NXT – September 29, 2026: Come Get It

NXT
Date: September 29, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s time for an NXT Title shot…but it’s not the one that was planned. Mason Rook was the scheduled challenger for the NXT Title shot but is not medically cleared, meaning that Grayson Waller will defend the title in an open challenge. Other than that, the Dusty Cup continues its first round matches so let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Adrian Neville. He was one of the original NXT stars.

We see Robert Stone telling Grayson Waller about Mason Rook being swapped out of the NXT Title match in exchange for an open challenge. He’s not happy, but he’s in.

Women’s North American Title: Zaria vs. Thea Hail

Hail is challenging and immediately goes for the Kimura, with Booker calling her a “one trick pony”. That’s broken up and Hail is tossed down a few times, followed by the hard shoulders in the corner. Hail can’t get a sunset flip but can get a quickly broken Fujiwara armbar. An armdrag and dropkick work a bit better with Zaria rolling out to the floor. The suicide dive is elbowed (and elbowed hard) out of the air though and Hail is in trouble as we take a break.

We come back with Hail striking away until a headbutt knocks her down. Hail is able to send her outside for a suicide dive and a high crossbody connects back inside. A World’s Strongest Slam looks to set up the springboard backsplash but Zaria is up with a suplex. The spear is countered into a Kimura and Zaria is in trouble until she kicks Hail into the ropes. Another spear and the F5 retain the title at 9:19.

Rating: C+. Zaria gets another win as she should, as it’s a good idea to pile up victories over various challengers. At the same time, I have no idea where Hail is supposed to go. It feels like she is trying to come up with something to make her stuck but it often comes off like she’s cosplaying as a wrestler and just doing whatever she thinks a wrestler should do. If that doesn’t change, she’s not likely going to get much better.

Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno are with Los Wagners and seem happy about their efforts in the Dusty Classic. Fraxiom comes in to say they’re coming for Dar and Moreno. Los Wagners are ready too but the Vanity Project comes in to brag about being the #1 seed for a reason.

Here is Myles Borne for a chat. He says he had no master plan for Tavion Heights but he never wanted it to be a team. All Borne wanted was to be his own man but then they won the Tag Team Titles. Borne thought he could have it all and then he lost both the Tag Team and North American Tag Team Titles on the same day. Ethan Page told him to have his killer instinct though, because there can only be one face of the brand.

So was he going to be one half or be the star he should be? That’s why he smashed Heights’ ankle, even though he was only being himself. People only liked him because they felt sorry for him for being the deaf guy. He was the one who made Heights a champion and he feels sorry for everyone here. Yeah he might be the deaf guy but you’re all here watching him. Sure you might not be able to understand him but he’s going to show you instead. He knows we’re not deaf so hear him when he says this: go to h***. Not bad at all here, as Borne sold the story well.

Lizzy Rain is in Robert Stone’s office and is going to get some good news tonight. Mini Vikingo and Chazz Hall come in and are told they should do well in the Dusty Classic.

Grayson Waller is ready for anyone in the open challenge.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Birthright vs. Mini Vikingo/Chazz Hall

Vikingo grabs an early rollup but gets slammed down by a rather cocky Connors. Back up and Vikingo flips away from Birthright, allowing Hall to come in and clean house with the kicks. Birthright is sent outside for the stereo dives but get caught and whipped into metal things as we take a break.

We come back with Connors coming off the top to crush Hall for two but Hall gets in a double Pele. Vikingo gets to come in and pick up the pace, including a tornado DDT to Connors. Everything breaks down and Vikingo is sent crashing outside and Stacks drops a top rope headbutt to Hall.

Vikingo makes the save off the top and everyone is down. Back up and they strike it out until Vikingo’s crucifix bomb sends Connors out to the floor. Hall starts firing off the kicks and Vikingo dives onto Connors. A victory roll gives Hall two and he tornado DDTs Stacks, allowing Vikingo to hit a….we’ll say Phoenix Swanton for the pin at 12:13.

Rating: B. Vikingo and Hall are probably just a team being thrown together so we can have some high fliers in the tournament but they did that rather well. They’re two smaller guys who can do some incredible looking stuff in the air. Have them beat up a couple of goofs like Birthright and then lose to a bigger team.

Post match Birthright goes after Vikingo and Hall but Zilla Fatu runs in for the save. Fatu says he’s tired of dealing with Birthright so he’s going to take them out one by one. That’s for later though, because he’s going to take the open challenge and win the NXT Title tonight.

We get a special sitdown interview with Cruz Montana, who is ready to answer the open challenge too. He recently dropped his daughter off at school and was so glad that she has a better life than he had. The reality is he didn’t get to go to school very often because he had to help his mom raise four kids.

Yes she was a drug dealer but she wasn’t proud of it and had to do things she didn’t want in order to take care of her family. Then there is his father, who was told at 12 that he would be blind by the time he was 25. His father drowned in his demons and wasn’t there all the time but he was there to hear Montana say that his father’s presence was the greatest present. Montana would go on to have his own struggles and he had to tell his daughter that he was a drug addict and an alcoholic.

Then he went to rehab and got clean and now he’s a story of going from the bottom to the top. He wants Dion Lennox to understand that his past is his superpower and he’ll finish this. As usual, Montana talking about his past and his family is great stuff and it worked very well again here. You can tell this means the world to him and you want to see him succeed.

Zaria goes into the locker room and finds a bunch of stuff mocking her appearance in Wicked. She insists she’s not that person anymore.

Here is Kelani Jordan for a chat. She’s glad to not be the afterthought anymore and now that we’re on the way to Halloween Havoc, she isn’t sure who her next challenger will be. Everyone is either gone or not very good and while she hasn’t been a champion very long, she has cleared the division out.

She’s not going to be like Grayson Waller with his open challenges because no one has handed her anything. Instead she’ll wait for a proper challenger, but it won’t matter how long it takes. Robert Stone comes out to interrupt and next week it’s a battle royal for a title shot, with challengers from various promotions, including TNA. Cue Reina Vulcan to jump her from behind, saying she’s in the battle royal.

Naraku wants to answer the open challenge but Saquon Shuggars comes in to say the same thing. Instead Robert Stone gives him Tristan Angels in two weeks. Shuggars thinks Naraku is evil.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Darkstate vs. Fraxiom

Axiom and Griffin start things off and it’s Frazer coming in for some rapid fire dropkicks. The right hands in the corner have Griffin in trouble but Frazer is knocked down rather quickly. James comes in to take over but Frazer flips off of the ropes and gets in an enziguri. That’s enough for the tag off to Axiom and everything breaks down in a hurry. Darkstate runs both of them over and a spinning backbreaker has Axiom down as we take a break.

We come back with Axiom still in trouble but he avoids a charge into the post. Frazer gets the tag and strikes away at Griffin in the corner, followed by a big running flip dive onto James. Fraxiom’s double missile dropkick gets two on Griffin, who pops back up with a torture rack neckbreaker for two on Axiom. Griffin is cleared out and the super Spanish Fly hits Cutler into the Phoenix splash to give Frazer the pin at 10:48.

Rating: B-. It’s nice to see Fraxiom get to showcase themselves as they’re one of the most successful teams in NXT history and they got to look good again here. If nothing else, they’re not exactly getting much TV time on the main roster so let them get a bit reheated around here. Darkstate losing is hardly a surprise, as that’s kind of their thing.

Kendal Grey is still in therapy and says that wrestling is all she does. She tried to learn Spanish and playing the guitar which didn’t go well. The therapist asks if the lack of balance is what has gotten her here but Grey doesn’t know how to stop. She’s asked what happens if working harder isn’t enough, which she says is a good question. These segments have been, shall we say not great.

We look back at Zaria’s annoyance at the Wicked dress.

Izzi Dame comes in to see Robert Stone and laughs about the dress. She’s in the battle royal next week….and Zaria is too.

NXT Title: Grayson Waller vs. ???

Waller is defending against….well we’ll find that out in a second, as first he says that he’s here at work, unlike Mason Rook. He doesn’t care who is coming out to face him and the first person in the ring gets the shot. We see different groups of people trying to get to the ring and they brawl into the aisle. Zilla Fatu gets out in front of them but stands there until Cruz Montana gets in as well for the brawl. They both stop the other from getting in the ring and then get jumped. As Waller watches, EK Prosper sneaks in from behind and is in the ring for the opening bell and the title shot.

Prosper hits a springboard missile dropkick and Waller slides to the floor for a moonsault from the apron. Waller is down on the floor and we take a break. We come back with Prosper reversing a suplex into a rollup for two. A victory roll gives Prosper two more but Waller gets in a knockdown of his own. The cravate holds Prosper down, followed by an electric chair suplex for two.

Prosper gets back with a Stundog Millionaire but is knocked out to the apron. Waller gets the pad off of the turnbuckle rod and drops Prosper throat first across the steel as we take a break. We come back with Waller grinding away on a chinlock until Prosper fights his way up. Prosper hits a superkick but his super hurricanrana is broken up. Waller takes too long going up as well though and gets hurricanranaed back down.

A Michinoku Driver gives Prosper two, with Waller getting in a running stomp for the same. Prosper is sent outside for a running clothesline but gets in a superkick to put Waller onto the table. A great looking Asai moonsault puts Waller through the table and a top rope Rough Ryder gets two back inside. Prosper’s knee is hurt though and Waller hits a pair of rolling Stunners to retain at 20:34.

Rating: B+. Yeah this was really good and a heck of a main event. Prosper is a great underdog and someone who can make you believe that he could pull off the miracle title win. At the same time, sweet goodness what in the world has happened to Waller? The guy was a goof for years and now he’s having one impressive performance after another. This was a great match and I was digging it the whole way, especially that outstanding Asai moonsault.

Zilla Fatu says they don’t want to see him win and he blames Birthright for not getting the title shot. I’d think it was more standing at ringside instead of getting in the ring but that’s just me. Anyway he promises to CENSORED Lexis King up next week.

Overall Rating: B. That main event was more than good enough and the tournament matches were fine. I’m not overly thrilled with the Dusty Classic thus far but this week’s matches worked. You also had the really strong Montana promo and Borne’s promo was more than good enough. Solid show here, with Waller’s improvements deserving all of the praise.

Results
Zaria b. Thea Hail – F5
Mini Vikingo/Chazz Hall b. Birthright – Phoenix Swanton to Stacks
Fraxiom b. Darkstate – Phoenix splash to James
Grayson Waller b. EK Prosper – Rolling Stunner

 

 

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