5 Ups And 3 Downs From WWE NXT New Year's Evil (Jan 4)

1. Bron Breakks Out, Ciampa Kisses Goldie Goodbye

As if there was ever going to be any doubt over whether this main event was going to deliver the goods, but even with those lofty expectations it has to be said that both Bron Breakker and Tommaso Ciampa may have just submitted an early contender for Match of the Year.

With much of the discussion coming into this epic rematch centring around whether or not the Steiner could learn from the mistake that cost him the big one at Halloween Havoc, that still didn't stop the challenger from channeling his inner 205 Live on a frankly absurd amount of occasions in this blockbuster bout. Standing moonsaults, Frankensteiners, kip ups, don't be blinded by the hulking physique and obvious power game, this lad is about as complete a package as they come.

Staying true to their words of dragging each other into the deepest of waters, this contest built beautifully towards a closing stretch that saw Breakker get span into a violently executed Willow's Bell, Ciampa get obliterated through the announce desk out of nowhere and the challenger take a sickening amount of Kenny Omega-esque exposed knees to the face pre-Fairytale Ending.

But Bron wasn't here to take home the silver medal again. After powering out of that aforementioned predicament, nailing that infamous bulldog that he'd cocked up in the past gave way to a Steiner Recliner so tight that anything but a tap would've been borderline offensive.

And now the 2.0 era seems to have been officially kick-started, with Breakker leading the charge from the start of 2022 onwards. What this means for Blackheart remains to be seen, but he can hold his head high after another remarkable run at the top reached a fittingly dramatic conclusion.

For now, though, long live the champ.