NXT Halloween Havoc: Possible Swerves to Watch For on Oct. 31

WWE NXT’s road to Halloween Havoc is underway, with the annual spooky-themed premium live event scheduled for Saturday, October 31. Two championship matches have been confirmed so far, and more bouts are expected to be added to the card as the date approaches — but several storylines currently brewing on NXT television suggest the show could deliver a few swerves beyond whatever’s officially announced.

The NXT Women’s Championship picture is one area ripe for a twist. Wren Sinclair punched her ticket to a title shot after an unexpected Battle Royal win while competing under the Lady Shani persona, putting her on a collision course with the champion. That title match arrives at an interesting moment for Kendal Grey, who has been sidelined since her encounter with Kelani Jordan and only recently announced she’s been cleared to compete again. Fans have spent weeks speculating that Wren might eventually turn on Kendal, but with Kendal now healthy and re-entering the picture right as Wren closes in on gold, it’s worth wondering if the betrayal could run the other direction — with Kendal inserting herself into the title match to cost Wren the title shot entirely.

There’s also unfinished business involving Birthright and Zilla Fatu. The faction has made no secret of its interest in recruiting the Main One since his arrival in NXT, and while no official match involving Zilla has been locked in, his presence on the Halloween Havoc poster all but guarantees he’ll factor into the show somehow. If Birthright ends up opposite him — whether in a singles match or a tag team setting — it wouldn’t be shocking to see a new face emerge from the stable’s ranks to help tip the scales against him.

Then there’s Tony D’Angelo, whose situation feels like it’s reaching a tipping point. D’Angelo is essentially the last man standing from his original NXT 2.0 class still rooted on the brand, with virtually every one of his peers long since promoted to Raw or SmackDown. The lone exception is Grayson Waller, who came back to NXT specifically to finally capture the NXT Championship that eluded him during his main roster run. D’Angelo, for his part, has already conquered just about every title the brand has to offer, the now-retired Heritage Cup included — which makes the case for a call-up stronger than ever. He’s also shifted away from the mob-boss gimmick that reportedly didn’t sit well with Triple H in the past, potentially clearing the path for a fresh main roster chapter. Given the parallel with Waller holding the championship D’Angelo covets, a Halloween Havoc angle that sends the Don off NXT television for good wouldn’t be out of the question.

None of this is confirmed, of course — these are simply storylines positioned in ways that make big swerves plausible, not matches or finishes that have been locked in. But NXT has built a reputation under its current regime for using its gimmick premium live events to deliver genuine surprises, from returns to turns to call-ups, and Halloween Havoc has historically been one of the brand’s showcase nights for exactly that kind of unpredictability. With the card still filling out over the next couple of weeks, fans will find out soon enough whether any of these threads actually pay off on October 31.