NXT
Date: August 4, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We have less than a month before Heatwave but this week’s show is big enough, as we have Lola Vice challenging Kendal Grey for the Women’s Title in the NXT Underground. Other than that, Tony D’Angelo is having issues with both Cruz Montana and Grayson Waller. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Dory Funk Jr.

Opening recap, looking at the NXT Title picture.

Jaida Parker/Thea Hail vs. Nikkita Lyons/Karmen Petrovic

Nattie is here with the latter. Lyons mocks Parker’s high stepping as Parker works on Petrovic’s arm to start. Hail comes in and gets taken into the wrong corner, allowing Lyons to grab a top wristlock. Everything breaks down and Parker/Hail clear the ring, only for Nattie to get in a cheap shot on Hail. Back in and a Pearl River Plunge gives Lyons two on Hail and we take a break.

We come back with Hail trying to fight her way out of trouble but Lyons pulls her away again. As usual, the diving tag goes through a few seconds later and Parker comes in to chop Petrovic into the corner. Lyons has to offer a distraction and Petrovic gets in a Sling Blade, followed by a Hart Attack for two. Hail and Petrovic slug it out on the floor as Parker hits the Tear Drop on Lyons. Hail’s middle rope backsplash gets the pin at 9:20.

Rating: B. This got rolling near the end and they did something to set up the likely Hail vs. Lyons Evolve Women’s Title match (which was already teased). Parker gets to annoy Nattie again before we get closer to what should be their final blowoff. They did a good job of keeping the action going here and it wound up being a strong opener.

Post match Nattie comes in for the beatdown but Parker and Hail fight back to clear them out.

Tavion Heights is nervous about the Tag Team Title match but Myles Borne says they have this.

We look at Oba Femi beating Brock Lesnar in the Cell and the fallout, with Femi thanking Lesnar and Lesnar retiring.

Here is NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo for a chat. D’Angelo isn’t happy with Grayson Waller insulting the NXT Title and wanting to use NXT as a stepping stone. As for Cruz Montana…and here is Waller. He’s not wanting to see Montana come through the crowd so he and D’Angelo can talk about respect but D’Angelo wants Waller to come down here. D’Angelo brings up teaming up with Waller in WarGames, with Waller being the only member of the team to not become champion.

Waller says he didn’t know D’Angelo had lost his testicles along with his family. This brings out Montana, who says D’Angelo didn’t call Waller out here. Montana has been in Waller’s place before but he proved himself in the ring rather than on a microphone. Montana isn’t about to become another statistic on the blocks he still lives on.

Waller wants to know how many times Montana is going to tell the same exact story. Montana says Waller is only fighting for himself, but when you have people depending on you, it makes you a man. D’Angelo tells them to have a #1 contenders match and he’ll face them at Heatwave. Pretty simple and to the point here.

We look at Lola Vice and Kendal Grey going to a draw back in March.

Wren Sinclair is nervous about her match and Kendal Grey gives her a bit of a pep talk.

Women’s Speed Title: Zaria vs. Wren Sinclair

Only Sinclair is defending, with a five minute time limit, and she gets a Women’s North American Title shot if she wins. Zaria powers her into the corner to start but Sinclair is back with a quick rollup. A headscissors takes Zaria down but she’s fine enough to pull Sinclair off the ropes. Some shots to the neck set up some elbows to Sinclair and Zaria kicks her right in the head.

They knock each other down as we have two minutes left. Back up and Sinclair gets in a few shots of her own, only to get stomped out of the corner with a minute to go. Sinclair’s rollup gets two and she grabs a suplex but Zaria rolls through a high crossbody. They crash out to the floor though and time expires at 5:00.

Rating: C+. I’m still not wild on these titles but they were moving well out there with both of them selling the time limit. Sinclair gets to face Zaria again in a regular match and that should be a nice change of pace. Nice enough job here, with the tie serving as a better ending than one of them taking a fall.

Post match Zaria gives her a quick F5.

Bronco Nima apologizes to Lucien Price about getting distracted last week and everything seems ok. Price says Nima has his backup plan and Price will find his own. Birthright comes in for some insults and Price challenges Lexis King to a match. Price thinks he’s found his own backup plan.

Grayson Waller runs into Kelani Jordan, who likes what he’s been saying. Mason Rook comes in and doesn’t think much of Waller. A challenge is issued but Kam Hendrix runs into jump Rook, setting up a brawl.

Tag Team Titles: Vanity Project vs. Myles Borne/Tavion Heights

The Project, with their associates, is defending. Heights shoves Smokes away to start and it’s off to Borne for an Angle Slam. Baylor gets dropkicked down too and it’s back to Heights, who gets sent into Smokes in the corner. That means a rollup can get a quick two and we take a break.

We come back with Borne rolling Baylor up for two more but getting kicked down. Borne gets stomped in the corner for two but flips out of a double belly to back suplex. The diving tag brings in Heights to destroy both champions and a dropkick/sitout powerbomb combination (cool) gets two on Smokes. A dropkick version of a Hart Attack puts Borne down for two more as everything beaks down. Borne and Heights grab stereo powerslams so the other members of the Project offer a distraction, earning them a double ejection. Borne Again hits Smokes and Heights spinning belly to belly gives us new champions at 10:48.

Rating: B-. That’s a bit of a surprise as I was expecting the Project to retain, as it feels like a somewhat out of nowhere title change. At the same time, the Project were hardly some top level, unstoppable team so Borne and Heights being the ones to finally catch them isn’t a bad thing. I’m curious about where it’s going, though another double champion is less than thrilling as it’s just been done too often.

We look at Lola Vice winning the Women’s Title at Stand & Deliver in a triple threat with Kendal Grey involved (but not taking the fall).

The Vanity Project is walking through the back when Myra Lockwood seems to think something of Keanu Carver.

The Culling surrounds Lizzy Rain but Shawn Spears comes in with a chair to cut it off. They’re having a tag match next week. Rain doesn’t trust Spears and warns him that she’ll turn on him if given a reason. Spears: “Smart girl.”

Keanu Carver vs. EK Prosper

Carver throws him down to start so Prosper picks up the pace and kicks him in the face. A top rope moonsault, with Prosper jumping from the mat to the top rope, hits Carver for two before low bridging him out to the floor. Prosper dropkicks him over the announcers’ table and gets in a double stomp to the back.

We take a break and come back with Prosper fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a springboard moonsault. A Swanton Blockbuster (ok then) gives Prosper two but Carver powerbombs him for the same. Prosper gets in a Shining Wizard and tries a moonsault, only to have to bail out to avoid some raised boots. Carver pulls him into a small package out of nowhere for the pin at 10:40.

Rating: B-. Years ago, Big E. tweeted something to the effect of “when you look like me, people don’t expect you to be that smart”. That’s basically Carver in a nutshell, as his thing seems to be that he throws in a bunch of surprises every so often and it’s kind of working. I can go for having him do something other than just running through the same tropes you see every time with a monster and I’m curious about what he does next.

Dion Lennox isn’t happy with Darkstate’s win last week because Saquon Shuggars is still walking around. They’ll take care of that next week.

We look at Kendal Grey beating Lola Vice for the Women’s Title at the Great American Bash. Vice praised her but wasn’t done so it was a challenge for the rematch in the Underground.

Shiloh Hill has a facial fracture so he’ll be out of action for a bit. He can’t train either so he’s been researching wrestling trivia. Hill finds it interesting that there is no footage or witnesses or ANYTHING about Pat Patterson’s Intercontinental Title win in Rio de Janeiro. Oh and the poison mist that Asuka and Tajiri and such use? It originated in Texas. Hill is one of the most unique characters in NXT and I could go for him having a bunch of trivia going forward.

We get a tribute to Dory Funk Jr.

Cruz Montana comes up to Robert Stone, who confirms the #1 contenders match next week with Montana facing Grayson Waller. That works for Montana but Tristan Angels interrupts. Angels doesn’t like someone new being around here but Montana points out that he’s been here a bunch of times and Angels has only been here for three months. Point to Montana.

Women’s Title: Lola Vice vs. Kendal Grey

Grey is defending in the Underground, meaning no ropes on the ring and knockout/submission/referee stoppage only to win. Vice tries an early choke but Grey picks the leg and ties it up, with the two of them rolling over to the edge of the ring. They head outside with Vice being rammed into the steps but a charging Grey is sent into them face first. Grey’s ear is busted open and we take a break.

We come back with Grey’s head taped up but grabbing a German suplex anyway. Vice knees her to the floor but a kick to the ribs is countered with an ankle lock. That’s broken up as well and Vice wins a strike out, only for Hank and Tank to shove Grey back inside for a spinning elbow. Vice gets in a rear naked choke but Grey gets up, leaving Vice to elbow the referee down by mistake. Grey is choked out but there’s no referee so Wren Sinclair wakes Grey up. The cross armbreaker retains the title at 10:31.

Rating: B-. This is a unique kind of match and the taped up head made it feel even more like Grey had to survive a bunch. It’s not a case where they hated each other but rather proving that Grey was the better woman, which makes for a great ending. I can’t imagine Vice being around NXT much longer, as there isn’t anything for her to do around here.

Post match the two of them hug and show respect to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This felt like the show to wrap up a few things, including the ending with Grey and Vice. With that out of the way, it’s time to get ready for the Heatwave build, which should be enough time. I liked the show well enough and it covered a fair few stories. Not a great show, but as usual with the good NXTs, it did what was needed.

Results
Jaida Parker/Thea Hail b. Nikkita Lyons/Karmen Petrovic – Middle rope backsplash to Lyons
Wren Sinclair vs. Zaria went to a time limit draw
Myles Borne/Tavion Heights b. Vanity Project – Spinning belly to belly to Smokes
Keanu Carver b. EK Prosper – Small package
Kendal Grey b. Lola Vice – Cross armbreaker

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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NXT
Date: July 7, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We’re in an interesting place as the big story coming out of last week was…uh…someone we ALL know debuting and attacking Tatum Paxley. That’s going to need some follow up and preferably a name as it feels like quite the big story. Kendal Grey is defending the Women’s Title too so let’s get to it.

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

Kali Armstrong is in the ring to start and she isn’t happy. She saw everyone cheering for Kendal Grey and she had her target. As soon as she decided to go after Grey, everyone was paying attention to her. Now she wants the title and doesn’t care who she has to face. This brings out Lola Vice to say Armstrong is impatient but Kelani Jordan interrupts. She can’t believe what she’s hearing because everyone is worried about Tatum Paxley. Jordan is the one who should get a shot and the brawl is on, with Armstrong clearing the ring. As usual, Jordan is not great at talking. It’s just not her thing.

Darkstate vs. OTM vs. Sean Legacy/Dorian Van Dux vs. Birthright

For a future Tag Team Title shot and it’s Nima and Griffin cleaning house to give us the big power brawl to start. Legacy is back up to send them into each other but Price powers Birthright around without much trouble. James kicks Price away but Legacy and Dux give him a double suplex. Birthright is back up to clear the ring though and we take a break.

We come back with Darkstate firing away until Price forearms Stacks out of the air. Dux gets the tag and fires off the kicks into a moonsault until Nima gives him a spinning Big Ending for two. A bunch of people go outside and Stacks suplexes Dux into Connors’ sitout powerbomb. Legacy and Dux moonsault onto the floor and Griffin hits a dive of his own. Cue Saquon Shuggars in the crowd but Dion Lennox chases him off. A bunch of people brawl to the back and Legacy’s springboard 450 finishes Connors at 14:17.

Rating: B-. This was a bunch of people going all over the place and the problem comes down to there just being so many people out there. The match didn’t have much in the way of a flow or structure as everything was about getting stuff in against each other. Also, it showed how unimportant a lot of these teams really feel, with Legacy and Dux being even weaker.

Jaida Parker isn’t happy with Nattie making her give up, especially when Nattie is here to revitalize her dead career. Parker is coming for her.

Saquon Shuggars knows he needs help to fight Darkstate but no one likes him. It’s time to shake hands and kiss babies to show people he has changed.

Keanu Carver vs. Tank Ledger

Ledger jumps him to start and knocks Carver outside. Back in and Carver gets in a shot of his own to cut that off, followed by quite the clothesline. A powerbomb gives Carver two, with his taped up knee giving out at the end. Ledger strikes away and even gets in a Swanton for two but a full nelson is blocked. Somehow Carver is back up with a dropkick and an Alabama Slam for the pin at 4:46.

Rating: C+. They were smart to keep this short as Carver is all about power and devastation. He absorbed everything that Ledger threw at him and fought through the injury to win. That’s a good way to make Carver feel like a monster and I’m curious to see where he’s going next, as he’s an effective smashing machine.

Naraku talks about how he isn’t done with Tony D’Angelo and asks how far D’Angelo is willing to go, because Naraku will do anything to win the title.

Tate Wilder wants to fight Naraku and Kam Hendrix, whose knee is still banged up, doesn’t think much of Mason Rook. Cue Rook, who scares Hendrix off.

Nattie is ready for her match and offers to be there with Layla Diggs, but Diggs wants to do this on her own. Works for Nattie, who does want her friends out there for the title match.

Lizzie Rain vs. Thea Hail vs. Izzy Dame vs. Layla Diggs

For a Women’s North American Title shot. Dame takes over to start but gets dropped by Rain. Some rollups for two each are exchanged until Rain backdrops Hail out to the floor. Rain’s springboard elbow drops Dame but Diggs is back up to elbow both of them. Hail is up with a middle rope dive onto all three of them and we take a break.

We come back with Hail and Diggs hitting stereo frog splashes for two each. Hail superkicks Diggs into a standing moonsault for two and a springboard backsplash gets two more. Rain is back up with a double cutter, followed by a single cutter to a diving Diggs. Dame chokeslams Diggs for two and a middle rope Codebreaker hitting Rain. Hail’s Kimura is broken up and everyone is down again. Rain elbows Dame into the corner and gives Hail Thunderstruck, only for Diggs to hit her perfect moonsault for the pin at 14:28.

Rating: B-. This was similar to the opening match but it was rather nice to have half of the people involved overall. It helps so much, just for the sake of having less going on and fewer people flying around. Diggs winning is an interesting choice for the win, but it’s a good way to give her a quick move up the charts.

The woman who debuted last week talks about wanting to attack anyone and calls herself a force of nature. Her name: Reina Vulcan.

Here is an upset Tavion Heights for a chat. He doesn’t like the things that he said before the Great American Bash and he wants to apologize to Myles Borne. This brings out the Vanity Project, who say they deserve some apologies of their own. Jackson Drake doesn’t think much of Heights’ statements so the brawl is on, with Heights clearing the ring.

Romeo Moreno and Noam Dar run into Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux and seem interested in a match. Legacy and Dux are more interested in figuring out which of their names comes first.

Shiloh Hill vs. Niko Vance

Hill charges into a boot in the corner to start but avoids a middle rope headbutt. Hill’s top rope clothesline gets two and it’s time to stare at each other, followed by Hill hitting another clothesline. Vance is back with a gutwrench faceplant and a middle rope headbutt for two of his own. Back up and Hill snaps off a DDT before striking away and getting two off a backsplash. Cue Tristan Angels for a distraction, allowing Vance to hit a running elbow for the pin at 4:41.

Rating: C+. It was fairly intense while it lasted but this was more about Angels vs. Hill continuing than anything else. That’s a fine enough way to go as a culture clash is always going to work. Hill has certainly gotten some interest from the fans as well and that’s a good sign. It also shouldn’t be surprising as he’s rather oddly charismatic and it’s working well thus far.

Post match Vance poses and here is Shawn Spears to chair him in the back.

Women’s Title: Kendal Grey vs. Nattie

Grey is defending and all of their respective friends are here too. They grapple on the mat to start with Grey getting the better of things. A shot to the face drops Grey so she wrestles Nattie down again. Nattie tries her belly to back drop but Grey picks the ankle into an ankle lock. That’s broken up and they fight outside with Grey getting distracted, allowing Nattie to get in a cheap shot. The seconds get in a big fight and we take a break.

We come back with Nattie holding an abdominal stretch but getting small packaged for two. Nattie pulls her into a rear naked choke so Grey grabs a failed cross armbreaker attempt. Back up and a middle rope dropkick is countered into the Sharpshooter. Grey makes the rope and they fight over a rollup, only for Grey to snap off Shades Of Grey for the pin to retain at 12:19.

Rating: B-. Well at least we should be done with Nattie as a challenger. That’s a good thing to see, as the idea of Grey feuding with her for the long term is almost depressing. The match was the perfectly fine technical display but Nattie wasn’t going to end the big new title reign and certainly not this soon. For a one off TV main event, it worked perfectly well.

Post match Jaida Parker comes out for a staredown with Nattie. Kali Armstrong, Lola Vice and Kelani Jordan surround Grey to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a show about moving stories forward, but it made you realize how a lot of these people haven’t been developed all that well yet. The thing to remember is a good number of these people are freshly moved up to NXT from Evolve and haven’t had the chance to grow yet, despite being put in these spots. That is making for a tricky situation and NXT is handling it as well as they can, which is impressive enough. The show was busy but good enough and held my interest so we’ll call it acceptable this week.

Results
Sean Legacy/Dorian Van Dux b. OTM, Darkstate and Birthright – Springboard 450 to Connors
Keanu Carer b. Tank Ledger – Alabama Slam
Layla Diggs b. Thea Hail, Lizzie Rain and Izzy Dame – Moonsault to Hail
Niko Vance b. Shiloh Hill – Running elbow
Kendal Grey b. Nattie – Shades Of Grey

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Great American Bash 2026
Date: June 28, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

It’s the first live special on the CW and that means we should be in for a heck of a show. There are actually seven matches on the card, which is rather high for WWE these days. The main event will see Tony D’Angelo defending the NXT Title against Naraku, which should be a big deal. Let’s get to it.

The opening video talks about the greatness of America and the matches on the card.

NXT Title: Tony D’Angelo vs. Naraku

D’Angelo is defending and is coming in with a badly burned eye. The bell rings and they go outside, where Naraku grabs a chair but gets speared through the wooden wall less than ten seconds into the match. Back in and Naraku starts going after the eye, with the referee asking D’Angelo if he wants to continue.

Of course he does so Naraku goes after the eye again before grabbing a half crab. A suplex puts D’Angelo down again and we take a break. We come back with Naraku hitting a powerbomb before going up, where D’Angelo grabs a powerbomb of his own. D’Angelo fights up and grabs some German suplexes but Dead To Rites is blocked. Naraku hits a German suplex but D’Angelo pops up with Dead To Rites to retain at 10:10.

Rating: B-. That’s it? That’s the NXT Title match to open the show? It wasn’t a bad match but I was expecting a bit more than a ten minute match with a break in the middle. The eye thing only meant so much here and D’Angelo just won without much trouble. I’m still not sold on D’Angelo as the guy but at least he had a nice title defense here.

We recap Zaria defending the Women’s North American Title against Tatum Paxley. Zaria beat her up to get the title but Paxley isn’t done with her and interfered in one of Zaria’s matches. Now it’s about the title and revenge.

Women’s North American Title: Tatum Paxley vs. Zaria

Zaria is defending. They get in a tug of war over the belt to start and the fight is on, with Zaria using the power to drive her into the corner. The shoulders to the ribs have Paxley in trouble but she manages a double stomp onto the back. Paxley ties her in the ring skirt and fires off a superkick into an enziguri. That’s enough to set up a sleeper on the floor but Zaria drops her back first onto the floor for a big crash.

We take a break and come back with both of them going up, with Zaria being dropped onto the post. A high crossbody connects for Paxley and she drops Zaria with a superplex. Zaria pops back up with a spear and they’re both down. They go up again and Paxley ties her in the Tree Of Woe, with Zaria sitting up before a Coast To Coast. They slug it out on the apron until Paxley drops her with a sunset bomb.

Paxley goes over to grab the title for some reason before hitting a Cemetery Drive on the floor. Another one back inside gets two and everyone is surprises. The F5 is countered into a rollup but Zaria is back up with a spear. Now the F5 connects….for two in a heck of a near fall. Zaria hammers away and hits a curb stomp, followed by another F5 to retain at 14:04.

Rating: B+. This was a heck of a fight and I bought on a few of those near falls. These guys beat the living daylights out of each other and it was fun to see them having this kind of a brawl. The best thing is that Zaria gets another win in a big match, which is what she needs to reset her reputation. I’m not sure what is next for Paxley, but putting her into the Women’s Title picture isn’t crazy.

Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair fire each other up.

The Vanity Project brags to Robert Stone, who get their matches for this week: Jackson Drake vs. Mason Rook and the Tag Team Titles being defended against Galeno/El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. The Project isn’t happy.

We go outside to the watch party, with Kevin Owens (in a Waylon Mercy shirt) being rather interested in what we’ll be seeing tonight, with the next two matches in particular. Owens’ t-shirt closet must be amazing.

Shiloh Hill vs. Tristan Angels

Hill starts fast and even steals Angels’ sash before grabbing quite the airplane spin. Angels is back up with a shot to the face in the corner though and we take a break. We come back with Hill pulling Angels underneath the ring and the lights go out. We go to the under the ring cam (because that’s a thing) and Angels finds a ringing phone. A voice on the other end says THE FOG IS COMING and Hill (in a mask) grabs a choke from behind.

They get out and Hill pops up for another choke but Angels slips away. The steps are loaded up and Angels knocks Hill into the corner as we take another break. We come back with Hill using the steps to run from the floor for a spear through the ropes. Hill goes up but dives into a Codebreaker, only for Angels to miss a driving knee. The Whisper Of The Beast gives Hill the pin at 13:01.

Rating: C+. This match got some time and Hill winning continues his rather odd push. There’s something so strange about him and yet it’s kind of working. I could have gone without the weird underneath the ring deal but this could have been a lot worse. Angels will be fine as he is one of the easiest stars to dislike around here.

Post match Hill grabs the Mr. NXT sash and says this was proof of why no one should sleep on him.

Nikkita Lyons praises Nattie on her latest Guinness World Record. Nattie brags about the Sharpshooter and praises Karmen Petrovic and Layla Diggs. Nattie doesn’t like Jaida Parker but Diggs doesn’t think much of Parker.

EK Prosper is in Robert Stone’s office and complains about Keanu Carver putting him through a table. Stone calms him down by giving him a AAA Latin American Title shot against El Hijo del Vikingo. Works for Prosper.

Women’s Speed Title: Arianna Grace vs. Wren Sinclair

Grace, with Birthright, is challenging. Grace starts fast with a neckbreaker and goes after Sinclair’s bad knee. A Robinsdale Crunch gives Grace two as Sinclair can’t get anything going early on. Sinclair breaks up a superplex attempt but has to go after Charlie Dempsey, allowing Grace to get two off a small package. A spinning sitout powerbomb (like Dalton Castle’s Bang A Rang) sets up the Final Wrench to retain at 4:47.

Rating: C+. This was a short and to the point match and that’s not a bad thing. It’s nice to see Sinclair get a win in a higher stakes match, if nothing else because she’s healthy for a change. I’m still not sure why we need the Speed Titles but at least it’s getting Sinclair television time, which is rather appreciated.

We recap Saquon Shuggars vs. Dion Lennox. Shuggars got kicked out of Darkstate and wants revenge, which has included picking off the team one member at a time with Lennox being the only one left.

Dion Lennox vs. Saquon Shuggars

Lennox punches him down to start but Shuggars, still in his jacket, comes up with a shot of his own. The running clothesline has Lennox down again but he goes after the knee. That doesn’t seem to work as Shuggars grabs a neckbreaker for two. Another neckbreaker puts Lennox on the apron but here is the rest of Darkstate for a distraction, allowing Lennox to come back with a release Rock Bottom. A splash to the back gives Lennox two and we take a break.

We come back with Lennox snapping off a spinebuster for two. Shuggars fights up with a toss suplex into a basement dropkick and they’re both down. A slingshot legdrop gives Shuggars two but Lennox drops him back first across the turnbuckle (GEEZ that looked bad). Back in and a powerslam gives Lennox two and some big clotheslines connect for the same. Shuggars pulls him out of the corner and…kind of drops him. A top rope Vader Bomb finishes for Shuggars at 14:10.

Rating: D+. I feel bad about getting on this match but dang this did not work. The action wasn’t smooth, the ending looked awful and the story was only so interesting in the first place. This really did not work and hopefully it wraps up the feud for good, as I don’t need to see any more from these two.

Post match the rest of Darkstate is suddenly healthy and comes in to lay Shuggars out.

Tatum Paxley, with very red eyes, is upset about her loss and feels like she let everyone down. Kelani Jordan comes in to say no one cares because she’s always being overlooked for people like Paxley. That earns her a forearm to end “Bad Line Reading In NXT”.

North American Title: Myles Borne vs. Tavion Heights

Borne is defending and they show some respect to start. They go with the grappling to start, which is a stretch for Borne when he’s against an Olympian. A ram of heads leaves both of them down so Borne is back up with a dropkick to the floor. They go face to face on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Heights snapping off some suplexes, including a capture version for two. Borne gets the same off a northern lights suplex and slugs away, only for Heights to get in a shot to the throat. Heights dumps him outside and the muscles him up for a suplex back inside as we take a break.

We come back with Borne striking away and grabbing a Nightmare On Helm Street for two. A dropkick only hits ropes though and Borne is down again. Heights is back up and grabs a fireman’s carry, which is reversed into a not so great looking Borne Again to retain the title at 17:05.

Rating: B. This was a good bit better, with the two of them working well together and beating the fire out of each other. That’s what it needed to be, with Heights having a good shot at the title but not being able to pull it off in the end. Borne has become a rather nice star around here and I could go for him holding the title for a good while.

Post match Borne talks about how Heights is going to be a champion one day but it’s not happening now, because he’s holding this title for a long time.

The watch party panel recaps the show, with Kevin Owens making it clear that he has never turned on anyone in his life. Hank & Tank come up to talk about next week’s show, including mentioning Keanu Carver’s loss. This brings out Carver to wreck Tank and put him through a table. They kind of asked for it.

We recap Lola Vice vs. Kendal Grey. Vice is the defending champion and the former top prospect, while Grey is the current big up and comer. It’s her time to move up to the next level.

Women’s Title: Kendal Grey vs. Lola Vice

Vice is defending and they go to the mat to start. Back up and Grey gets taken down with a judo throw for two. Grey gets back up and they have a standing switch, only for Vice to knock her down. Vice strikes away, only to get taken into a chinlock. Grey is sent outside so here is Kelani Jordan to go after her but Wren Sinclair cuts her off. Vice hits a dive off the apron to drop Grey and we take a break.

We come back with Vice hitting some running hip attacks in the corner but Grey drops her with a suplex. The straps come down and Grey snaps off some more suplexes until Vice gets in a German suplex of her own. Grey gets in a superkick but springboards into another kick. They go outside with Vice getting rolled into an ankle lock, which is let go so Shades Of Grey can connect off the barricade.

Back in and they trade ankle locks until Grey switches into a cross armbreaker. That’s escaped as well so Vice grabs a sleeper. Grey escapes but misses a moonsault, allowing Vice to kick her in the head for two. The guillotine choke has Grey in trouble but she reverses into a cradle. They hit a back elbow each and it’s a double cover for a double two. They slug it out until Grey ducks a shot and gets up for a middle rope Shades Of Grey for the pin and the title at 15:09.

Rating: B. These two worked rather well together and it was clear that they knew each other. The idea here seemed to be that Grey kept learning what Vice was going to do and eventually caught her, which even played into the end as Vice went for one big shot too many and got caught. Grey gets her win to become the new star of the division while Vice can move on to the main roster. Not bad at all.

Grey celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There were good parts to this but it felt like an extended version of the weekly show, especially with the backstage segments. The ending was the only part that really felt important, with the NXT Title match just kind of being there. It liked it well enough and you can only get so annoyed at a show that airs on free television, but not my favorite overall. This was a show that could have benefited from being trimmed down, perhaps by dropping the Shuggars/Lennox and Hill/Angels matches. Either way, good enough but it could have been a lot stronger with another draft of the format.

Results
Tony D’Angelo b. Naraku – Dead To Rites
Zaria b. Tatum Paxley – F5
Shiloh Hill b. Tristan Angels – Whisper Of The Beast
Wren Sinclair b. Arianna Grace – Final Wrench
Saquon Shuggars b. Dion Lennox – Top rope splash
Myles Borne b. Tavion Heights – Borne Again
Kendal Grey b. Lola Vice – Middle rope Shades Of Grey

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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NXT
Date: June 23, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett

It’s the last show before the Great American Bash and that means we’re in for a big one this week. Actually two, as it’s a DOUBLE CONTRACT SIGNING, with both the NXT and Women’s Title matches officially being signed. That’s about all you could ask for in a single show, with the wrestling being a bonus to TWO, count em TWO contract signing. Let’s get to it.

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

Tony D’Angelo isn’t happy that Naraku hasn’t signed the contract for the Great American Bash but Robert Stone tells him to be on good behavior. Aaron Rourke comes up and D’Angelo wishes him good luck tonight. An appreciative Rourke wishes D’Angelo the same.

Evolve Title: Aaron Rourke vs. Tristan Angels

Rourke (who is rather flamboyant) is defending. They trade headlocks to start with Angels switching over to a cravate (how English of him). Rourke flips over him out of the corner and hits a quick dropkick but Angels gets in a forearm to the back. The nerve hold doesn’t last long and Angels misses a charge to the floor. Angels trips him down onto the apron and we take an early break.

We come back with Angels working on the arm but Rourke fights up and strikes away. A fall away slam puts Angels down again as we see D’Angelo looking for Naraku. Rourke hits a middle rope Codebreaker for two but takes too long stealing the Mr. NXT sash, earning him an enziguri out to the floor. Angels seems to be pulled underneath the ring though and comes out looking terrified. The Molly Go Round retains the title at 8:53.

Rating: C+. This was fine as a way to do something of an Evolve showcase. Angels has been around for a bit before so this was more about Rourke, who did well enough. Rourke is someone who takes some time to grow on you but he definitely has the talent to get somewhere. Let the fans get to know him a bit more and it could work out rather well.

D’Angelo finds Naraku in the parking lot (uh oh) and Naraku presents him with the signed contract. D’Angelo opens it…and a fireball explodes in his face. Robert Stone panics while Naraku laughs.

Post break an ambulance arrives and D’Angelo is taken away as Stone is still worried.

Here is Saquon Shuggars for a face to face meeting with Dion Lennox. Shuggars cuts him off to talk about Darkstate throwing him through a table five weeks ago. Lennox was the one acting like the leader and calling Shuggars an independent wrestler. Shuggars is indeed a wrestler but Lennox says Shuggars wasn’t supposed to be on the team. Darkstate got what they needed out of him and then moved on, with the final beating coming on Sunday

Shuggars insists that there is no Darkstate without him. Shuggars says the other two are lost without him and if Lennox put on Shuggars’ jockstrap, it would be a bad fit. Lennox says Shuggars is a facade and he would disappear just before it was go time. Dropping Shuggars wasn’t a mistake because it was a correction. Lennox is ready to finish him off at the Bash. This was an intense showdown but it’s still members of a not so interesting team fighting.

Hank & Tank talk to comedian Matt Matthews, who might be ready to get in the ring. The Vanity Project is in the background.

Myles Borne talks about being someone who has always been uncomfortable but he has grown to live with it. He started to get comfortable in the No Quarter Catch Crew and got even better. Tavion Heights talks about their time together and now they’re fighting for the title on Sunday.

Wren Sinclair can’t calm Heights down because he doesn’t have a title. Kendal Grey comes in and gives the now healthy Sinclair a pep talk. Cake is teased.

Birthright vs. Hank & Tank

The rest of the team and Matt Matthews are here too. Hank works on Connors’ arm to start and Stacks gets armdragged down as well. A cheap shot puts Hank into the wrong corner though and the villains go to stomping. Hank clotheslines his way to freedom and a double slam sends Connors flying for two. Everything breaks down and Matthews has to be saved, meaning Hank & Tank can hit stereo dives as we take a break.

We come back with Hank getting powerbombed out of the corner for two but he ducks a clothesline. The diving tag brings in Tank to clean house and it’s back to Hank, who gets Stunnered over the top rope. Stacks adds a top rope elbow for two as everything breaks down again. Hank plants Stacks but Connors hits a big Swanton. Matthews manages to take out the rest of Birthright on the floor and the powerslam/running neckbreaker combination finishes Stacks at 12:02.

Rating: C+. I still don’t get the appeal of Hank & Tank, but I really hope they drop this comedian sooner than later. Matthews isn’t particularly funny or memorable and he’s been on the show for a few weeks now. Odds are it’s just some mandate from the CW because otherwise, what in the world are they thinking? If nothing else, what does the rest of Birthright do now that they got beaten up by a rather tiny non-wrestler?

Shiloh Hill says he’s healthy, both in body and mind, and wants to beat up Tristan Angels at the Great American Bash.

We look back at Tony D’Angelo being burned.

We go backstage for the Women’s Title contract signing. Kendal Grey says she hit Lola Vice by mistake but Vice doesn’t want to hear it. She has Grey’s style figured out but Grey talks about her own amateur wrestling style. Grey is going to raise the bar even higher on Sunday, though Vice doesn’t think Grey is doing anything Vice hasn’t done in the first place. Vice promises to retain and they both sign.

Keanu Carver vs. EK Prosper

Carver runs him over to start and gives Prosper a big throw out of the corner. Prosper is back up with a springboard missile dropkick, only to get gorilla pressed down. A springboard moonsault connects on Carver, who knocks Prosper hard to the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Carver pulling him out of the air for a hard slam. Quite the release German suplex puts Prosper down again but he gets in some kicks to the head. The Shining Wizard rocks Carver again and Prosper hits a heck of a springboard moonsault to the floor. Carver isn’t having that and blasts him with a clothesline, followed by the Pounce. A powerbomb is…reversed into a sunset flip to give Prosper the big upset pin at 9:53.

Rating: C+. I’m not wild on the idea of having Carver lose like this but points for giving another of the newcomers a big win. Prosper is a heck of an athlete and there’s always room for a high flier like him, though getting a better name would help him a lot. Carver losing is a bit of a risk, but they did at least try something with Prosper and I’ll take that.

Post match Carver lays him out with a running clothesline and a powerbomb puts Prosper through the announcers’ table.

Zaria is ready for Tatum Paxley, who couldn’t let Zaria enjoy her own success. Their title match is set for the Great American Bash.

Robert Stone tells Naraku that he might have just cost himself the title shot. Keanu Carver comes in and gets yelled at but he doesn’t seem to mind.

Izzi Dame vs. Arianna Grace

For the Women’s Speed Title shot and their respective friends are here too. Dame kicks her in the face at the bell and a Sky High gets two. Grace gets in a kick to knock Dame out of the air though and goes up, only to take too long. Another shot to the face gives Grace two as we have a minute left. Dame gets in a knockdown of her own but Shawn Spears insists on a hand slap, allowing Grace to get the small package pin at 2:19.

Wren Sinclair comes out for the showdown as Dame doesn’t want to hear it from the Culling.

Robert Stone says there are going to be some AAA stars at the Great American Bash and we’ll get an update on the NXT Title match before the end of the night. The Vanity Project comes in and want to be part of the Great American Bash. Stone doesn’t seem to have time for this.

NXT Origins video on Alexa Bliss. I believe this is the third time this has aired in a week.

Jaida Parker is upset but doesn’t seem to want to talk to OTM about it. Lucien Price seems to be fine with Bronco Nima joining Los Perros del Mal in AAA.

The Culling vs. Dorian Van Dux/Sean Legacy

Spears takes Legacy into the corner for the hard chop, only to get caught with a double stomp to the back. It’s off to Dux to stay on the arm, who gets forearmed in the jaw for his efforts. Vance comes in and gets sunset flipped for two, with Dux going off to his arm for a change. Legacy gets taken down but kicks Spears in the head without much trouble. Everything breaks down and the Culling takes over as we take a break.

We come back with Vance taking a shot to save Spears, allowing Dux to come back in and wreck the villains. Everything breaks down and an assisted swinging DDT gets two on Legacy. Dux moonsaults onto Vance on the floor and it’s Legacy’s 450 into Dux’s shooting star press to pin Spears at 11:33.

Rating: B-. Not too bad here, though I still don’t get the appeal of Legacy. He’s just kind of there for the most part, with Dux at least looking like a monster who could do a lot of damage. At the same time you have the Culling, who haven’t exactly done anything in a long time, which doesn’t seem likely to be changing.

Post match Vance turns on Spears and chokeslams him through the announcers’ table. Izzi Dame approves.

Great American Bash rundown.

Here is Robert Stone to explain the NXT Title situation. He brings out Naraku, who says if Tony D’Angelo is out, he’ll just take the title. Cue Mason Rook to say he’ll fight Naraku for the title. Now it’s the Vanity Project to interrupt, saying they want in on the title match. Rook takes the Project out so Naraku says give him the title. Stone says it was always going to be someone else for the title match…and here is D’Angelo to clear Naraku out.

One more Great American Bash rundown ends the show.

Overall Rating: B-. They definitely did a bunch of to set up the Bash here, even if it felt like a last ditch effort. They added in a few more matches to pad the show out a bit, though it still feels like it’s missing a big match to really carry things. Hopefully the show lives up to the hype, which did get stronger here, though it was starting fairly low in the first place. Good stuff here, with the D’Angelo vs. Naraku ending being a relief over what they were teasing just a few moments before.

Results
Aaron Rourke b. Tristan Angels – Molly Go Round
Hank & Tank b. Birthright – Powerslam/running neckbreaker combination to Stacks
EK Prosper b. Keanu Carver – Sunset flip
Arianna Grace b. Izzi Dame – Small package
Sean Legacy/Dorian Van Dux b. The Culling – Shooting star press to Spears

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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NXT
Date: June 9, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re less than three weeks away from the Great American Bash and you can see some of the card starting to come together. The big story here would seem to be Naraku coming for Tony D’Angelo’s NXT Title, which has gotten some time to build. As for this week, we’ll be finding out who is next in line for Lola Vice’s NXT Title. Oh and it’s the Mr. NXT pageant, which is going to be…something. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Fraxiom vs. Noam Dar/Romeo Moreno

Dar and Axiom go technical to start with Axiom rolling out of an ankle lock. Back up and they both block kicks before Axiom hits a quick dropkick. It’s off to Frazer to flip over Moreno, who backs him into the ropes. Axiom is back in to help double team Dar down, with a basement DDT sending him outside. Moreno makes a save and hits a nice springboard dive to the floor. Dar hits a dive of his own and we take a break.

We come back with Moreno getting the tag and fighting back to clean house. It’s right back to Dar, who gets missile dropkicked down for two. Dar and Moreno both get ankle locks, both of which are broken up. Frazer superplexes Moreno, who rolls him right into a small package for two more. A double slam gets two on Frazer but a double superkick puts Dar down. Frazer takes Moreno down and it’s the Golden Ratio into the Phoenix splash to pin Moreno at 13:17.

Rating: B. This was the cruiserweight/all over the place high flying match that is often a great way to start a show. Fraxiom are much bigger deals around here and it’s always fun to have some NXT legends come back for a cameo. At the same time, Moreno’s losing continues, though at least his latest loss came in a good match.

Post match, respect is shown.

Wren Sinclair wants to defend her Women’s Speed Title, injury or not. Kendal Grey wishes her well as she leaves and Lola Vice comes in to wish Grey good luck. Grey doesn’t seem interested and will go after Vice after she beats Kelani Jordan tonight.

And now (oh dear) the Mr. NXT pageant between Tristan Angels and Shiloh Hill. There will be three rounds: talent, attire and public speaking, with a trio of judges. The judges are Evolve Champion Aaron Rourke, Kit Wilson, and comedian Matt Matthews. First up is attire, with formal wear, casual wear and swimwear.

Angels goes first and we get a montage of his gear, with Rourke’s jaw having to be closed at the Union Jack speedo. Hill gets his own montage and wears swimming trunks and flippers with a snorkel mask. Matthews goes with Hill (who gave him a beach ball) but the other two go with Angels. Rounds two and three coming up later.

Mason Rook vs. Naraku

For the NXT Title shot at the Great American Bash. Rook powers him into the corner to start before winning an exchange of shoulders. A backsplash gives Rook two but he misses a charge into the corner and gets slammed as we take a break. We come back with Rook hitting a super powerslam for two, followed by a Blue Thunder Bomb for the same. Naraku comes back with a fisherman’s suplex and jawbreaks his way out of a quick sleeper attempt. Rook flips him into the corner for a kind of cannonball but here is Kam Hendrix for a distraction. Naraku grabs Enter The Abyss for the pin at 9:45.

Rating: B-. This was a good showing from both and Rook is cleared away so we can move on to Naraku vs. Tony D’Angelo, which has been pretty clearly ready to go for a long time. That being said, it was nice to have Rook get in a strong performance. He needed to be able to hang in there with a bigger name and it worked well here.

Tavion Heights suggests he should get a North American Title shot at the Great American Bash and Myles Borne seems interested. The Vanity Project comes in, with Jackson Drake suggesting he get a title shot. Heights makes a #1 contenders match against Drake for the Bash title shot, which works for Borne. Quick and to the point here.

Tate Wilder talks about loving to take risks, especially around here. That’s quite the departure from his modern day cowboy deal in Evolve.

Kelani Jordan vs. Kendal Grey

For the Women’s Title shot at the Great American Bash and Grey has some mini mirrors on her arms, ala Shawn Michaels back in 1997. Jordan tries to jump her to start and gets armdragged into an armbar. They go to the mat with Grey working on the arm, only for the two of them to trade flips away. Jordan knocks her down for a running basement cross body but Grey is right back with a waistlock.

Grey is sent into the corner for a stomp to the ribs but pops up with a kick to the head. A headscissors sends Jordan out of the corner, only to come back with a running neck snap over the top. Jordan’s swinging neckbreaker on the floor keeps Grey in trouble and we take a break.

We come back with Grey breaking up a dive and a double clothesline leaving both of them down outside. Grey knocks her down again back inside and drops the straps for a bonus. A superkick looks to set up a wheelbarrow rollup but Jordan rolls to the side (that was nice) into a crossface.

That’s broken up so Grey goes up but gets superkicked out of the air. Jordan’s frog splash gets two before she has to block the cross armbreaker. The Haas Of Pain is reversed into an ankle lock, which Jordan reverses into a cradle for two instead. Back up and Shades Of Grey connects out of nowhere to give Grey the pin and the title shot at 13:05.

Rating: B. This was a nice, back and forth match with Grey getting a clean win. That’s a good thing to see as she feels like she could be a real threat to win the title. What matters the most is that NXT is at least giving her a chance to show what she can do. Jordan very well will likely get back into the title picture soon enough, but Grey is getting the chance she deserves.

It’s back to the pageant, with the talent competition. First up, Shiloh Hill solves a Rubic’s Cube rather quickly and then does some kind of a juggling deal with sticks (it’s rather flashy). Angels storms in to say he can do the Cube faster but can’t get anywhere (there’s a special way of turning the blocks or it just gets more complicated). Rourke says Angels has taken too long so Angels breaks the Cube. He starts juggling but Hill rides by on a unicycle and steals the balls, which is enough to win the round. I’ll give points to anyone who can ride a unicycle.

Tony D’Angelo respects Naraku but doesn’t get him. All that matters is that he’ll be facing Naraku at the Great American Bash. Naraku comes in, gives D’Angelo an envelope, and bows. D’Angelo opens the envelope, which has a card with the symbol for EVIL on the back (no word on what, if anything, is on the other side).

Jasper Troy vs. Dion Lennox

Darkstate comes through the regular entrance instead of through the crowd. Lennox gets shoved over the top and out to the floor, followed by a hard running shoulder from Troy back inside. Troy’s chokeslam is broken up though and Lennox goes after the leg to take over. Hold on though as Saquon Shuggars pops up on the screen though to say watch your back.

Troy uses the distraction to get in a backdrop out to the floor and we take a break. We come back with Troy getting choked on the ropes but fighting out of a chinlock. Troy drives him into the corner but Osiris Griffin offers a distraction to break up a Vader Bomb. A powerslam gives Lennox the pin at 8:10.

Rating: C+. This was fine, with Lennox getting a win to keep some of his momentum before his big showdown with Shuggars. Troy is someone big enough to look like a threat to Lennox before going down in defeat. It wasn’t exactly a shocking result, but sometimes that’s exactly the kind of match you need.

Post match Shuggars pops up on screen…and then jumps Griffin from behind with a pipe.

Earlier this week, Jaida Parker attacked Nattie during a training session.

It’s time for the final round of the pageant, with Angels and Hill having to speak about why they should be Mr. NXT. Angels brags about how great he is and mentions that it’s his birthday, as he should win over someone with “a smile like an unfinished jigsaw puzzle”. Hill talks about how he’s always different and trying to find out who he is. That’s what NXT is all about and that’s why he should be Mr. NXT.

It’s off to the judges, with Matthews voting for Hill, Wilson saying they’re both toxic and picking Angles, and Rourke saying it’s close…so the fans can pick his vote! We go to a fan poll and believe it or not, Hill wins! Angels erupts and beats up Hill with both his cane and a chair. Eh fair as that was kind of a judge going a bit screwy. This whole thing was about as expected and that’s fine, as I’ll take something unique and entertaining rather than the same stuff over and over as a means to set up a match.

Robert Stone congratulates Naraku on his win but asks what was in the envelope he gave Tony D’Angelo. Apparently it was an invitation but here is Keanu Carver for a quick staredown. Naraku leaves and Carver says he wants a fight, which Stone says he can have next week. Carver says he better get one, or he’ll decide his own opponent.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

The Culling wants Izzy Dame to win the Women’s Speed Title, starting with a win in the tournament over Thea Hail.

Women’s North American Title: Zaria vs. Tatum Paxley

Paxley is defending and grabs a small package for two at the bell. Zaria is back up with a spear for two of her own and Paxley needs a breather. Zaria’s suplex toss sets up a German suplex into the corner but she misses a charge into the post. Paxley sends her into the steps and hits a moonsault to the floor but Zaria pops back up as we take a break.

We come back with Paxley hitting some running forearms and a running flipping Fameasser in the apron. Paxley blocks a spear and grabs a kind of rolling pumphandle slam. Zaria is back up with a spear for a double down before they forearm it out. Paxley gets caught going up top but kicks Zaria into the Tree Of Woe. A coast to coast connects for two but Cemetery Drive is broken up. Another spear misses though and Zaria crashes to the floor, only to come back in with another spear. The F5 gives Zaria the pin and the title at 10:47.

Rating: B-. Thank goodness. Not that Paxley lost, but that Zaria won. She had a terrible reputation for choking in the big matches and she couldn’t have handled another loss like this. Winning the title here makes Zaria feel like a much bigger deal and that’s what she has been needing. Good enough match too, but Zaria winning clean is what matters the most.

Overall Rating: B+. There was some good action here and they set up more than a few things for the Great American Bash. That’s what this show needed to be about and I liked what they put together here. It’s still not the best looking card in the world, but at least there is a card now rather and that is a lot better than things had been going. Plus it had a unicycle and that’s always a bonus.

Results
Fraxiom b. Romeo Moreno/Noam Dar – Phoenix splash to Dar
Naraku b. Mason Rook – Enter The Abyss
Kendal Grey b. Kelani Jordan – Shades Of Grey
Dion Lennox b. Jasper Troy – Powerslam
Zaria b. Tatum Paxley – F5

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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NXT
Date: April 21, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re back here for something of a finale with Revenge Week 2, as Joe Hendry and Sol Ruca are both freshly on the main roster. They both have to wrap things up in NXT, which will likely happen this week. Ethan Page is also already on Raw, though we might also be saying goodbye to some people who are heading to Smackdown this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

North American Title: Myles Borne vs. Dion Lennox

Borne is defending and the rest of Darkstate is here with Lennox. They charge at each other to start with Lennox taking him down for an early two. Borne is back up with a suplex for two and knocks Lennox outside for the big dive. Back up and Lennox knocks him off the apron for a change and then drops him onto it again as we take a break.

We come back with Borne firing off some clotheslines but getting clotheslined outside. Lennox drops him onto the steps for two but Borne makes another comeback. An AA onto the knee gives Borne two so it’s Darkstate up with a distraction. Lennox gets in a superplex for two more and they slug it out until a double clothesline drops both of them. Darkstate gets up for a distraction but Borne shoves Lennox into Shuggars and grabs Borne Again for the pin at 11:21.

Rating: C+. This was more about furthering the issues between Shuggars and Lennox and that makes sense, as it also gave Borne a title defense. I’m not sure if the team is splitting, but they do seem to have already hit their high point. Borne is starting to become quite the star with the title, though I’m not sure who is going to be his next big challenger.

Blake Monroe is looking at her custom Women’s North American Title while the Vanity Project seems to ignore her. If she needs anything though, she can text them.

Saquon Shuggars tells Robert Stone that Darkstate needs one more chance but Stone says walk with him.

Shiloh Hill gives Tatum Paxley a pep talk before the casket match. He’s ready for Ricky Saints next week too.

Joe Hendry vs. Keanu Carver

Hendry has to slip out of an early slam and Carver charges into a boot in the corner. Carver shrugs that off and whips him hard into the corner over and over, followed by an over the shoulder backbreaker. Hendry manages to send him outside for a breather and we take a break. We come back with Carver snapping off a German suplex and hitting a big backbreaker. Carver’s charge hits the post but he cuts off the spinning pose. Carver unloads with right hands and Hendry is out, with the referee calling it at 9:14.

Rating: C. Hendry is on his way to Raw and he did more than go out on his back, as he got the fire beaten out of him here. That’s a great way to make Carver look like a smashing machine and I could go for seeing more of this version of him. Hendry is going to be fine on the main roster but dang he got rocked here. He could have a rematch, though maybe this is it, which would be a big way to go out.

Lizzy Rain, a heavy metal rocker, is debuting next week.

Speed Title: Lexis King vs. EK Prosper

For the vacant title and Birthright is here with King. Prosper grabs a flipping backslide to start fast and bounces off the ropes to set up a dropkick. A slingshot Fameasser gives Prosper two as we’re a minute into the five minute time limit. Birthright offers a distraction though and King takes over inside.

Back in and Prosper fights back with some right hands and a leg lariat gets two. King hits a Backstabber for two and we have two minutes left. The Coronation is broken up and they head out to the apron to chop it out. Prosper sends him outside and moonsaults down onto the pile with a minute to go. Arianna Grace offers a distraction though and the Coronation finishes to make King champion at 4:32.

Rating: C. It’s good for King to win a title as it gives him something to do, but at the same time it’s just the Speed Title. The title hasn’t meant a thing since it was introduced and that’s likely going to be the case again here. At least he won the thing though and that’s a step in the right direction.

Jackson Drake is waiting for a date to show up when the rest of the Vanity Project comes in. Apparently Drake got stood up and they’re ready to leave. A woman comes in and says she heard Drake got stood up. Oh dead.

Saquon Shuggars tells Darkstate that they are getting another shot at the North American Title. Dion Lennox is happy….but it’s Shuggars getting the shot. Lennox is still happy. Right.

We look at Zaria costing Sol Ruca her Raw debut last night.

Women’s North American Title: Blake Monroe vs. Tatum Paxley

Paxley is defending in a casket match. They slug it out to start and Paxley sends her straight into the casket. Monroe panics (as you should) and the fight heads outside. Monroe takes over and teases a headscissors into the casket, with Paxley blocking it without much trouble. Paxley whips out the dollhouse but gets dropkicked into it (ouch) and we take a break.

We come back with Paxley hitting an enziguri and they fight back to the apron. They trade strikes to the face and crash into the casket, which closes. That doesn’t count so they get back onto the apron and slug it out on top of the casket. The Glamour Shot is countered into a Spanish Fly to plant Monroe on the floor and they’re both down again.

Monroe is back up with a fire extinguisher shot and hits the Glamour Shot, which knocks Paxley silly. That’s enough for Monroe to put her in the casket…but Paxley gets the belt up in time to avoid it being closed. Back in and Monroe beats on her with the belt and pours out the bag of diamonds. That earns her a Cemetery Drive, followed by a kick to the head to send Monroe into the casket to retain at 11:45.

Rating: B. I liked this more than I was expecting to and there is a good reason that this sends Monroe up to the main roster. I’m not sure how much sense that makes but at least she might get another fresh start. Paxley on the other hand has become one of the more solid stars in the division and that’s great to see. Let her see what she can do and maybe even move up higher.

We go back to Jackson Drake, who is sitting with the woman who interrupted him. Apparently she used to dissect horses with her bare hands. Oh and she points out that the woman he was supposed to meet seems to be an AI bot. Shiloh Hill is blamed but they leave together and she slaps a man away, which Drake thinks is a good thing. And the rest of the Vanity Project can come with them. Ok then.

Here is Lola Vice for a chat. She talks about all of the good things Jacy Jayne did for the women’s division but now it’s time for her moment. Last week she saw a bunch of women coming after her to make their own moments. Vice is ready for them because she’s a fighting champion ready for anyone. You don’t just walk up to Vice City and come up to her but all it’s going to get you is knocked out and danced on.

Cue Izzi Dame with the Culling, with Dame saying she is indeed a threat, but has Vice started to feel the change yet? The women are going to look at her differently and waiting on her, just like Dame is doing. Vice is ready to fight but the Culling offers a distraction, allowing Dame to boot her in the face. There’s your next challenger and they’re not being subtle with it.

Lexis King is happy with his title win but Dorian Van Dux and EK Prosper come in to say King couldn’t win on his own. A tag match seems likely but Arianna Grace says they have a party to plan.

We get a long form look at Kendal Grey. She was a successful wrestler, including against boys in high school. She kept getting scars over the years, including taking a foul ball at a Yankees game. While she wanted to tell us something about herself, she wants the Women’s Title. Good stuff here, just for the sake of getting to know her a bit.

Robert Stone checks on Lola Vice but Ricky Saints has attacked Shiloh Hill.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Tony D’Angelo comes up to Robert Stone and has been sent him a box with a character on it. Keanu Carver comes up and D’Angelo thinks it was him. No, because if he wanted the title then he would take it, but that character means “war”.

Zaria vs. Sol Ruca

Last Woman Standing with Zaria sneaking up on her but getting taken down with a Thesz press. Ruca sends her outside for a quick dive but Zaria is back with a trash can toss. They trade kicks, with Ruca’s hitting a trashcan, and they’re both down. Zaria chokes her with a camera cable but Ruca is back up with the kendo stick shots. A sunset bomb onto the announcers’ table is blocked and Zaria kicks her in the face. An F5 is escaped as well so Ruca spears her through that wooden wall which is broken every few months. They both need a second and we take a break.

We come back with the two of them slugging it out on the barricade until Zaria hits a release F5 to send her crashing through the table. Somehow that’s not enough so Zaria sets up a table, only to get German suplexed on the floor. A running knee puts Zaria down and the table is set up on the floor. Zaria is back up and sets up a second table next to it but Ruca hits her with the cover of the announcers’ table.

Ruca goes up onto the platform, only for Zaria to follow her, right into the Sol Snatcher. Zaria beats the count (again) and they slug it out on the platform with Zaria almost being knocked down. Ruca pulls her back though and Zaria thanks her as this doesn’t seem bright. They hug and apologize…and of course Zaria shoves her off the platform and through one table, with Ruca’s head slamming into the table which doesn’t budge. Thankfully isn’t dead but she is down for the ten count to give Zaria the win at 14:55.

Rating: A-. Well that was outstanding. These two beat the living daylights out of each other and it felt like a fight between two people who were desperate to defeat the other. Zaria gets her revenge and Ruca proves that she’s ready to be a top hero because she couldn’t have looked dumber. This is the biggest win of Zaria’s career and while I’m not sure where she’s going, she had got there in a great match.

Overall Rating: B+. This show was about writing off some of the departing stars and setting up some new things. That’s a hard thing to do but it’s one of the issues that comes with a show like NXT. For now though, they had a heck of a main event and the casket match was good as well, making for a pretty awesome show. It’s one of the better NXT’s in a pretty long time and that has me wondering what is next, which means they’re doing something rather right.

Results
Myles Borne b. Dion Lennox – Borne Again
Keanu Carver b. Joe Hendry via referee stoppage
Lexis King b. EK Prosper – Coronation
Tatum Paxley b. Blake Monroe when Paxley closed Monroe in the casket
Zaria b. Sol Ruca when Ruca couldn’t answer the ten count

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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NXT
Date: March 24, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

The countdown to Stand & Deliver continues as we are about a week and a half away from the show. In this case we have to find a new #1 contender to the North American Title, which will be crowned in a Gauntlet Eliminator match. Other than that we have the rest of the card to put together so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Shiloh Hill asks Robert Stone if he can be the first entrant in the Gauntlet Eliminator. Stone seems interested but Tatum Paxley comes in and complains about what happened last week with Blake Monroe. Paxley wants her title back and Hill says he has an idea. The two of them leave but Josh Briggs pops in, saying he needs to talk to Stone. Hold on though as a referee comes in, saying Stone is needed.

IMG Credit: WWE

Kendal Grey/Wren Sinclair vs. Fatal Influence

Jacy Jayne is here with Fatal Influence. Henley drives Sinclair into the corner to start and then shouts a lot. Reid comes in for an elbow drop so it’s off to Grey, who is headlocked takeovered. We cut to the back where Eli Knight and Elio LeFleur have been attacked. Sinclair comes back in and gets two off Grey’s dropkick. Henley manages a kick to the head and makes a blind tag to Reid, who comes in with a running Blockbuster.

We take a break and come back with Henley hitting a sliding German suplex on Sinclair. A dropkick knocks Reid away and the double tags bring in Grey and Henley. Grey hits a superkick but gets wheelbarrowed into an assisted hot shot for a rather near fall. Back up and Grey hits a spinning back elbow, setting up the cross armbreaker for the tap at 9:48.

Rating: C+. Grey and Sinclair work well together and they come off like a team who are actually friends. That isn’t something you often see but it worked well here. I could go for seeing them working together more, which is also the case with Fatal Influence. These teams feel like regular teams that isn’t something that is often the case in any women’s tag division.

Post match Grey says she’s coming for the Women’s Title at Stand & Deliver but Lola Vice comes in to say that’s her shot. Robert Stone comes out to make the #1 contenders match for next week.

Here is Sol Ruca for a chat. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say out here but she only wanted Zaria to have a chance. Zaria couldn’t get her own moment though and decided to steal Ruca’s. Ruca lists off all of the times and gets emotional as she says she’s finally seeing Zaria for what she really is. She wants to face Zaria at Stand & Deliver, which brings out Zaria, as Ruca expected. Zaria says that the only thing she wanted was the two of them, which was never good enough for Ruca.

As she stands there, Ruca is upset that Zaria cost her the Women’s Title, which is exactly what Ruca did to her last year at Stand & Deliver. It made Zaria sick to be around her and hear her name, but now Zaria is finally picking herself. The fans seem to be behind Zaria as Ruca asks what she ever got from Zaria, who is too insecure to stand beside her. Zaria says she isn’t the villain in Ruca’s story, because Ruca is the mistake. This was the big emotional moment between the two of them but…yeah Zaria still hasn’t actually won anything. That might make it easier to get behind this thing.

Ricky Saints and Ethan Page talk about wanting to be NXT Champion but Josh Briggs comes in, saying he just wants five minutes with the boss. Joe Hendry comes in to say if Saints can’t deal with Tony D’Angelo tonight, Hendry will do it himself.

Kelani Jordan vs. Thea Hail

Jordan forearms her to start and gets taken down with a Thesz press. Back up and Jordan takes over, including sending Hail into various buckles. Hail fights up and reverses a reverse DDT into the Kimura. That’s broken up with a ram into the buckle and something like and X Factor drops Hail. One Of A Kind gives Jordan the pin at 2:48.

Post match Jordan stays on Hail but Jaida Parker runs in for the save.

Jasper Troy is not happy with Keanu Carver interrupting Booker T.’s appreciation night last week and wants some revenge next week in New York.

Shiloh Hill has used some computer program to find Blake Monroe. He gives Tatum Paxley the location but has to go win the Gauntlet Eliminator.

IMG Credit: WWE

Gauntlet Eliminator

This is basically a five man Royal Rumble but eliminations have to be via pin or submission. We have three minute intervals and the winner challenges for the North American Title at Stand & Deliver. Shiloh Hill is in at #1 and Jackson Drake is in at #2 with Hill missing a charge into the corner, allowing Drake to get a rollup for two. Drake’s hot shot sets up a running shot in the corner and a Russian legsweep gets two more. Hill comes back with a tilt-a-whirl slam for two and elbows him down as Dion Lennox is in at #3.

Lennox hits some running shoulders in the corner and we take a break. We come back with Charlie Dempsey having come in at #4, leaving one mystery man to enter. A quadruple sleeper leaves everyone a bit dazed (or sleepy) so Dempsey grabs a Muta Lock on Hill. That’s broken up and Lennox sends Hill through the barricade. Back in and Lennox German suplexes both of them…and here is Candice LeRae.

She’s tried everything to get Johnny Gargano out of his funk but maybe bringing him back home will help. So Gargano is in at #5 to a hero’s welcome, though he doesn’t seem overly thrilled to be here. Drake hits him in the face and Gargano lays on the ropes and Dempsey gets a triangle choke on Lennox. That’s broken up so here is OTM to go after Lennox. The beatdown lets Hill grab the belly to back neckbreaker to pin Lennox at 12:36.

We take another break and come back with Gargano still laying on the apron as Hill and Dempsey brawl on the floor. Drake dives onto the two of them but a 450 only gets two on Hill. A suicide dive hits Dempsey but Hill is back with the belly to back neckbreaker for the pin on Drake at 18:21.

Dempsey suplexes Hill a few times but Hill is back with the belly to back neckbreaker for another pin at 19:50. So it’s Hill against the basically immobile Gargano so here is Birthright to go after Hill, including sending him into the steps. Gargano stands up and LeRae shoves him onto Hill for the winning pin at 20:30.

Rating: B-. The key thing here was that Hill looked like a star and that wound up working. At the same time, Gargano was a nice surprise and I’m not sure how it’s going to go at Stand & Deliver. Either we get the return of Johnny Wrestling or it’s something like a Weekend At Bernie’s title match against Myles Borne. Either way, not a bad match, even with the screwy ending.

Post match Gargano looks shocked that he won and gets serious as he gets a staredown with Myles Borne (who TOWERS over Gargano).

The Vanity Project want to know who will be replacing Eli Knight/Elio LeFleur in the tournament. Josh Briggs comes in to try to get a talk with Robert Stone but a referee wants to speak to Stone instead. No one is willing to referee Jasper Troy and Keanu Carver so Stone will come up with something. Jaida Parker comes in and Stone gets right to the point by giving her a match with Kelani Jordan next week. Works for Parker.

Sid is going into the Hall Of Fame. He was rather high up on my “he wasn’t in already?” list.

We get the Tiffany Stratton NXT Origins video from Raw.

OTM is ready to face Darkstate next week in a six man tag. Their tag partner? TNA World Champion Mike Santana, who warns Darkstate that they’re coming to his hometown.

Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Culling vs. ???

The replacements for Knight and LeFleur are…Los Americanos. Bravo and Spears start things off as the fans are rather behind Los Americanos, as you might have expected. Spears takes him down and jiggles a bit so Bravo grabs the arm to take over. Vance comes in and clotheslines both Americanos at the same time but Rayo manages a quick rollup for two. Everything breaks down and Bravo hits a dive on Spears with Rayo hitting one on Vance, who pulls him out of the air. Bravo dives onto both of them to drop Vance and we take a break.

We come back with Spears going after Bravo’s mask, earning himself a high crossbody. It’s back to Rayo to clean house but Vance chokeslams Bravo onto Rayo to drop both of them at once. Bravo is back up with a spinning torture rack, with Vance breaking it up but knocking Vance down anyway. Spears’ running Death Valley driver gets two and Rayo loads up his mask. A quick headbutt knocks Spears silly and Bravo’s running headbutt finishes at 10:13.

Rating: C+. This makes good sense as Los Americanos are more than entertaining enough and the fans like having them around. There are worse ideas than having them win the tournament and get the title shot at Stand & Deliver. The Culling hardly mean much anyway so there was nothing wrong with the result anyway.

Post match Birthright comes out for the staredown with Los Americanos (and Bravo’s mask looks loaded as well).

Keanu Carver wants to fight Jasper Troy but Robert Stone says they need a referee. Josh Briggs comes in to say he’ll do it and that solves the problem.

Tatum Paxley goes to Blake Monroe’s hotel room and reaches for her through the locked door. Next week, there is no lock holding her back from getting her title.

Sexyy Red is back next week. She swears a bit.

Ricky Saints vs. Tony D’Angelo

Ethan Page is here with Saints. D’Angelo cuts off a boot to the ribs to start and twists the ankle a bit before wrestling Saints to the mat. Saints gets powered into the corner and goes outside for a meeting with Page. The distraction lets Saints dive off the apron, only to get pulled out of the air. Saints shoves him into the steps and celebrates with page as we take a break.

We come back with D’Angelo fighting out of a chinlock and hitting something like an Angle Slam. Saints’ tornado DDT is countered into a suplex but he’s able to hit a dropkick into the corner. Saints gets two off a spear and whips D’Angelo hard into the corner. D’Angelo fights back and hits some overhead belly suplexes. The spinebuster is loaded up but Page comes in for the DQ at 10:17.

Rating: C+. The ending was the right way to go as D’Angelo doesn’t need to lose but they need something for Joe Hendry to do at Stand & Deliver. That feels like it is probably going to be a four way match, which isn’t the most exciting thing, but at least it does feel like the right way to go for the story they’re telling. Not a great match, though probably the logical one.

Post match the beatdown is on until Joe Hendry comes in for the save. D’Angelo gets a Standing Ovation of his own to even things up a bit though.

We run down next week’s card.

Robert Stone makes the four way NXT Title match, with Joe Hendry defending against Ethan Page, Ricky Saints and Tony D’Angelo.

Overall Rating: B-. This show did some good work for building up Stand & Deliver, which is somehow less than two weeks away. I’m not wild on some of the matches that have been set up but at least they are doing something to move it forward. Next week’s show should be a big enough card as well, and hopefully they have a pair of good shows in a row, as it could make for quite the pairing.

Results
Kendal Grey/Wren Sinclair b. Fatal Influence – Cross armbreaker to Reid
Kelani Jordan b. Thea Hail – One Of A Kind
Johnny Gargano won a Gauntlet Eliminator last eliminating Hill
Los Americanos b. Culling – Running headbutt to Spears
Tony D’Angelo b. Ricky Saints via DQ when Ethan Page interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Vengeance Day 2026
Date: March 7, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s another special event in NXT and that should make for some interesting moments. The main event is NXT Champion Joe Hendry defending against Ricky Saints, but we also have a street fight and the return of NXT Underground. The card has been put together pretty well and hopefully it lives up to the hype. Let’s get to it.

The opening video talks about how everything can change with one look. Tonight, it’s all about vengeance. So shouldn’t it be Vengeance Night? Each match gets its usual look.

Blake Monroe vs. Jaida Parker

Street fight. They slap it out to start and go out to the floor with Parker taking over. A table is loaded up but Parker takes too long, meaning she has to block a double arm DDT. The table is set up some more, only for Monroe to come back with some umbrella shots. The table leads are folded back, meaning the crowd…oh you know what they’re saying. Back in and Monroe loads up a chair in the ropes, only for Parker to drop her onto it face first.

They go back to the floor, where the Hipnotique hits the steps to give a rather angry looking Monroe an opening. Back in and Monroe grabs a kendo stick around the throat for something like a Skull Crushing Finale and a near fall. Parker fights up and slugs away but Monroe grabs her arm and uses it to send Parker face first into the buckle. A running hip attack crushes a chair into Parker in the Tree Of Woe for two, followed by a right hand with…something wrapped around Monroe’s fist.

Monroe uses the stick to grab a crossface, which is broken up rather quickly and Parker is mad. She hammers away with the kendo stick and a Blockbuster sends Monroe out to the floor. Monroe gets in a trashcan lid shot and sets up the table before grabbing a brick. Since picking up a brick takes too long, Monroe gets chaired in the ribs and sent on the table.

That means Parker can hit a middle rope Tear Drop through the table, followed by a Hipnotique for two back inside. Parker gets sent through a kendo stick though and Monroe’s knee to the chest gets two. It’s time to pour out a bag of a bunch of diamonds, with a super hurricanrana driving Parker into the pile. The Glamour Shot onto the diamonds finishes Parker at 13:00.

Rating: B-. Pretty standard street fight here, though I was expecting Parker to win as she is red hot at the moment. At the same time, Monroe certainly needed a win here as she has kind of been floundering. I’m assuming this is the end of their feud, and that could be interesting for both of them, though I’m not sure where they’re going from here.

Ricky Saints asks Ethan Page where he was to help against Joe Hendry last week. Page is sorry but he just lost the North American Title. Eventually Page agrees to help him tonight, but Page seems interested in getting the NXT Title himself.

Darkstate jumps Tony D’Angelo in the parking lot…but it’s not the real D’Angelo. Instead he pops up from behind and jumps them with a crowbar as we’re ready to start.

Tony D’Angelo vs. Dion Lennox

They start fighting in the parking lot, with Lennox being sent through a windshield. The fight goes inside with D’Angelo being smart enough to lock the rest of Darkstate outside. D’Angelo punches a hole in the restroom door but manages to knock a chair out of Lennox’s hand. Darkstate is back though, with D’Angelo and security fighting them off. Lennox almost crushes D’Angelo with a cabinet and they go back to slugging away. D’Angelo drags him back outside where Darkstate is back too.

Lennox loads up a big crowbar shot but OTM and a bunch of the locker room shows up to really get rid of them. D’Angelo tackles Lennox through a wall and they’re FINALLY in the arena. They get inside and sure let’s ring the opening bell. That means another slugout until D’Angelo is sent into the middle buckle. A big boot misses but Lennox is able to choke away on the ropes anyway. Lennox spinebusters him for two but D’Angelo is right back with a release German suplex.

The torture rack neckbreaker and a clothesline put Lennox on the floor, where he fights back again. Lennox can’t manage to crush D’Angelo’s ankle with the steps so he throws D’Angelo over the barricade instead. That doesn’t last long as Lennox superplexes him off said barricade and through the announcers’ table for a big crash. Booker: “Man.” Back in and a slingshot powerbomb gives Lennox two more but D’Angelo cuts him in half with a spear. The big spinebuster finishes for D’Angelo at 7:09.

Rating: B. Well, it certainly felt like a fight, though it’s one of those weird cases where the brawl before the match itself almost got more time. The other thing is that Lennox still doesn’t feel like a big deal. Granted he was more the last option than anything else, as D’Angelo absolutely ran through Darkstate like they weren’t even there. That’s not an awful way to go, though it pretty much ends Darkstate’s experiment as a team that matters. To be fair, they never quite clicked anyway so maybe that’s for the best.

We recap Tatum Paxley challenging Izzi Dame for the Women’s North American Title. They were friends and Paxley won the Women’s Title, only for Dame to turn on her, leaving Paxley betrayed yet again. Then Dame stole the Women’s North American Title (a chainsaw was involved), so Paxley is coming for revenge and the title.

Women’s North American Title: Tatum Paxley vs. Izzi Dame

Dame, with the Culling, is defending. Paxley jumps at her and hammers away, setting up a sleeper. With that broken up, Paxley dropkicks her outside and followed with some forearms up against the barricade. A flip dive off the steps takes Dame down again but she drops Paxley face first onto the steps. Paxley is right back with a jumping elbow back inside and hammers away in the corner.

The Cemetery Drive is broke up so Paxley grabs some rollups, only to get hit with a hard clothesline. Dame kicks her in the face and stomps away, followed by a basement dropkick. Some Irish whips with knees to the ribs connect for Dame (it worked for Val Venis in No Mercy and it’ll work for her here) and a choke in the corner gets two. The abdominal stretch goes on but Paxley reverses into one of her own. That’s quickly broken up so Paxley goes with the forearms, only to get backbreakered.

Dame grabs a Liontamer (with Shawn Spears coaching her on how to make it work), which is reversed into a Boston crab to send Dame over to the ropes. Back up and a superkick rocks Dame, followed by a German suplex to put her down again. A flipping ax kick gives Paxley two but Dame catches her on top. Dame’s superplex is broken up but she avoids a 450, allowing Dame to hit something like a Claymore for two. They forearm it out until Dame hits a Sky High.

Now the 450 (with Paxley’s knees hitting the mat a bit too early) connects for two but the Cemetery Drive is blocked. Dame kicks her in the head and a flipping belly to back suplex into a cutter plants Paxley for two. That leaves Dame rather distraught on the apron, where Paxley gives her a sunset bomb to the floor (which only looks so great because it’s rather hard to land something like that in one motion).

Paxley sends her inside but stops for a staredown with the Culling, allowing Dame to come back with a Sky High of her own for two. Dame’s gutwrench powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana for two of her own so Spears gets on the apron. Paxley rams them together though and a rollup gets two. Dame’s Codebreaker is countered with a backflip and a rolling Liger kick knocks Dame silly. The Cemetery Drive gives Paxley the pin and the title at 15:35.

Rating: B. That’s exactly how the match should have ended, with Paxley standing up to Dame and beating her clean to win the feud. They had a good match and it got a lot of time, as Dame felt that she should have won through power and athleticism but Paxley stayed in there with pure heart. That’s a great story with the right ending and it’s easy to cheer for someone like Paxley.

OTM didn’t attack Darkstate for Tony D’Angelo’s sake but they appreciate what he’s doing. They’re coming for Darkstate and then the Tag Team Titles.

Here is Robert Stone, who brings out Fatal Influence for a chat. Jacy Jayne promises to walk into Stand & Deliver as Women’s Champion. That’s interesting because she remembers being called a transitional champion not too long ago, but now those voices are a lot more quiet. There were times where she got a bit paranoid because she thought she would be released.

Last year, she was happy to just get in a tag match on the Stand & Deliver Kickoff Show. Now she’s coming in as a dominant champion and she should main event the show. Next year, she can headline Wrestlemania against whomever their precious champion is then. Jayne brags about having Zaria beaten but cue Zaria (in a Sol’s Ex shirt), who blames her loss on Sol Ruca. Fallon Henley doesn’t want to hear this because Zaria can only blame her own jealousy for her issues.

Henley helped Jayne win the Women’s Title but that’s never thrown in her face. Lainey Reid has helped Jayne keep the title so maybe it’s time for Zaria to blame herself. Cue Sol Ruca to interrupt, with threats of snatching souls. She knows how Jayne and Zaria operate and is coming for the Women’s Title. Stone makes a triple threat title match between Zaria, Ruca and Jayne for the upcoming Houston show. Ruca gets triple teamed by Fatal Influence, with Zaria pulling them off. Zaria can’t F5 Jayne but Ruca is in with a Sol Snatcher to Zaria, only to get laid out by Reid. This was a long thing to set up one match in a few weeks.

Lexis King and company ask Charlie Dempsey for an answer and it’s going to be a no. King says it’s time for Dempsey to finally embrace his destiny and the team walks off. Tavion Heights is tired of this and wants a one night NQCC reunion to take them out. Dempsey is in.

We recap Lola Vice vs. Kelani Jordan in NXT Underground. They both have extensive backgrounds in other sports and Jordan eventually won the TNA Knockouts Title. Vice kicked her out of the locker room, though it’s ok for Vice to go to AAA. That’s not ok with Jordan and they kept arguing over gymnastics vs. MMA. Vice knocked her out but Jordan injured Vice’s hand and actually beat her by submission. Tonight, it’s a much bigger fight in NXT Underground.

Kelani Jordan vs. Lola Vice

No ropes, wrestlers around the ring, and knockout/submission only to win (it’s basically MMA without judges), with Vice coming in with a bad hand. They go to the mat to start with Vice firing off some left (non injured) hands. Jordan gets smart by going after the hand and ramming it into the post. A release northern lights suplex drops Vice onto her hand again and Jordan stomps down onto it as well. Jordan takes the glove off the bad hand and wraps it around the post again as Vice is in big trouble.

Vice manages to send Jordan face first into the post and some strikes rock Jordan for a change. There’s a German suplex to send Jordan flying and Vice kicks her onto a pile of wrestlers at ringside. Vice goes after the lumberjacks, allowing Jordan to hit a superkick. Hold on though as Jordan goes over to yell at Vice’s father, which is never a good idea. That’s enough for Vice to catch her with one heck of a spinning backfist for the knockout at 6:40.

Rating: C+. I never know how to rate these things as they’re so different than usual matches. It told a good story with the hand being hurt but Vice fighting through the pain and using the hand to knock Jordan out cold. The finish looked great as anyone scoring that kind of a knockout is a great way to go. Awesome finish and Vice looked like a killer in the end.

Stand & Deliver is coming to St. Louis on April 4, two weeks before Wrestlemania Weekend.

Jacy Jayne is panicking over the triple threat so Lainey Reid offers to take out Sol Ruca. Works for Jayne.

We recap Ricky Saints challenging Joe Hendry for the NXT Title. Hendry won the vacant title in a ladder match and Saints is livid, as he doesn’t think Hendry is a true main eventer. They’ve been brawling ever since and it’s time for the title match.

NXT Title: Ricky Saints vs. Joe Hendry

Hendry is defending. Saints slaps away at Hendry’s back to start, earning himself a beating out to the floor. Back in and Saints knocks Hendry into the ropes, with Hendry’s ankle getting tied up. That lets Saints kick him out of the ropes before taking Hendry back inside to keep up the beating. Hendry fights back and grabs a delayed vertical suplex for two before spinning out a suplex attempt.

A neckbreaker puts Saints down but he gets in a shot of his own and tries the strutting Old School. That takes too long as well and Hendry kicks him down for the crotching. They head outside, with Saints sending him hard into the steps for the big crash. Saints’ neckbreaker and a shot to the shoulder gets two and we’re off to the chinlock. With that broken up, Saints hammers away in the corner and sends Hendry outside for an ax handle from the apron.

A belly to back suplex gives Saints two and a slingshot rollup of all things gets the same. Saints puts him in the corner for a running basement dropkick and the kickout has the frustration mounting. The fall away slam and nip up let Saints do the mocking pose, but that’s enough for Hendry to pop up with a spear. Hendry’s fall away slam sends Saints flying and Hendry gets to spin around.

Saints’ hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb for two and now it’s Hendry’s turn to be frustrated. Saints slugs his way up and grabs an Air Raid Crash for two, followed by the crossface. Hendry rolls around enough that Saints has to settle for a guillotine choke and Hendry is on trouble. That doesn’t last long as he powers up and tries a fireman’s carry. That’s broken up as well and Saints scores with a superkick, only to walk into an AA for two. Saints is sat up top for a super fall away slam for two and Hendry is running out of ideas.

Back up and Saints manages a jumping knee into a hammerlock DDT for two of his own. Cue Ethan Page to pick up the title, which distracts Saints enough that Hendry gets two off a rollup. Saints spears him down for two more so Page throws the title in, with the referee taking it away. A low blow and springboard tornado DDT drop Hendry for another near fall so a ticked off Saints just hammers on him. The referee almost gets bumped and Hendry gets in a low blow of his own, allowing the Standing Ovation to retain the title at 16:18.

Rating: B. These guys were trading bombs here and having Page out there made it feel that much more likely that Saints might actually steal the title. At the same time, it lets Hendry get in a big time title defense, which should help make him feel like a more legitimate champion. At the same time, Page feels all but guaranteed for the Stand & Deliver title shot, where we really could see him get the title back. Solid main event here, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

Hendry celebrates as the villains leave to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was another solid show with a bunch of grudge matches, some of which happened to have titles on the line. That’s the point of a show like this, as a bunch of the feuds are cleared out on the way to Stand & Deliver next month. That is the clear big goal from here and this did a good job of getting things ready. Nice work here, as NXT is starting to find itself, as it has to do so often.

Results
Blake Monroe b. Jaida Parker – Glamour Shot onto a pile of diamonds
Tony D’Angelo b. Dion Lennox – Spinebuster
Tatum Paxley b. Izzi Dame – Cemetery Drive
Lola Vice b. Kelani Jordan via knockout
Joe Hendry b. Ricky Saints – Standing Ovation

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NXT
Date: March 3, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

It’s time for the last show before Vengeance Day and the pay per view card has mostly been set. Odds are this is going to be a show about furthering the stories that have already been set up, which is what a go home show is supposed to be. That’s in addition to the Women’s Title being on the line so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap, featuring last week’s three title changes and Zaria turning on Sol Ruca.

Here is Myles Borne for his championship celebration (complete with the classic red strap on the belt). He heard that announcement loud and clear but he’s not here to talk about his sob story because we’ve all been there. Instead, he wants to thank his biggest hater for doubting him: Ethan Page. All that did was unleash a demon inside of Borne, and can you hear him now?

Cue Page, who heard the thank you from Borne, meaning it’s time for a thank you. Page had one bad night but he’s had quite a few great nights. Borne is down for the rematch but here is Robert Stone to cut it off. Actually never mind as we’re getting a referee so the match is on right now.

North American Title: Myles Borne vs. Ethan Page

Borne is defending and they’re both in suits. They start the brawl fast with the shirts being ripped open as they go outside. Borne drives him over the announcers’ table for a big crash and we take a break. We come back with Borne hitting a dropkick and Page pulling out something for a cheap shot and a near fall. Page loses his pants and gets caught in an ankle lock. That’s broken up as Page loses a shoe, which Borne uses for a cheap shot, setting up Borne Again to retain at 7:04.

Rating: C+. The best thing I can say about this is that it was different, which made things more interesting in this case. I wasn’t exactly expecting them to have the match in street clothes but it’s better than doing the same stuff over and over again. Borne gets to put Page behind him and while another match is possible for Vengeance Day, this very well may be it for the feud.

Zaria doesn’t want to talk about what happened last week.

Darkstate is waiting for Tony D’Angelo in the parking lot but Robert Stone says they have to go inside. As they leave, D’Angelo arrives and pulls a crowbar out of his trunk.

Here is a ticked off Blake Monroe for a chat. She was expecting to feel rage and anger when Jaida Parker kept costing her things. The reality is Parker needs her and all Parker has done is confirm Monroe’s value. People love to obsess over her and Parker is someone who is obsessed with emotions. The fastest way to relevancy is to come after Monroe, which is why Monroe is going to take care of Parker at Vengeance Day.

Cue Parker, who needs to slap the taste out of Monroe’s mouth. The Glamour is insecure, which isn’t the case with Parker. Monroe has been a supporting character all her life and the reality is she needs Parker. At Vengeance Day, Parker is going to prove that Monroe is soft. If you take away the glamour, all you have is a mediocre b****. The brawl is on with Monroe being cleared out.

The Vanity Project apologizes to not being there for Ethan page but Ricky Saints tells them to worry about the Evolve Title match tomorrow night. The Project leaves and Saints is off to prep as well. Page is annoyed but understanding.

Sean Legacy congratulates Elio LeFleur on his Speed Title win. Jasper Troy comes in to say he wants a triple threat rematch next week.

Women’s Speed Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Wren Sinclair vs. Nikkita Lyons

Kendal Grey is here with Sinclair. Lyons fires off the kicks to start but Sinclair is back with a shot to the ribs. Lyons’ release fisherman’s suplex gets two so Sinclair chops away, setting up a running clothesline. A dropkick puts Lyons on the floor but she’s back in with a great looking spinning kick to the face. Lyons is sent shoulder first into the post though and a Final Wrench (Cattle Mutilation) makes her tap at 2:56.

Joe Hendry congratulates Myles Borne on his win last week, though he says listening to Ricky Saints makes him wish he was deaf too. Borne teases being annoyed by they’re fine.

Kelani Jordan is training for NXT Underground with Shayna Baszler.

We get a sitdown interview with Tatum Paxley and Izzi Dame, complete with the dollhouse. Paxley brings up winning the Women’s Title but Dame talks about stealing the title. Dame blames Paxley for losing everyone because she is pathetic and incapable of being fixed. Paxley promises to win on Saturday and prove that she was never meant to be played with. She leaves, with Dame breaking the dollhouse.

Vanity Project vs. Hank & Tank/Shiloh Hill

The Project gets jumped in the aisle to start fast and we take a break before the opening bell. We come back joined in progress and Drake in trouble in the corner. Hill’s running shoulder puts him down again but Smokes comes in to take over in the corner. Cue Keanu Carver to yell at Booker T., saying keep his name out of his mouth.

Smokes gets sent into Tank’s exposed stomach and the good guys clear the ring to quite the positive reception. Baylor comes in off a blind tag and it’s back to Drake for a knee drop. That’s shrugged off and it’s back to Tank as everything breaks down again. Tank gets pulled to the floor though and crushed with the steps as we take a break.

We come back with Tank making a diving tag to Hill so he can take the tooth out. A double backsplash gets two and it’s back to Drake, who gives Hank something close to a Burning Hammer. Drake gets dropped with a Boss Man Slam and Hank & Tank hit stereo dives on the floor. Hill’s pop up neckbreaker gets the pin at 12:36.

Rating: B-. They had an energetic match here with some people who have been having some issues in recent weeks. The Project has fit in well around here thus far, even with their less than strong in-ring abilities. That’s the entire point of the team though and it’s working out well, as it’s fun to see them get beaten up.

Blake Monroe pops up on the announcers’ table, swearing to end it with Jaida Parker at Vengeance Day…in a street fight. Parker runs out and they both have to be held back.

Osiris Griffin has been attacked and Dion Lennox is going to call out Tony D’Angelo.

Lola Vice is told she still needs time to have her hand heal and she needs time off. She won’t do it, despite warnings that it could get worse, even permanently.

Here is Dion Lennox to call Tony D’Angelo out. D’Angelo pops up in the crowd, saying that Darkstate took out a dangerous man but a more dangerous man is here. The challenge is on for Vengeance Day but Lennox wants it in the parking lot. D’Angelo is in.

Jacy Jayne thinks Sol Ruca is here for the main event. The rest of Fatal Influence understands their assignment: get Jayne to Stand & Deliver.

Myles Borne thanks the No Quarter Catch Crew for their help, who say they’re spinning their wheels. Lexis King and company come in to tell Charlie Dempsey that the clock is ticking, with Tavion Heights not being happy about Dempsey even considering this.

Women’s Title: Zaria vs. Jacy Jayne

Jayne, with Fatal Influence, is defending. Zaria looks at the seconds to start and gets jumped from behind. That’s shrugged off and Zaria chokes in the corner, with Jayne rolling out to the floor. Jayne sends her into the steps and we take an early break. We come back with Zaria hitting a superplex to leave both of them down.

Zaria’s running elbows in the corner set up a suplex and clothesline for two as frustration sets in. Jayne is back with a running knee for two of her own but the Rolling Encore is cut off with a spear. Back up and the Rolling Encore drops Jayne and here is Sol Ruca to take out Fatal Influence. Ruca comes in and hits a double Sol Snatcher for the double DQ at 10:50.

Rating: B-. This was a question of when Ruca was going to interfere rather than would she debut, which is ok as it makes sense for the story they’re telling. The triple threat title match is set for either this weekend or next week, and that’s a good way to go. If nothing else, Jayne retaining the title is nice to see, as it seems a bit too soon for her to lose the belt.

The fans aren’t sure about that and sing something, even as Ruca belt shots Reid’s hands.

Vengeance Day rundown.

Robert Stone talks about…something involving the Women’s Title that I can’t understand as the feed screws up.

Here is Ricky Saints for his Experience. He’s a musician, actor and wrestler so he’s here to one up Joe Hendry’s concerts. The first song isn’t exactly great music and involves lyrics about how he believes in himself. Ah apparently that was just mocking Hendry’s style so he requests a stagehand give him a chair. Saints sings a similar song before needing his mic fixed, allowing him to sing about how you should NOT believe in Hendry.

Actually he needs an entirely new guitar so here is one…as held by Hendry himself. The Vanity Project runs in for the beatdown so here is Myles Borne for the quick save. The champions pose to end the show. This wasn’t a great segment as we got the joke pretty fast, but the closing brawl was good.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling was just ok here, but the important part was having the focus on Vengeance Day. What matters the most is that the card is set and has been built up well, which should make for a good event. I’m not sure how well it’s going to go, but they’ve laid the groundwork and that’s a good sign. NXT is still in a transitional phase and now we get to see how well that has gone with their first big test, which they very well could pass.

Results
Myles Borne b. Ethan Page – Borne Again
Wren Sinclair b. Nikkita Lyons – Final Wrench
Hank & Tank/Shiloh Hill b. Vanity Project – Pop up neckbreaker to Drake
Zaria vs. Jacy Jayne went to a double DQ when Sol Ruca interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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NXT
Date: February 3, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s time for a new champion as we have a lot to cover this week. In addition to the seven way ladder match for the vacant NXT Title, Ava has announced that she is done with NXT, meaning we’re going to need a new boss around here. There aren’t many obvious candidates for the job, though one does tend to stand out. Let’s get to it.

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

Shawn Michaels names Robert Stone as the new Interim GM. Yeah that’s the most logical choice.

The opening video looks at the history of the NXT Title and what it can mean for someone’s career, both here and beyond. Tonight, another name is added to the list.

Women’s North American Title: Izzi Dame vs. Thea Hail vs. Lola Vice

Dame is defending and they trade some early rollups for two each. With Dame sent outside, Vice pulls Hail into a triangle choke but Dame is back in for the save. Not that it’s important though, as we see go split screen to see Ricky Saints arriving. Thanks for that one. Anyway, Hail and Vice hit dives to the floor and Hail bites the title to send us to a break.

We come back with Vice getting caught in a middle rope G9 but she pops up to strike away. Hail and Dame get hip attacked in the corner but Hail makes the clothesline comeback. That’s not what matters though, as instead we need to see Joe Hendry warming up. Hail’s springboard backsplash lands in a choke but she’s right back with the Kimura to Vice. That’s broken up and it’s DDT to plant Dame. Cue Kelani Jordan to crush Vice’s hand with a ladder, leaving Dame to get caught in the Kimura. That’s reversed into a sitout gutwrench powerbomb to retain Dame’s title at 11:46.

Rating: C+. They were flying through this as well as they could and it’s nice to see Dame getting another win. At the same time, it’s sad to see Hail’s accidental push erased, as she’s right back to what she was before. The fans were behind her because she won something, so now let’s have her lose all over again. At least Dame is starting to become something a bit better though, as she certainly has potential.

Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair praise Sol Ruca for her Royal Rumble performance, but Zaria interrupts. As usual, they’re having tensions and Zaria says she needs the win tonight, for herself.

Earlier today, Chase U was complaining about not getting opportunities but Arianna Grace, Stacks and Lexis King interrupted to mock them. A match was set up for tonight.

Here is Tony D’Angelo for his big explanation. D’Angelo hasn’t been here for seven months and he could explain the two reasons he left and call it a day, but he has a lot to say. He talks about the things he’s done here, and about a year ago he was a happy man, with his family around him. Then that was taken from him and it meant he needed to learn to stand on his own.

Darkstate ruined his life and now he needs to remember who he is. Then he came back and had people wondering what he was doing. He’s coming for Darkstate and it’s about punishment, because he’s going to take everything from them. The second reason: you’ll find out when he’s done with Darkstate. That’s a nice explanation and at least he has a simple target to start.

Shiloh Hill gives a quick rundown of his competition tonight.

Jasper Troy doesn’t care who he faces next for his Speed Title.

Speed Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Elio LeFleur vs. Charlie Dempsey

They hit stereo crossbodies at the same time and LeFleur gets two off a backslide. A suplex swinging neckbreaker gets the same but Dempsey is back with a tabletop suplex for two. Dempsey breaks up a springboard as we have less than a minute to go. LeFleur knocks him down again but gets wheelbarrow suplexed for two more. Back up and LeFleur grabs a weird reverse headscissors driver for the quick pin at 2:52. Cool finisher.

Joe Hendry isn’t going to let bruised ribs stop him from winning the NXT Title. He hasn’t had a title in seven months and it’s time for him to accomplish his goals around here.

We look at the NXT stars, both past and present, in the Royal Rumble.

TNA Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Zaria/Sol Ruca vs. Elegance Brand

The Brand is defending. Zaria decides to start with M but it’s quickly off to Ruca for a standing moonsault. M drives her into the corner though and Heather comes in, only to get suplexed down. Zaria isn’t interested in a Mega Powers elbow (makes sense as this is the anniversary of their split on Main Event II) and gets distracted on the top, allowing the Brand to take over as we take a break.

We come back with Heather slowly hammering on Zaria, who fights up…but won’t tag. That lets M hit a Codebreaker for two as Sean Legacy is putting his vest on. Whoa man. Zaria fights up and this time Ruca tags herself in to clean house as the pace picks up. The fans would rather do the Wave as M misses a moonsault. Zaria tags herself back in and that means it’s time for some shoving with Ruca. A double spear drops the champs but the Sol Snatcher accidentally takes Zaria out. The top rope backsplash onto an elevated Zaria retains the titles at 11:26.

Rating: C+. The match was fine, but this was about Zaria and Ruca arguing again which seems to be what should be the last straw. They’ve teased breaking up so many times now that they need to get on with it already. Maybe that even means that Zaria gets two win a match already, which might be nice for a change.

Ethan Page talks to the Vanity Project, telling Jackson Drake to finish the job.

Before the show, Blake Monroe attacked Jaida Parker in the parking lot in front of the fans.

Chase U vs. Stacks/Lexis King

Connors dropkicks Stacks down to start and it’s off to Dixon for an armbar. Dixon has to flip around to get out of trouble and it’s off to Connors to start the rather quick comeback. King sends Connors into the corner as everything breaks down. Dixon comes back in to clean house but the moonsault hits raised boots. The Coronation gives King the pin at 3:38.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t much to see and that shouldn’t be a surprise. The New Chase U are just completely nothing, which is a shame as Andre Chase was red hot for a bit. In this case now though, there’s nothing to what he’s doing and he’s little more than a person who happens to exist. I don’t see that changing anytime soon, or far off, though and that’s kind of saddening.

Post match Connors walks out on Chase U. Probably a smart move.

Here is Fatal Influence for a chat. Jacy Jayne talks about killing it in the Royal Rumble but then Sol Ruca snuck up on her and eliminated her. Jayne complains about Ruca going viral all the time so it’s her time to kill the hype. Cue Zaria to say Ruca has had all kinds of opportunities handed to her so it’s time for Zaria to make her own chance. Jayne laughs it off, saying everyone loves Ruca but they just tolerate Zaria.

Cue Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair to interrupt, with Grey saying she knows she can beat Grey. They argue over who should get the shot so here is Ruca, who accuses Zaria of sneaking around on her. Zaria gets on her for going to the Rumble on her own. Cue Robert Stone to make Zaria/Ruca vs. Sinclair/Grey next week and whomever gets the pin gets the title shot in three weeks.

Kelani Jordan broke Lola Vice’s hand so she can’t knock anyone else out. There’s a logic to that.

Lexis King and company (now with Uriah Connors) interrupt Charlie Dempsey and seem to offer him a spot on the team. Dempsey doesn’t give an answer.

NXT Title: Ricky Saints vs. Joe Hendry vs. Dion Lennox vs. Jackson Drake vs. Keanu Carver vs. Sean Legacy vs. Shiloh Hill

Ladder match for the vacant title. It’s a brawl to start with Carver getting the better of things until a backdrop sends him onto the ladder. Saints is back in to spear Hendry but Hendry is back up with some ladder shots. Drake is up to go for the title but Hendry cuts that off rather quickly. Hendry’s dive takes out the pile at ringside and we take a break.

We come back with Carver wrecking people on the floor until Legacy hits a dive of his own. Drake and Legacy go up top and fight on the ladder so here is Hill with two pieces of a broken ladder as stilts. Carver breaks that up until Lennox springboards in for a Doomsday Device. Lennox drops Saints onto the ladder but gets his climb cut off. Drake sends Carver outside and then flip dives onto the pile as we take another break.

We come back with Hill cutting off Legacy’s climb and clearing out everyone else. Rather than climbing, he crushes Carver with a ladder on the floor, as do the rest of the competitors, who throw ladders onto Carver. A ladder is bridged into the standing ladder inside and Legacy springboard 450s Drake onto the bridged ladder. Legacy and Lennox go up top but Hill and Drake are back with a ladder of their own.

Hendry makes the save but Carver is up with his own ladder to wreck people, including a Pounce to send Legacy through a wall. Carver goes up but Saints is right there to shove him off, through a ladder bridged at ringside. Back in and Hendry and Saints go up to fight over the title, only for Hendry to knock him off and through another ladder. That’s enough for Hendry to win the title at 22:41.

Rating: B+. There were a lot of people here and quite a bit going on, but they still had a rather entertaining and energetic match. It felt like they were all trying to get the title, with the group beatdown of Carver making sense. Hendry winning is a good way to go, as the fans love him and that’s what NXT could use right now. It’s a case where NXT is going with someone the fans care about and are running with him. Now just find a good challenger and they should be fine.

Hendry celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a case where you had a lot going on, but the ladder match was the part that mattered the most. It carried the show that much higher, with the secondary story of Ruca and Zaria finally falling apart going the rest of the way. We’re clearly still in a time of transition around here with Hendry as the champion and Robert Stone as the new boss. Hopefully they can make it work, as starting from almost scratch is quite the test. At least they did well with their big show this week.

Results
Izzi Dame b. Thea Hail and Lola Vice – Sitout gutwrench powerbomb to Hail
Elio LeFleur b. Charlie Dempsey – Reverse hurricanrana driver
Elegance Brand b. Zaria/Sol Ruca – Top rope backsplash to Zaria
Stacks/Lexis King b. Chase U – Coronation to Connors
Joe Hendry b. Shiloh Hill, Keanu Carver, Sean Legacy, Dion Lennox, Jackson Drake and Ricky Saints – Hendry pulled down the title

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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