine, but before anything could come of it, Gallus hit the ring.

The NXT UK trio laid out everyone, including Strong, and stood tall over the NXT tag team champions.

This was a solid buildup segment for Diamond Mine, even if The Creed Brothers seem far too slow to question the obviously untrustworthy Strong. The Messiah of the Backbreaker does not need to be working with Tony D'Angelo to be bad for the group.

Gallus' arrival is welcome for an NXT tag team division that needs depth. Joe and Mark Coffey are proven in-ring talent while Wolfgang is reliable.

NXT UK may be slowly losing more talent, but at least those stars are finding a new home quickly.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• In the parking lot, Toxic Attraction wished Bron Breakker good luck for his title match.
  
• Von Wagner and Robert Stone promised that the big man would stomp down anyone who tried to get in his ring.
• Nikkita Lyons was shown backstage hyping up Zoey Stark while JD McDonagh was in an ice bath to prepare for his title match.
• Later in the night, Gallus interrupted Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen and challenged them for the NXT UK Tag Team Championships next week.
  

Roxanne Perez fought hard but found herself handicapped by her own morals.

After Perez could not use the black kendo stick against Cora Jade, Jade turned it around and DDTed her onto the weapon to win.

Jade and Perez have chemistry and that came out in this match, especially once they got going. This was the best Jade has looked in the ring. But the finish was awkward, and it was a stunted end to a contest that never hit top gear.

Jade using her weapon in front of the referee without a disqualification made no sense. Worse yet, it did not come off as a real end to the match, so this contest felt incomplete, even at 11 minutes in length.

Result

Jade def. Perez by pinfall.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments

• Before the match, Perez admitted backstage she was nervous about the contest before promising to make Jade regret this.
• Perez came in like a house on fire early to open the brawl, but she dived right into a forearm that stopped her cold.

Tony D'Angelo used every trick he could manage, even caring little about taking out members of Legado del Fantasma. However, as Santos Escobar went for his brass knuckles, The Don laid him out with a crowbar to win.

As the final act in a great NXT run, The Emperor delivered once more. This was smartly booked and wrestled. With so many involved, it never became too much to follow. Everyone played their role.

D'Angelo won relatively clean in the end, setting him up even more as a major threat to Bron Breakker. With no more distractions, he and The D'Angelo Family could be truly unstoppable.

The Emperor will be greatly missed in NXT, but the time is right for him to move to the main roster. Hopefully, he will get to work with the rest of Legado again one day, but he has a story to tell on his own on Raw or SmackDown.

Result

D'Angelo def. Escobar by pinfall; Escobar must now leave NXT 2.0.

Grade

A-

Notable Moments

• NXT showed a complete video package for the feud between Escobar and D'Angelo before the match.
• Cruz Del Toro laid out Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo, and then The Don punched him in the face followed by accidentally diving into Elektra Lopez.
• Legado del Fantasma was left stunned after the finish and knelt with The Emperor.

Mandy Rose's targeted attack of Zoey Stark's knee included ripping off her brace.

While Stark kicked out of the first bicycle knee, becoming the first woman to do so in NXT, Rose put on the knee brace before hitting a second bicycle knee to win.

This was a solid technical match from Rose, who kept it mostly grounded. While Stark was limited by selling the knee, she told a great story of resilience as she battled through.

The NXT women's champion will now pass 300 days with the gold, and she still has a few interesting challengers left. However, it will be up to NXT to make someone feel as believable as Stark did going into this.

Result

Rose def. Stark by pinfall to retain the NXT Women's Championship.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments

• Indi Hartwell congratulated Katana Chance and Kayden Carter on capturing the NXT Women's Tag Team Championships before she got a letter that gave her great joy, only to have Blair Davenport rip it up.
• In separate pre-taped interviews, Wendy Choo and Tiffany Stratton happily accepted a Lights Out match between them next week.
• Rose slammed Stark's braced left knee on the announce table, beginning a targeted attack that also included slamming it into the steel post.
• Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne tripped Stark, which caused the referee to throw them out. Nikkita Lyons arrived to make sure they left.
• Stark connected with her belly-to-back GTS on Rose but was unable to capitalize before the champion rolled outside.

Bron Breakker overcame serious neck pain and a resilient JD McDonagh to rise above his challenger. He hit him with three Spears and a military press powerslam to win.

Afterward, NXT UK champion Tyler Bate walked out to seemingly set a challenge to Breakker.

The promise of this match was somewhat delivered as McDonagh did attempt to wear down Breakker with technical offense. However, this was far more one-sided than the story promised.

While the image of McDonagh standing up after a second Spear was exciting, it may take a while to fully grasp what role he will play in NXT after this loss.

Bate completed the NXT UK arrivals for the night, adding an interesting wrinkle for the immediate future. Given Vic Joseph's sendoff, we are likely to see another NXT Worlds Collide PPV soon, and Breakker vs. Bate would be a huge main event.

Result

Breakker def. McDonagh by pinfall to retain the NXT Championship.

Grade

B

Notable Moments

• Quincy Elliott told the world he was heading to NXT and would be entirely himself.
• Waller announced The Grayson Waller Effect as his new talking show, inviting Apollo Crews to be his first guest.
• McDonagh sent Breakker into the turnbuckle steel, injuring his neck, which changed the challenger's focus with his technical dissection.
• McDonagh hit a diving Spanish Fly into a brainbuster for a near-fall. The champion hit a Spear, but the challenger rolled outside.