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

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

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

In Memory Of Dory Funk Jr.

Opening recap, looking at the NXT Title picture.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Women’s Speed Title: Zaria vs. Wren Sinclair

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

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

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

Post match Zaria gives her a quick F5.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keanu Carver vs. EK Prosper

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

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

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

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

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

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

We get a tribute to Dory Funk Jr.

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

Women’s Title: Lola Vice vs. Kendal Grey

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It’s time for a major title rematch as Tony D’Angelo is defending against Naraku in a street fight. D’Angelo already beat him in one title match, though now we have to do it again due to reasons. In addition, we are starting to approach Heatwave and it’s time to start getting the card ready. Let’s get to it.

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

Robert Stone tells the referee’s main event that Naraku and Tony D’Angelo cannot couch before the main event. Thea Hail comes in to talk to Stone about something but Nattie comes in to say she’s going to beat Jaida Parker.

Romeo Moreno/Noam Dar/Saquon Shuggars vs. Darkstate

It’s a brawl on the floor to start until Dar hammers away on Lennox inside. Lennox runs away from Shuggars so it’s off to Griffin, who pulls a springboarding Moreno out of the air. Everything breaks down and Lennox has to be saved from a TripleBomb through the announcers’ table. Instead Dar gets planted down and we take a break.

We come back with Shuggars getting the tag to clean house, including a basement dropkick for two on James. Shuggars dives into a backbreaker though and everything breaks down again. Moreno’s springboard missile dropkick hits Lennox, who is taken outside for a Death Valley Driver through that wooden wall. Back in and a double toss powerbomb finishes Moreno at 9:27.

Rating: C+. If Darkstate is going to be anything, they absolutely had to win here. The team is still on life support but they should be able to beat a makeshift ground who is there for the sake of giving Shuggars another match. This was all about Shuggars vs. Lennox of course, and there is a good chance that we’ll be seeing a violent fight between then sooner than later.

Post match Shuggars and Lennox have to be help apart.

Lizzy Dame and Thea Hail are unhappy with how things are going around here. Kendal Grey and Jaida Parker get into it a bit over Natalya but calm down.

Here is Kendal Grey, with Wren Sinclair, for a face to face showdown with Lola Vice. Grey is glad Vice won the title shot next week but Vice thinks this is going to be rough for her. The reality is that Vice isn’t done in NXT but Grey says she is already dominating around here. Unlike Vice, it didn’t take her years to make this happen. Vice issues the challenge for the Underground on August 4, with Grey saying she’ll kick Vice’s a** so she can go back to shaking it. That’s a big upgrade, though having Vice’s mega gimmick match as the rematch is a quick move.

Video on Tony D’Angelo vs. Naraku.

Keanu Carver vs. Hank Walker

Tank Ledger is here too. Walker jumps him to start fast and the slugout is on. Carver gets in a few right hands to send him outside but Walker is back in with a Boss Man Slam. That’s cut off with a toss into the fall away slam so Carver goes after Ledger. Walker gets in a flip dive through the ropes and goes back inside, only to get Pounced. The Alabama Slam finishes for Carver at 4:30.

Rating: C. Carver getting to smash through someone else is a good thing to do and I could go for seeing it happen more often. So far that has been the case for him most of the time, save for that EK Prosper stuff, but that’s not a bad idea. It’s not like there was a reason to believe that Walker was going to beat him so seeing Carver smash through someone was good thing.

Post match Carver goes after ledger again but EK Prosper runs in for the save and Carver is beaten down.

Nattie offers her services to Lola Vice, who isn’t interested.

Shiloh Hill buys a tooth from Danhausen, who is happy to accept Bitcoin.

Jaida Parker vs. Nattie

Nattie’s friends are here too and offer a distraction, allowing Parker to get some rollups for two each. Parker wins a power off and tries the Hipnotique, only to have Nattie run out to the floor. A distraction lets Nattie go after the knee to take over as we go to a break. We come back with Parker in trouble but managing a Falcon Arrow for two.

Nattie’s Michinoku Driver gives her two and there’s the Sharpshooter, which sends Parker crawling over the apron for the break. Parker gets her own chop block and Sharpshooter…and here is Thea Hail to throw in the towel (after Nikkita Lyons and Karmen Petrovic were arguing over it) for the win at 11:40.

Rating: C+. Hail vs. Nattie doesn’t do much for me but what matters here is that Parker didn’t lose again. It certainly seems like we are moving away from Nattie vs. Parker and that’s good to see as the feud has gone on far too long. Parker still feels like a star in the making and it would be nice to see her moving on.

Video on Tony D’Angelo vs. Naraku, setting up their street fight rematch for the title.

Kelani Jordan annoys Robert Stone and says she was robbed last week. Stone says the referee’s decision is final. OTM comes in and they have a match set, though Bronco Nima has to decide if he’s working for NXT or AAA that night. Lucien Price doesn’t seem pleased.

Niko Vance vs. Shawn Spears

Izzy Dame is here with Vance, who gets jumped from behind to start fast. Dame offers a distraction though and Vance gets in a shot from the apron to take over. A running clothesline cuts Spears down again but Spears knocks him outside. That means a suplex to put Vance on the floor again but another Dame distraction lets Vance come back again.

We take a break and come back with Vance getting suplexed off the top. Spears fires off the chops and grabs a chair, which brings Dame up to the apron. Cue Lizzy Rain for a distraction and Spears….does the Eddie Guerrero faking being hit by a chair. Believe it or not this actually works and Vance is disqualified at 11:05.

Rating: C+. I was expecting Vance to win here but there is something to be said about the veteran Spears outsmarting him to win. And it even gave us another Guerrero tribute so it’s great to see. While I can’t imagine this winds up going well for Spears in the end, at least he did get off to a nice start so it’s not as straightforward as you might have expected.

Kam Hendrix’s knee is at 67.2% when Myles Borne and Tavion Heights come in. Borne wants to reform the team with Heights and they would like a shot at the Tag Team Titles. Stone agrees, if Borne can successfully defend his North American Title next week. Hendrix gets a well timed text saying his knee is cleared. Stone says if that’s true, he can have the title match next week. Heights is thrilled.

Reina Volcan is ready to prove that she is a natural disaster.

Reina Volcan vs. Skyler Raye

Volcan grabs a powerslam for an early two but Raye starts flipping around. Some running shots in the corner are cut off with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker though and Raye is right back in trouble. A torture rack (the Natural Disaster, a great name) makes Raye give up at 3:05. Pretty solid debut.

Rating: C. This was all it needed to be, as Raye got in a bit of offense and was then promptly smashed. Volcan feels like the new big monster around here and has basically been promoted as such. Go with what makes sense to her and have it work out, which is what they did here.

Shiloh Hill and Robert Stone shill KFC until a rather aggressive Stone requests and receives a match with Tristan Angels next week. Hill calms way down when he gets the match, but he also steals the chicken.

An SUV arrives in the back, with commentary speculating that this is whom Stone has been talking to on the phone all night (which hadn’t really been overly noticeable but fair enough).

NXT Title: Naraku vs. Tony D’Angelo

D’Angelo is defending in a street fight (Commentary says this is the first time the title has ever been defended in a street fight and…..how is that possibly true?). Anyway, Naraku mists him at the bell and D’Angelo rolls outside, where Naraku starts grabbing the weapons. Some chair shots have D’Angelo in more trouble and Naraku suplexes him through some open chairs. D’Angelo fights up and goes over to find a bottle of water to clean out his eyes.

Naraku is sent crashing through the barricade and we take a break. We come back with D’Angelo hitting Naraku with a ladder and loading up a table. An Alabama Slam through a table is broken up so D’Angelo goes to the eyes to put Naraku back down. They head outside again and Naraku Widowmakers him through the announcers’ table. Back in and another misting is blocked, with D’Angelo rubbing the mist into Naraku’s eyes. Dead To Rites through the table retains the title at 12:03.

Rating: B-. This was a pretty standard street fight/weapons match and it went well enough to give D’Angelo a clean win. I’m a bit surprised that they didn’t give Naraku the title as he felt like the one planned to stop D’Angelo, but he could move on to someone else rather quickly. Either way, nice enough stuff here for a big TV main event.

Post match D’Angelo celebrates but former TNA World Champion Mike Santana (no name here, because WWE) comes through the crowd for the big staredown to end the show. Yeah you knew he was showing up and it was a matter of when rather than if, so thankfully they didn’t waste time.

Overall Rating: B-. I wasn’t feeling a lot of this show, though the Santana debut at the end was a great bonus. What matters the most here is that they can start moving towards Heatwave and I could go for seeing what they have in mind for the card. Santana getting the title there wouldn’t be out of the question, but there are at least some seeds being planted for the show this far out. Nice enough show here, but the main event is the only match really worth your time.

Results
Darkstate b. Romeo Moreno/Noam Dar/Saquon Shuggars – Double toss powerbomb to Moreno
Keanu Carver b. Hank Walker – Alabama Slam
Jaida Parker b. Nattie – Sharpshooter
Shawn Spears b. Niko Vance when Vance didn’t hit him with a chair
Reina Volcan b. Skyler Raye – Natural Disaster
Tony D’Angelo b. Naraku – Dead To Rites through a table

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

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NXT
Date: July 14, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

Heatwave is starting to come into view but we have a good enough while to go. The big story around the NXT Title seems to be a rematch between Naraku and champion Tony D’Angelo. Other than that, we have various people coming for various titles, as tends to be the case on a wrestling show. Let’s get to it.

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

Tag Team Titles: Vanity Project vs. Sean Legacy/Dorian Van Dux

The Project is defending. Legacy rolls Smokes up to start fast before armdragging Baylor into an armbar. Dux comes in for a nice dropkick and a belly to back suplex, setting up Legacy’s standing moonsault for two. Smokes gets chopped down in the corner and Baylor comes in off a blind tag, only to be sent outside. Legacy hits a huge dive and we take a break.

We come back with Legacy in trouble in the corner and Smoke grabbing a chinlock. Legacy fights out of a double belly to back suplex though and it’s a rolling tag to bring in Dux to clean house. Smokes trips Dux from the floor though and it’s a Codebreaker into a spear for two, with Legacy making the save.

Everyone is down for a minute until Dux crotches Smokes on top. A top rope splash and 450 combine to give Legacy two and the champs are sent outside for stereo dives. Jackson Drake is pulled in but Myra Lockwood low bridges Dux out to the floor. Legacy is sent into the steps and a top rope double stomp/reverse DDT combination retains the titles at 13:09.

Rating: B-. Dang it the Project is starting to get good at their thing and that was the case again here. They’re a team who look like they should be easily beaten but they are just good enough to get by. That’s a good place to be and it should be interesting to see which team is finally able to figure out the combination to finally beat them.

Tavion Heights and Myles Borne think they could take the Tag Team Titles but Kam Hendrix comes in to say he wants the North American Title. He’s hurt for now but showtime is coming soon.

Saquon Shuggars wants OTM to be his partners against Darkstate but they remember him being a bit evil so that’s a no. OTM goes over to talk to Birthright for going after them, but Birthright brings up Bronco Nima going to AAA on his own. Maybe there are some cracks in the OTM foundation.

Here is Tristan Angels for a chat. He’s not big on Shiloh Hill, who has a family tree involving wild animals but Angels is here with Hill’s missing tooth. Angels then stomps on said tooth, so here is Hill on the screen, saying that he can fix his smile, but Angels can’t fix the fact that the fog is coming. Hill shouts that a bunch and some fog appears to scare Angels.

Nattie and company think that Nikkita Lyons should replace the injured Layla Diggs in the Women’s North American Title match. Lizzy Rain and Izzy Dame want in as well so a lot of bickering ensues. Robert Stone is sick of it and makes a four way for the title tonight.

Tate Wilder vs. Naraku

Wilder gets an inset promo saying he likes this kind of a challenge. Wilder snaps off an armdrag to start but gets sent throat first into the middle rope. Naraku is sent outside though and we take a break. We come back with Naraku throwing him into an STF. That’s broken up so Naraku grabs a chinlock, only for Wilder to fight up for a Sling Blade. A Sling Blade backbreaker gets two on Naraku and a spinning high crossbody gets the same. Wilder goes up again but gets shoved down for a big crash. Back in and Into The Abyss finishes Wilder off at 8:56.

Rating: B-. Wilder was trying here but he was in over his head and got crushed in the end. Naraku got to shake off just about everything that Wilder threw at him and wound up winning, as the match should have been. There is a good chance that Naraku is coming up on a violent rematch with Tony D’Angelo for the NXT Title so a nice win like this is a good thing.

Post match D’Angelo comes in for the brawl, with security only having so much success.

Hank & Tank and EK Prosper turn Saquon Shuggars down as well.

Women’s North American Title: Izzy Dame vs. Nikkita Lyons vs. Lizzy Rain vs. Zaria

Only Zaria is defending. They fight for some early rollups for two each until Rain springboard elbows Zaria down. Zaria is back up with a spinning clothesline to Lyons and it’s time to pair off for stereo brawls. We take a break and come back with Lyons and Rain striking it out on the apron until Zaria and Dame clothesline each other.

Back in and Rain cleans house but Lyons gives her a sitout powerbomb for two. Dame is back up with a running dropkick to break up a fireman’s carry and get two on Zaria. Rain and Lyons are knocked outside and Zaria spears Dame for two. Cue Nattie and Karmen Petrovic but here is Jaida Parker to take Nattie out. Zaria spears Petrovic and a spear into the F5 finishes Lyons to retain the title at 12:46.

Rating: B-. This was a tricky one as they went from a singles match to a wild four way with pretty much no build. That’s not their fault in this case and they did what they could here. Zaria retains the match and while it’s annoying that Lyons took the fall, at least they did everything to get out of there given the screwy circumstances.

Wren Sinclair and Kendal Grey turn Saquon Shuggars down too, but Lola Vice comes in to say she’s not done with Grey.

Tony D’Angelo demands Robert Stone give him Naraku again and the match is set for next week. D’Angelo says he isn’t waiting and Stone chases after him.

Tavion Heights vs. Jackson Drake

The rest of the Vanity Project is here with Drake, who is backed into the ropes to start rather quickly. Heights grabs a headlock, which doesn’t work very well for him as Drake drives him into the corner. Back up and Heights suplexes him into the corner and we take a break.

We come back with Heights missing some charges into the corner and getting his leg taken out. The Figure Four goes on with Heights turning it over, sending Drake crawling to the rope for the break. A big backdrop sends Drake onto the Project so Brad Baylor gets up on the apron. That’s cut off so Heights tries the belly to belly, only to get reversed into a sunset flip to give Drake the pin at 10:37.

Rating: C+. It’s a good night for the Project and it’s nice to see Drake get a pretty big win without much cheating. He’s the most talented of the Project and someone who could go somewhere as a singles star so why not see what he can do? At the same time, Heights continues to lose and I have no idea where he’s supposed to go in this whole thing.

Reina Volcan is a force of nature and ready to wreck people.

Saquon Shuggars, Noam Dar/Romeo Moreno….and they actually say yes! Huh, I was expecting someone from the main roster showing up.

Kali Armstrong talks trash to Kendal Grey and promises to win. Armstrong runs into Jaida Parker, who isn’t impressed. Nattie and company jump Parker.

Shawn Spears saw potential in the Culling and he’s proud of Izzy Dame. He was proud of Niko Vance for taking a step forward, but then it was two steps back. Let’s find out just how much Vance learned.

Kelani Jordan vs. Lola Vice vs. Kali Armstrong

For a future Women’s Title shot. Armstrong is clotheslined to the floor to start, leaving Jordan to roll Vice up for two. Back in and Armstrong’s charge hits the post, leaving the other two to brawl on the mat. Armstrong breaks that up with some slams, with Vice being sent outside. Jordan neckbreakers Vice who DDTs Armstrong for two but Vice sends Jordan outside.

A guillotine choke has Armstrong in trouble but Jordan is back in for the save. Vice and Jordan brawl to the floor so Armstrong takes them both out with a big dive. We take a break and come back with Vice hitting the running hip attacks in the corner. Armstrong spinebusters Vice for two but Jordan kicks both of them in the face, followed by a double Eat Defeat.

Jordan gets pulled into a triangle choke with Armstrong making the save, setting up a string of rollups for two each. A frog splash breaks up Vice’s cross armbreaker for two but Armstrong powerslams Vice. The Kali Connection sends Vice outside so she and Jordan can trade rollups for two each. Back in and Vice spinning backfists Armstrong but gets dropped by Jordan. The 450 hits Armstrong, only for Vice to kick Jordan off and get the pin at 14:20.

Rating: B-. It was almost all action, but Vice is absolutely the right choice given how strongly her first match with Grey was received. If you already have a story that good, just run a rematch because the fans are going to want to see it. Jordan and Armstrong losing again is fine as Jordan will get her big title shot down the line and Armstrong is going to be a force just because of the incredible power and athleticism.

We run down next week’s card but it’s off to the parking lot.

Tony D’Angelo and Naraku are fighting in the parking lot so Robert Stone comes in to make their title match next week a street fight.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show built around getting us ready for the pretty big TV show next week before we start the real build towards Heatwave. The good thing is that they made it work here, with pretty much everything clicking and the winners feeling like they got something out of their matches. I want to see where some of these things go next week and I’ll take that every single time.

Results
Vanity Project b. Sean Legacy/Dorian Van Dux – Top rope double stomp/reverse DDT combination to Van Dux
Naraku b. Tate Wilder – Into The Abyss
Zaria b. Izzy Dame, Lizzy Rain and Nikkita Lyons – Spear to Lyons
Jackson Drake b. Tavion Heights – Sunset flip
Lola Vice b. Kelani Jordan and Kali Armstrong – 450 to Armstrong

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: June 30, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re done with the Great American Bash and the big story coming out of the show was Lola Vice losing the Women’s Title to Kendal Grey. We’ll get to see where things go for the new champion going forward, probably in the form of meeting a new challenger. Other than that, Tony D’Angelo turned back a challenge from Naraku and he’ll be needing a new challenger of his own. Let’s get to it.

Here is the Great American Bash if you need a recap.

We open with a long Great American Bash recap.

Here is Kendal Grey for a chat. She’s more nervous to be out here now than she was in the main event on Sunday. Ever since John Cena picked her to be in the Women’s Iron Survivor, her life has been crazy. No one puts pressure on her like she does and she kept dropping the ball. This Sunday, she proved she belonged here, even though she doesn’t look like a normal champion.

No she isn’t going to dress like a Barbie but when the bell rings, she’ll be wrestling like a champion. Sooner or later, everyone is going to find out they can’t keep up with Kendal. Cue Wren Sinclair with a cake but before they can celebrate, here is Kelani Jordan to say she wants the title shot she has earned. Tatum Paxley pops up out of the crowd to dive onto Jordan as Wren and Kendal have cake.

Keanu Carver has attacked El Hijo del Vikingo, saying the title match is off.

Izzi Dame is complaining about how she doesn’t have a title but Zaria isn’t pleased with her issues. Lizzie Rain comes in and annoys both of them with loud music.

Kelani Jordan complains about everything to Robert Stone, who has no time for this. Stone gives her Tatum Paxley in tonight’s main event before going to deal with Keanu Carver. Thankfully Carver is a few feet away and says that he doesn’t like being overlooked. His reward: a match with EK Prosper tonight. WWE is getting annoying with announcing things and then changing them lately.

Tag Team Titles: Vanity Project vs. Galeno/El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr.

The Project is defending. Baylor shoves Galeno into the corner to start and gets punched by Wagner as a result, with Wagner hitting a big running flip dive to take the champs out. We take a break and come back with Wagner enziguring his way out of the corner and bringing Galeno in again. House is quickly cleaned, including a toss dropkick to send Wagner up for a dropkick to Smokes.

The Project is right back with a dropkick Hart Attack for two on Wagner but Galeno’s reverse suplex connects for the same. Wagner climbs onto Galeno’s shoulders for a splash on Baylor but Galeno accidentally backdrops Smokes onto the cover to break it up. Jackson Drake offers a distraction as well and a top rope double stomp/reverse DDT combination to Wagner retains the titles at 10:10.

Rating: B-. This worked well enough for a team of guest stars popping in for the sake of a one off title match. It’s not like there is any story to the match and the Project are seen as weak enough that they could lose the titles at any time. It wasn’t great but it was the Project getting to capitalize on a mistake, which does make sense for them. Or anyone really.

A bunch of tag teams want a title shot so Robert Stone makes a four team #1 contenders match next week. Romeo Moreno/Noam Dar are left out as Stone says they need to build up their resume first (fair and accurate).

Mason Rook vs. Jackson Drake

The rest of the Vanity Project is here with Drake. Rook blocks an early headlock takeover attempt and gets two off an early powerslam. Hold on though as Kam Hendrix calls Booker T. to say he’s about 60% cleared to return to the ring and will be back soon. But did he get a new sling to cut down on the chaffing?

Anyway Rook misses a backsplash but does a Samoa Joe sidestep of a springboard moonsault. Rook’s second backsplash attempt connects and Drake rolls outside as we take a break. We come back with Drake getting two off a cutter but Rook drops him with a toss Blue Thunder Bomb. The cannonball crushes Drake in the corner but he avoids a sitdown splash.

Drake hits a Lionsault double stomp (OUCH) for two, only for Rook to slam him down again. Another powerbomb is countered into a heck of a Code Red to give Drake two. Back up and Rook’s sitout powerbomb gets two more and the fans are (rightfully) losing it over this stuff. The Project gets up for a distraction though and Drake gets a Backstabber, with Myra Lockwood holding Rook’s foot for the pin at 11:51.

Rating: B+. Well where in the world did that come from? These two just happened to have great chemistry together and I was wondering where this was going. This was a couple of guys trading one big move after another and while Rook has been treated like a big deal since he debuted, I didn’t know Drake had this in him. Shockingly awesome match here and I could go with a rematch.

Post match Rook wrecks the Project.

Tate Wilder gives EK Prosper a pep talk.

Kali Armstrong comes in to Robert Stone’s office and wants a chance. He tells her that actions speak louder than words.

EK Prosper vs. Keanu Carver

Carver powers him into the corner to start and grabs an early armbar. Prosper is up with a dropkick and a low bridge to the floor, naturally setting up the big running flip dive. Back in and a top rope splash gives Prosper two and we take a break. We come back with Prosper fighting out of a chinlock and seeing Carver hitting a great looking release German suplex during the break.

Carver’s powerslam is countered into a Stunner (that was different) but he cuts off a dive to drop Prosper onto the announcers’ table. Cue Hank to knock Carver through the barricade (in revenge for Carver attacking Tank at the Great American Bash) for nine, leaving Prosper to hit a moonsault for the pin at 10:12.

Rating: C+. There is something to be said about having Carver run through people but getting taken out as a result of his own actions. That’s a far cry from Carver slipping on a banana peel or getting cheated unfairly as it also keeps him strong. Prosper is looking good too and it is nice to see him getting a chance of his own, including being the kryptonite to Carver.

Kendal Grey is in Robert Stone’s office where he announces a four way Women’s North American #1 contenders match next week. Nattie and her new friends come in with Nattie praising them and then asking for a title match. Stone and Grey are in so the match is set for next week.

Jaida Parker vs. Karmen Petrovic

Nattie, Layla Diggs and Nikkita Lyons are here with Petrovic. Parker powers her into the corner to start and grabs a quickly broken headlock. Back up and Parker sends her into the corner for the Tear Drop but a Nattie distraction lets Petrovic drop Parker onto the apron. Petrovic stomps away inside and a suplex sends Parker flying for two. Parker reverses a kick to the chest into the Rings Of Saturn, sending Petrovic straight to the rope. A baseball slide drops Petrovic so Nattie and company get in some cheap shots. Back in and Parker shrugs it off, setting up the Hipnotique and Deja Vu for the pin at 4:48.

Rating: C. I would hope that we’re not going to see Parker run through Nattie’s group to get at Nattie because I don’t want to see Nattie around that long. I do like Petrovic getting a chance to do something but losing in about five minutes is hardly some big upgrade. At least Parker got a win, and her getting even more would be a nice thing to see.

Shiloh Hill and Tatum Paxley talk about enjoying fun and knowing how to turn into their dark versions when necessary. Paxley leaves and Niko Vance comes in, saying they need to get rid of weak stars one by one. Hill doesn’t like the implication that Paxley is weak and Vance says the toothless look makes for a nice smile.

Sean Legacy comes up to Dorian Van Dux (who wasn’t in the tag team meeting earlier) and says they need to be on the same page. Dux says they will be.

Myles Borne and Wren Sinclair are happy with their wins on Sunday but Tavion Heights comes in. Heights says that no matter what, friends stay together no matter what, in an effort to erase what he had said to Borne. It doesn’t quite work, as Borne says that’s what he’s been trying to tell Heights all along before leaving.

Here is Tony D’Angelo for a chat. When you do things every day, you start taking them for granted. Last week he got his eye burned and had to sign a document before he was able to fight at the Great American Bash. That made him stop for a second, because he wasn’t sure if he was going to risk his health to defend the NXT Title. Of course he was, and that’s why he gave it his all against Naraku.

There is no one in that locker room willing to swim deep enough to take the title from him. And that’s that, with Kendal Grey coming out for the main event but Naraku comes in to chair D’Angelo down. An STO onto the chair leaves D’Angelo down. I’m really not getting the reason for this feud continuing when D’Angelo beat him clean.

After a break, we see Naraku backstage before the attack, where he misted D’Angelo to leave him completely blinded before laying him out. That’s a nice touch that didn’t come across earlier.

Tatum Paxley vs. Kelani Jordan

They fight over a lockup to start and go to the mat, with Jordan taking over. Jordan’s headlock doesn’t last long as Paxley is up with a dropkick to the floor. Jordan is right back up but misses an Asai moonsault, allowing Paxley to hit a superkick to the chest. We take a break and come back with Paxley forearming away and seeing Kali Armstrong jumping Kendal Grey on commentary right before the break.

With Grey gone, Paxley strikes away at Jordan, including a step up kick from the floor to the head. Paxley misses a 450 though and tweaks her ankle (which was also banged up during the break). Jordan stomps her down and cranks on the leg, with Paxley rolling her out to the floor. The Cemetery Drive is countered and Jordan goes after the leg to set up something like an Angle Slam. One Of A Kind finishes Paxley at 12:20.

Rating: B-. I’m not happy to see Paxley losing here but at least Jordan’s push towards the big showdown for the title is being built up. It might not be interesting, but at least it’s coming together. Paxley is in a weird place as she doesn’t have much to do right now and she’s on a losing streak, which is hardly a great sign for her future.

Post match Jordan leaves but a woman (Vic: “We all know who that is!”) comes in to jump Paxley and lay her out to the end the show. Naturally commentary never said the newcomer’s name but it’s Nikki Blackheart.

Overall Rating: B-. I liked the show for the most part as it followed a logical path, save for Naraku vs. D’Angelo continuing. You can see where a lot of these feuds are going and I want to see how some of those stories play out. This was a bit of an upgrade over the last few weeks of NXT and I’m glad to see that, as the Great American Bash was only so interesting. Throw in the rather awesome Rook vs. Jackson match and it was a nice show this week.

Results
Vanity Project/Galeno/El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. – Top rope double stomp/reverse DDT combination to Wagner Jr.
Jackson Drake b. Mason Rook – Backstabber with assist from Lockwood
EK Prosper b. Keanu Carver – Moonsault
Jaida Parker b. Karmen Petrovic – Deja Vu
Kelani Jordan b. Tatum Paxley – One Of A Kind

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

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

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

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

Evolve Title: Aaron Rourke vs. Tristan Angels

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Birthright vs. Hank & Tank

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

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

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

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

We look back at Tony D’Angelo being burned.

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

Keanu Carver vs. EK Prosper

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

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

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

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

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

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

Izzi Dame vs. Arianna Grace

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

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

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

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

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

The Culling vs. Dorian Van Dux/Sean Legacy

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

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

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

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

Great American Bash rundown.

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

One more Great American Bash rundown ends the show.

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

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

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NXT
Date: June 16, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

We’re rapidly approaching the Great American Bash and that means one of the great NXT traditions: the big sitdown before a title match. In this case that’s between NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo and #1 contender Naraku, who are set to face off in twelve days. We’ll also find out the #1 contender for the North American Title so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Here is Zaria for a chat. She talks about how hard she worked to get here and all of the effort people saw, but they only talked about Sol Ruca. This title is a course correction and she doesn’t owe anyone any gratitude. Cue Kelani Jordan for an interruption but since Zaria doesn’t have the title Jordan wants, Zaria can’t do anything for her.

She does have some special advice though: Zaria is never going to be good enough for the fans but all Jordan needs is one shot at Lola Vice. This brings out Kendal Grey, who says the result is going to be the same anytime she faces Jordan. Cue Vice, who says that she’s still the Women’s Champion and can take out all three of the. Robert Stone, tag match, everyone is happy.

Tavion Heights vs. Jackson Drake

For a title shot against Myles Borne and the Vanity Project is here with Drake. They fight over some rollups to start but Heights is back up with some gutwrench suplexes. Heights works on the armbar before sending Drake crashing into the corner. Some clotheslines don’t do much to Drake though and a jumping knee sends Heights outside as we take a break.

We come back with the two of them hitting crossbodies at the same time, allowing Heights to snap off a backdrop. Drake grabs a handspring cutter though and snaps off a standing shooting star press for two more. Drake takes too much time going up though and gets tossed down, setting up Heights’ good looking top rope splash for two. A backdrop sends Drake crashing onto the Party and here is Borne to clothesline the Party down. The belly to belly finishes for Heights at 11:06.

Rating: B-. Drake was a good choice for a challenger here as he’s just dangerous enough to be a threat to Heights. At the same time, Heights vs. Borne has been built up for a few months now and is the logical way to go. Heights feels like a threat with that suplex and I want to see the title match so call this a nice success.

Post match Borne and Heights have a staredown, with Borne raising Heights’ hand and Heights not really approving.

Last week, Robert Stone talked to Evolve Champion Aaron Rourke, Hank & Tank and the comedian from last week’s Mr. NXT contest, with the comedian being surprised at how violent it is around here. Birthright comes in and doesn’t like the comedian mocking him so a tag match seems likely.

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

Hail gets two near falls in the first ten seconds and Dame’s faceplant gets two more. Back up and Hail goes after the arm, with Dame bailing out to the floor. Some stomps to the arm have Dame in more trouble but she avoids the springboard backsplash. The running knee finishes for Dame at 2:10. Yeah Hail is never going to happen is she?

Kendal Grey wants Wren Sinclair by her side but Sinclair isn’t sure about her bad knee. Lola Vice comes in to suggest she’ll retain the title anyway.

Tony D’Angelo comes to see Naraku and accuses him of having nefarious motivations. Naraku doesn’t know what is going on but D’Angelo brings up Naraku’s history in Japan. D’Angelo accuses Naraku of having a bunch of people coming to help him. D’Angelo signs and leaves, with Naraku saying evil is coming but not signing.

Video on Nattie vs. Jaida Parker.

Keanu Carver and EK Prosper come in to see Robert Stone, who puts them in a match.

Nattie vs. Jaida Parker

Nattie runs from the power to start and the chase lets Parker take her down back inside. Parker grabs a waistlock but Nattie reverses into a headlock takeover. The grappling on the mat doesn’t get Nattie anywhere and Parker pulls her into the Rings Of Saturn. That’s broken up as well and they go outside for a double clothesline and we take a break.

We come back with Nattie running her over on the floor again and stopping to pose. That’s enough of a delay for Parker to slap on an STF back inside, sending Nattie crawling over to the rope. Back up and Parker wins a slugout to send Nattie into the corner for the Teardrop. The Rings go on again but Nattie escapes and they go outside, with Parker being sent into the barricade. Back in and the Sharpshooter (eventually) makes Parker tap at 15:13.

Rating: B-. As usual, Nattie gets to be in something that might make logical sense but isn’t the most thrilling match. Nattie is not interesting and hasn’t been for a long time, which is what causes whatever stories she has to be less than thrilling. Parker losing again doesn’t help either, but this isn’t likely to be wrapping up anytime soon. At least it shouldn’t be.

Mason Rook talks to Lizzie Rain but Tristan Angels interrupts them. Shiloh Hill is injured so Angels will have to be. Mr. NXT in his absence. Evolve Champion Aaron Rourke comes in to mock Angels (including his efforts in last week’s swimsuit round) and a match is set for next week.

Women’s Speed Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Arianna Grace vs. Layla Diggs

They trade fast near falls to start until Grace gets two off a suplex. Back up and Diggs fires off some kicks, including a rolling kick to put her down. Diggs dives onto Birthright but the delay lets Grace small package her for the pin at 2:45.

Noam Dar talks to some of the new stars around here and names Romeo Moreno as his new partner. Dorian Van Dux and Sean Legacy are off to find opponents.

Tate Wilder talks about injuring his finger a few years back but it just made him go after his success that much more.

Saquon Shuggars talks about growing up in a rough neighborhood and how he had to get into wrestling to escape. Then he joined Darkstate, who kept chipping away at the good things he was doing. Now he’s out and he’s ready to face Dion Lennox. Good stuff here, as Shuggars has a nice story.

Zaria/Kelani Jordan vs. Lola Vice/Kendal Grey

Vice and Jordan go to the grappling to start before missing kicks to the head. It’s off to Grey, who dropkicks Jordan out to the floor and it’s off to Vice vs. Zaria for the showdown. Zaria counters a springboard bulldog into a suplex and it’s already back to Grey. That’s fine with Zaria, who knocks her outside for a cheap shot from Jordan and we take a break.

We come back with Vice hitting the running hip attack on Jordan, who goes back to Vice’s hand to take over. One Of A Kind is broken up but it’s back to Zaria to spear the now legal Grey in half. Grey gets in a Fujiwara armbar, which is broken up rather quickly and all four are knocked down. It’s back to Vice, who slips out of a powerbomb and slaps on a guillotine. That’s broken up and they head outside for the string of dives. Zaria loads up an F5 but Tatum Paxley pops up for a distraction. Back in and Vice’s spinning backfist finishes Zaria at 12:45.

Rating: C+ Good grief stop having Zaria get pinned so often. She has a reputation as someone who chokes in big matches and she loses in her first match as champion? That doesn’t exactly make things better for her and I’m not sure how it’s the best idea here. The match was rather energized, but the result leaves something to be desired.

Grey and Vice show some tentative respect as Paxley dives onto Zaria. Jordan comes back in for a distraction and Grey accidentally takes Vice down to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show advanced a good bit towards the Great American Bash, but it didn’t help the fact that the Bash isn’t feeling all that important. NXT is still trying to get their new stars established and that makes for quite the stretch on a bigger stage. Hopefully things pick up both at and after the Bash, because while this stuff is perfectly fine, it doesn’t have much of a spark and that’s not going to work long term.

Results
Tavion Heights b. Jackson Drake – Belly to belly
Izzi Dame b. Thea Hail – Running knee
Nattie b. Jaida Parker – Sharpshooter
Arianna Grace b. Layla Diggs – Small package
Lola Vice/Kendal Grey b. Zaria/Kelani Jordan – Spinning backfist to Zaria

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NXT
Date: June 2, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re getting closer to…whatever the next big show is going to be but first we have the NXT Title being defended as Kam Hendrix challenges Tony D’Angelo. That should at least be a good match, but we also have the issue of Saquon Shuggars trying to get revenge on Darkstate for turning on him. Let’s get to it.

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

Zaria vs. Lizzy Rain

Zaria goes after her to start but gets dropkicked into the corner. Rain knees her from the apron and snaps off a hurricanrana into the corner. A kick seems to annoy Zaria, who hammers Rain down and pulls her away from the ropes for the crash. Cue Tatum Paxley to taunt Zaria but she’s able to knock Rain outside as we take a break.

We come back with Rain firing off headbutts in the corner but walking into a spear to leave them both down. Back up and Rain wins a slugout, setting up a springboard tornado DDT. Zaria’s F5 is countered so she nails a discus lariat for two. Rain shrugs off some yelling and hits a cutter, only to springboard into a suplex. The F5 gives Zaria the pin at 10:34.

Rating: C+. They kept this moving and Zaria is finally starting to get somewhere with these wins. Odds are she gets a title shot against Paxley at the Great American Bash and it’s nice to see her string together some wins to make that more realistic. Other than that you have Rain, who is still trying to find something to do.

Post match Zaria loads up another F5 but Paxley comes in to offer her a title shot next week.

Tavion Heights and Myles Borne suggest Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux team up. They seem somewhat interested.

Izzy Dame, in a referee top, tells the Culling to focus, as she is going to put the Women’s Title on the backburner for now.

Darkstate comes out for a match but Saquon Shuggars sneaks through the crowd and drops Cutler James with a pipe. Apparently we have a schedule change.

OTM vs. The Culling

Izzy Dame is here with the Culling, who get jumped to start fast with Spears getting elbowed in the face inside. Vance comes in to take over on Price, who avoids a charge in the corner and runs Vance over. Price gets sent outside though and we take a break. We come back with Nima suplexing Spears and getting over for the tag to Price. House is quickly cleaned, with a knee to the face getting two on Vance. The powerslam/neckbreaker combination gets two on Price, who is back up with a superkick to put Vance on the floor. The double swing into the double Angle Slam pins Spears at 9:29.

Rating: C+. It’s another perfectly nice match with the two teams getting to have some ring time. If nothing else, it was nice to see OTM actually win a match for a change. They’ve felt like they have potential to do something for a long time now but it isn’t going to matter unless they get to do this a lot more often.

EK Prosper gives Tate Wilder a pep talk but asks him to maybe let someone else have a chance. Wilder doesn’t seem interested but Kam Hendrix comes in to brag about his own success.

Jackson Drake vs. Tate Wilder

The rest of the Vanity Project is here with Drake. Wilder wrestles him down to start and works on the arm for a bit. Back up and Drake swivels his hips a bit, earning himself a Sling Blade. That’s enough to send Drake outside, with Wilder hitting a quick flip dive. We take a break and come back with Drake winning a brawl on the apron but missing a 450. The TKO connects for Wilder and he powerbombs Drake out of the corner. A UFO Splash gives Wilder two but the Project gets up for a distraction. Myra catches Wilder in a pair of powerbombs and now Drake’s 450 can connect for the pin at 8:38.

Rating: B-. I still like Wilder a bit but he’s firmly in the “getting used to this place” phase. That will pass in time and Wilder hasn’t looked bad this far. On the other hand you have Drake, who is easily the best star of the Vanity Project. The whole group is working well enough thus far and I’m curious to see where they go from here.

Robert Stone is fired up about the Great American Bash but Osiris Griffin comes in to complain about Cutler James being attacked. Jasper Troy comes in to mock Griffin but Darkstate jumps Troy and leaves him laying (with the camera being taken out as well).

We look at Lola Vice retaining the Women’s Title last week.

Here is Vice for a chat. Last week, she knocked out Izzi Dame just as she promised and now she wants to know who is next. This brings out Kelani Jordan, who brags about how she’s gone to TNA to become Knockouts Champion and became a bigger star. Some people criticized her for that, but those same people praised Vice’s success. Now all she needs is one chance but here are Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair to interrupt.

Grey brags about her own success and suggests that she’ll be coming after Jordan for her attacking Sinclair. Vice is sick of this and makes a #1 contenders match between Grey and Jordan for next week (which apparently she can just do). Grey approves and Jordan goes for the belt Vice is wearing, so Vice swings the spinning elbow…which knocks Grey silly by mistake. This all made sense and they didn’t do anything illogical, even with the champ getting to pick her potential challengers.

We preview the Mr. NXT Pageant, which should be either hilarious or stupid. Or both.

Tatum Paxley knows Shiloh Hill will win the pageant. Hill leaves and Zaria runs in to lay Paxley out.

Mason Rook comes up to Tony D’Angelo and says he should be having a title shot tonight. Robert Stone comes in to say Rook can face Naraku (who is in the background) next week.

Men’s Speed Title: Lexis King vs. Romeo Moreno

King, with Birthright, is defending and Moreno has Noam Dar. It’s also a five minute time limit for the title match. Moreno snaps off the sunset flip for an early two and la majistral gets the same. King breaks up something off the top though and gets a frustrated two. They chop it out with Moreno hitting a suplex and grabbing a Rings Of Saturn. With that broken up, Moreno hits a dive onto Birthright at ringside and gets caught in a half crab back inside. With that broken up, King knocks him out again and a Coronation retains the title at 4:34.

Rating: C+. I’m still not sure I get the appeal of Moreno, who is technically fine but there’s just nothing overly interesting about him. It’s WAY too early to write him off of course as he’s been in NXT for about 18 seconds, but I’m not seeing it so far. King is pretty much all he’s going to be right now, though being in a stable is a smart move for him.

Nattie and Jaida Parker argue in the back, with Nattie calling her soft. Parker responds by…looking sad. So yeah, kind of soft.

Keanu Carver comes up to the banged up Tate Wilder but EK Prosper stands up for Wilder.

Kendal Grey is worried about Wren Sinclair’s knee but Sinclair tells her to worry about Kelani Jordan.

Tavion Heights/Myles Borne vs. Darkstate

Borne slugs it out with Lennox to start and it’s off to Heights, who shoulders Griffin in the corner. Darkstate gets cleared out but comes back in to get knocked outside again. Lennox gets launched with a suplex on the floor and we take an early break. We come back with Borne in trouble as Lennox works on his leg.

Griffin hits a backbreaker and Lennox catapults Borne into a World’s Strongest Slam for two. Borne is back up without much trouble and brings in Heights to clean house. Everything breaks down and Lennox breaks up Heights’ spinning belly to belly. That means Heights is sent into the post, setting up a Doomsday Device to finish him off at 11:01.

Rating: B-. That’s a better finisher than anything I remember Darkstate doing otherwise and again, they were someone who needed a win. Heights losing is the best way to go as the champ shouldn’t be taking another fall. Darkstate has issues going on already though and that’s going to involve Saquon Shuggars, as it already has.

Post match Shuggars shows up for a staredown.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

NXT Title: Kam Hendrix vs. Tony D’Angelo

D’Angelo is defending and gets kicked in the face for two at the bell. A neckbreaker gets two more and Hendrix hammers away. D’Angelo is back with a chokeslam attempt to send Hendrix bailing out to the floor. Back in and D’Angelo snaps off some suplexes, with Hendrix heading outside again, only to run into an imposing Naraku.

We take a break and come back with D’Angelo fighting out of a chinlock but getting suplex slammed for two. D’Angelo Hulks Up and fights back, with a fisherman’s suplex getting two. A suplex toss gives D’Angelo two more but Hendrix kicks him in the face. Hendrix’s sitout powerbomb gets two, as does D’Angelo’s powerbomb. Hendrix goes for a chair but here is Mason Rook to cut him off. D’Angelo sends Hendrix onto the table and the spinebuster retains the title at 10:48.

Rating: B-. This got going a lot more at the end and it did pick up, with Rook not being a big factor. It felt like just a quick title defense before D’Angelo gets on to his bigger title opponents. At the same time, D’Angelo doesn’t really come off as the strongest champ and I’m not sure how long I can picture him holding the title. He feels more like a transitional champion, which very well may be the case.

Post match Naraku presents D’Angelo with the title. Naraku vs. Rook is officially a #1 contenders match.

Overall Rating: C. I wasn’t feeling this one as much as very little, including the main event for the NXT Title, felt overly important. The good thing is we now have the Great American Bash to build towards and there will be three weeks to get ready for the show. This didn’t do much to get us there and felt like they were just getting done with some stuff before we get to the important material going forward. Not a great show here, but they have time to kick it into the higher gear.

Results
Zaria b. Lizzy Rain – F5
OTM b. The Culling – Double Angle Slam to Spears
Jackson Drake b. Tate Wilder – 450
Lexis King b. Romeo Moreno – Coronation
Darkstate b. Tavion Heights/Myles Borne – Doomsday Device to Heights
Tony D’Angelo b. Kam Hendrix – Spinebuster

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

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NXT
Date: May 12, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We’re on the way to some big show which I don’t think has been announced yet but you can see some of the stories coming together from here. This includes Tony D’Angelo likely facing Naraku, who is the new big villain on the show. Other than that, it turns out that Keanu Carver is rather smart, which he revealed last week. Let’s get to it.

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

Tatum Paxley/Lizzy Rain vs. Nikkita Lyons/Zaria

Zaria and Rain start things off with Zaria easily shoving her down. A sunset flip doesn’t work for Rain either and Zaria hits a hard clothesline. Paxley comes in and gets to face Lyons, who makes a blind tag. Lyons puts her down but misses a splits splash and everything breaks down. Rain and Paxley hit stereo dropkicks through the ropes and we take a break.

We come back with Rain fighting out of a chinlock but getting caught in a tiger bomb for two. Zaria misses a charge though and it’s back to Rain to make the comeback. Lyons punches her down though and it’s back to Paxley, whose Cemetery Drive is reversed into a spinning kick to the head. That’s enough for Lyons to get over to the rope…and Zaria walks out. Rain comes back in for Thunderstruck for the pin at 9:24.

Rating: C+. Rain seems to be sticking around and while I’m not big on her thus far, she’s at least someone unique enough to stand out and that’s a good start. At the same time, Lyons took the pin here as she should have and I can’t blame Zaria for walking away from her. Paxley can get ready for whomever is next for her, which very well may wind up being Zaria anyway.

Kendal Grey insists that Wren Sinclair isn’t a distraction to her, despite Sinclair’s injury. Lola Vice comes in and Grey is ready to show her that wrestling is better than MMA. Tempers flare.

Naraku vs. Lince Dorado

Naraku starts in on the arm to start and grinds away on a headlock. Dorado slips out and hits a springboard spinning crossbody but gets suplexed into the corner. A hard clothesline puts Dorado down again and we hit the chinlock. Dorado gets up and hits a Golden Rewind, only to get caught in a release fisherman’s suplex. The Abyss (STO/Everything Is Evil) finishes for Naraku at 4:32.

Rating: C. This was a debut and Naraku looked good enough, with Dorado’s offense not getting him very far. It wasn’t exactly a squash but it did what it needed to do, as Naraku looks like he could be a threat to some top stars. He has a long way to go, but at least he started off fairly well.

Post match Naraku says he is pure evil.

EK Prosper is glad to have Tate Wilder and Sean Legacy there to help him. Wilder is still trying to find his spot around here. Dorian Van Dux comes in and is ready to go as well.

Jaida Parker interrupted Natalya’s LFG video earlier today and they got into it again.

EK Prosper/Tate Wilder/Sean Legacy vs. Birthright

Wilder takes Stacks into the corner to start and gives him an armdrag, followed by a dropkick. A shot to the throat allows the tag off to Dempsey, who gets to uppercut Legacy. Prosper comes in for a dropkick and does the same thing to Connors, who crashes out to the floor as we take a break. We come back with Legacy kicking Connors in the corner, allowing Wilder to get the tag. Everything breaks down and Wilder gets caught on top and butterfly superplexed back down.

Prosper makes the save and we get a rather loud NXT chant. Wilder hits a TKO for two more as Stacks makes the save. That means Wilder gets to hit a big running flip dive but looks at Legacy rather than tagging him in. Wilder’s frog splash gets two but Wilder STILL won’t tag. Instead, Wilder misses the Wilde Ride (moonsault), allowing Stacks and Connors to come in with a pair of running boots for the pin at 12:58.

Rating: B. This got wild in the middle and it was rather entertaining, with Wilder getting the chance to stand out. At the same time, it’s interesting to see him not wanting to tag and instead going for everything he could. That’s a curious way to go for him and hopefully it leads to something, as he’s grown on me a lot during his time in Evolve.

Tatum Paxley is so happy with the win earlier tonight that she’ll give Lizzy Rain a title shot next week. Shiloh Hill comes in and says he’s been researching Tristan Angels. Cue Angels, who doesn’t like Hill suggesting he could outclass him.

The Culling wants to get rid of some people, with Izzi Dame focusing on Lola Vice.

Here is Robert Stone to bring in Mason Rook to sign his NXT contract. Rook talks about turning heads around the world, including getting John Cena’s attention. That’s not enough for him though because he’s about to crush people but here is Tony D’Angelo to interrupt. D’Angelo is paying attention to Rook…and here is Kam Hendrix to jump D’Angelo from behind. Rook dives onto them all and then signs his contract as the fans sing about him being big and bad (though it might have been “fat” instead of bad) and something about a hat.

Romeo Moreno praises Noam Dar’s abilities as Dar is ready for his match.

Emily Agard’s newest assignment is to get to know OTM, who are having a cookout. They have some hot dogs and talk to Lucien Price’s brother. Price and his brother had to work to get here and both know how to put in the effort. Apparently Nima plans things out and is also quite the artist. These little vignettes/interviews are a REALLY good idea as they’re letting fans get to know some of these wrestlers who have never had a chance before. That’s great to see and hopefully they keep going.

Jackson Drake vs. Noam Dar

The rest of the Vanity Project is here with Drake. Dar chops him away to start but Dar is back with a shove into the ropes. That just earns him a trip to the floor, where Dar hits a running boot as we take a break. We come back with Dar getting crotched on top and Drake adding a handspring cutter.

Dar grabs a suplex though but enziguried into a fireman’s carry gutbuster. They go to a pinfall reversal sequence until Dar gets two off a European Clutch. Back up and they trade forearms until Dar kicks him in the ribs to break up a handspring. Myka Lockwood offers a distraction though and Drake gets in a kick of his own. The 450 finishes Dar at 10:22.

Rating: B-. Drake needed a win like this just for the sake of building himself up a bit. He hasn’t done much on his own since showing up in NXT so a simple win is a good way to go. Dar is still finding his footing after his return and now we get to see what he can do after his long absence. I like him on his own a lot more and hopefully we get to see how it goes for a bit.

Post match here is Darkstate to stare at the Vanity Project but they don’t come to the ring.

Myles Borne comes up to Tavion Heights and talks about a tag match next week. Heights thinks he and Borne will be teaming together but it’s actually with Tony D’Angelo. Heights takes this as Borne thinking he’s not good enough as a partner anymore, even if Borne denies it. Either way, heights storms off.

Back in the arena and Darkstate is in the ring while the Vanity Project is in the aisle. Darkstate want a title shot but get shot down, with Brad Baylor bragging about taking the titles from Darkstate in the first place. That’s fine with Darkstate, because they’ve already gotten the match made. Hold on though, as Darkstate has a huddle and say the team has to get the title back or it might be time for a change. Either way, the Project runs in from behind and are quickly dispatched.

Robert Stone meets Naraku, who gives him a very intense handshake. Stone leaves and runs into Kam Hendrix and Mason Rook, who aren’t happy with the tag match. They’re basically told to get over it, but here is Tate Wilder, who wants a match next week. Keanu Carver comes in to say he wants one too so Stone makes Wilder vs. Carver. Simple enough.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Kali Armstrong wants to scout the women’s division around here. Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair pop up for a staredown. For you non-fans, Grey beat Armstrong to win the Evolve Women’s Title.

Kendal Grey vs. Kelani Jordan

Wren Sinclair is here with Grey. They fight over a lockup to start until Grey double legs her down. The threat of a cross armbreaker sends Jordan bailing over to the ropes. Back up and Jordan misses a charge into the corner, allowing Grey to hit a dropkick. They head out to the apron, where Grey sweeps the legs and hits a slingshot double stomp back inside

The ankle lock is broken up though and Grey is sent outside, with Jordan hitting a dive. An apron 619 gets Grey out of trouble and she hits a big dive to the floor as we take a break. We come back with an exchange of shots to the face leaving both of them down. An overhead belly to belly drops Jordan again and Grey strings together some suplexes. A hurricanrana out of the corner gives Grey two but Jordan is back with a powerbomb for the same.

Grey snatches the ankle but can’t get a cross armbreaker. Back up and a powerslam gives Grey two as we see Izzi Dame attacking Lola Vice backstage. Jordan catches her up top with a super Spanish Fly as Vice and Dame fight to ringside, with Sinclair being knocked down. That’s enough of a distraction for Jordan to knock Grey off the ropes and hit One Of A Kind for the pin at 12:48.

Rating: B. They were going a bit better before the bell but it was nice to see these two getting a chance to showcase themselves. Grey more than hung in there with the established Jordan and already feels like she belongs in this division. That’s hard to do but she’s making it work rather early on in her NXT run.

Post match Grey and Vice argue but Dame takes Vice out to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The most impressive thing that NXT has done in recent weeks is introduce these new stars and turned them into regulars that fast. That’s hard to do and they’ve managed to make it work this well. These new names still have a long way to go, but they’re off to a good start and that is more than I was expecting. That was on display here, as there were a lot of new names on the show and it didn’t feel out of place. It’s far from the days of NXT 2.0 when everyone was just thrown in there with no particular idea. This feels more planned out and that is helping quite a bit.

Results
Lizzy Rain/Tatum Paxley b. Nikkita Lyons/Zaria – Thunderstruck to Lyons
Naraku b. Lince Dorado – Abyss
Birthright b. EK Prosper/Sean Legacy/Tate Wilder – Double boot to Wilder
Jackson Drake b. Noam Dar – 450
Kelani Jordan b. Kendal Grey – One Of A Kind

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

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NXT
Date: May 5, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We don’t exactly have a big show coming up around here but we do have a bunch of people showing up in a hurry. Last week was one debut after another and that could make for some interesting changes. Hopefully we can find something for them to do though they’re all getting their feet wet. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Tony D’Angelo says he isn’t waiting and charges at Tavion Heights for a quickly broken up brawl.

Jaida Parker vs. Kali Armstrong

They shove each other around to start, followed by an exchange of grappling. Parker gets a chinlock before sending Armstrong outside. That means a ram to send Armstrong into the apron and then being sent back inside. A double clothesline leaves both of them down and we take a break.

We come back with Armstrong sending her into the corner and stopping for some pushups. Armstrong drives in some knees and fires off the shoulders in the corner. The mocking of the high steps just wakes Parker up though and she hits the Tear Drop in the corner. Armstrong snaps off a powerslam to cut that off and the Kali Connection (running shoulder) finishes Parker at 9:57.

Rating: C+. This was about presenting Armstrong as a threat and it worked out rather well. At the same time, it’s a bit annoying to see Parker lose again. She’s turning into the latest star who gets start and stop pushes without getting anywhere. Hopefully that isn’t the case, as she has far too much potential otherwise.

Tony D’Angelo comes in to yell at Robert Stone, saying he wants Tavion Heights tonight. Sure.

Video on Jackson Drake vs. Jasper Troy.

Birthright is not happy with what happened last week. Fit Finlay comes in to say they’re not doing well and William Regal, by phone, says he’s sent Charlie Dempsey back to the Snake Pit before they have a six man tag next week. The team sounds more ready.

We look at not Evil debuting last week. Not Evil says that was a proclamation to Tony D’Angelo and they will battle for the NXT Title. His name is Naraku and he debuts next week.

Jasper Troy vs. Jackson Drake

The rest of the Vanity Project are here with Drake. Troy fires off some shoulders in the corner to start but gets caught with a jumping enziguri. The Project offers a distraction and Drake hits a top rope Meteora and we take a break. We come back with Drake grabbing a tornado DDT but Troy nips up and gives him a chokeslam. Troy goes outside to yell at the Project though and here is Myka Lockwood to slam him on the floor. Back in and Drake’s 450 connects for the pin at 7:18.

Rating: C+. I for one am shocked that a Shawn Michaels run promotion would have a muscular female woman as a heater for a young, disrespectful team. That being said, sure why not, as it’s an idea that has worked before and it can work again. The Project needed one more person and this is better than some big silent brooding man as the enforcer.

We look back at Tristan Angel’s debut last week. Angels talks about being better than a bunch of people on the roster.

We get a Rhea Ripley Origins video.

Here is Zaria for a chat. She says it feels different around here and for the first time, there is no one holding her back in the women’s division. Now she has a clear path to the Women’s North American Title. That title is what finally woke her up but here is Tatum Paxley to interrupt. Paxley knows how the title came between Zaria and Sol Ruca but that has nothing to do with her.

Cue Lizzy Rain to say she was the talk of the town last week and it’s time to add some heavy metal to the title. Cue Nikkita Lyons, who takes credit for fans caring about Rain. Paxley will fight everyone and the brawl is on with Zaria standing tall. If Zaria is the challenger then fine, but this just made me even less interested in Rain and Lyons.

The Vanity Project meets Evolve’s Romeo Moreno, who isn’t impressed with them. Noam Dar returns and wants to fight Jackson Drake next week. Myka Lockwood shows up to scare Dar a bit but the match seems set. With the Project gone, Moreno says he is a huge Dar fan.

Kam Hendrix jumps Tony D’Angelo.

Post break Robert Stone grabs a headset and shakes up the card because D’Angelo can’t wrestle at the moment.

Mr. Iguana/Lola Vice vs. Culling

The former’s AAA Mixed Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line and it’s Izzi Dame/Niko Vance for the Culling. The men start things off, with Iguana being shoved into the ropes. The dead iguana pose has Vance confused but he picks Iguana up in a Gory Stretch. That’s broken up as Vice tags herself in, allowing Dame to come in and kick Iguana in the head. Dame hits a running shoulder in the corner but Vice chops away and grabs a springboard armdrag. Everything breaks down and the Culling are taken down with back to back seated sentons

We take a break and come back with Vance dropping a headbutt for two. A heck of a discus right hand puts Iguana down again and a tilt-a-whirl faceplant gets two. Iguana manages a tornado DDT though and the women come back in as everything breaks down again. Vice’s running hip attack in the corner gets two on Dame and a spinning kick to the head knocks her silly. Vance breaks up the count but Iguana and Vice grab stereo triangle chokes. Both of them are broken up pretty quickly and Dame’s running knee finishes Vice at 11:30.

Rating: B-. Iguana and Vice are a mostly silly team but they still feel important enough that beating them still means something. What matters is that Dame is now primed to get the next title shot and that should work. Dame is a big, strong star who can give Vice a good challenge. That’s how it should have gone and it’s a nice story to set up.

Tavion Heights still wants to fight Tony D’Angelo and Robert Stone comes in to say the match is tonight’s main event. Stone goes over to Zaria, who wants the Women’s North American Title. She’s not happy about being in a tag match next week, but Stone says that’s what she has to do if she wants a title shot.

Jaida Parker is livid about her loss. Nattie comes in to say Parker has gone soft. End of segment.

Hank & Tank vs. Darkstate

The rest of Darkstate is here with…uh, Darkstate. James elbows Hank in the face to start and it’s off to Tank to grind away on a headlock. Griffin comes in and gets caught in the wrong corner but comes right back with a delayed vertical suplex. A running bulldog out of the corner gets Tank out of trouble as everything breaks down. Darkstate knocks them down on the floor and Dion Lennox grabs a chair, which Saquon Shuggars takes away. The argument ensues and we take a break.

We come back with Tank fighting out of a chinlock but getting caught with a gutbuster. Griffin sends him back into the corner but Tank escapes a gutwrench and brings Hank in to clean house. A double tackle gets two on James, who is back with a spinning backbreaker. The Vader Bomb gets two, with Hank having to make the save. Hank is slammed on the floor and the diving Tank is pulled out of the air for the same result. Back in and an assisted spinning powerbomb finishes Hank at 12:00.

Rating: B-. Oddly enough this wound up being a pretty hot match, with Darkstate finally getting a win to stop their losing streak for the time being. The fact that Lennox wasn’t involved with the result isn’t the best sign for his future, but the team needed to be shaken up. Hank & Tank continue to exist and that’s about as much as I can think of them most of the time.

Kelani Jordan mocks Lola Vice and says she’s coming for the title too. Kendal Grey comes in to say she’s coming after Jordan, who isn’t worried.

Commentary…has tech issues and we can’t hear anything they say. A production worker comes in to try to fix it and we go to a video instead.

New correspondent Emily Agard gets to meet Keanu Carver on her first assignment. He doesn’t want to talk so they put the camera down…which films them anyway. Carver says he’s here to get paid and comments don’t help him take care of people counting on him. He’s told Robert Stone to give him a chance or cut him. Carver knows they’re still filming him so she can ask one last question on the record.

Agard asks about Carver knowing the symbol of war given to Tony D’Angelo last week. Carver says he played college football…but he paid attention in class too. Carver: “The thing about me that y’all don’t know is that I’m smart as s*** for real.” Well that’s a different way to present someone. I like it though, as Carver has been presented as this big brute but having a brain with that kind of force is interesting.

Hey the audio is better.

Backlash rundown.

Shiloh Hill is walking around in the dark and he’s happy about beating Ricky Saints last week. He also finds Tristan Angels to be a bit ridiculous and hopes he’s allergic to sheep.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Tavion Heights vs. Tony D’Angelo

Non-title. Heights wrestles him down to start and they trade waistlocks. A fireman’s carry faceplant drops D’Angelo and he realizes the amateur stuff isn’t going to work here. Instead D’Angelo hits a John Cena Throwback for two but gets driven into the corner for a beating. Heights throws him down with a suplex but D’Angelo is up for a shove off the top as we take a break.

We come back with D’Angelo fighting out of a chinlock, only for Heights to gutwrench suplex him for two. A pretty impressive top rope splash gives Heights two…and makes D’Angelo Hulk Up. Some German suplexes put Heights down but his capture suplex gets two more. Forget About It gives D’Angelo two of his own and they forearm it out. A spear drops puts Heights down again but he’s back up with his spinning belly to belly. Cue Kam Hendrix for a distraction so Heights beats him up, with Myles Borne running in to give Hendrix a running flip dive. They brawl off and D’Angelo chokeslams Heights for the pin at 10:22.

Rating: B-. They got rolling near the end here and were trading one big shot after another. The Hendrix and Bourne stuff didn’t really help, but D’Angelo gets to beat someone on the way to his next big challenger. That could be a few people, though Naraku seems likely. Heights still feels like he has potential, but this came off more as him just being someone for D’Angelo to beat.

Post match respect is shown but the big guy from last week runs in again and lays them both out. He introduces himself as Mason Rook and says he has arrived.

Overall Rating: B. This was the follow up to last week’s show with all of the people debuting and this week seemed to be more about them pairing off and getting settled into their new spots. That’s good to see and it’s something that has to happen around here, as it’s the nature of NXT. The wrestling was more good than bad and the show accomplished enough so I’ll call it a good show.

Results
Kali Armstrong b. Jaida Parker – Kali Connection
Jackson Drake b. Jasper Troy – 450
Culling b. Mr. Iguana/Lola Vice – Running knee to Vice
Darkstate b. Hank & Tank – Assisted spinning powerbomb to Hank
Tony D’Angelo b. Tavion Heights – Chokeslam

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

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NXT
Date: April 28, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re in a big period of transition around here as a bunch of stars have either been released or promoted up to the main roster. That’s going to require a lot of switching around and there is a chance that some stars will be moved over to NXT on a regular basis. Either way, they’re going to need the help so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a Revenge recap, featuring a bunch of stars who are now gone.

The bosses (Shawn Michaels, Robert Stone and Matt Bloom) go over the stars who have left, with Stone saying we need some fresh names involved. Michaels says this is what NXT does and Stone is told he can take his time and pick someone….or throw a stick of dynamite in the locker room and see what happens. Stone gets the idea.

North American Title: Saquon Shugars vs. Myles Borne

Shugars, with the rest of Darkstate, is challenging. We get the Big Match Intros and Shugars sends him into the corner. Borne is back up with a release suplex and Shugars bails to the floor, where Borne hits a big running flip dive. Back in and they fight over a backslide, with Shugars flipping him over onto the top rope. Borne gets pulled throat first into the turnbuckle (which has been exposed), followed by a dropkick through the ropes.

We take a break and come back with Shugars dropping a leg and grabbing a chinlock. That’s broken up and Shugars kicks him in the back before taking him up top. The belly to back superplex is reversed into a crossbody to give Borne two and they get back up. Borne gets two off a backslide, plus an Eye Of The Hurricane for the same. Darkstate gets on the apron so Lennox grabs a chair, but Shugars waves him off, saying he wants to win. Borne sends them into each other and a slingshot Borne Again retains the title at 10:02.

Rating: B-. Darkstate’s days seem to be numbered and that’s a good thing, as there doesn’t seem to be much to them these days. Shugars got to have a good match here before dealing with the Borne stuff in the end. At the same time, Borne gets to beat Darkstate in back to back weeks, which is a nice way to make him look like a star.

Post match Borne celebrates but Tristan Angels (from Evolve) pops up in the crowd to say he’ll be around more often. Cue Kam Hendrix (also from Evolve) to jump Borne and lay him out.

Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair are in the back, talking about all of the incoming talents. Kelani Jordan come in to say she’s not impressed and gets mocked for her recent losses. Jordan says Grey is going to turn on Sinclair, with Sinclair issuing the challenge for tonight.

Video on Tony D’Angelo.

Here is Tony D’Angelo for a chat. He says he has been the constant around here and no one on the roster is touch enough to take the title from him. That includes whomever sent him that box last week. You have people from all over jumping stars, Europeans stepping up and Keanu Carver staring him down. He knows the box was a warning…and the lights go out.

It’s…a guy in a rather big robe with his face covered. He gets in the ring and the fans seem to think he’s (very nice, very) EVIL. The man hands him a rolled up something (appears to be a shirt) and unmasks as Evil (the former IWGP World Champion, rumored to have signed with WWE). D’Angelo unwraps the shirt, which has the same symbol as the box from last week. The unnamed Evil leaves and cue Tavion Heights to suplex D’Angelo. An unnamed (looked to be Progress’ Will Kroos) man runs in to moonsault D’Angelo.

Shiloh Hill and Tatum Paxley bury Blake Monroe, apparently ignoring that she’s due to debut on Smackdown? Paxley talks about her issues with attachments and Hill says he’s set up a simulation to find out how Ricky Saints does his moves. They seem to get along well, but he needs to go get ready. She’s going to enjoy the scenery. In the graveyard.

Here is Birthright, who show a clip of the team attacking Dorian Van Dux. Apparently he can’t be in their scheduled match, so here is EK Prosper (Van Dux’s partner) to run in on his own. That earns him a beatdown but Sean Legacy runs in for the save.

Birthright vs. Sean Legacy/EK Prosper

They start fast with Legacy kicking Connors in the back for two and it’s off to Prosper for a double dropkick. A cheap shot knocks Prosper to the floor though and Birthright hit dives as we take a break. We come back with Legacy fighting out of trouble and hitting a reverse implant sitout DDT. It’s back to Prosper as everything breaks down. Connors hits a Swanton but it’s Legacy coming back in to hit Shambles for the pin at 9:24.

Rating: B-. Another nice match here, with Legacy actually managing to get a pin for a change. I’m hoping Van Dux isn’t seriously hurt though, as I was digging what I had seen from him thus far. The same is true for Prosper, who is quite the athlete, though I’m not overly sold on Legacy. As for Birthright…well you pretty much know what you’re getting with them.

Post match the beatdown is on again but Evolve’s Tate Wilder (he’s a cowboy) runs in for the save. Wilder tries a shooting star off the apron but lands on his feet and has to settle for a double clothesline.

Jaida Parker and a bunch of the other women talk about the incoming women when Kali Armstrong comes in to say they’re all scared. She’s the difference maker around here and if that starts with Parker, so be it. Parker is not taking that sitting down and they’re held apart.

Shawn Michaels announces that the NXT Premium Live Events will be airing on the CW, starting this summer.

We look at Izzi Dame taking out Lola Vice last week.

Robert Stone welcomes Tate Wilder to NXT. Lola Vice pops in to say she’s going to call out Izzi dame.

Here is Vice in the ring and she gets straight to the point by calling out Izzi Dame. Shawn Spears pops up on the screen for a distraction as the Culling appears behind Vice. She says they got her…and Mr. Iguana (her partner in AAA) pops up for the save.

Saquon Shugars and Dion Lennox are arguing again but are calmed down with talk of getting the Tag Team Titles.

Lizzy Rain vs. Nikkita Lyons

Rain is here to make sure that heavy metal never dies. Before the match, Lyons says Rain is too loud so it’s time to quiet her down. Lyons shoves her down to start but Rain is back up with a springboard elbow. Back up and Lyons kicks her in the head, followed by some forearms. The splits splash connects and Lyons grabs a cobra clutch. Rain fights up and makes the clothesline comeback, followed by a cutter. Lyons is sent into the corner for the chops (fans: “MAKE IT RAIN!”) and a pop up kick to the head (Thunderstruck) finishes for Rain at 4:20.

Rating: C. Oh…yeah I’m not sure about Rain. Thunderstruck is a great name for a finisher but the whole Heavy Metal thing feels like a weird blast from the past and not in a good way. Maybe she’ll have it tweaked a bit, but this wasn’t the best debut. Then again it’s not like Lyons has anything going for her either.

Tavion Heights comes up to Myles Borne, who wants to know what was up with Heights attacking Tony D’Angelo. That’s not the Heights he knows, but Heights asks how it’s different than Borne attacking Ethan Page. Borne backs off a bit and talks about the stars who are coming in. Heights says you can add his name to the dangerous ones. Heights leaves and Keanu Carver comes in to say there are a lot of sharks around here, but he’s the Great White.

The Vanity Project talk about how things are changing around here and Jackson Drake says he feels like he’s on top of the world thanks to Micah (the woman he met last week). Jasper Troy isn’t impressed and wants a match next week.

Wren Sinclair vs. Kelani Jordan

Non-title and Kendal Grey is here with Sinclair. They go to the mat to start with Sinclair grabbing an early leglock. Jordan has to nip her way out of a headscissors, only to get pulled into a headlock. Back up and Sinclair runs her over again, with Jordan heading into the corner. Sinclair misses a charge and gets tied in the ropes, where she avoids a springboard legdrop. Sinclair’s dropkick off the apron connects but Sinclair comes up favoring her knee.

We take a break and come back with Jordan working on the bad leg but Sinclair rolls her up for two. Sinclair fires off some rather loud chops and another rollup gets another two. Jordan is sent to the apron, where she comes back with a spinning springboard cutter. A frog splash hits raised knees though and the Final Wrench goes on, only for Sinclair’s knee to give out. Jordan puts her down and hits One Of A Kind for the pin at 10:58.

Rating: B-. This was a pretty standard story and it worked well, with Jordan working on Sinclair’s bad knee to set up her usual stuff for the ending. Sinclair was doing everything she needed to in there and it made for a good match. Jordan isn’t the most interesting star, but she’s a heck of an athlete and has the in-ring side of things well in hand.

Video on Zaria, who has ended Sol Ruca once and for all. Now she is ready to destroy everything in her way.

Video on Ricky Saints vs. Shiloh Hill.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Shiloh Hill vs. Ricky Saints

Saints jumps him from behind to start and chokes in the corner, followed by some stomping as well. Hill ducks an enziguri though and drapes him over the top to hammer away. Saints 619s him from the apron and Hill bails underneath the ring. He gets pulled out by the boot…and it’s a dummy, allowing Hill to get in a flip dive off the steps. Hill dances with the dummy (who wears a hockey mask) and we take a break.

We come back with Saints hitting a tornado DDT for two and mocking Hill. Back up and another tornado DDT is countered into a tilt-a-whirl slam but Saints pulls him into a choke. With that broken up, Saints spears him down for two and it’s time to slug it out. Hill gets the better of things and goes up but Saints kicks the referee into the ropes for the crotching.

Something like a super Jackhammer gives Saints two so he slaps the tooth out of Hill’s mouth. That just wakes Hill up so he crotches Saints down to break up the dancing Old School. Saints is knocked to the floor, where he hits a Roshambo…and goes after a chair. The referee takes that away and Hill sends him into the chair. Whisper To The Beast finishes for Hill at 12:05.

Rating: B. That’s easily the biggest win of Hill’s career and it might be the kind of step up to the next level. I’m not sure he’s ready to be a main eventer, but at least he got a win over a former NXT Champion. That’s what they need around here and it’s certainly better than nothing. Sure Saints has already been announced for Smackdown but still.

Post match Hill, with the dummy, celebrates in the crowd.

Tony D’Angelo goes to see the bosses and says he loves the chaos. Shawn Michaels says it’s time for him to prove it. Hill: “LET’S F****** GO!” I was expecting a big debut to end the show but this week was already packed.

Overall Rating: C+. Oh boy this was something else. They had A LOT of rebuilding to do and in this case they seemed to want to do it all in one night. That only works so well, but they seemed to be going with the theory of “get people on the show so fast and figure the rest out later”. That’s certainly an idea, but it’s only so interesting of a way to go for two hours. We’re absolutely resetting things around here again and as Michaels said, that’s kind of how this place works. We just need to see where it goes from here, though it was quite the all over the place start.

Results
Myles Borne b. Saquon Shugars – Slingshot Borne Again
Sean Legacy/EK Prosper b. Birthright – Shambles to Stacks
Lizzy Rain b. Nikkita Lyons – Thunderstruck
Kelani Jordan b. Wren Sinclair – One Of A Kind
Shiloh Hill b. Ricky Saints – Whisper To The Beast

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