NXT – September 22, 2026: Dang They’re Trying Hard

NXT
Date: September 22, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s tournament time again and in this case that is in the form of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. The tournament is back after a few years away and we get started tonight. Other than that, Mason Rook is the new #1 contender to the NXT Title and that could be something. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a video from Cody Rhodes talking about the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. There will be teams from all parts of WWE and Rhodes will be here to present the cup to the winners.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Los Americanos vs. Noam Dar/Romeo Moreno

Rayo flips away from Dar’s wristlock to start and it’s off to Bravo to slug away at Moreno. Dar comes back in for a quick running kick to Rayo’s chest so Rayo grabs a front facelock. That’s reversed into a guillotine so Bravo slams Moreno onto them for the break. Los Americanos clear the ring and get in some dancing as we take a break.

We come back with Moreno still in trouble as Bravo comes in again. That doesn’t go well for the two of them though as Moreno dives over for the tag back to Dar. Everything breaks down and Bravo gets to airplane spin both of them at once. Some kicks have Dar in trouble but Moreno superkicks Bravo out of the air. The Bitter End gets two on Moreno, with Dar having to make the save.

Moreno gets kicked out to the floor where Rayo gives him a moonsault but Dar kneebars Bravo. That’s escaped as well though and it’s a German suplex to leave both of them down. Moreno is back up but dives into a forearm, leaving Rayo to hit a top rope splash for two more. A Russian legsweep is broken up and Moreno runs the ropes to pull Bravo down in a crash. That means a high/low finishes Bravo at 13:27.

Rating: B. These guys were working hard and I wasn’t sure who was going to win until the end, which is a nice feeling. I’m not sure about having Los Americanos going out in the first round but at least they went out in a hard hitting match. Dar and Moreno are a team who might not be the most interesting but at least they’re doing well in the ring.

We look at Mason Rook becoming #1 contender last week.

Kendal Grey goes to a sports psychologist (who we don’t see) and talks about how bad things have been. She’s not happy with sitting on the sideline and just existing and has no idea when she’ll be back in the ring. She was injured in college but had another season. That’s not the case here and the psychologist asks her what it means if she can’t compete. Grey has no idea.

Kali Armstrong vs. Skylar Raye

Grey’s gear has pinstripes and Armstrong knocks her into the corner for the heavy right hands to start. Back up and Raye dropkicks her to the floor, with Armstrong running back in for a clothesline. Raye gets in a rollup and they trade some near falls until Armstrong snaps off a powerslam. We take a break and come back with Raye hitting a Backstabber.

A tornado DDT and frog splash give Raye two, with Armstrong coming back with the spinebuster. The Kali Connection hits the referee…and here is Reina Vulcan to lay both of them out. Raye lands on Armstrong after a torture rack slam and the referee is back to count the fluke pin at 9:33.

Rating: C+. Raye was working hard and you can see why NXT would want to push her as a prospect. She won on a fluke but it’s better than losing outright, while Armstrong gets to have a hoss fight against Vulcan. Raye still has a long way to go, but she has the charisma and look to be good to a nice start.

Shiloh Hill and Saquon Shuggars are in Robert Stone’s office and talk about wanting to blind Tristan Angels and Naraku. Stone reminds them where they are and they’ll deal with this later.

Earlier today, Wren Sinclair was meeting some fans and got ejected because she’s still suspended.

La Catalina/Thea Hail vs. Kelani Jordan/Zaria

Hail rolls Jordan up to start and it’s off to Catalina for a running hip attack against the ropes. Catalina hits a dive onto both of them with Hail adding a springboard trust fall. We take a break and come back with Hail escaping Zaria’s suplex. That’s not enough for a tag as it’s back to Jordan for a Lionsault.

The abdominal stretch has Hail in more trouble so she slips out and beats up both villains without much trouble. Jordan is back up to cut off the tag though and Zaria’s spear gets two. A kick to the head is enough to get Hail out of trouble and Catalina comes in to clean house. The running hip attacks connect in the corner and it’s back to Hail, who reverses the F5 into a rollup for the pin on Zaria at 9:39.

Rating: C+. I get that NXT wants to keep trying with Hail, but this was more a case of “it’s that time again”. She’s lost so many times over the years and it’s hard to buy that this run is going to be any different. Other than that, Catalina is fine enough as a guest star, though hopefully another title isn’t floating around here full time.

Dorian Van Dux is injured but insists he can go in the six man tag tonight. EK Prosper seems to be ready to take his place, though Van Dux isn’t thrilled.

Here is Cruz Montana for a chat. He has made his intentions clear because he wants the NXT Title, but he hasn’t been stacking those wins. Then again, he hasn’t been stacking losses either, so he wants the next NXT Title shot. Cue Darkstate, with Dion Lennox mocking Montana’s lack of success. Montana is ready to fight right now so Lennox gets in the ring on his own.

Lennox talks about Montana being a star in TNA but this is a bigger stage. Last week, Montana talked about EK Prosper being the future around here. Is it because he and Montana both used to eat dirt? Montana laughs off the idea of that being the big issue, because Lennox may have athleticism but Montana runs circles around him in the ring and on this microphone. The reality is Montana earned his way here and didn’t have to go to any tryout. Montana isn’t worried about Lennox….who asks if Montana’s mother was a drug dealer.

NOW it’s more serious and Lennox talks about his athletic past but doesn’t get why the fans boo him. Is it because Montana was a drug addict? Montana had to become someone, but Lennox has been someone his whole life. The brawl is on, which it could have been after the line about his mother, but this was the kind of segment where I wanted to see Montana beat the daylights out of him so well done.

Mason Rook is in Robert Stone’s office when Hank & Tank come in. They give Rook a pep talk before he leaves, with Hank & Tank then thanking Stone for putting them in the Dusty Classic.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Creed Brothers vs. Jax Presley/Harley Riggins

Presley has been out of action for a good while with an injury. The Creeds jump them from behind to start fast with Presley slipping out of a double spinebuster. A running clothesline takes Brutus down and Presley gives him another clothesline, landing on the floor before Brutus goes over. Back in and Brutus takes over with a hard whip into the corner but Presley is quickly over for the tag off to Riggins to clean house. The Brutus Ball hits Julius by mistake but he’s right back up with a German suplex. The double spinebuster finishes Presley at 3:36.

Rating: B-. Presley and Riggins might not be the best and most polished wrestlers in the world but they’re good as big guys who can brawl. That’s all they need to be and it plays to their strengths well. At the same time, the Creeds are here to wreck people with their suplexes and try to rebuild their statuses, which is going to be quite the process.

We look back at Myles Borne officially turning on Tavion Heights (again) last week.

Sean Legacy/EK Prosper/Zilla Fatu vs. Birthright

Legacy and Stacks run the ropes to start with Legacy getting in a springboard armdrag. It’s off to Connors and Prosper to trade flips and dives until Fatu comes in to slam King, who manages a quick dropkick. Fatu shrugs that off and takes out both King and Connors as everything breaks down. The big triple dives connect on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Prosper and Stacks striking it out until Prosper grabs a super hurricanrana. A running knee gives Prosper two as King makes the save and everything breaks down. Fatu hits a suicide dive to the floor but Prosper gets caught in an assisted sitout powerbomb.

Connors comes back in with a springboard Stunner to keep Prosper in trouble for all of three seconds before it’s back to Fatu. King’s superkick just ticks Fatu off even more and he sends Connors into the corner for the running Umaga Attack. Prosper tags himself in but the referee doesn’t see it. Instead he sees Legacy tag himself in for a springboard 450, which hits raised knees to give Connors the pin at 11:03.

Rating: B-. This has been the latest instance of Legacy being thrown out there to lose, which has been the case for a good while now. At the same time, that makes sense as I’m not really seeing his upside at this point. Fatu got to look dominant while he was in there before his partners messed up, which is a good way to keep him looking strong.

Post match King gets in Fatu’s face and has to be saved by Birthright.

Zaria is ticked off and ready to defend her title against Thea Hail next week. Izzi Dame comes in to throw up a clip of Zaria seemingly acting in a high school version of Wicked. Shockingly enough, this has Zaria upset and she leaves. Ok then.

Here are Grayson Waller and Mason Rook for a chat to wrap up the show. Waller talks about how he’s here to make this title important by defending it against the best. At the moment, that is Rook, who is also the hungriest around here. Waller admits that they’ve both come around the world to follow their dreams but while he can run a marathon, Rook runs to get his DoorDash.

Waller: “He’s big, he’s bad, and Mason when I look at you, it makes me sad.” Yes Rook is a great athlete for his size but he’s soft. Rook won’t be able to keep up with him, but for now, Waller wants to have some fun and hands Rook the microphone. Waller: “Don’t eat it, it’s not a drumstick.”

Rook isn’t an idiot and isn’t going to go insult for insult with Waller. We hear about how Waller didn’t make it on the main roster but the reality is that Rook isn’t here because he failed elsewhere. He’s here because he’s the best big man in the business and Waller’s mic skills won’t save him when Rook’s hands are around his throat next week. Rook did well here, though dang his look is holding him back.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was trying but they were in a rough place. There are only so many stars around here that I would want to see and they were only able to do so much to make the show interesting. It’s certainly not a bad show, but it’s not overly interesting with a lot of people they have. That could change with time, though they have a lot of work to do.

Results
Noam Dar/Romeo Moreno b. Los Americanos – High/low to Bravo
Skylar Raye b. Kali Armstrong – Powerslam
Thea Hail/La Catalina b. Kelani Jordan/Zaria – Rollup to Zaria
Creed Brothers b. Jax Presley/Harley Riggins – Double spinebuster to Presley
Birthright b. Sean Legacy/Zilla Fatu/EK Prosper – Knees to Legacy’s ribs

 

 

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