NXT Review – 03.03.26

If you need to catch up, there’s a lot going on: Evolve | Impact | Smackdown | Elimination Chamber | AAA on Fox | Raw

Tonight is the go-home show for NXT Vengeance Day, and the show comes to the airwaves on the CW and Netflix from the Performance Center in Orlando, FL. The announce team for tonight’s show includes Vic Joseph and Booker T on match calls and analysis, Sarah Schreiber on backstage interviews and breaking news segments, and Mike Rome on ring announcements. Let’s watch some wrestling!

Then, Now, Forever….TOGETHER

Hightlights of last week‘s show open things up, and a LOT of things happened including a huge heel (?) turn from Zaria, and three title changes (Elio LeFleur – Men’s Speed, The Vanity Project – Tag Team, and Myles Borne – Men’s North American).

Here’s new NXT Men’s North American Champion Myles Borne making his way to the ring. Borne’s title belt is back to the normal burgundy color instead of the Canadian-themed one that Ethan Page carried. Borne is happy to have heard his name announced as champion, and he’s not going to talk about his past or what he fights for because the crowd already knows that stuff. Borne instead thanks “his biggest hater” Ethan Page for doubting him. Borne says Page taught him that he didn’t have the killer instinct and Page unleashed an inner demon. Borne says he’ll show that side of him defending the title moving forward. In the least shocking event ever, here’s Ethan Page to interrupt and say that all he heard was “Thank you Ethan Page” and Borne got lucky last week. Page runs down his accomplishments since joining NXT and wants a rematch for having carried the brand for two years. Borne says he’ll talk to NXT Interim GM Robert Stone who instead joins us immediately. Stone is cool with a rematch, and Page wants it right now with both guys in regular clothes.

NXT Men’s North American Championship: Myles Borne (C) vs Ethan Page

The bell rings and Borne wallops Page with uppercuts and rights. Borne hits a running lariat, but Page responds with a boot to the gut. Page rips off Borne’s dress shirt and then eats a huge Borne dropkick. They spill to the floor and end up on top of the announce table where Borne smashes Page with rights. We go to commercials.

Page hits a Confidence Breaker and gets two as the show returns. Borne breaks out of the flurry with an elbow drop to Page’s gut. They slug it out and Borne smashes Page around before ripping off his shirt. Borne hits a dropkick and then goes for Page’s pants. Page trips Borne up and then yanks his belt off. Page throws the belt to a corner and as the ref disposes of it, Page pulls something from his sleeve and waffles Borne with it before covering and getting two. Page gets caught in a Borne ankle lock but he kicks his way out of it. Borne hits Page with his own shoe and hits Borne Again. Borne covers and gets three.

I’m sure Page will be claiming all kinds of things coming off of this because feuds just don’t end in NXT, but he lost pretty cleanly here and Borne once again proved that he’s got a killer instinct. Plus, Borne kept his pants, and Page didn’t, so you know, congratulations on that as well, Myles. A hot opener even in regular clothes and it least it was something different. I’m guessing this means neither guy will have a role at Vengeance Day after this, but we’ll see as the show moves along. 3*

Winner AND STILL NXT Men’s North American Champion – Myles Borne (Borne Again)

Here’s Zaria running into Sarah Schreiber as she enters the PC. Zaria blows off Schreiber’s question about why she turned on Sol Ruca last week and leaves. Here’s Darkstate outside as well and they appear to be waiting for Tony D’Angelo to arrive. Robert Stone arrives with a bunch of Security goobers and suggests they take it inside. Everyone argues but eventually enters the building. Conveniently, here’s Tony D’Angelo arriving in a convertible. D’Angelo parks it and pulls a crowbar from the trunk before entering the building as well.

Here’s Blake Monroe heading to the ring as we go to commercials.

Monroe makes her way to the ring when the show returns. Monroe has a microphone and talks about Jaida Parker interrupting Monroe on her return, and costing Monroe the Speed match last week against Thea Hail. Monroe says that Parker needs her, and that confirms Monroe’s belief that she’s the Glamour and is perfectly poised. Monroe says she’s not quietly admired, she’s obsessed over and Parker just doesn’t have that aura. Monroe says Parker can’t step up, so stepping to her was Parker’s only option because the DIVISION revolves around Monroe. Monroe says she’ll share her spotlight with Parker at Vengeance Day and here’s Jaida Parker to enter with a mic of her own. Parker says she should slap the taste out of Monroe’s mouth because she’s clearly trying to convince everyone that she’s the leader of the DIVISION. Parker says she’s the definition of relevancy and she doesn’t give a damn what anyone thinks of her. Parker calls Monroe a “supporting character” and she’s going to catch an ass-whipping at Vengeance Day. Parker tells Monroe to shut up because she’s not who she thinks she is. Parker calls Monroe a mediocre bitch, and predictably fisticuffs ensue. Parker hits Hipnotic to send Monroe to the floor, and that ends the segment.

This was a pretty paint-by-numbers promo battle between a vain heel and a fiery babyface. I’m not sure this match is going to click at Vengeance Day either. Monroe is getting to the point where she now needs to win to keep credibility because there hasn’t been anything resembling success for her since the fluke North American championship loss to Thea Hail. Parker was fine here but nothing special. This didn’t move the needle for me in putting any heat on the Vengeance Day match.

Here’s The Vanity Project meeting up with Ricky Saints and a dejected Ethan Page. The Project mentions that they were prepping for their six man and didn’t know Page was having his rematch tonight. Saints tells the Project to focus on their tag match tonight and specifically tells Evolve Men’s Champion Jackson Drake to also focus on his title match tomorrow night at Succession 2 with Cappucino Jones. (Our main dude Phred will have coverage! Yay Evolve!) The Project leave and Saints sits with Page to pump him up about his overall accomplishments as North American champion. Saints says it all comes back around and he’s going to become a two time NXT champ this weekend at Vengeance Day. Saints has to go prep and he tells Page to hang in there.

Here’s Wren Sinclair with Evolve Women’s Champion Kendal Grey warming up for her Speed match, while Nikkita Lyons makes her way to the ring. We go to commercials.

Here’s Eli Knight chatting with Sean Legacy as WWE Men’s Speed Champion Elio LeFleur arrives. They all dap it up and LeFleur mentions Legacy’s defeat by Keanu Carver. This brings in Jasper Troy who says Carver doesn’t scare him at all and that he wants the Speed title back. Knight says the Speed title is meant for guys like him and LeFleur, and Josh Briggs, who’s just joined in the background, tells Troy he’s not the best big man in NXT any more. Troy wants Legacy and Knight in a triple threat for next week and then will be coming for the Speed title.

WWE Women’s Speed Championship Semi-Final: Wren Sinclair vs Nikkita Lyons

Sinclair is seconded by Kendal Grey. As a reminder, the Speed tournament matches have a three minute time limit. Lyons grabs a quick roll up for one and then smashes Sinclair around with kicks. Sinclair responds with one of her own but misses a dropkick. Lyons hits a legdrop and covers for two. Sinclair puts some stink on a slap and then goes to ground and pound. Sinclair grabs a couple of roll ups for two. Lyons rises up with a shot to Sinclair’s gut before snapping her over with a suplex that gets two. They slug it out and Sinclair takes control with some slaps and a running lariat. Sinclair gets popped with a right but Lyons misses another legdrop as Sinclair pops her with a dropkick. Back in the ring, Lyons hits a reverse roundhouse kick but Sinclair reverses the cover and gets one. Sinclair hits a belly to back suplex and slaps on the Final Wrench (Think of the Cattle Mutilation as a reference for this hold). Lyons taps with four seconds to go on the clock! Sinclair will face Thea Hail for a shot at Fallon Henley’s Women’s Speed title.

Hey, this wasn’t bad despite a short awkward sequence at the beginning. It’s hard to know how much these matches are agented and if the competitors practice them beforehand because of the time constraints, but this got fun over the last 90 seconds or so. It’s interesting that it’s babyface vs babyface for the shot at Henley in that it really leaves an air of unpredictability over who will advance. 2.5*

Winner – Wren Sinclair (The Final Wrench)

Here’s Myles Borne being congratulated by NXT Men’s Champion Joe Hendry and Borne puts over the Chronicle of Hendry’s career journey from last week. Hendry makes a joke about wishing he couldn’t hear Ricky Saints upcoming EXPERIENCE and Borne fakes him out by feigning outrage. It’s all good, though, and Borne leaves as we go to commercials.

THE NXT SPOTLIGHT PRESENTED BY PROGRESSIVE is on Kelani Jordan and Lola Vice‘s underground match. Jordan is training with Shayna Baszler who puts Jordan through her paces. Baszler warns Jordan about Vice and reminds Jordan that she’s been in the Underground with Vice who’s no joke in that match. Jordan uses gymnastics to escape Baszler who takes her down anyway and assures her that won’t work against Vice. Jordan hits an escape and smashes Baszler with a kick as the segment ends.

This was interesting in a vacuum and YAY SHAYNA! I love Shayna. This Underground thing does nothing for me, though. I don’t give two craps who wins.

Joseph asks Booker if he’s ready to step back in to the Underground, and Booker puts over Vice’s undefeated record in those kind of matches.

Here’s NXT Women’s North American Champion Izzi Dame and Tatum Paxley meeting for their face-to-face segment. Paxley says there’s no Spears or Vance tonight, and Dame reminds her that Paxley can’t touch her tonight and doesn’t need Spears and Vance for this. Dame says if there’s some final version of Paxley that’s coming she’d love to meet her. Dame says Paxley is the reason Lyra Valkyria and Dame left her because she’s unlovable. Dame says Paxley has no purpose or meaning because Dame took all that away. Dame says there is no new version of Paxley. Paxley says nothing lasts forever and that the pain and humiliation that Dame put her through is temporary. Paxley rises and tells Dame that after she wins back the title Dame will understand that Paxley shouldn’t have been played with. Paxley leaves and Dame is frustrated in her wake.

Hank Walker, Tank Leisure, and Shiloh Hill are headed to the ring for their six man tag when they are jumped by The Vanity Project in the aisleway. Everyone starts fighting and we go to commercials.

Hank & Tank and Shiloh Hill vs The Vanity Project (Evolve Men’s Champion Jackson Drake and NXT Tag Team Champions Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes)

The match has begun when the show returns. Tank gets a tag and blasts Ricky Smokes with a charge before covering him and getting two. Baylor tags in and Tank slams him down but then misses an elbow drop. Baylor lifts a knee and then blasts Tank with a running elbow. Drake tags in and he hits a short dropkick on Tank before yanking him up for some knee lifts. Tank pops Drake with a right and tags in Hank. Tank drops a senton and Hank covers Drake for two. Hill tags in and he and Hank drop Drake with shoulder tackles before covering and getting two. Hill smashes Drake with a headbutt and then trucks him. Hill misses a charge and Drake tags Smokes in. Smokes puts the boots to Hill and Baylor tags in to do the same. Here’s Keanu Carver at ringside to tell Booker to keep his name out of his mouth. Carver leaves as Smokes is putting the badmouth on Hill in the Project corner. Hill bites Smokes and then goes to ground and pound. Tank tags in and starts walloping Smokes around. Hank tags in and Tank rams Smokes head-first into Hank’s belly. Everyone comes in and all three faces hit bodyslams on their opponents. Hank goes after Smokes but Baylor gets a quick tag and he and Smokes combine to wallop Hank with a big kick and a Baylor splash. Baylor smashes Hank around and Drake tags in. Drake snaps Hank over and goes after Hill and Tank. Drake lifts a knee and Baylor tags in. Smokes tags in and he and Baylor miss their move as Hank rushes over to tag in Tank. Tank hits a side slam and a lariat on Baylor but eats a big chop from Smokes. Tank smashes Drake and Smokes down with a double lariat as Baylor runs Hank into the ring post face first. Drake misses a charge and Hank smashes Baylor and Smokes together sending them to the floor. Tank gets yanked out to the floor and pushed up against the ring with the steps. Drake comes flying in and wallops Tank with a rear dropkick. We go to commercials.

Tank makes a tag to Hill when the show returns. Hill wallops the entire Project and trucks Baylor and Smokes with a big shoulder tackle. Hill hits a standing moonsault and covers Baylor for two as Drake breaks up the cover. Hill gets speared by Smokes and Baylor covers him for two. Hill tags in Hank as Drake tags in. Drake hits a roundhouse kick and hoists Hank up for a BURNING HAMMER that gets two. Everyone flies in and Hank ends up hitting a helicopter slam on Drake. Hank and Tank hit HONK HONK on Drake before flying out on Baylor and Smokes. Hill hits his Saito suplex-neckbreaker combo on Drake and covers him for three.

So what would you like to hear about this match? I’ll run down the bullet points for you. One, no one sold a thing. Two, it went a million miles an hour. Three, the tag rules were enforced very loosely. Four, the crowd ate it up. Five, I’m tired of fighting against this so here’s your rating. 3.25* Now, I would assume that a pin over Drake might lead to a future Evolve title match should Drake retain tomorrow night, so we’ll see if anything develops there. Otherwise, be forewarned if you enjoy normal tag wrestling because this ain’t it.

Winners – Hank & Tank and Shiloh Hill (Hill Saito suplex-neckbreaker combo on Drake)

Here’s more of Blake Monroe to say that Jaida Parker got what she wanted. Monroe says that things will end at Vengeance Day with a Street Fight. Parker flies out of the back and they start going at it in the ring. Hill, Hank, and Tank hold them apart as we’re told something is going on in the back.

Osiris Griffin is down and he tells the rest of Darkstate that it was Tony D’Angelo who did it. Robert Stone comes over to see what happened and Dion Lennox tells him that he’s calling D’Angelo out right now as we go to commercials.

Lola Vice is with a doctor who tells her that she has a fracture in her hand and she shouldn’t do the Underground match. Vice says she’s one of the most reliable women in WWE and can’t be out that long. Vice has signed paperwork to release NXT and any doctors from harm claims and she’s going to the Underground.

Here’s Dion Lennox calling out Tony D’Angelo. D’Angelo comes in through the crowd and stands with them. D’Angelo says he told them all that he was going to take them out one by one and that’s what he’s doing. D’Angelo says it’s poetic that Vengeance Day is coming because he’s going to take Lennox out and end this path of destruction. Lennox promises that won’t happen and D’Angelo has no chance of being NXT champion as that will be Lennox’s spot. Lennox says it’s on sight on Saturday and he’ll be waiting in the parking lot. D’Angelo says he’ll whip Lennox’s ass in the parking lot, drag him to the ring, and beat him.

This was okay and it made me a bit more interested in this given that everyone seems to be chatting about Stand and Deliver in conjunction with the end of this thing between Darkstate and D’Angelo.

Here’s Sarah Schreiber with NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne who says that she’s only trying to escape this pitiful ZaRuca breakup. Jayne is sure Ruca is here tonight and Lainey Reid and WWE Women’s Speed Champion Fallon Henley will be on the lookout. They leave and make their way to the ring as we go to commercials.

Here’s Myles Borne coming up to Tavion Heights and Charles Dempsey to thank them for his time in the NQCC. Dempsey says they’re spinning their wheels and Heights doesn’t like that chatter. Here’s Birthright to interrupt as Heights calls them clowns. TNA Knockouts Champion Arianna Grace takes major exception to that remark and reinforces the invite to Dempsey to join them.

NXT Women’s Championship: Jacy Jayne (C) vs Zaria

Mike Rome does in-ring introductions and we’re off. Jayne takes the immediate advantage and puts the boots to Zaria. Zaria shakes that off and rams her shoulder into Jayne a few times before the ref pulls her off. Zaria runs into a Jayne boot and Jayne snaps off a rana. Zaria gets rolled up for two but she manages to catch Jayne on a charge. Zaria hits a pumpkick and starts smashing Jayne’s head into the canvas. Zaria drops Jayne on her face and then hits a snap suplex. Zaria hits a standing suplex and then yanks her up into a choke. Zaria hits a clothesline that drops Jayne to the floor and then Zaria yanks her up to choke Jayne again. Reid yanks Jayne out of the way of a Zaria charge and she goes flying into the ring steps. Jayne hits a cannonball as Zaria is prone on the ring steps and we go to commercials.

Zaria is trying to get Jayne off her back when the show returns. Jayne ascends but eats a big right hand from Zaria after she does escape. Zaria hits a superplex and both of them are down. They start slugging it out and Zaria snaps off a headbutt that staggers Jayne. Zaria bullies Jayne in a corner and then hits a gutwrench suplex. Zaria hits a clothesline and covers Jayne for a LONG two. Jayne fires off a back elbow and then yanks Zaria face first into a second turnbuckle. Zaria lifts a knee when Jayne charges and then pulls Jayne into a German. Jayne snaps off a big knee lift and covers Zaria for two. Jayne misses a Rolling Encore and Zaria spears her in response. Zaria hoists Jayne up and then runs into Rolling Encore when Jayne slips off. Here’s Sol Ruca charging out to take out Reid and Henley, before charging into the ring. Ruca hits a double Sol Snatcher on Jayne and Zaria as the ref calls for the bell.

Listen, this wasn’t too good even before Ruca showed up to have that crap finish, but I’m guessing that now we’re getting a triple threat for Jayne’s title at Stand and Deliver. Zaria had some nerves tonight and you could tell Jayne was trying to lead her through the whole thing to get to the interference part. Also, the crowd didn’t know how to deal with this heel vs heel match in the slightest before Ruca showed up, and even when she did, it was kind of a muted reaction to that given the DQ finish. Shawn maybe overthought this whole thing a bit too much but here we are. 2*

No winner – Match thrown out when Sol Ruca interfered

Post-match sees Ruca hold up the title before giving Zaria a little kiss on the forehead much like Zaria did last week to her. Ruca wallops a charging Lainey Reid with the title belt before holding it up again.

Ricky Saints is making his way to the ring for THE EXPERIENCE as we go to commercials.

Joseph shows some highlights from tonight’s show when the show returns, and then runs down the Vengeance Day card. Sarah Schreiber is with Robert Stone who says he needs to figure some things out about the Women’s division title scene. (There was a production glitch here so I’m hoping that is what Stone actually said.)

Ricky Saints is out for THE EXPERIENCE. There’s a guitar, a music stand, and a microphone ready for Saints, and he sits down to thank the crowd. Saints calls himself a once-in-a-lifetime performer who stole the show as an actor last week on some show on the CW. Good for him. Saints says he knows everyone loves a Joe Hendry concert so he decided to do that even better. Saints picks up the guitar and gets the lights set up to focus on him. Saints starts singing and then stops after a line. The song is “I believe in Ricky” and of course Booker decides to sing along. Hendry’s picture is on the tron behind Saints and this segment is quickly turning into a trainwreck. Saints says he needs a chair, and a masked stage hand gets him one. Saints starts singing about Hendry again and the crowd hates every bit of this. Saints now needs the microphone fixed so the stagehand comes back in to fix it while Saints insults the crowd. Saints says that Hendry looks like Guy Fieri and then wants a new guitar. The stagehand predictably turns out to be Joe Hendry and he mercifully ends this nonsense with a kick to Saints gut. Hendry wants a chokeslam but here’s the Vanity Project out to start whaling on Hendry. Here’s Myles Borne out to help, and he and Hendry manage to ward off the four heels. Hendry and Borne hold their belts high and then do Hendry’s signature turn as the credits roll.

I’m not going to bother saying a word about that last segment because I’m pretty sure you can guess how much I hated it. This was not a great show tonight. Vengeance Day will probably be fine but very little on tonight’s show made me feel anything resembling hype to watch it. I was disappointed in the Women’s title match, not because they didn’t work hard, but mostly because that finish was weak sauce and won’t lead to something else in the immediacy – I think we’re waiting for S&D for that final showdown which means WEEKS of promos and maybe wacky tags and who knows what else. I’m guessing Myles Borne will get a new challenger soon so perhaps it’s finally time for Ethan Page to go do something else? The Speed titles are going along okay but I’m not sure who really cares all that much about them, and I’m dubious about this Underground match. D’Angelo-Lennox should be a decent fight, and Monroe-Parker has some heat but it’s time for Monroe to really deliver something resembling a great match, not just a good one. Thumbs leaning down tonight, and we’ll see how things go at Vengeance Day.

Thanks for reading and commenting. Have a great Wednesday.