6 Ups And 1 Down From NXT Halloween Havoc (28 Oct)

6. Treat

Having gotten all flustered over the idea of The Great American Bash returning, only to be greeted with a big-ish sticker and some balloons, my expectations for the Halloween Havoc aesthetic were... low.

But f**k me, this looked incredible.

WWE's low-key biggest reduction of the last few decades has been the move away from distinctive, original stage sets and into enormous walls of LED screens. Yeah, alright, they change colour and someone in marketing still loudly calls them "dynamic" but it means every single show from TV to PPV feels the same.

Our set tonight was a small step in the right direction, but it's a step nonetheless. Perhaps as a result of the Capitol Wrestling Centre still feeling new, the token dressing that Halloween Havoc got here felt like a huge breath of fresh air. The tombstones, the (shortlived) giant pumpkin, the orange ropes, even the big LED demon all give this a unique feel.

Or, to put that in more simple terms, it is nice to see a company that's just had the most profitable quarter in its entire history splashing the cash on some tape, styrofoam, and a big inflatable. That should be the height of sarcasm but they so rarely do it, it isn't.