NXT Heatwave 2022 Guide: Match Card, Predictions
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- Three more matches have been added to the Heatwave card, including a North American Title match.
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NXT has pulled a number of PPV names from pro wrestling's past for its special events. Both Halloween Havoc and Great American Bash have become annual staples of the brand after they were once used by WCW. This might be the first time WWE has revived an ECW show name for the NXT brand, though. While it won't be a tentpole event on a weekend, Heatwave will be a special edition of NXT taking place later this month, marking the first time the PPV name has been used since the last Heatwave in ECW in 2000 prior to the now-defunct promotion going under.
As for where and when you can watch Heatwave live, the show will take place at 8 pm EST on Tuesday, August 16, 2022 and run for two hours. Just like a regular edition of NXT 2.0. That also means you can tune in to the same channel or network you usually do to watch Heatwave, so the USA Network in the US, or BT Sport in the UK. Information on every match announced for Heatwave so far can be found below.
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UPDATE: 2022/08/14 19:43 EST BY JOSH COULSON
Three more matches have been added to the Heatwave card, including a North American Title match.
Bron Breakker vs. JD McDonagh for the NXT Championship
Bronn Breakker has faced an array of challengers since winning the NXT Title back. From Gunther to Joe Gacy, and none of them has been able to dethrone him. JD McDonagh, formerly NXT UK's Jordan Devlin, may pose the biggest threat yet. The Irish Ace has made it very clear he knows exactly how to beat Breakker, so the second generation star will need to think outside the box to retain.
Breakker needs to and likely will demonstrate he's capable of that sort of thinking. The champ has been one of the few success stories since NXT became NXT 2.0. Proof that at least some of the changes made were for the better. With Triple H now heading up creative for the whole company, there's an outside chance McDonagh wins, but it's unlikely.
Mandy Rose vs. Zoey Stark for the NXT Women's Championship
Breakker might have been something of a success story in NXT 2.0 so far, but he's got nothing on Mandy Rose. The Women's Champion has been reborn in NXT and her reign with the title is now the fifth-longest in the brand's history. Her challenger at Heatwave will be Zoey Stark. Stark made a surprise appearance in the battle royal to earn a spot in this match, winning it after being sidelined with an injury for a number of months.
As for whether Stark will be the one who finally brings the curtain down on Rose's almost 300-day reign, just like McDonagh, that seems unlikely. Stark is great, but there are challengers more likely to take the title from Rose already being readied. Cora Jade and Roxanne Perez, for example.
Roxanne Perez vs. Cora Jade
Speaking of Perez and Jade, the former Tag Champions will also be clashing at Heatwave this Tuesday. Perez hasn't been in NXT for long, and that's what this match stems from. Jade is NXT 2.0's up-and-coming female star, and while she teamed with Perez and basically took her under her wing, the new Superstar caught up with her faster than Jade likely expected.
Even though Perez's ascent up the NXT ranks has been a fast one, Jade probably doesn't have anything to worry about for now. This has been a great detour for Jade to prolong the time between her debut and finally becoming Women's Champion. Jade to win at Heatwave and move on to a match against Rose at the next big event which she will likely win.
Giovanni Vinci vs. Carmelo Hayes for the NXT North American Championship
Giovanni Vinci has had a pretty quick ascent in NXT too. Well, as long as you don't count his time as Imperium's Fabian Aichner. While the rest of the group is now on SmackDown, Vinci has changed his name and continued his career in NXT. That singles run has already landed him at Carmelo Hayes door, and at Heatwave he will get a shot at the North American Title.
Similar to Perez, this is probably where that quick ascent ends, at least for now. While Vinci hopefully has a bright future with the brand, Hayes has an even brighter one and it isn't over yet. The champ to retain in this one and likely face someone along the lines of Solo Sikoa at whatever's next for the NXT roster.
Santos Escobar vs. Tony D'Angelo in a Street Fight
The beef between Legado Del Fantasma and The Family has been a pretty great one. It has been going for a while though, and at Heatwave, one way or another, it comes to an end. Santos Escobar and Tony D'Angelo will do battle in a singles match with a lot on the line. If Escobar wins, Legado will be freed from The Family. However, if D'Angelo wins, Escobar is gone from NXT.
Now, this one obviously has repercussions whatever happens. Since it feels like Escobar is ready for a call-up, potentially alongside the rest of Legado, it seems likely D'Angelo wins this. Escobar has even hinted he's readying himself for life on the main roster. A D'Angelo win here feels like the right move for everyone involved.
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