WWE NXT preview (Nov. 22, 2022): Whodunit

NXT airs tonight (Nov. 22) live from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.

We’re being promised that SCRYPTS will arrive on this week’s episode, paying off weeks of warnings from a new(?) character that so far comes off as The Riddler-meets-RETRIBUTION.

Other than hinting that they’re a high-flier or at least an indie/lucha-style wrestler and making it seem like they’re driven by revenge, we don’t have a ton to go on. Which is pretty remarkable in this day an age. An actual mystery that hasn’t been spoiled? Not even with a report on who came up with the idea, or some inside scoop on plans for the gimmick (complete with the usual “plans change” caveat?

It’s possible the subterfuge has been successful because SCRYPTS will be someone the audience isn’t familiar with. The PC is stocked with folks we haven’t met outside of a signing announcement or an appearance on Level Up. The rhymes we’ve gotten from SCRYPTS do seem to indicate he has an axe to grind with the Developmental brand, though. That would be a tough sell for a complete newcomer. And let’s face it, this act would be a tough one to start with for a green performers — and if it bombs, the kind of thing it could be hard to get fans to forget about for the rest of a career.

Plus, the way WWE is disguising any clues about SCRYPTS appearance or voice has led many to assume it must be someone we’re already pretty familiar with. Given the Triple H regime’s love of bringing back talent, what speculation there is has focused on returning or repackaged Superstars.

That speculation seems to center around a few names:

• Matt “Tyler Breeze” Clement. He’s got plenty of history with NXT and main roster WWE, and can work a style that fits the “fast as lightning” part of last Tuesday’s rhyme.

• An option that makes storyline sense but will bring some blowback would be Wes Lee’s MSK partner Nash Carter. Carter was released when a photo of him mimicking Adolph Hitler was shared online during what was by all accounts a very nasty divorce. It was an understandable move, but one that some felt unfairly punished someone for something from his past that his estranged wife posted (along with abuse allegations which, for whatever reason, haven’t gotten nearly as much play) with the intention of harming his career. If WWE is willing to take some heat from the online fanbase, the night Lee defends his North American championship against Carmelo Hayes would be a logical place to debut Carter as an agent of chaos looking for revenge against everyone involved in his firing.

• Nothing has told us that SCRYPTS is a dude, and some fans swear they can hear an accent underneath the voice modulation. Technologically-themed teases were used for Tegan Nox’s last return from injury, which could tie into SCRYPTS’ hacker-like behaviour. The way she was called up to the main roster and then let go could be a come looking for payback.

• Reggie definitely fits the parts of SCRYPTS’ messages that drop clues about their in-ring style, and he’s one of a handful of folks on the roster with past television experience that Triple H’s team hasn’t re-debuted yet.

Will it be one of those names? We’ll find out later. It’s nice to not know ahead of time though, right?

The rest of the title scene

He survived a challenge from Von Wagner last Tuesday, but challengers are lining up for the next shot at Bron Breakker’s NXT title. Good thing Shawn Michaels just announced Dec. 10’s Deadline PLE will feature the new Iron Survivor match where Apollo Crews, JD McDonagh & three others can fight for the right to take on Breakker for the belt.

NXT Women’s champion Mandy Rose was the Last Woman Standing in her rematch with Alba Fyre, but it came with an assist from the debuting Isla Dawn. Rose insists she wasn’t in cahoots Dawn, who very well may have just been targeting her old NXT UK rival. We’ll find out more — and probably get some hints about who will be in Deadline’s Iron Survivor match for a shot at her title — when Toxic Attraction opens tonight’s show.

Things have been relatively quiet in the pairs title scene, mostly because other teams are breaking up or feuding with each other. It’s been a couple weeks since their last matches though, so look for NXT Tag champs Pretty Deadly and NXT Women’s Tag Team champions Kayden Carter & Katana Chance to meet their next challengers soon.

Other stuff to keep an eye on

• Zoey Stark & Nikkita Lyons partnership didn’t survive their chase of Carter & Chance. Stark made an example out of Lyons, and is now gunning for everyone as she tries to prove she’s the queen of NXT’s jungle.

• On the men’s side, Indus Sher and The Creeds have beef, while The Dyad moved ahead of Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen in the pecking order with a win... even if that win was aided by Kiana James’ ongoing issues with Fallon Henley.

• Fallon will probably be looking to repay the business woman when James takes on Ivy Nile tonight. That’s what she gets for attempting a hostile takeover of the Henley family bar.

• We should get the payoff of another women’s division feud when Wendy Choo battles the bully Cora Jade tonight.

• Nobody likes Indi Hartwell’s new mean streak. Elektra Lopez is trying to stomp it out of her, while Roxanne Perez is still hoping to appeal to Indi’s better angels.

• Javier Bernal is tired of people holding Big Body Javi back, even if there’s no evidence people are doing that. He did at least remind us about the suspended Gallus during his interview last week.

• He says he threw in the towel to protect Andre Chase because as Dre goes, so goes Chase U. But I still don’t thinking Thea Hail is buying Duke Hudson’s story.

• He’s also coming to teach us about justice, but we don’t think T-BAR is SCRYPTS.

What will you be looking for on NXT tonight?