NXT
Date: March 31, 2026
Location: Infosys Theater At Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s the last show before Stand & Deliver and most of the card is set. The NXT Title will be defended in a four way, but we still need to have challengers for the Tag Team and Women’s Titles. Those will be decided tonight and maybe we’ll get another match or two added as well. Let’s get to it.

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

Darkstate vs. OTM/Mike Santana

Santana is the TNA World Champion and the fans rather like him as the hometown boy. Shuggars knocks Santana off the apron to start before Nima gets caught in the wrong corner. That’s fine with Nima, who powers Lennox into the corner for the tag off to Price. Lennox is caught in the corner as well and it’s off to Santana, with the fans being right behind him.

Some right hands keep Shuggars in trouble but Griffin gets the tag, allowing him to take over on Price. That doesn’t last long as it’s back to Nima, who hits a running crotch attack in the ropes to Lennox and Shuggars. A DDT gets Lennox out of trouble as the back and forth continues and we take a break.

We come back with Nina still down but suplexing Shuggars. It’s back to Price to pick up the pace and clean house but the numbers game catches up with him. Price is fine enough to get over to Santana for the tag, meaning it’s a frog splash for two on Lennox. Everything breaks down until Santana is left alone to roll Shuggars up for two. Spin The Block (discus lariat) sets up In The Mud to finish Shuggars at 10:14.

Rating: B-. Perfectly nice opener and it’s a good sign for Santana that he came off like a big guest star. Maybe it was because he was in front of the right crowd, but the fans were into him and that could continue for a long time. If nothing else, it’s nice to see OTM actually maintain some momentum for a little while, which hasn’t been the case before.

Myles Borne talks about how far he has coming in the last year and thanks Ethan Page for giving him the edge that made him champion. He’s ready to retain the North American Title and wants Johnny Wrestling to show up. Johnny Gargano comes in and says Johnny Takeover is still somewhere inside of him. If that comes out, he’ll eat Borne alive. It isn’t personal between them, but that title is personal to him. For the first time in two months, he won’t lay down and die because he will stand and deliver. This was a thrown together match and they’re doing what they can to make it work.

Wren Sinclair gives Kendal Grey a pep talk.

Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Tournament Finals: Los Americanos vs. Birthright

The Americanos jump them on the floor to start fast and it’s Bravo atomic dropping Connors. A dropkick puts him down again and Connors gets crotched on the post. Rayo adds a backbreaker and Bravo slingshots in with a hilo onto the knees. Stacks comes in and goes outside to dance with Arianna Grace but Bravo takes Stacks down and dances with her instead. Grace isn’t pleased and they go back inside, where Connors gives Rayo a springboard Stunner.

We take a break and come back with Connors and Rayo slugging it out until Rayo X Plexes him down. Bravo comes back in to beat up both of them, including the spinning torture rack to Stacks. Grace offers a distraction though and Lexis King gets in a cane shot to give Stacks two. Cue Shiloh Hill to get rid of the rest of Birthright and it’s a super hurricanrana into a frog splash for two on Stacks as Connors makes the save. Cue El Grande Americano so the Americanos can load up their masks. Bravo’s flying headbutt pins Connors at 10:43.

Rating: B-. Another good tag match here, with Los Americanos getting the title shot that works well for them. The good thing is that they can give the Vanity Project a nice win on Saturday and boost them up. If nothing else, Los Americanos are working with their simple cheating style and the fans are buying it. I’m not sure how long it can go, but it’s working at the moment.

Darkstate is mad about the loss and Dion Lennox is going to get them back on track at Stand & Deliver.

Jaida Parker vs. Kelani Jordan

Jordan slaps her in the face to start so Parker unloads with right hands in the corner. Parker throws her out to the floor but Jordan gets in a ram to the steps as we take a break. We come back with Parker falling back onto her to break up a choke. Parker shoves her out to the floor before bringing Jordan back inside for some shoulders.

Jordan’s pump kick hits Parker’s banged up shoulder (after it went into the steps) and a crucifix gives Jordan two. Parker is able to catch her on top though and it’s a release German superplex to bring Jordan crashing down. The Hipnotique sets up Deja Vu to give Parker the pin at 9:36.

Rating: C+. The important part here is that Parker won, which hasn’t been the case very often. She has charisma, a good look and the athleticism. If she can put all of that together, she could be quite the star. It seems like she’s getting close to pulling that off, but there is still a pretty long way to go. At least she won here though.

The Vanity Project offer to escort Blake Monroe to her locker room but she’s ready for her closeup.

Here is Robert Stone to host a four way contract signing for the NXT Title, featuring Tony D’Angelo, Ricky Saints, Ethan Page and champion Joe Hendry. Page and Saints insist that the other go first but Hendry takes the contract and signs first instead. Hendry can’t wait to see which one stabs the other in the back first because they both want the title so badly

They’re passionate about the title but he’s passionate about NXT and being in New York City tonight. He’s ready to leave the world believing but Saints says Hendry should forget about this friendship. Saints is going to set the world right by becoming a two time champion and he signs. Page talks about selling himself short by focusing on being the greatest North American Champion so he should get his title back and signs as well.

D’Angelo speaks for the first time by shouting ENOUGH and talks about how he’s done these sitdowns before. Saints and Page have both gotten a chance and failed. As for Hendry, D’Angelo has no issues with him, but he wants the title. D’Angelo is the only one who isn’t an outsider (he signs) and promises to run them all over like a freight train. With that out of the way, D’Angelo tells Stone to get out of the ring and the fight starts. Saints and Hendry are put through the tables, leaving the other two to brawl until it’s broken up by security.

Keanu Carver vs. Jasper Troy

Josh Briggs is guest referee. Carver jumps Troy on the floor to start and sends him into the steps but they get inside for the opening bell. Troy hits a running splash in the corner but Carter knocks him down and chokes with his boot. Carver goes outside to yell at Booker before grabbing a fan, which has Briggs breaking it up. More yelling at Booker ensues, allowing Troy to hit a chokeslam through the announcers’ table.

Somehow that isn’t a DQ so Troy takes him back inside for a swinging Boss Man Slam for a rather near fall. Troy shoves Briggs, who boots him in the face as a result. Carver is back up with a Pounce into a running powerslam (good for him for changing from that weird spinning slam thing he was doing in Evolve) for the pin at 2:24. They packed a lot into this but the main thing is Carver looked like a beast, which is a good sign for his future.

Post match Booker is ticked and Carver insist that Briggs raise his hand. Briggs does indeed do so, but then drops Carver with a hard clothesline. If this leads to a three way hoss fight, I’ve heard far worse ideas.

Sean Legacy and Elio LeFleur are banged up as Hank & Tank want to get rid of Birthright. LeFleur has some bad news though: he has torn tendons and will be out of action for six months, meaning the Speed Title is vacated. LeFleur wants Eli Knight to enter the tournament to crown a new champion, which is cool with Knight. Wren Sinclair comes in to offer condolences but Shiloh Hill comes in to laugh a lot. He has an idea.

Here is Tatum Paxley for a chat. She loved getting to pull Blake Monroe by the hair last week, but she also gave Monroe an ultimatum. Monroe comes out with the title, saying she never lost it in the first place. Now she can’t just give it back but Paxley is willing to give Monroe her biggest spotlight. They can have their title match at Stand & Deliver and Monroe is in. She’s not giving the title back yet though, because Paxley is nothing like her. Paxley isn’t happy with that the fight is on, though Monroe escapes with the title.

Robert Stone makes a ten person tag for the Stand & Deliver Kickoff Show. Keanu Carver comes in and yells so Stone makes a triple threat for next week. Hold on though as Kelani Jordan has laid out Jaida Parker.

We get a video on the rise and fall of Sol Ruca and Zaria. They were friends, but only Ruca had success as a singles star. People started putting thoughts of doubt in Zaria’s head but Ruca kept trying to help her. Zaria finally turned on her after one more loss and blamed Ruca for everything. Now it’s time for their big fight.

Fatal Influence is waiting to see who will be challenging Jacy Jayne next, though Izzi Dame seems interested.

Stand & Deliver rundown.

Lola Vice vs. Kendal Grey

For the Women’s Title match on Saturday and Wren Sinclair is here with Grey. Vice wrestles her down to start and grabs a headlock, which is quickly reversed as well. Neither can get a cross armbreaker so Vice starts firing off the kicks in the corner. There’s the running hip attack, followed by a running seated senton off the apron to drop Grey again as we take a break.

We come back with Grey snapping off a German suplex and taking down the straps. The cross armbreaker still doesn’t work though and Vice grabs a choke. That’s broken up as well so Vice hits a spinning backfist to send her outside. Cue Fatal Influence for a distraction and Vice misses a running hip attack, which only hits steps.

Back in and Grey gets kicked out of the air for two but gets in a spinning elbow for a near fall of her own. Vice’s kick is reversed into an ankle lock, which is reversed with a rollup. Grey leg dives her but gets pulled into a guillotine. That’s reversed with a northern lights suplex for the pin at 13:28…but another referee comes out to say Grey tapped first. Uh oh.

Rating: B-. And there’s how they get out of having one of these two lose. That makes sense as Grey seems to be the next big project and Vince has lost enough already. While I do like that we didn’t get the beyond tired “heel runs in and jumps both challengers”, it’s still setting up another triple threat. These things feel so played out, but you almost have to expect them these days.

Shawn Michaels comes out to mediate, even though the slow motion replay shows that Grey tapped WAY before the three.

Overall Rating: B. This is the kind of show that NXT needed, as I’m a lot more interested in Stand & Deliver than I was coming into this week. They built up some of the matches that were already set and then added in a few more. I want to see Saturday’s show and hopefully that means they have something good as we head into their biggest night of the year.

Results
OTM/Mike Santana b. Darkstate – In The Mud to Shuggars
Los Americanos b. Birthright – Loaded flying headbutt to Connors
Jaida Parker b. Kelani Jordan – Deja Vu
Keanu Carver b. Jasper Troy – Running powerslam
Kendal Grey vs. Lola Vice went to a double fall

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

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:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

NXT
Date: March 17, 2026
Location: 713 Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re on the road for a change and there is a lot going on this week. First of all, it’s Booker T. Appreciation Night, which sounds like a way for Keanu Carver to get involved. We also have a steel cage match for the Women’s North American Title as Tatum Paxley and Izzi Dame are likely blowing off their feud. Let’s get to it.

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Women’s Title: Sol Ruca vs. Zaria vs. Jacy Jayne

Jayne, with Fatal Influence, is defending and steps back while the other two stare each other down. That doesn’t last long as Jayne superkicks Zaria but gets backslided to give Ruca two. Zaria is back up to choke Ruca in the corner but Jayne catches Zaria with a Codebreaker. Ruca’s top rope splash to break it up and get two, with Zaria pulling Jayne outside.

Ruca tries a dive but gets caught in the ropes, thankfully not breaking her neck on the mostly fine landing. Fatal Influence sends Zaria and Ruca into the steps though and we take a break with the champ and company posing. We come back with Ruca hitting a springboard double high crossbody but Zaria is up to kick Jayne in the face. Ruca dropkicks Zaria but Jayne is up to take both of them down. Zaria’s spear hits Jayne so Ruca spears Zaria, who is back up to crotch Ruca on top.

Jayne goes after Ruca on top so Zaria gives them a double German superplex to leave everyone down. Zaria F5’s Jayne for two, with Ruca having to make a save. Another F5 is countered into an X Factor and Zaria is knocked outside. The Sol Snatcher drops Jayne but Zaria pulls Ruca outside for an F5. Zaria throws Ruca back in but gets pulled outside by Fatal Influence, allowing Jayne to steal the pin at 10:48.

Rating: B-. They were getting somewhere with the match and I do like the ending, which is at least a bit of a twist on the steal the pin triple threat finish. I was expecting Zaria to get the title here and defend it against Ruca at Stand & Deliver, but that match could take place without the title involved. Nice opener here, with Jayne getting to brag about surviving as champion against two big challengers.

Kendal Grey fires up Wren Sinclair when the Birthright comes in. Sinclair asks Charlie Dempsey what happened and gets blown off. Lola Vice comes in to praise both of them and says she’s winning the Women’s Title at Stand & Deliver.

Here is Ricky Saints for a chat, plus a slip on the ropes during his entrance. Saints talks about how he slipped but he didn’t fall. Last week, he and Ethan Page got a win over Myles Borne and Joe Hendry. They’re a great team and luckily for the tag division, they’re focused on singles gold. Page is going to be a two time North American Champion and Saints is getting his NXT Title back.

Cue Page, who sees things a bit different, but here is Hendry to interrupt. Hendry agrees that Page pinned him, which Saints couldn’t do, even if it involved smashing Hendry’s face into the title. Maybe Page and Saints should fight again like they did at Stand & Deliver to decide this. A fight is teased but they go after Hendry, who cleans house. Cue Tony D’Angelo to wreck everyone though and stand tall.

William Regal and Fit Finlay tell Birthright to win the tag team tournament when Robert Stone comes in. Regal thinks Stone should be the permanent GM and he’ll talk to Shawn Michaels about it.

Vanity Project vs. Los Americanos

Rayo works on Smokes’ arm to start and it’s off to Bravo, who punches him in the face. The rest of the Project runs in to clear the ring and do some dancing, only for the Americanos to come back in and clean house. Grande hits a dive of his own and it’s time to dance. The Project comes back in to take over on Rayo and we take a break. We come back with Rayo still in trouble, with Drake grabbing an abdominal stretch. Drake tries Three Amigos but gets tossed down, allowing Grande to get the tag.

Grande comes in with a double Blockbuster and it’s back to Rayo so he and Bravo can put on cowboy hats and hit some dives. Drake is back with a step up flip dive of his own, followed by a Burning Hammer for two on Grande. A dropkick from Baylor sets up Drake’s 450 for two more but Grande Americanos up. Drake is right there with a rollup but the referee catches Baylor cheating and breaks it up. A quick distraction lets Grande load up the mask and after a top rope headbutt/Russian legsweep combination, the running headbutt gives Grande the pin on Smokes at 12:43.

Rating: C+. The whole Los Americanos thing is a great example of a story that sounds like a death sentence but the people involved have absolutely ran with the thing. That’s way better than I was expecting and I’m starting to have way too much fun with whatever they do. The Project continues to be in way over their heads, but that’s a classic wrestling trope that can work very well for them today.

Sean Legacy is injured so Elio LeFleur will take his place in the tag tournament, teaming with Eli Knight. That’s fine with Robert, but here is Sol Ruca to say she wants to face Zaria next week. Stone seems to approve but looks worried.

Vic Joseph and company are in the ring for Booker T. Appreciation Night. After a nice introduction, Booker gets up from his desk to his entrance music and greets what I’m guessing are some of his family and students. We get a rather nice video on Booker’s career, with various legends, current stars and Joseph commentating on how great he has been to them over the years.

Back in the arena and Booker is in tears, as the people in the ring are indeed his students and family. Joseph presents Booker with a plaque and Booker talks about how he’s been doing this for thirty five years….and here is Keanu Carver to interrupt. He doesn’t want Booker to have a celebration and beats up the students. Cue Jasper Troy to go after Carver and knock him out of the ring. With Carver gone, the locker room comes out and praises Booker, who says someone needs to take control because this shouldn’t be happening in his city.

IMG Credit: WWE

Women’s Speed Title: Wren Sinclair vs. Fallon Henley

Henley is defending with a five minute time limit. Sinclair starts fast with an early rollup for two. Another rollup gets two and Sinclair starts going after the arms. Henley breaks that up but is favoring her taped up shoulder. A suplex gives Sinclair two and she tries the double arm crank again. Instead Henley sends her outside but a kick from the apron is shoved away. Back in and a spinning faceplant drops Sinclair again as we have two minutes left. They trade rollups for two each but the Final Wrench goes out on of nowhere to make Sinclair champion at 3:39.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of move I can go for with the title, as Sinclair can bring her kind of weird charisma to the belt. She’s a talented star and if this is where she fits in, that’s a fine enough result. At the same time you have Henley, who has put together a nice career around here, but I’m not sure what is next for her, as she’s still just kind of there most of the time.

Ricky Saints and Ethan Page complain about the attack but Robert Stone isn’t overly impressed. Page suggests that Tony D’Angelo face Saints next week, with Stone making the match. I can go with two heels trying to work together and also trying to screw each other over.

Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Birthright vs. Hank & Tank

The rest of Birthright is here too. Birthright jumps them to start but Hank & Tank fight back to clear Connors out. A superplex is broken up though and Connors slingshots in with a hilo for tow on Hank. The beating doesn’t last long as Hank ducks under a right hand to bring in Tank, who quickly cleans house.

Tank even flips off the apron and goes over to quickly acknowledge Booker. Back in and a superplex into a Swanton hits Stacks, with Connors making a quick save. Stacks charges into a swinging Boss Man Slam but Lexis King comes in for a distraction. That’s enough for Connors to get a blind tag but Hank & Tank take out Stacks anyway. Connors is right there with a rollup to steal the pin on Hank at 4:34.

Rating: C+. That’s the kind of a win that William Regal would approve of as they slipped in at the last second and won. Birthright feels like a strong candidate to win the tournament and that’s a lot more than some of the members have been doing to date. It’s not exactly a revolutionary idea but it’s a lot better than sitting around in the lower midcard with nothing to do.

Joe Hendry wants Tony D’Angelo next week but Robert Stone says he’s taken. Hendry wants the match at some point but we cut over to OTM brawling with Darkstate, the latter of whom use the numbers game to take over.

Thea Hail gives Tatum Paxley a pep talk. With Paxley gone, Kelani Jordan comes in to mock Hail, with Jaida Parker coming in to stand up for her.

Jacy Jayne is rather excited and Fallon Henley isn’t overly pleased with having to help Jayne take care of Kendal Grey.

Myles Borne wants a new #1 contender so Robert Stone makes a gauntlet eliminator to find a new one next week. He isn’t sure who is involved yet but Birthright comes in to say they want in on this.

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

Dame is challenging inside a cage and jumps Paxley before she can even get inside. A suplex drops Paxley on the floor and Dame slams the door on her. Dame throws her inside and grabs a chair and now we get the opening bell. Paxley ducks a chair shot and strikes away, leaving Dame panicking. Dame tries to escape so Paxley follows her up for a trade of rams into the cage. They do that a few times, check to make sure the other is ready, and ram each other into the cage at the same time for a crash down.

We take a break and come back with Dame in trouble and Paxley going up, with Dame catching her on top. Dame’s right hands just make Paxley smile but Dame superplexes her back down for the big crash. Paxley is back up with a Whisper In The Wind for two and they glare at each other from the mat. Dame sends her into the cage but Paxley flips out of a Codebreaker, only to get powerbombed for two. The chair to the back has Paxley in trouble and Dame powerbombs her against the cage. Another powerbomb is countered into a sunset bomb onto the chair though and the Cemetery Drive retains the title at 11:48.

Rating: B-. That’s how this should have gone, with Paxley getting to beat Dame one on one, despite the cheating before the match even started. It made for a feel good moment and Paxley continues her rather great run as of late. The fans love her and she actually wins the rivalry with Dame, which is a lot more than I was expecting. This felt important and that’s quite the trick for the lower level title.

Post match Paxley celebrates on the ramp…and a trap door opens, with Blake Monroe pulling her down. Monroe holds up the title to end the show. Makes sense and that’s a good Stand & Deliver match.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling wasn’t anything great here, but they did a good job of making me more interested in what they seem to be planning for Stand & Deliver. The show is in two and a half weeks so it’s time to start actually announcing some stuff, which should be coming up in the next few weeks. Not a must see show here, but you can see the pieces starting to come together.

Results
Jacy Jayne b. Zaria and Sol Ruca – F5 to Ruca
Los Americanos b. Vanity Project – Running headbutt to Smokes
Wren Sinclair b. Fallon Henley – Final Wrench
Birthright b. Hank & Tank – Rollup to Hank

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

NXT
Date: March 10, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re done with Vengeance Day and that means we are on the way to Stand & Deliver. That is the biggest event of the year for NXT and it should be interesting to see what they have in store for the night. With less than a month to go, they need to start things in a hurry so let’s get to it.

Here is Vengeance Day if you need a recap.

Long Vengeance Day recap.

Here is Tatum Paxley, fresh off winning the Women’s North American Title, to get things going. For the longest time, she felt like she was doing everything wrong but she kept winding up alone. On Saturday, she won this title because of the people here. They made her want to keep going and now she has the confidence that she belongs here. She won the Women’s Title for the Culling but she won this for the people.

Cue Izzi Dame (Paxley: “Ugh GO AWAY!”) to interrupt and we see a highlight package of Paxley’s failures over the years. Dame calls Paxley painfully fake and a weirdo outcast because this is all just another mask. Eventually, that unlovable girl will come out again and Dame wants her title back. Cue the Culling for a distraction and Dame hits a powerbomb.

Ricky Saints and Ethan Page are upset over Vengeance Day, with Saints saying they’re both naked now. Page doesn’t like that visual but they’re ready to get a win in tonight’s tag match against Joe Hendry and Myles Borne. Then it’s off to Stand & Deliver to become two times champions.

Jasper Troy vs. Sean Legacy vs. Eli Knight

Troy starts fast by throwing them both around, including pulling Knight out of the air. A chokeslam drops Knight onto Legacy but Knight gets a boot up in the corner. Some superkicks stagger Troy though, with a double shot putting him on the floor. Cue Keanu Carver to chokeslam Troy through the announcers’ table and yell at Booker T. as we take a break.

We come back with Knight dropkicking Legacy to the floor for one heck of a dive. Back in and a step up moonsault gets two on Legacy, who is right back with a reverse sitout gordbuster for two of his own. Shambles is broken up but Legacy dropkicks Troy through the ropes. Troy gets back up to run the two of them over, including a chokeslam to Legacy. A double Samoan drop connects, though Troy’s ribs are banged up. Legacy has to make a save and Knight breaks up the Black Hole Slam. A 450 from Legacy into a heck of a moonsault from Knight means a double pin on Troy at 12:06.

Rating: B. This was a blast with pretty much nonstop action throughout. Troy felt like a monster who is on a collision course with Carver, which should be a heck of a hoss fight. At the same time, Knight looked like a star out there with those dives, which he made to look effortless. Legacy finally gets a win, though he can’t even get that on his own, which isn’t a great sign. Still though, really fun match here.

Booker is ticked at the result because that’s not how it works.

Tatum Paxley recruits Shiloh Hill to help her find the Culling. Hill grabs a lug wrench and we’re ready to go.

Lexis King and company don’t like that it has come to this, but Uriah Connors’ dad (Fit Finlay) made a call and “they’re on the way”.

IMG Credit: WWE

Lexis King/Uriah Connors vs. Charlie Dempsey/Tavion Heights

Stacks and Arianna Grace are here too. Connors and Dempsey go with the grappling to start with Connors flipping over him without much trouble. Dempsey takes him to the mat for a leglock and it’s off to Heights for a gutwrench suplex. A blind tag brings Dempsey back in for a running knee to King so Connors makes a surprise tag of his own to jump Dempsey.

That’s broken up and Heights is back in for the belly to belly, with King making the save this time. Everything breaks down and they all wind up on the floor…and here are Fit Finlay and William Regal to stare. That’s enough for Dempsey to suplex Heights on the floor and send him back inside for the Coronation and the pin at 4:39.

Rating: C+. This was a case where there might as well have been a big neon countdown clock to Dempsey turning on Heights as they all but guaranteed that would be happening when the match was made. That’s not a bad thing whatsoever, as it’s the logical path for the story to take. If nothing else, Regal and Finlay making a cameo makes the team feel a bit more legitimate, which they’ve been needing.

Post match Dempsey poses with the villains.

The Culling goes to leave but their car is on blocks, with Shiloh Hill walking away holding the lug wrench. He hands it to Robert Stone and the Culling is livid.

Here is Tony D’Angelo for a chat. When he returned to NXT, he said he had two missions and the first one ended at Vengeance Day, when he finished Darkstate. They are now what he was before: broken and searching for answers. D’Angelo has buried that version of himself and now it is time for him to win the NXT Title. He has no issues with Joe Hendry, but if he has to break Hendry’s face, so be it. This is personal, because Hendry has what D’Angelo wants. That’s the simplest way to go and this worked fine.

Sol Ruca and Lola Vice praise each other and want to face off for the NXT Title at Stand & Deliver.

Myles Borne asks Wren Sinclair and Kendal Grey if they have seen Joe Hendry. They take him over to a refrigerator, where they say his name and find…a cake? Hendry pops up and says he and Borne need to talk strategy. Sinclair goes to leave and Grey….is using her hand to devour that cake.

IMG Credit: WWE

Sol Ruca vs. Lainey Reid

The rest of Fatal Influence is here with Reid. Ruca wrestles her down to the mat to start and works on the arm. A headlock keeps Reid in early trouble and Ruca takes her down for the surfing on the back. Ruca faceplants her and then pulls her outside for a dive, only for Jacy Jayne to get in a cheap shot. Reid gets in a double stomp to the back of the head and we take a break.

We come back with Ruca dropkicking her into the corner but Reid manages a springboard Stunner for two. An electric chair drop plants Reid and Ruca elbows her in the face a bunch of times. Reid grabs a sitout powerbomb for two but Ruca hits an X Factor. Something like a spinning Beach Break gets two but the Sol Snatcher is broken up. A crucifix bomb sends Ruca into the corner, where she avoids a running knee. The Sol Snatcher finishes Reid at 12:58.

Rating: C+. This was a rare lengthy Reid match, which worked out well enough. At the same time, it seems that we could, or at least should, be on the way towards winning the Women’s Title. If nothing else, a showdown with Zaria has to come sooner or later, so why not at Stand & Deliver?

Elio LeFleur talks to Robert Stone about Eli Knight or Sean Legacy getting a title shot. Stone isn’t sure what to do when the Vanity Project comes in. They want a big match for Stand & Deliver but Legacy wants to fight them next.

Blake Monroe wants a big match at Stand & Deliver. Tatum Paxley comes in looking for Izzi Dame and leaves, with Monroe saying she wants her Women’s North American Title back.

IMG Credit: WWE

Women’s Speed Title #1 Contender Tournament Final: Wren Sinclair vs. Thea Hail

Hail dropkicks her down at the bell but it’s way too early for the Kimura. They trade running shots to the head for two and go outside with less than two minutes to go. Back in and Hail misses a high crossbody but grabs the Kimura. Sinclair is right back with the Final Wrench for the submission at 1:55.

Robert Stone talks to the tag division and we’ll be having a tournament to crown new #1 contenders. Darkstate wants their rematch without the tournament and here is OTM to brawl with them.

Fatal Influence doesn’t like being reminded about their title matches next week. Wren Sinclair and Kendal Grey come up to say they’re coming for the titles.

The Culling is leaving and Tatum Paxley jumps Izzi Dame. Security breaks it up so Robert Stone comes in to make the title rematch next week. In a cage.

Post break, Robert Stone hypes up the Houston show and announces that the tag tournament starts next week, but after that mess, OTM and Darkstate are not included. The Vanity Project comes in to thank Stone for the next week off, but Stone puts them in a six man against the Americanos.

Vic Joseph stands up at the desk and says he and Booker T. were only supposed to be a team for three months, but they’ve been going for over three years. Next week in Booker’s hometown of Houston, it is Booker T. Appreciation Night. Booker seems surprised.

Ethan Page/Ricky Saints vs. Myles Borne/Joe Hendry

Of note: Page and Saints have been standing in the ring for about ten minutes counting other segments and breaks. Hendry headlocks Page down to start and drops him again with a running shoulder. Borne comes in for a dropkick as Hendry has Page up in a suplex. It’s off to Saints, who takes over on Borne without much trouble. Borne is back with a swinging fisherman’s suplex but Page boots him in the face. Page tells Saints to throw in the title but Saints throws it too far, just like Page did on Saturday.

We take a break and come back with Borne still in trouble. Borne breaks out but Saints is there to pull Hendry off the apron. Saints and Page go old school with a PowerPlex for two but Borne is right back up for the tag to Hendry. House is quickly cleaned until Hendry and Saints hit clotheslines. Page throws in a title, which is quickly taken away, allowing Hendry to grab a rollup for two. Saints hits the spear but Page tags himself in, meaning it’s time to argue. Page is back up with the Twisted Grin onto the title to pin Hendry at 11:13.

Rating: B-. This was another match that went with a pretty obvious plan, as the ending sets up Page for a title shot at Stand & Deliver. After his pretty incredible North American Title reign, that makes all the sense in the world. Throw in Saints coming for the North American Title, they should be good to go for the top two men’s title matches. Not bad for one main event.

We get one more rundown of next week’s big show.

Saints and Page post, though Saints seems to realize that Page did what he couldn’t. Joseph: “Saints just realized that Page did what he couldn’t do.” Yeah that.

Overall Rating: B. There was good action and they took a lot of steps towards setting up Stand & Deliver. That’s what they needed to do here and it worked out well, though there is still a good deal of time left to fill on the way. For now though, they’re off to a good start and the opening triple threat, odd ending aside, was quite fun. Good show this week, which tends to be the case around here.

Results
Sean Legacy and Eli Knight b. Jasper Troy – Double pin
Lexis King/Uriah Connors b. Charlie Dempsey/Tavion Heights – Coronation to Heights
Sol Ruca b. Lainey Reid – Sol Snatcher
Wren Sinclair b. Thea Hail – Final Wrench
Ethan Page/Ricky Saints b. Myles Borne/Joe Hendry – Twisted Grin onto the title to Hendry

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

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

We’re closing in on Vengeance Day and that means it’s time to get the rest of the card together. Joe Hendry is already set to defend the NXT Title against Ricky Saints, which should make for a good showdown. Other than that we might gt some more title matches announced tonight so let’s get to it.

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

Robert Stone welcomes us to the show and runs down the card.

IMG Credit: WWE

Tag Team Titles: Darkstate vs. Vanity Project

The Project is challenging. Smokes runs away from Griffin to start and hands it off to Baylor, who can’t get a slam. It’s already back to Smokes, who gets caught in the corner and slammed down. Baylor comes back in and gets neckbreakered by Shuggars, with a big boot from Griffin getting two. Baylor’s rollup doesn’t get anything as Griffin comes back in off a blind tag and sends the Project outside.

We take a break and come back with Shuggars in the corner but a double suplex is broken up. Shuggars fights out and brings in Griffin for a double chokeslam. Smokes comes back in off a blind tag and gets two off a rollup. Everything breaks down and Jackson Drake puts Baylor’s foot on the rope to break up a cover. That brings out the rest of Darkstate…which allows Tony D’Angelo to toss Shuggars onto the apron. Baylor comes in and collapses onto Shuggars for the pin and the titles at 11:53.

Rating: C+. The point here is that the Project is pretty terrible in the ring but keep escaping with wins, including this one for the titles. That’s something that has been done for years and it works again here. Again, the point of a lot of this stuff is to bring in some fresh names to NXT and a pretty boy tag team has worked for years.

Myles Borne talks about how he has always overcome the odds and he’ll do it again when he wins the North American Title.

IMG Credit: WWE

Keanu Carver vs. Sean Legacy

Legacy starts fast by knocking Carver outside, where Carver cuts off a suicide dive with a forearm to the face. Back in and Carver hammers away, including a big right hand to drop him again. A backbreaker and gorilla press toss have Legacy down again and it’s time to head outside. Carver charges into a superkick though, allowing Legacy to hit a springboard 450 for two. Sliced Bread is shoved off though and Carver gives him a Pounce. That and something like a Jackhammer finish Legacy at 4:16.

Rating: C. The point here was to make Carver look like a monster and that was exactly what happened. He absorbed everything Legacy threw at him and won in dominant fashion. That’s all it needed to be and Carver looks like a monster. Legacy looks like someone who should be a star but almost never wins anything, which is pretty on point for him thus far.

Wren Sinclair and Kendal Grey agree to support each other when Kelani Jordan comes in to brag about making Lola Vice tap. Cue Vice for the pull apart brawl.

Speed Title: Elio LeFleur vs. Eli Knight vs. Jasper Troy

Troy is defending and there is a seven minute time limit. Both of the challengers are sent outside to start fast so Troy can throw them back inside. That doesn’t last long as it’s already back to the floor, where Troy is sent into the steps. Back in and Knight’s dropkick into a top rope moonsault (with Knight jumping from the floor to the top) for two on LeFleur.

Troy is back up to drop both of them again, including a toss powerbomb to send LeFleur into Knight. A chokeslam gives Troy two on LeFleur but he and Knight go up top to knock Troy out to the floor. Back in and Troy gets knocked off the top, followed by a DDT to send Knight into the apron. A 450 gets two on Troy, with Knight making the save. LeFleur’s hurricanrana driver plants Troy and Knight adds a moonsault, with LeFleur stealing the pin and the title at 5:50.

Rating: B-. The speed part was right and I liked this more than most of the speed matches. The problem with the usual matches is you just don’t have enough time, which wasn’t exactly the case here. I like LeFleur getting the title as well, as he has stood out in his few matches thus far. Go with someone new and see what he can do, which is what we’re getting here.

Ricky Saints brags about his acting debut on Wildcards but he’s worried about Ethan Page’s ankle. Page is fine for tonight and the Vanity Project come in to celebrate their title win. Saints promises to help Page retain.

We get a video on Joe Hendry, where he talks about how hard he worked to get here, including building himself up with his music video parodies. Then the world changed with Covid but he never gave up and became what you see today. These are good bio videos, as they give you a more personal connection to the people.

We get a similar video on Damian Priest, who learned how to be a star in NXT, which helped prepare him for the main roster. This works as well, with the idea of showing that the people you’re watching here can be the WWE stars of the future.

Darkstate is ticked off but Lola Vice comes in to steal the camera and storm into Robert Stone’s office. Vice wants an NXT Underground match with Kelani Jordan and it’s on for Vengeance Day.

IMG Credit: WWE

Women’s Title: Sol Ruca vs. Jacy Jayne

Ruca, with Zaria, is challenging and Jayne has the rest of Fatal Influence in her corner. We get the Big Match Intros…and Zaria jumps Ruca before the bell. The spear and F5 leave Ruca laying but she says she can go, meaning the Rolling Encore retains the title at 6 seconds.

Post match Zaria F5’s Ruca onto the announcers’ table. That’s a good turn, as they did it in the big spot where Zaria cost Ruca the most. The post match beating made it even better so nice job here.

Tatum Paxley, in the crowd, talks about twisting herself into knots to find love and she got so close to making someone stay. Then the people took her in and accepted the real her, which is why she’s going to win the North American Title for them. She wants to face Izzi Dame one more time so here is Dame for another argument, which is cut off by an entrance.

Women’s Speed Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Blake Monroe vs. Thea Hail

Monroe clothesline her down for an early two but Hail is back with the World’s Smallest Slam (that’s adorable). Monroe is knocked outside and cue Jaida Parker with a Hipnotique to knock her silly, allowing Hail to hit a running neckbreaker for the pin at 1:07.

We get more of the Joe Hendry video, as he rises up the TNA ranks, gets the #1 song on iTunes in UK, and starts making appearances in WWE. This includes wrestling at Wrestlemania last year and then he came here full time to become the NXT Champion.

Uriah Connors vs. Kale Dixon

They slug it out to start fast and Dixon misses a dive to the floor. He’s fine enough to cut off a dive but Connors knocks him down for an early two. Dixon rolls him up for two and they slug it out in the middle. A Stundog Millionaire stuns Dixon for two but he sends Connors outside for a crash. Back in and a twisting top rope splash gives Dixon two but Connors knees him in the head for the pin at 4:31.

Rating: B-. Now this felt like a match between two people who were given a chance and made the most of it. That’s nice to see, as they were working hard throughout the match and made it work pretty well. I’m not sure what’s next for either of them, but there is nothing wrong with trying something like this for a change.

We look back at Zaria turning on Sol Ruca.

Zaria tells Jacy Jayne that she wants a title shot next week, with threats of violence being enough to make it happen.

The Vanity Project praises Ricky Saints on his acting debut. Saints has a concert planned for next week and leaves to prep. The Project wants to help Ethan Page retain tonight but Hank & Tank and Shiloh Hill come in, apparently having stolen the Project’s steering wheel. A brawl is on and quickly broken up.

Video on Myles Borne vs. Ethan Page for the latter’s North American Title. Borne is trying to get his first big win and Page convinced him to get a bit more physical. This involved Pillmanizing Page’s ankle after the title match was made.

Robert Stone runs down next week’s card. Izzi Dame comes in to say she’ll go face to face with Tatum Paxley next week as well.

North American Title: Myles Borne vs. Ethan Page

Page is defending and comes in favoring his ankle. They slug it out to start with Borne getting the better of things, including a DDT on the bad ankle. A shinbreaker and suplex get two on Page, who kicks out of an ankle crank. Page grabs a neckbreaker but gets sent outside for a baseball slide. Back up and Page grabs the Ego’s Edge onto the announcers’ table and we take a break.

We come back with Borne getting two off a fisherman’s buster, followed by a Nightmare On Helm Street for the same. Page superkicks him into another Ego’s Edge for two and frustration is setting in. Borne is knocked into the corner and taken up top for the top rope superplex and a near fall.

As usual, Page takes too much time and gets caught in the Borne Again, which brings out the Vanity Project. A belt shot gives Page a very close two as Hank & Tank and Shiloh Hill come out to take out the Project. Cue Ricky Saints, which brings out Joe Hendry to cut him off. Page pulls a turnbuckle pad off and tries the Twisted Grin, only to get sent into the buckle. Borne Again gives Borne the pin and the title at 13:40.

Rating: B-. Good stuff here, with Borne overcoming the odds and finally reaching his goal. That was where Page’s rather impressive title reign should have ended and the whole thing worked out. Page is probably on his way to the title picture, or the main roster, and he has certainly earned it by this point. On the other hand you have Borne, who got to have his great moment which did work well. He’s an easy star to like and this went well enough.

Overall Rating: B. Well that was a lot. This show was absolutely packed up and down the lineup and that made it feel extra special. The key thing here was that it was basically throwing a bunch of stuff/names out there and giving them their chance to shine. Given the amount of star power the promotion lost in the last few months, that is something that needs to happen. It worked here, but you can’t do this kind of show very often. I liked the frantic nature, but we’ll have to see how it goes when things settle down. For now though, nice all over the place episode.

Results
Vanity Project b. Darkstate – Spinebuster onto the apron to Shuggars
Keanu Carver b. Sean Legacy – Suplex slam
Elio LeFleur b. Jasper Troy and Eli Knight – Moonsault to Troy
Jacy Jayne b. Sol Ruca – Rolling Encore
Thea Hail b. Blake Monroe – Running neckbreaker
Uriah Connors b. Kale Dixon – Running knee
Myles Borne b. Ethan Page – Borne Again

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

NXT
Date: February 17, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re officially in the Joe Hendry Era and his first serious challenger seems to be former NXT Champion Ricky Saints. That should set us up for a title match down the line, which could be a good one. Other than that, we have various people going after Darkstate so let’s get to it.

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

Lola Vice vs. Kelani Jordan

Vice charges at Jordan in the aisle during her entrance where the kicks are flying early. They get inside and Vice hammers away again before striking away with the left hand (as the right hand is still injured). Jordan is smart enough to go after the bad hand but Vice pulls her into something like a reverse Devil’s Kiss. The bad hand is sent into the corner though and a hammerlock northern lights suplex gives Jordan two.

Vice gets smart and stars striking away with the legs, including a kick to the ribs to put Jordan on the floor. Jordan is back with a running knee into the steps and Vice loses her hand protector as we take a break. We come back with Jordan still working on the hand but having to flip out of a sleeper.

Vice manages to send her throat first into the ropes though and a suplex puts Jordan down for two. They head outside, where Vice’s spinning backfist puts a hole through a wooden wall. Back in and the 450 doesn’t really come close, but thankfully Vice pulls it into a choke. That’s broken up with a stomp to the hand though and a crank of the bad hand makes Vice tap at 11:38.

Rating: B-. That was a match with a simple story and they played into it throughout. Vice started to figure out the idea of striking with the feet but eventually went back to her bread and butter, which is what wound up costing her. It was a good match though and Jordan got to show more aggression, which worked well for her in a good sign for her future.

Tony D’Angelo is ready for revenge on Darkstate, starting with Cutler James, but he wants Dion Lennox to be watching.

Joe Hendry tries to jump Ricky Saints in the parking lot but they’re held apart.

Shiloh Hill is ready for Ethan Page and has studied everything he can do. Hank & Tank come in to give him a pep talk but think he’s smarter than they are. That might not be as exclusive of a status as they think.

Here is a ticked off Joe Hendry to call out Ricky Saints for a fight. Saints pops up on the platform to say that he sees right through Hendry. The reality is that Hendry is just a song with nothing else, because we have a meme as the NXT Champion. Hendry says he deals in facts and the fact is that he’s the NXT Champion. Saints says that Hendry is great at marketing and has nothing to back up his words. Hendry still wants to fight but Saints issues the challenge for March 7 at Vengeance Day. That works for Hendry and the match seems to be made.

Izzi Dame mocks Tatum Paxley for blaming her for Paxley’s faults and is ready to beat every version of her at Vengeance Day. The rest of the Culling wants the Tag Team Titles.

Cutler James vs. Tony D’Angelo

D’Angelo goes right after him to start but gets stomped in the corner. Some German suplexes have James in trouble and a spinebuster finishes him off at 1:21. Ok then.

Post match Dion Lennox jumps D’Angelo, who drops him with a spear. James has to save Lennox’s leg from being crushed with the steps.

Ethan Page talks to the Vanity Project but Myles Borne comes in. Page says there’s no way Borne is getting a title shot, but Borne thinks he can convince him otherwise. Ricky Saints comes in to say they’ll all be champions at Vengeance Day.

OTM vs. Vanity Project vs. Hank & Tank vs. Culling

One fall for a future Tag Team Title shot. Spears circles around Price to start and gets headbutted in his chest. Nima comes in to grab Spears by the throat but Smokes tags himself in. Hank & Tank send him into the corner and a splash gives Tank two. Vance comes in and gets to face Price, with an exchange of shoulders not getting anywhere. Everything breaks down and OTM clears the ring, leaving the Vanity Project to….try a double chokeslam? As expected, they are promptly chokeslammed onto the other four as we take a break.

We come back with everything still broken down and Price wrecking people on the floor. Vance clears the ring but gets caught in OTM’s double Angle Slam for two with a bunch of people making the save. Four people are taken up top for a quadruple superplex, leaving everyone down.

OTM and Hank & Tank get up for a slugout but Baylor tags himself in. That earns him a swinging Boss Man Slam from Hank and a Death Valley Driver from Spears. Jackson Drake makes the save and OTM double stomps Spears onto the apron. Hank & Tank drive OTM through the announcers’ table but Baylor literally falls onto Spears for the pin at 11:32.

Rating: B-. The ending makes perfect sense as there was little reason to add the Project to the match if they weren’t going to win in the end. That’s a good thing too, as having a team who looks like they exist to get destroyed luck their way into a win is going to work most of the time. I’m not sure they win the titles, but they did the right thing in getting there. Throw in OTM figuring out how to be the power brawlers they were meant to be and this was a fun watch.

Post match Baylor looks stunned that he won but celebrates like crazy anyway.

Video on Keanu Carver, who grew up in Washington DC and played college football because he likes violence. No one, including his coach, could control him though and now he’s here to hurt people.

Robert Stone asks Joe Hendry to leave the building, which Hendry does. Sol Ruca comes up but Zaria cuts her off and yells at her, officially ending their friendship. That needed to happen.

Here is Fatal Influence for a chat. Jacy Jayne says she’s actually excited to face Sol Ruca for the Women’s Title next week. She’s jealous of Ruca, because no matter what Jayne does, the fans always tell her that Ruca is better. She even beat Stephanie Vaquer for the Women’s Title last year! Then Ruca got Superstar Of The Year and represented NXT at John Cena’s final match. Jayne is the most underrated superstar in WWE and it’s not because she can flip a lot.

Cue Ruca, who says Jayne is more envious than anyone else and winning the title hasn’t changed her at all. Jayne wanted that match and next week, Ruca is snatching her soul and the title. The beatdown is on but Zaria comes in and, eventually, makes the save. Zaria and Ruca hug.

Sean Legacy wants Elio LeFleur and Eli Knight to tear it down in their Speed match. They both say may the best man win.

Speed Title #1 Contenders Tournament Finals: Eli Knight vs. Elio LeFleur

They both miss some kicks to the face to start until Knight counters a charge into a belly to belly to the corner. LeFleur’s suplex over the top sends them both crashing to the floor, allowing Knight to hit a quick dive. Knight comes up favoring his ankle but gets back inside for a pinfall reversal sequence.

Knight’s superkick connects but he dives into a sitout powerbomb for two. LeFleur hits a kind of springboard shoulder (Joseph: “I don’t know what the h*** that was but it knocked Knight down.”) and goes up to miss a 450. Knight hits a running knee and goes up rather than cover for some reason, allowing LeFleur to dragon superplex him down…and time is up at 3:00.

Rating: B. These things are all about just cramming in as much stuff as you can and that worked here. It’s an entertaining sprint of a showcase for both of them, though hopefully this doesn’t set up a triple threat for the title. If nothing else, hopefully it gets rid of the tournament idea, as I have no idea why that needs to be a thing.

Post match Robert Stone comes out to announce a triple threat title match for next week, with a SEVEN MINUTE time limit.

Shiloh Hill respectfully requests that Myles Borne stay out of the North American Title match tonight and offers Borne a shot when he wins the title. Borne appreciates that but says it has to be against Ethan page before suggesting that Hill will lose. A fight is teased but it’s broken up before anything happens.

Uriah Connors talks to Charlie Dempsey and tries to get him on the Lexis King team. Dempsey isn’t sure and leaves, with King, Stacks and Arianna Grace coming in. Grace is happy with her newly won TNA Knockouts Title.

Robert Stone tells Fallon Henley that he’s trying to get her a Speed Title defense set up but Blake Monroe comes in to interrupt. She’s upset about Jaida Parker, but Parker is apparently out with a neck injury. Stone puts Monroe in the Women’s speed tournament next week…against Thea Hail.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Darkstate wants to take out Tony D’Angelo and retain their Tag Team Titles.

Zaria and Sol Ruca make up again. Myles Borne walks by, saying he knows what he’s going to do now.

North American Title: Ethan Page vs. Shiloh Hill

Page is defending and gets flipped over by the arm to start, meaning it’s time for an early retreat to the ropes. Hill takes him down into a hammerlock and Page grabs the rope, earning a shove out to the floor. Back in and Page starts in on the arm, only to charge into an elbow to the face. A Superman Punch of all things drops Page again and he gets knocked outside, leaving him looking rather confused. Hill hits a hard lariat but here is the Vanity Project as we take a break.

We come back with Page getting two off a big boot, followed by a swinging neckbreaker for two more. A super powerslam of all things gives Page another near fall so the Vanity Project pulls the ring mat back. The Ego’s Edge on the concrete is blocked but Page is back in with a Codebreaker. That makes Hill pull his tooth out though and Hill makes the fired up comeback. Hill beats up the invading Vanity Project but Page catches him with the Twisted Grin on the concrete. Back in and another Twisted Grin retains the title at 12:27.

Rating: B-. Hill is fitting in well around here as there is always the place for the weird guy who can still do well in the ring. It’s not something that feels like it could go a long way, but at least things are working well for his start. On the other hand you have Page, who is a good choice for a heel and can make his stuff work with just about anyone. Good stuff here, with Page setting the record for most successful title defenses.

Post match Page and the Project beats Hill down but Myles Borne makes the save. Hill gets up as well, leaving Borne to hammer on Page. Borne wraps a chair around Page’s ankle and teases Pillmanizing it while demanding a title match. Page says they can do it next week so Borne backs off, leaving Page to run his mouth again. That earns him a Pillmanization to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was the kind of show that was designed to get things going towards Vengeance Day and they made it work. A lot of the card is already set or all but ready to be set, though next week has three title matches of its own. The new stars are already fitting in well and hopefully that continues, as NXT lives on having a revolving door of talent. It worked here, and that means the future might be bright.

Results
Kelani Jordan b. Lola Vice – Hand crank
Tony D’Angelo b. Cutler James – Spinebuster
Vanity Project b. OTM, Hank & Tank and The Culling – Double stomp on the apron to Spears
Elio LeFleur vs. Eli Knight went to a time limit draw
Ethan Page b. Shiloh Hill – Twisted Grin

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Evolve
Date: February 11, 2026
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Robert Stone, Peter Rosenberg

We’re coming up on the season finale, which only means so much when the season premiere is a week later. The big result last week was Jackson Drake retaining the Evolve Title over Kam Hendrix in a bit of a surprise. Other than that, Karmen Petrovic is challenging Kendal Grey for the Women’s Title. Let’s get to it.

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

Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair recap the recent events in the women’s division in a way that no people would ever actually speak.

Opening sequence.

IMG Credit: WWE

Swipe Right vs. Eli Knight/Mike Cunningham

Tate Wilder is in the VIP section and Jackson Drake is here with Swipe Right. Smokes wrestles Cunningham down to start and it’s off to Baylor, who has to roll out of a wristlock. Cunningham dropkicks Smokes and sends Baylor outside, allowing Knight to come in off the top with a double stomp to Smokes’ arm. It’s back to Cunningham to stay on the arm and a running neckbreaker into a splash gets two.

Smokes manages to bring Baylor back in for a forearm to Knight, who easily rolls over for the tag back to Cunningham. Drake offers a quick distraction though and Baylor shoves Cunningham off the top as we take a break. We come back with Cunningham still in trouble but he hiptosses his way to freedom. Knight comes back in to clean house, including a nice tornado DDT/dropkick combination.

The moonsault doesn’t connect as Knight has to roll through, allowing Baylor to knock him down again. Cunningham breaks up the Super Swipe though and Baylor gets dropped with a hard German suplex. Everything breaks down and Baylor knees Knight in the face, setting up Super Swipe for two as Cunningham makes a diving save.

Smokes and Knight slug it out until Smokes catches him on top with a running knee. Cunningham is back in to pull Baylor off the top and fireman’s carry Smokes, allowing Knight to moonsault off Smokes’ back for two, with a big shove making the last second save. Knight’s Stundog Millionaire into Sliced Bread hits Baylor but a dive hits Cunningham by mistake. The top rope double stomp/reverse DDT combination finishes Knight at 12:20.

Rating: B+. That’s on a bit of a sliding scale as these guys are still relatively new at this level, but dang this wound up being a heck of a match. It felt like they were being asked to go out there and show what they could do and then lived up to the challenge. They pulled me into this one and it’s easily the best match any of them have ever had.

Post match the Vanity Project brags about their win and Jackson Drake says Cappuccino Jones can have his title shot in three weeks at Succession II. This brings out Harlem Lewis to say he earned his title shot so he’ll just have to beat up all three of them. Brooks Jensen runs in to jump Lewis from behind, with the Project approving.

Arianna Grace and Nikkita Lyons are exhausted from trying to be nice. Masyn Holiday and Layla Diggs come in and ask to switch lockers with them, but Lyons snaps because that TikTok video did NOTHING for her personal brand. Diggs reveals that the psychic was her neighbor Doris and a match is made for next week. Grace: “Can we sue?” Thank goodness as this story was not working.

Team PC is mad about Kam Hendrix losing last week so Hendrix wants a PC vs. ID ten man tag.

IMG Credit: WWE

Aaron Rourke vs. It’s Gal

Tate Wilder and Trill London are in the VIP and Rourke jumps over Gal in the corner to start and hits some shoulders to the ribs. Rourke stomps him down in the corner and a headscissors sends Gal outside. The dive connects and Rourke throws in a few spanks, with Gal fighting back and hitting one of his own. Back in and a headscissors is countered into a hot shot, followed by a discus lariat to give Gal two.

Gal tosses him out of the corner and hits a big boot for two. He stops to pose though (again) and Rourke elbows him in the face a few times to start the comeback. The running hip attack connects in the corner for two but Gal’s double knees get the same. Rourke reverses a superplex though and hits Over The Rainbow (Molly Go Round) for the pin at 6:40.

Rating: C+. Rourke continues to interest me as he is someone who would usually be treated as a comedy guy but he plays it seriously for the most part and it’s kind of working. He’s not a top star, but he’s a solid enough hand. Giving him a win like this is a good thing and I’m curious to see where he goes.

Tate Wilder isn’t happy with how the PC guys have been lately and is ready to stand up to them.

Video on Tyra Mae Steele.

Wendy Choo comes up to Kali Armstrong, who doesn’t seem pleased with the interruption. Choo suggests Armstrong go to therapy to fix her issues and gets punched in the ribs for her efforts. Bad talk.

We run down the Succession II card.

Women’s Title: Karmen Petrovic vs. Kendal Grey

Grey, with Wren Sinclair, is defending. Petrovic sweeps the leg for an early two to start and they stare at each other. An armbar takes Grey down but Grey flips around into one of her own. Back up and Grey kicks her down, only to get faceplanted out of the corner. We take a break and come back with a double collision leaving them down.

They pull themselves up and trade running shots against the ropes with Petrovic getting the better of things. Petrovic grabs a Sharpshooter, which stays on for a good while until Grey makes the rope for the break. The cross armbreaker goes on but Petrovic stacks her up for two. Grey’s sitout powerbomb gets two more but Petrovic superkicks her out of the corner. A tornado DDT gives Petrovic two more and she goes up top, where Grey pulls her back down. Shades Of Grey retains the title at 8:16.

Rating: B-. While there wasn’t much drama about retaining the title, it was nice to see Grey having to work to get a hard fought win. Grey continues to be someone who feels like she’s planned for the top level one day and she looked solid here. Petrovic did well too, but this might be her ceiling in WWE and that’s not a great sign for her future.

Post match PJ Vasa comes out and challenges Grey for Succession II.

Overall Rating: B+. The opener was very good and this was a wrestling heavy show, which made for a strong week. Evolve is doing rather well right now and that’s a good sign heading into two of their biggest shows. I want to see where some of these things are going and the stories feel like they have been mapped out well from beginning to end. Now just get the payoffs right and everything works.

Results
Swipe Right b. Eli Knight/Mike Cunningham – Top rope double stomp/reverse DDT combination to Knight
Aaron Rourke b. It’s Gal – Over The Rainbow
Kendal Grey b. Karmen Petrovic – 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:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

NXT
Date: February 10, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re in a bit of a new era as we have a new NXT Champion in Joe Hendry, who won the title last week in a heck of a seven man ladder match. That leaves us pretty wide open for where things go from here and that should make for some interesting developments. Other than that, we’re on our way to…whatever the next big show is going to be.  Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Here is Joe Hendry to get things going. He is the new NXT Champion but he wasn’t sure he was going to get here. Last week he was on the floor in pain but he looked up at Ricky Saints and he got up to win the title. Becoming a two time national amateur wrestling champion in England was a step, just like winning the TNA World Title and facing Randy Orton at Wrestlemania. Cue the Vanity Project to interrupt, with Jackson Drake saying he’s ready to run through a wall. Or take the title. The brawl is on with Hendry getting taken down, allowing Drake to do Hendry’s pose and hold up the NXT Title.

Zaria and Sol Ruca are still having tension, with Zaria asking why it can’t be her time. Ruca: “Good talk, I guess.”

Jaida Parker is ready to give a beating. The fire she has in her eyes is great.

Keanu Carver wants the next shot at the NXT Title but Robert Stone says Jackson Drake is getting it, as Shawn Michaels wants chaos. Carver is fine with delivering chaos but Stone tries to stop him. A glare cuts that off really fast.

Blake Monroe vs. Jaida Parker

Parker jumps her to start but Monroe throws part of her gear. That doesn’t get her very far though as Parker is back with a German suplex. A waistlock puts Monroe in trouble and Parker knocks her out to the floor. Monroe manages a trip into the announcers’ table though and we take a break. We come back with Parker blocking a kick to the ribs and elbowing Monroe in the face. The Teardrop connects in the corner and Parker knocks her outside, where they brawl to a double countout at 9:02.

Rating: C. Well that wasn’t much. Parker continues to feel like a star in the making but instead she’s going to a double countout in a so so match with Monroe. At least Parker feels like she has something going for her though, but Monroe is just kind of there. That’s going to need to change, as she’s needing something else to do. Like pairing her with someone perhaps.

Post match the beatdown stays on, with Parker taking out both Monroe and security. Monroe bails into the crowd.

Tatum Paxley talks about how it felt like she was drowning and struggling to breathe around Izzi Dame and the Culling. She tried to become what Dame wanted her to be but had to let go. It let her become what she knew she was and become the version of Tatum Paxley she needs to be.

Kale Dixon yells at Uriah Connors for walking out on Chase U last week. Connors says Chase held them back and here are Stacks, Arianna Grace and Lexis King, who seem to want Connors on their side. Wasn’t he on the team last week?

The title character from the movie Psycho Killer is behind commentary. Make your own Tommaso Ciampa reference.

Speed Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Josh Briggs vs. Eli Knight

Knight ducks boot in the corner to start and gets in a high crossbody. An enziguri sends Briggs outside for a running dive but he clotheslines Knight in the back of the head for an early two. Knight knocks him back down and hits a moonsault for the fast pin at 2:06. Well they got the speed part right, but that’s about all they had here.

Elio LeFleur comes out to shake hands with Knight but Jasper Troy comes in to lay them both out.

Lola Vice gets her hand looked at and is ready to face Kelani Jordan next week. Cue Jordan to jump her from behind.

Keanu Carver has wrecked a bunch of people, including Sean Legacy and Andre Chase.

Here is Darkstate for a chat. Dion Lennox wants the NXT Title but Cutler James isn’t sure what Tony D’Angelo was thinking last week. They haven’t forgotten about the Culling either, but here is the Culling on the platform to say they aren’t charging into this kind of a disadvantage. The lights go out and OTM say they’re here for the titles as well. Hank & Tank pop up to say they want the belts too but here is D’Angelo to run through Darkstate.

Post break Robert Stone makes a three way #1 contenders match for next week with OTM, the Culling and Hank & Tank. Stone runs into Shiloh Hill, in a hockey mask for some reason, but Ethan Page comes in to say Hill needs to leave. Hill does that and Page tells Stone that he wants to set the record for the most title defenses. Page says he’s already beaten everyone around here and from TNA but Hill comes back in to get his machete, which gets him a title shot next week.

NXT Title: Joe Hendry vs. Jackson Drake

Only Hendry is defending and Drake (with the Vanity Project) dropkicks him into the corner to start. An early Swanton gives Drake two and a running shooting star press connects, only for Hendry to roll through into a fall away slam. They go outside with Hendry blocking a ram into the apron and then hitting a slam back inside.

Hendry rams him into the corner a few times and gets two off a suplex, with the fans approving. The Project gets caught sending Hendry into the steps though and get ejected as we take a break. We come back with Hendry fighting out of a cravate and grabbing a quick neckbreaker.

Hendry makes his comeback but the Standing Ovation is escaped, meaning Hendry has to settle for two off an Angle Slam instead. A German suplex and the Unaliver (running knee, not even named by commentary) gets two on Hendry but he counters a hurricanrana into a powerbomb. The Standing Ovation retains the title at 11:14.

Rating: C+. This was about getting Hendry’s first title defense out of the way and that’s not a bad thing. What matters the most is establishing him as champion, which kind of hast to be done since he won the title in a ladder match. I’m not wild on a champion losing, but it does help when the Evolve Title is clearly further down the ladder than the NXT Title, so this is far from an upset.

Post match Ricky Saints runs in and lays Hendry out.

Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair fire each other up before their main event.

Darkstate is ready for whomever comes after them next. Cutler James is ready to take out Tony D’Angelo next week.

IMG Credit: WWE

Hank & Tank vs. Vanity Project

Hank chases after Baylor to start but gets taken into the corner for the tag off to Tank. A Smokes distraction lets Baylor get in a dropkick though and Smokes comes in for a chinlock. That’s broken up in a hurry with Hank working on the arm. Smokes gets sent face first into the buckle but Baylor gets a blind tag so Tank can get stomped in the corner.

We take a break and come back with Tank getting away and diving over for the tag back to Hank. A wheelbarrow Edge-O-Matic (that was cool) drops Smokes but Baylor comes in off the top with an elbow to cut Hank off. Everything breaks down and they all knock each other down but here are OTM and the Culling to brawl for a distraction. Cue Jackson Drake to knock Tank into a rollup to give Baylor the pin at 11:20.

Rating: C+. I’m assuming this will result in the Vanity Project being added to the #1 contenders match (which is fine) but the best thing is that it makes the team look like a bit more of a threat. The idea of the team isn’t that physically imposing but they’re clever. That’s something that has worked for years and it’s probably the best option for the team.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Sean Legacy wants Keanu Carver in two weeks. Yeah Carver will beat him up, but Carver will know he’s been in a fight.

Robert Stone does indeed put Vanity Project in the #1 contenders match next week (Simple and logical. That’s all I ask for. Well a lot of it at least.). Myles Borne comes in and isn’t happy about not getting the North American Title shot. Stone tells him it’s time for him to do something out of character.

Here’s what else is coming next week.

IMG Credit: WWE

Wren Sinclair/Kendal Grey vs. Sol Ruca/Zaria

Whomever gets the pin gets an NXT Women’s Title shot. Grey rolls Ruca up to start fast so Ruca throws her into the corner for a break. It’s off to Sinclair for a basement dropkick but Ruca flips out of a wristlock. Zaria comes in to take over but shoves Ruca for a tag, only to break up Ruca’s cover. Zaria’s blind tag lets her get back inside, where Grey hits a superkick from the apron.

A double suplex gets Zaria out of trouble and it’s back to Ruca for a Mega Powers elbow. Ruca and Zaria argue with each other though and get dropkicked together for a crash out to the floor. Sinclair and Grey hit a dive apiece and we take a break. We come back with Grey escaping Zaria’s torture rack and both of them being knocked down.

Ruca tags herself back in and missile dropkicks Sinclair, followed by a running knee for two. Zaria makes her own tag back in and has to fight out of a cross armbreaker. Grey superkicks Zaria into Ruca, which counts as a tag but Zaria doesn’t notice. The spear hits Grey and an F5 takes out Sinclair, only for Ruca to come back in with the Sol Snatcher (which didn’t come close, with Grey falling down before the contact) to pin Grey at 12:25.

Rating: B-. That ending really didn’t work as there was no way to hide how far off the Sol Snatcher really landed. At the same time, it’s another issue between Ruca and Zaria, as I try to figure out why they’re still together. It’s one case after another of Zaria getting screwed over (often by herself) and they should have pulled the trigger on their split already. Sinclair and Grey work well together too and hopefully their split is a good time off in the future, as it doesn’t need to happen anytime soon.

Zaria is furious and here is Fatal Influence to yell at Ruca to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was about trying to take some steps into the future, as we have a lot of new stories that need to come together. It also helped with the idea of giving some of the fresh names something to do. NXT was needing some fresh blood and thankfully their early steps went fairly well. That being said, they still have a long way to go so we’ll have to see where it goes from here.

Results
Jaida Parker vs. Blake Monroe went to a double countout
Eli Knight b. Josh Briggs – Moonsault
Joe Hendry b. Jackson Drake – Standing Ovation
Vanity Project b. Hank & Tank – Rollup to Hank
Sol Ruca/Zaria b. Kendal Grey/Wren Sinclair – Sol Snatcher to 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:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Evolve
Date: February 4, 2026
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone

It’s a big night as the Evolve Title is on the line, with Jackson Drake defending against Kam Hendrix. This comes after Hendrix had Drake go up against a bunch of monsters last week in a rather smart move. Other than that, it’s time to find whomever might be next for the Women’s Title so let’s get to it.

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

Team PC is ready for Kam Hendrix to win the Evolve Title. Braxton Cole comes in after things got, ahem, messy in the back. Apparently Sean Legacy

Opening sequence.

IMG Credit: WWE

Tyra Mae Steele vs. Carlee Bright

Steele wrestles her down with no trouble to start but Bright picks the leg a few times. That doesn’t get Bright very far as Steele pulls her into a bow and arrow. The chinlock goes on but Bright is back up with a headscissors. That’s broken up and Steele reverses into something like an STF. Back up and they collide for a double down before Bright hits a swinging neckbreaker. Steele pulls her out of the air though and hits Mae Day (Samoan drop) for the pin at 4:38.

Rating: C. Steele continues to be someone with all of the background in the world and some charisma to back it up. If she can put that together with the pro style, she has all of the potential. As for Bright…uh….I’m not sure what she has, though I would have said the same thing about Kendal Grey a year ago so things can indeed change.

The Vanity Project welcomes Team ID in because they need to band together to fight off Kam Hendrix. That doesn’t work well, though Aaron Rourke thinks the Project might have a point. After a huddle, Team ID is actually in, with Rourke hitting on Jackson Drake a bit. Swipe Right doesn’t think much of Mike Cunningham and Eli Knight though and a match is set for next week.

Arianna Grace and Nikkita Lyons are still freaked out by the séance and think they need to be really nice. Layla Diggs and Masyn Holiday come in, with Grace and Lyons trying to play nice. They’ll even do a new TikTok dance with them! This….yeah this isn’t working.

Drake Morreaux vs. Sam Holloway

Morreaux powers him down to start and a running hurricanrana does it again. Holloway is knocked down again for something like a bottom rope Vader Bomb for two but he’s back up with a big boot. Another knockdown gives Holloway another two but Morreaux sends him to the apron for a big boot to the floor.

Holloway goes with the idea of hitting Morreaux in the face, with a springboard elbow connecting for two. A big charge misses for Holloway in the corner though and Morreaux kicks him right back down. Holloway dropkicks him out to the floor, which of course means a big running dive to take Morreaux down again. Back in and Morreaux hits a discus lariat (not exactly a clean one), followed by a regular clothesline for the pin at 6:17.

Rating: B. This was the Big E. Langston special as you had two big men getting in there and hitting each other until one of them couldn’t get up again. That’s exactly what you would have wanted to see out of a match like this and they more than delivered. I had a great time with this and I was even surprised at the result so well done all around.

Post match Morreaux says Team PC doesn’t represent the Performance Center, but he’s coming for the Evolve Title.

Next week: Karmen Petrovic challenges Kendal Grey for the Women’s Title.

Team ID gives Sean Legacy a hard time with his cleaning but Team PC interrupts to help him clean. With the ID guys gone, It’s Gal comes in to mock Team PC but Aaron Rourke stands up for the team and challenges Gal to a match next week.

IMG Credit: WWE

Dante Chen vs. Trill London

Chen works on the arm to start so London reverses into a wristlock of his own. Back up and Chen knocks him down a few times before London dives over Chen, only to possibly hurt his leg. It’s fine enough for London to grab an armbar but it’s a half nelson slam to put him down again. Chen gets two off another slam but misses a boot, allowing London to hit a Whisper In The Wind. A middle rope sunset flip gets two on Chen, who drops London with a superkick. Chen boots him down again though and the Gentle Touch finishes London at 5:31.

Rating: C-. Huh? I’m sorry what now? You build London up as someone interesting with the great athleticism and he gets pinned clean by DANTE CHEN? Maybe it’s that I watched LVL Up for years but I still don’t get what Chen is supposed to offer. London feels like someone interesting with potential and he just….loses here. Odd indeed. On top of that, the match didn’t exactly feel smooth, as it came off more like a tumbling routine than a match, which isn’t a great way to go.

We get a face to face showdown between Kendal Grey and Karmen Petrovic. Grey doesn’t want this to get too personal but she’ll face anyone to keep her title. Petrovic thinks Grey is looking past her when Petrovic has all the momentum. Grey isn’t underestimating her but promises to walk in and out as champion.

The Season Finale will air on February 25 but the season premiere, Succession II, will be the following week.

Kali Armstrong is disappointed by her recent losses and needs to get that dog back in her. Maybe she needs to go back home for a bit and find her old self.

Evolve Title: Kam Hendrix vs. Jackson Drake

Hendrix, with Jax Presley and Harley Riggins, is challenging while Drake has Swipe Right with him. Drake goes for the leg to start but gets put down with a running shoulder. Riggins and Presley trip Drake so Swipe Right does the same to Hendrix, meaning it’s the rare quadruple ejection. We take a break and come back with Hendrix striking away for two and grabbing the chinlock. Drake fights up and hits an enziguri but gets punched in the face for going up top.

Hendrix’s powerbomb doesn’t work and Drake grabs a German suplex for two. The referee gets bumped and Drake hits a jumping knee to put Hendrix down. Cue Team PC to beat Drake down but Team ID runs in for the big brawl. Swipe Right is back in as well as I wonder how fragile the referee must be to not notice about ten people interfering. Legacy hits a big flip dive and Swipe Right takes Hendrix down. The Unaliving retains the title at 8:38.

Rating: B-. The ending was the kind of wild brawl that makes for an interesting situation, though I’m rather surprised that Hendrix didn’t win. Drake has held the title for a long time now and it’s odd to see the team seemingly changing over to the good side. At the same time, Hendrix and company had been built up fairly well, though I’m not sure what is next for them. It’s a good match, even with a bit of a surprising result.

Post match Cappuccino Jones holds up the title and says he’s coming for this because Drake owes him one.

Overall Rating: B-. Good show here, albeit with a few surprising results. The thing that stuck out to me here was something that made the glory days of NXT work so well: it felt like there was a focus on everything taking place in the ring. The matches and segments were made to feel important and that helps when they come back around later. This is still the most enjoyable show every week and this worked again, even with me being rather surprised more than once.

Results
Tyra Mae Steele b. Carlee Bright – Mae Day
Drake Morreaux b. Sam Holloway – Clothesline
Dante Chen b. Trill London – Gentle Touch
Jackson Drake b. Kam Hendrix – Unaliving

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

NXT
Date: January 27, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s the week before the big show and that means we have more qualifying matches for the six way ladder match for the vacant NXT Title. Other than that, the Tag Team Titles are on the line as Darkstate defends against OTM. That should be enough to carry us to next week’s big card so let’s get to it.

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

NXT Title Qualifying Match: Joe Hendry vs. Jackson Drake

Non-title and….non-match as the Vanity Project has attacked Hendry in the back. Ava pops up to say she has to deal with Tony D’Angelo and they’ll shuffle the schedule.

IMG Credit: WWE

Tag Team Titles: Darkstate vs. OTM

Darkstate is defending and Shuggars is trying to get his gear on as the match starts. Price and Griffin have a big staredown with Nima coming in for some double slams to clear the ring. Back in and Price sends Shuggars into the corner but Three Amigos are broken up. OTM clears the ring and we take an early break.

We come back with Nima in trouble as Shuggars grabs a spinning toehold. Griffin and Nima hit stereo crossbodies and it’s back to Price, who Rock Bottoms Shuggars onto Griffin for two. Cue the Vanity Project for a distraction though and Price gets rolled up to retain the titles at 11:10.

Rating: B-. Good enough here, though Darkstate is only so interesting as champions. It feels like they’re just kind of there and the big impact that they had earlier in the run is gone. They’re far from bad, but they need to do something else to stand out. The same is true of OTM, who just feel like they’re kind of floating around from match to match.

Post match the brawl is on with Chase U and the Culling getting into things. The Culling lays out Darkstate.

Nikkita Lyons agrees to face Jaida Parker so Blake Monroe doesn’t have to. Singing is involved.

Jaida Parker vs. Nikkita Lyons

Parker works on the arm to start and grabs a headlock as the fans are rather approving. Lyons is back up with a spinning kick to the face and some dancing. A faceplant sets up the neck crank but Parker is up with some clotheslines. The Tear Drop in the corner and the Hipnotique sets up a kind of abdominal stretch slam (better than the Hipnotique) to give Parker the pin at 4:54.

Rating: C. Not much to see in the match, but Parker being treated as someone serious is a good thing to see. The fans love her and she has the charisma to make it work. If she can turn that into something in the ring, she’ll be a star in a hurry. NXT needs some replacements and she very well could be one of the better ones.

Post match Blake Monroe (in a different outfit than before) says she’ll see Parker soon.

Tavion Heights gives Eli Knight and Elio LeFleur a pep talk but Arianna Grace, Stacks and Lexis King interrupt. They don’t think much of Heights and a match between King and Heights seems likely.

TNA’s The Elegance brand is ready for Sol Ruca and Zaria.

Zaria isn’t happy that Ruca isn’t here yet but Thea Hail comes in. They argue about being handed title shots and a match seems likely.

Ethan Page wants Myles Borne to be ruthless instead of righteous tonight. Borne says mind his own business and Ricky Saints, who comes in as well, can shut up too.

Vanity Project comes up to see Ava and says she can’t prove they attacked Joe Hendry. Ava says she can’t but there is a spot in the ladder match and Jackson Drake is in, but if Hendry is cleared, he’s in too.

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT Title Qualifying Match: Dion Lennox vs. Myles Borne

Borne grabs a headlock to start and they go to the mat with Lennox getting caught in a headscissors. Lennox is up with some rollups for two each but Borne is back up with some running elbows in the corner. A running clothesline puts Borne on the floor, where he fights back with a whip into the steps as Ethan Page comes out to watch as we take a break. We come back with Borne fighting back until Lennox grabs a rollup, though the referee catches him cheating. Page throws Borne a belt but the referee takes it away (it didn’t seem like Borne was going to use it), allowing Lennox to hit a Michinoku Driver for the win at 10:42.

Rating: C+. I still like Borne, though I’m worried they might turn him evil. He’s the definition of someone who would make for a good overcoming the odds story so hopefully that’s the direction they’re taking instead. If nothing else, having him take the title from Page would be a nice result. As for Lennox…uh…can I talk about Borne some more?

Post match Page tells Borne that he has to listen so Borne drops him.

Tony D’Angelo comes in to Ava’s office, where Ricky Saints is warning her about Keanu Carver. Saints leaves and D’Angelo asks Ava why she bailed him out. Apparently NXT needs him and she wants to know if he’s in or out. He’ll make his intentions clear next week, but he’s not the same D’Angelo. Ava warns him not to interfere in the ladder match.

Andre Chase isn’t happy with Chase U getting involved in the fight earlier but now he has to go get ready for his match. Lexis King comes in, asks if Uriah Connors’ father is proud of him, and rides his throne into the arena.

Tavion Heights vs. Lexis King

Heights suplexes him for two in the first ten seconds before starting in on the ribs. King manages to send him outside for a ram into the barricade as Stacks and Arianna grace come out to watch. Heights gets in another suplex back inside, only to miss a clothesline and fall back out to the floor. He comes up favoring his arm and misses a slingshot shoulders back inside. King grabs the Coronation for the pin at 3:49.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what is next for either of these two as they feel like they are pretty much just kind of there. Neither feels like they are moving up the list in the slightest and that isn’t a great sign. Hopefully they find something new to do, as both of them could do more than they are currently handling.

Post match King poses with Stacks and Grace, saying that was just the beginning. Granted his promo is cut off but at least it’s something.

We get a special feature called NXT Origins, featuring a look at Finn Balor’s time in NXT. I’ve heard worse ideas.

Zaria vs. Thea Hail

Izzi Dame is on commentary. Hail’s headlock doesn’t last long as Zaria powers her into a fireman’s carry. That’s broken up and Hail sends her outside for a suicide dive. A clothesline drops Hail back inside and we take a break. We come back with Zaria’s choke out of the corner being broken up and Hail running her over for two. The springboard backsplash is pulled out of the air but she gets the Kimura to keep Zaria in trouble. That’s broken up with a backdrop and Zaria hits a spear but the F5 is countered into a DDT. Cue Tatum Paxley to go after Dame and the distraction lets Hail grab a rollup for the pin at 9:16.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to make of Zaria but it’s starting to get less and less interesting. She’s a powerhouse and can do that well enough, but it only works so well if she keeps losing match after match. Then again it could (and likely is) leading to a feud with Ruca, which is about as good of an option as she has right now.

Post match here is Fatal Influence, with Zaria laying Hail out with an F5.

Charlie Dempsey was impressed by Wren Sinclair and Kendal Grey, except for their loss. Grey is distracted by not being Jacy Jayne but Stacks and company come up to say Dempsey is one of them. Dempsey is confused, as he should be.

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT Title Qualifying Match: Keanu Carver vs. Andre Chase

Chase goes right at him to start but gets powered into the corner. Carver knocks him outside and then into the ropes back inside. A suplex gives Carver two but Chase fights back with some shots to the head. The high crossbody gives Chase two and they head outside, with Chase tackling him over the announcers’ table. Carver gets back up for a hard slam onto the announcers’ table. Back in and the spinning powerslam gives Carver the pin at 4:01.

Rating: C+. Chase was trying out there and he did what he could, but there is only so much offense to be found against this kind of a monster. It made for a nice debut for Carver, who feels like something to be reckoned with in the near future. While I can’t imagine him winning the title, I could imagine him smashing through a lot of people and that’s a good idea.

Post match Carver wrecks him again, including stomping Chase’s injured face into the steps.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Keanu Carver grabs the mic and says if anyone has a problem with him wrecking everyone, come do something about it. We cut to the back, where Shiloh Hill and Dion Lennox are heading to the ring.

Post break, Jackson Drake, Lennox, Hill, Sean Legacy and Carver are in the ring, with Hill saying all that just fired him up even more. Lennox doesn’t want to hear that trash talk because Darkstate knows how to take things. Legacy says this is the biggest opportunity of his life and he’ll take chances, which is why Drake thinks Legacy will choke. Cue Ricky Saints with a ladder, which he climbs before addressing everyone else. He is the rose who has come up from the concrete jungle but Carver is sick of talking so the fight is on. Cue Joe Hendry to join the fight but Carver powerslams him down.

One more rundown of next week’s show wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C+. This was the kind of show that you need to have every so often, as this was all about setting things up for next week’s really big event. It might not make for the best card but it is something that has to be done. They made it work well enough here, though you might be better off just waiting for next week instead of wasting your time here.

Results
Darkstate b. OTM – Rollup to Price
Jaida Parker b. Nikkita Lyons – Abdominal stretch slam
Dion Lennox b. Myles Borne – Michinoku Driver
Lexis King b. Tavion Heights – Coronation
Thea Hail b. Zaria – Rollup
Keanu Carver b. Andre Chase – Spinning powerslam

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6