1/6 WWE NXT Preview: New Year’s Evil

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WWE has shared the following Quick Hits for tonight’s episode of NXT on WWE.com:

• Finn Bálor and Kyle O’Reilly to tangle for NXT Title at NXT New Year’s Evil
• Damian Priest set for powerhouse collision with Karrion Kross to open NXT New Year’s Evil
• Rhea Ripley to face off with Raquel González in Last Woman Standing Match at NXT New Year’s Evil
• Gran Metalik to challenge Santos Escobar for NXT Cruiserweight Title at NXT New Year’s Evil
• Xia Li and Boa set to return this Wednesday night

WWE’s full preview can be found HERE; we have included excerpts below:

Finn Bálor and Kyle O’Reilly to tangle for NXT Title at NXT New Year’s Evil

When Finn Bálor and Kyle O’Reilly last shared the same ring, O’Reilly broke Bálor’s jaw, but The Prince left with the NXT Championship.

Can The Undisputed ERA’s martial-arts master flip the script and finally break through when he challenges Bálor for the NXT Title at NXT New Year’s Evil?

It’s a rematch the NXT Universe won’t want to miss, and one they’ll be able to watch with non-stop, bell-to-bell action!

Already one of the most decorated tag team competitors in NXT history, O’Reilly has recently cemented himself as a force in singles action, as well. After winning the first-ever Gauntlet Eliminator, O’Reilly pushed Bálor to the limit in one of the most hard-hitting affairs in the annals of the black-and-gold brand at NXT TakeOver 31.

And now after outlasting Pete Dunne in a grueling encounter, O’Reilly has another date with The Prince. But he’s not the only one with unfinished business, as Bálor is seeking a receipt after suffering a broken jaw that has kept him on the shelf.

Will Bálor further fortify his throne atop NXT, or will O’Reilly bring The Prince’s reign to an end?

Damian Priest set for powerhouse collision with Karrion Kross to open NXT New Year’s Evil

The hourglass has run out on the long-awaited return of Karrion Kross. Will time soon be up for Damian Priest as well?

The two powerhouses will kick off NXT New Year’s Evil, featuring non-stop, commercial-free action!

Nonplussed by the re-emergence of sinister siren Scarlett as he and others made their case for an NXT Title opportunity, Priest invited Kross to meet him face to face.

The doomsday deviant responded by later assaulting Priest, putting The Archer of Infamy on the NXT Injury Report with a devastating powerbomb on the stage.

Kross, who demolished the likes of Tommaso Ciampa and Keith Lee en route to becoming NXT Champion this past summer before suffering a shoulder injury, looked every bit as destructive in his return to the ring against Desmond Troy.

With the tone already set for what figures to be a savage encounter, will Priest become Kross’ latest victim, or will he take another step toward infamy by dealing Kross his first defeat?

Xia Li and Boa set to return this Wednesday night

After undergoing arduous punishment and training, Xia Li and Boa are set to return at NXT New Year’s Evil.

Li and Boa were taken away by a mysterious man, apparently failing to meet an ultimatum delivered in cryptic letters after Li came up short in several matches. For weeks, both have been shrouded in secrecy, with the NXT Universe seeing only glimpses of their brutal training regimen led by that same man — and another unknown figure looking on.

Enigma aside, one thing that’s clear is that neither Superstar is likely to be the same. What can we expect to see when Xia Li and Boa are back on the black-and-gold brand this Wednesday night? And might we learn more about the mysterious figures they’ve been intertwined with?

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