After watching a very fun Woman's Iron Survivor Challenge to open the show, fans of the WWE Universe were hyped as heck to see the men take part in the second running of the same match concept on NXT Deadl1ne, the final “Premium Live Event” of the calendar year. Would the bout deliver in the same way as its maiden voyage, which was won by Roxanne Perez, or would the men actually find a way to elevate the bout to new heights in a way that could make the Iron Survivor Challenge a new part of NXT‘s yearly calendar?

Fortunately, the match delivered in a major way and gave fans the sort of hard-hitting excitement they've come to love from WarGames but with even more intrigue thanks to the pin system and the time limit.

Grayson Waller already innovated the NXT Iron Survivor Challenge.

The match started off much like the first one, with JD McDonagh and Axiom beginning the match in the ring for the first five minutes. While there wasn't a pin in that period, the addition of Carmelo Hayes as participant three shook things up in a major way and led to Axiom hitting the penalty box at 7:15 at the hands of “The A-Champ.” From there, the bout continued on without a pun until just after the 10-minute mark, when Waller ran into the ring, hit Axiom and McDonagh with stereo cutters, and pinned the duo for not one but two points on the board.

With everyone suddenly at a disadvantage, Axiom knew he needed to take care of business, so when he returned from the box, he scored a pin on Waller and then another on McDonagh at the 14:40 mark to tie up the front runner at 2-2-1-0-0.

Next came Joe Gacy at the 15-minute mark, who scored a fall on Axiom at 16:10. As Axiom walked to the box, he was beaten down by McDonagh and Waller and attempted to catch his break but unfortunately, his respite was shortlived, as Gacy scored a fall at 17:15 on Hayes with a lariat. Gacy then hit a top rope suicida before McDonagh attempted to lock Axiom into the penalty box when his 90-seconds were up. Fortunately, Axiom found a workaround and climbed to the top of the box and cleared the field with a splash before Hayes left the box and recorded a pin on Waller, who was attacked by Gacy on his way to the ring.

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Grayson Waller on the left, Triple H in the middle and R-Truth on the right with the WrestleMania 40 logo as the background.

Matty Breisch ·

Rhea Ripley with a text bubble reading “What?” next to Grayson Waller with the 2024 Elimination Chamber logo as the background.

Matty Breisch ·

Seth Rollins, Grayson Waller, and Cody Rhodes in front of the Elimination Chamber graphic.

Matty Breisch ·

McDonagh, still scoreless at 21:00, tried to secure a pin on a recently released Waller, but everyone broke it up. Still, the former Jordan Devlin did his best to brutalize the field before eating four kicks on his way to dreamland. Gacy locked in Hayes in an attempt to get the winning pin, but McDonagh broke it up.

Would McDonagh be able to make history and secure three pins in a matter of seconds? Nope, because Waller got the pin and then ran for his life for the final minute or so of the match to secure the win once and for all. Though Waller didn't work the hardest of anyone in the match, that probably went to McDonagh, he certainly worked the smartest, and in the end, that's all that matters. Waller gets the next shot at Bron Breakker, and after attacking him at the end of his title match, it's clear the program is going to be dynamite.