The 2022 Worlds Collide was the third Worlds Collide professional wrestling livestreaming event produced by WWE. While the event was held primarily for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT and NXT UK brand divisions, Worlds Collide also featured some wrestlers from WWE's main roster brands, Raw and SmackDown. It took place on Sunday, September 4, 2022, at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, and was the first Worlds Collide to livestream on Peacock. This was the first Worlds Collide event since 2020 and also the final event for NXT UK, which was meant to relaunch as NXT Europe in 2023. This was also NXT's last major event in which the brand was referred to as "NXT 2.0", as nine days later, the "2.0" moniker was dropped.

Worlds Collide
Promotional poster featuring Bron Breakker and Tyler Bate
PromotionWWE
Brand(s)NXT
NXT UK
DateSeptember 4, 2022
CityOrlando, Florida
VenueWWE Performance Center
WWE Network event chronology
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Clash at the Castle
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Worlds Collide chronology
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2020
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NXT major events chronology
← Previous
In Your House
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Halloween Havoc

Seven matches were contested at the event, including two dark matches that were later streamed on Level Up. All five matches that took place at the actual event were interbrand championship matches and three saw all but one of NXT UK's championships unified into their respective NXT championship counterparts. In the main event, NXT Champion Bron Breakker defeated NXT United Kingdom Champion Tyler Bate to unify both championships. In other prominent matches, NXT Women's Champion Mandy Rose defeated NXT UK Women's Champion Meiko Satomura and Blair Davenport in a triple threat match to unify both women's championships, and Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince and Kit Wilson) defeated NXT Tag Team Champions The Creed Brothers (Brutus Creed and Julius Creed), NXT UK Tag Team Champions Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs, and Gallus (Mark Coffey and Wolfgang) in a fatal four-way tag team elimination match to unify both tag team championships. The NXT UK Heritage Cup was the only championship between the two brands that was not defended at the event and it was later transferred to NXT in April 2023.

Production

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Background

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Worlds Collide is a series of professional wrestling shows that began on January 26, 2019, when WWE held an interbrand tournament featuring wrestlers from the NXT, NXT UK, and the now-defunct 205 Live brands.[1][2][3] After not being held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WWE announced on August 18, 2022, that Worlds Collide would return on September 4, 2022, and be held at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. It was the third Worlds Collide event and primarily featured wrestlers from the NXT and NXT UK brands. The announcement also confirmed that this would be the final event for NXT UK; following the event, the brand went on hiatus and will relaunch as NXT Europe in 2023. In addition to the WWE Network in international markets, it was the first Worlds Collide to livestream on Peacock after the American version of the WWE Network merged under Peacock in March 2021.[4][5]

Storylines

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Other on-screen personnel
Role: Name:
Commentators Vic Joseph
Wade Barrett
Spanish commentators Marcelo Rodríguez
Jerry Soto
Ring announcer Alicia Taylor
Referees Adrian Butler
Chip Danning
Joey Gonzalez
Dallas Irvin
Derek Sanders
Pre-show panel Sam Roberts
McKenzie Mitchell

The card included matches that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results was predetermined by WWE's writers on the NXT and NXT UK brands, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television programs, NXT and NXT UK, and the supplementary online streaming show, Level Up.[6][7]

After Bron Breakker successfully retained the NXT Championship at Heatwave, NXT United Kingdom Champion Tyler Bate appeared to confront Breakker.[8] On the August 23 episode of NXT, both Bate and Breakker signed a contract for a championship unification match to take place at Worlds Collide.[9]

On the August 23 episode of NXT, NXT Women's Champion Mandy Rose confronted Blair Davenport and demanded respect from her. NXT UK Women's Champion Meiko Satomura joined the confrontation, and the two champions argued who was better. The champions then agreed to a title unification match at Worlds Collide, with Davenport also being added to the match due to being the number one contender for the NXT UK Women's Championship, thus making it a triple threat title unification match.[9]

On the August 30 episode of NXT, NXT Women's Tag Team Champions Katana Chance and Kayden Carter were confronted by Doudrop and Nikki A.S.H. from Raw, who challenged the champions for the titles at Worlds Collide, which was made official.[10]

At Heatwave, while Diamond Mine (Roderick Strong, Damon Kemp, and NXT Tag Team Champions Brutus Creed and Julius Creed) were talking about The Creed Brothers' success, they were interrupted by Gallus (Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey, and Wolfgang), who laid them out. Later that night, Gallus interrupted NXT UK Tag Team Champions Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen, and a brawl broke out, leading to a title match the following week,[8] where Gallus won via countout after Lash Legend attacked Fallon Henley, leading to Pretty Deadly (Kit Wilson and Elton Prince) brawling with Briggs and Jensen outside the ring, but Briggs and Jensen retained.[9] On the August 30 episode, during a six-person mixed tag team match pitting Henley, Jensen, and Briggs against Pretty Deadly and Legend, Gallus interfered in favor of Legend and Pretty Deadly and helped them to win. On the same episode, after Joe, Mark, and Wolfgang defeated Damon Kemp and The Creed Brothers, a brawl started between both teams, and Pretty Deadly, Briggs, and Jensen joined the fight. This led to a fatal four-way tag team elimination match being scheduled between The Creed Brothers, Briggs and Jensen, Gallus, and Pretty Deadly at Worlds Collide, which would also be a title unification match.[10]

On the August 30 episode of NXT, NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes, alongside Trick Williams, discussed how no one could match Hayes' level. Ricochet from SmackDown then appeared to challenge Hayes for the title at World Collide, which was made official.[10]

Aftermath

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Tyler Bate opened the following episode of NXT to talk about his loss to Bron Breakker, only to be interrupted by Gallus (Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey, and Wolfgang). They attacked Bate and also took out security guards. Breakker made the save, and a tag team match pitting Breakker and Bate against Joe and Mark was scheduled for that episode's main event, where Breakker and Bate won. Afterwards, they were attacked by JD McDonagh, who wanted another shot at the NXT Championship[11] after losing to Breakker at Heatwave.[8] This set up a match between Bate and McDonagh to determine the number one contender for the title on the September 20 episode where McDonagh was victorious.[12]

On the September 13 episode of NXT, The Creed Brothers (Brutus Creed and Julius Creed) took on Pretty Deadly (Kit Wilson and Elton Prince) in a Steel Cage match for the NXT Tag Team Championship. Pretty Deadly retained after Damon Kemp handcuffed Julius to the top of the cage, leaving Brutus to fight Pretty Deadly alone.[13] The Creed Brothers would continue their feud with Kemp over the next few weeks and on the October 4 episode, an ambulance match between Julius and Kemp was scheduled for Halloween Havoc, with the added stipulation that Brutus must leave NXT should Julius lose.[14]

For costing them the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship, Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne) faced Doudrop and Nikki A.S.H. on the following episode of NXT in a losing effort.[11]

For costing him the NXT North American Championship, Trick Williams took on Ricochet on the following episode of NXT in a losing effort.[11]

On the September 20 episode of NXT, a Pub Rules match pitting Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen against Gallus (Mark Coffey and Wolfgang) was scheduled for the following week,[12] where Briggs and Jensen won. Following the match, Mark, Joe Coffey, and Wolfgang attacked security guards and a referee before they were arrested as NXT ended.[15] Afterwards, it was announced that Gallus were suspended indefinitely.[16] Gallus made their return at NXT: New Year's Evil on January 10, 2023, where they won a gauntlet match to become the number one contenders for the NXT Tag Team Championship. They replaced Gallus in the match, setting up another match between the two teams for the following week,[17] where Gallus was victorious, ending the feud.[18]

The 2022 Worlds Collide would be NXT's last major event in which the brand was referred to as "NXT 2.0". At the end of the September 13 episode of NXT, a video package aired that summarized the past year of NXT's "2.0 era" and was narrated by Shawn Michaels. He talked about the brand consistently evolving with a focus on the future. Afterwards, a new gold-and-white logo was introduced, with the "NXT" logo remaining unchanged but the "2.0" moniker dropped.[13][19]

The NXT UK Heritage Cup was the only title between NXT and NXT UK that was not defended at the event. The title's status remained unknown until April 2023 when reigning champion Noam Dar appeared on the April 4, 2023, episode of NXT with the Heritage Cup.[20] It was subsequently transferred to NXT and renamed to NXT Heritage Cup.[21]

Results

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No.ResultsStipulationsTimes[24][25]
1DCharlie Dempsey defeated Bodhi Hayward (with Andre Chase and Thea Hail)Singles match[22]7:50
2DChanning "Stacks" Lorenzo (with Tony D'Angelo) defeated Ikemen JiroSingles match[22]5:15
3Carmelo Hayes (c) (with Trick Williams) defeated Ricochet by pinfallSingles match for the NXT North American Championship[23]15:57
4Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince and Kit Wilson) (with Lash Legend) defeated The Creed Brothers (Brutus Creed and Julius Creed) (NXT) (with Damon Kemp), Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs (NXT UK) (with Fallon Henley), and Gallus (Mark Coffey and Wolfgang) (with Joe Coffey) by pinfallFatal four-way tag team elimination match to unify the NXT Tag Team Championship and NXT UK Tag Team Championship[23]15:34
5Mandy Rose (NXT) defeated Meiko Satomura (NXT UK) and Blair Davenport by pinfallTriple threat match to unify the NXT Women's Championship and NXT UK Women's Championship[23]13:17
6Katana Chance and Kayden Carter (c) defeated Doudrop and Nikki A.S.H. by pinfallTag team match for the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship[23]10:19
7Bron Breakker (NXT) defeated Tyler Bate (NXT UK) by pinfallUnification match for both the NXT Championship and NXT United Kingdom Championship[23]17:11
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match
D – this was a dark match

Fatal four-way tag team elimination match

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Eliminated Wrestler Team Eliminated by Method of elimination Times[25]
1 Brooks Jensen Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen (NXT UK) Mark Coffey Pinned after an enziguri/suplex combo 4:45
2 Wolfgang Gallus Julius Creed Pinned after a Doomsday Cannonball Device 8:37
3 Julius Creed The Creed Brothers (NXT) Elton Prince Pinned after a Backstabber from Damon Kemp 15:34
Winners: Pretty Deadly

See also

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References

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  1. ^ WWE.com staff (January 24, 2019). "WWE Worlds Collide to stream on Saturday, Feb. 2". WWE. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  2. ^ "NXT, 205 Live and NXT UK Superstars to battle in the first-ever WWE Worlds Collide Tournament at Royal Rumble Axxess". WWE.com. January 10, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2019. The WWE Worlds Collide Tournament, which will be taped for a WWE Network special, kicks off with a 15-Superstar Battle Royal on Saturday, Jan. 26, at the 8 a.m. session of Axxess.
  3. ^ Joseph Currier (January 10, 2019). "WWE WORLDS COLLIDE TOURNAMENT SET, WILL BE TAPED FOR NETWORK SPECIAL". Wrestling Observer. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  4. ^ WWE.com Staff (March 8, 2021). "WWE Network to launch on Peacock March 18". WWE. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  5. ^ Defelice, Robert (August 18, 2022). "WWE Announces The Impending Launch Of 'NXT Europe' Final NXT UK Event To Be 'Worlds Collide' On 9/4". Fightful. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  6. ^ Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  7. ^ "Live & Televised Entertainment". WWE. Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  8. ^ a b c Moore, John (August 16, 2022). "8/16 NXT 2.0 Heatwave results: Moore's review of Bron Breakker vs. JD McDonagh for the NXT Title, Mandy Rose vs. Zoey Stark for the NXT Women's Title, Carmelo Hayes vs. Giovanni Vinci for the NXT North American Title, Tony D'Angelo vs Santos Escobar in a Street Fight, Cora Jade vs. Roxanne Perez". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on August 28, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c Wells, Kelly (August 23, 2022). "8/23 NXT 2.0 REPORT: Wells's report on Briggs & Jensen vs. Gallus, Tiffany Stratton vs. Wendy Choo, Tyler Bate vs. Von Wagner, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on August 24, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c Hazelwood, Bruce Lee (August 30, 2022). "8/30 NXT 2.0 REPORT: Hazelwood's live report on Worlds Collide go-home with slew of tag matches, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c Hazelwood, Bruce Lee (September 6, 2022). "9/6 NXT 2.0 REPORT: Hazelwood's live report on Lee vs. McDonagh, Frazer vs. Axiom, Perez vs. Satomura, Ricochet vs. Williams, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Hazelwood, Bruce Lee (September 20, 2022). "9/20 NXT REPORT: Hazelwood's live report on first show after dropping 2.0, Bate vs. McDonagh #1 contender's match, Choo vs. Jade, Frazer vs. Axiom match two, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Wells, Kelly (September 13, 2022). "9/13 NXT 2.0 REPORT: Wells's report on anniversary show featuring Creed Brothers vs. Pretty Deadly, Carmelo Hayes vs. mystery opponent, D'Angelo & Stacks vs. Grimes & mystery partner, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  14. ^ Wells, Kelly (October 4, 2022). "10/4 NXT REPORT: Wells's live report on Toxic Attraction vs. Fyre & Stark & Lyons, Von Wagner vs. Andre Chase, Jade & Perez appear on "Grayson Waller Effect," more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  15. ^ Hazelwood, Bruce Lee (September 27, 2022). "9/27 NXT REPORT: Hazelwood's live report on Rose vs. Henley non-title, Gallus vs. Briggs & Jensen in a Pub Rules match, Lee vs. D'Angelo in qualifier, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  16. ^ Mrosko, Geno (September 27, 2022). "Gallus suspended indefinitely by WWE". Cageside Seats. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  17. ^ Hazelwood, Bruce Lee (January 10, 2023). "1/10 NXT NEW YEAR'S EVIL REPORT: Hazelwood's live report on Breakker vs. Waller for title, #1 contender's battle royal, Pretty Deadly in the gauntlet, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  18. ^ Wells, Kelly (January 17, 2023). "1/17 NXT Report: Wells's live report on Bron Breakker-Grayson Waller follow-up, Crews & Axiom vs. Trick & Melo, Gallus returns vs. Briggs & Jensen, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on January 18, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  19. ^ Renner, Ethan (September 13, 2022). "WWE NXT changes logo, returns to black and gold color scheme". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Archived from the original on September 14, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  20. ^ Rose, Bryan (April 4, 2023). "Noam Dar returns with Heritage Cup trophy on WWE NXT". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  21. ^ Kilbane, Lyle (April 18, 2023). "WWE Officially Change Championship's Name". TJR Wrestling. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  22. ^ a b Krotchsen, Billy (September 4, 2022). "Dark matches from Worlds Collide". PWInsider. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  23. ^ a b c d e "Bron Breakker puts NXT on his back in monumental Title Unification Match". WWE. September 4, 2022. Archived from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  24. ^ O'Connor, John (September 10, 2022). "9/9 NXT Level Up results: O'Connor's review of Ikemen Jiro vs. Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo, Charlie Dempsey vs. Bodhi Hayward, and Sol Ruca vs. Valentina Feroz". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  25. ^ a b Moore, John (September 4, 2022). "NXT Worlds Collide results: Moore's live review of NXT Champion Bron Breakker vs. NXT UK Champion Tyler Bate in a unification match, NXT Women's Champion Mandy Rose vs. NXT UK Women's Champion Meiko Satomura vs. Blair Davenport in a unification match, Carmelo Hayes vs. Ricochet for the NXT North American Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on September 18, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
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