NXT Review – 04.28.26

Do the right thing and read! Evolve | Impact | Smackdown | AAA | Raw

It’s graduation season in NXT currently, and so with that in mind, it’s time for another episode of everybody’s favorite developmental! Tonight’s show comes to the CW/Netflix airwaves from the Performance Center in Orlando, FL. The announcers for the evening’s activities are Vic Joseph and Booker T on match calls and analysis, Mike Rome on ring introductions, and Sarah Schreiber on backstage interviews and breaking news segments. Let’s watch some wrestling!

Then, Now, Forever….TOGETHER

Highlights are shown of last week’s Revenge: Part Two are shown to start the show. EARLIER TODAY NXT GM Robert Stone sat with Matt Bloom and Shawn Michaels and discussed the recent graduations, and what’s to be done next. We are in the LAND OF OPPORTUNITY at the moment, friends. Let’s see who stands on business!

NXT Men’s North American Championship: Myles Borne (C) vs Saquon Shugars

As usual, Cutler James, Osiris Griffin, and Dion Lennox are out with Shugars. Mike Rome does in-ring intros and Shugars apparently has some beef with Rome because he tosses his tee-shirt and do-rag at him during Rome’s verbals. They start with fisticuffs and Borne drops Shugars with a forearm uppercut. Shugars snaps off a neckbreaker in response, but then misses a charge. Borne yanks Shugars into an X-Plex and then follows with a gutwrench toss suplex. Borne yanks Shugars into his snap powerslam but Shugars bails before Borne can make a cover. Borne decides to fly and nails Shugars and Griffin with a tope. Borne tosses Griffin back in and gets pulled on by an interfering James, so Borne casually fires off a right and goes back in. Borne misses a dropkick and Shugars mounts him in a corner, but Borne fires out with an atomic drop. They stand off and Shugars drops Borne to the apron and then yanks him into the ring post. Shugars hits a between-the-ropes dropkick and Darkstate looms over a fallen Borne as we go to commercials.

Shugars has the advantage coming out of the break, but Borne slips a knee drop and hiptosses Shugars over. Shugars drives a knee into Borne’s back and then waffles him with a running elbow. Shugars drops a leg and covers Borne for two. Shugars pulls Borne into a rear chinlock and then torques his elbow. Borne fights his way out of it and gets mounted on a top turnbuckle. Shugars fires off an enziguri and pulls Borne into position. Borne reverses Shugars suplex in mid-air and basically lands right on Shugars rib-cage as they both hit the mat hard. Borne’s cover gets two. Borne gets rolled up for two, and he reverses for two. There’s some grappling and Borne grabs a backslide for two. Shugars gets dropkicked in a corner and then walks into some Borne lariats. Borne hits a Perfect-Plex and covers Shugars for two. Lennox goes to the apron to bark at Borne and then turns to walk into a Northern Lights suplex and a dropkick that sends Borne to the floor. Lennox grabs a chair and Shugars flies out to tell him not to use it because he’s going to win the match. A recovered Borne shoves Shugars into Lennox and he crashes into the ring steps with the chair. Borne disposes of Lennox and then runs Shugars back in for a Borne Again. Borne covers and gets three.

When Darkstate try to interfere, ain’t nobody winnin’! I love good heel mis-communication antics. I thought this was solid, even with Shugars goofy attempts at selling. Borne reigned in some of his show-offy tendencies and Shugars worked like a heel with a crew at ringside should work. They kept it fairly simple and hard-hitting, so I’m good with the bout as a whole. 3*

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

Post-match sees Tristan Angels emerge into the crowd to introduce himself as “Mr. England Tristan Angels”. Angels says he’s there as a courtesy to let them know that he’ll be seen a lot more. While that’s happening, Kam Hendrix jumps Borne from behind and stands over the fallen Borne while saying it’s “his show”.

Here’s WWE Women’s Speed Champion Wren Sinclair and Kendal Grey discussing the new arrivals and in walks Kelani Jordan. Jordan puts the stink-mouth on Sinclair and Grey and calls Sinclair clueless, while pointing out that Grey will definitely turn on her at some point. Jordan wants a non-title match with Sinclair and it’s apparently on. After a quick Tony D’Angelo vignette, it’s time for commercials.

Here’s NXT Men’s Champion Tony D’Angelo out for a chat. As a spoiler alert, he will be interrupted at some point. D’Angelo says competitors come and go in NXT but he’s been the constant and there’s no man on the roster who can kick him off the mountain. D’Angelo talks about the various happenings and being “side-eyed” by Keanu Carver. D’Angelo mentions THE BOX he received last week, and the lights go out. Here’s UNNAMED JAPANESE PERSON WHO WAS EVIL to present D’Angelo with another gift, and this time it’s a scroll. Joseph refers to this person as “the former IWGP heavyweight champion” and the scroll unrolls to reveal the kanji for WAR. Formerly Known As Evil leaves the ring and D’Angelo is immediately jumped by Tavion Heights who drops him with a rolling belly-to-belly. Heights leaves while screaming about taking everything he deserves. As that’s happening, a giant guy in a WWE Zip-up Hoodie ascends and mashes a prone D’Angelo with a BIG PERSON MOONSAULT (checking the newz sites and this person is Will Kroos of Progress/NOAH fame – we’ll have to get some insight on him from our comments!).

THE NXT FOCUS PRESENTED BY PROGRESSIVE sees NXT Women’s North American Champion Tatum Paxley and Shiloh Hill burying the casket that’s theoretically holding Blake Monroe. They hope for the best for Monroe’s eternal soul, and then discuss Paxley’s intensity when she thinks about the title. Paxley and Hill talk over Hill’s big match with Ricky Saints and Hill mentions creating a simulation in order to understand how Saints strings his moves together. Hill wants to leave to prepare, so Paxley decides to hang out in the graveyard for a little longer. She truly is THE UNDERTATER. We go to commercials.

Birthright make an entrance and WWE Men’s Speed Champion Lexis King calls himself the “fastest man alive”. King says he has terrible news but unfortunately for EK Prosper his partner Dorian Van Dux got jumped by Birthright backstage. EK Prosper runs out and tries to attack everyone, but the numbers game takes over immediately. Here’s Sean Legacy out to help even things up a bit and Birthright all end up on the floor. The bell rings and it’s apparently on.

Birthright (Uriah Connors and Stacks Lorenzo) vs Sean Legacy and EK Prosper

Legacy drops Stacks and hits an immediate double stomp to Stack’s back. Legacy snaps off a dropkick and wallops both Stacks and a charging Connors. Legacy chops Connors in a corner and then kicks him dead in the back before covering and getting two. Prosper tags in and he hits a double stomp on Connors back. Stacks tags in and Prosper drops him and Connors with a dropkick on both. Prosper gets dumped to the apron and Stacks trips him up to the floor. Connors and Stacks end up dropping Prosper and Legacy to the floor as the show goes to commercials.

Connors is stomping away on Legacy when the show returns. Connors fires off some rights but Legacy fires up with a kaman giri. They ascend in a corner and start slugging it out. Connors gets dumped onto his back and Legacy comes down for a rolling neckbreaker driver. There’s hot tags on both sides and Prosper fires up on both members of Birthright. Prosper drops Connors with a rolling DDT while kicking Stacks in the chest. Prosper hits a springboard moonsault on both guys and then snaps off a Michinoku Driver that gets two on Stacks. Legacy gets sent to the floor. Stacks runs Prosper into a Connors enziguri and then Prosper stumbles into a facebreaker from Stacks. Connors ascends for a swanton and covers Prosper for two as Legacy breaks it up. Legacy dumps Stacks to the floor and then wallops Connors with a rolling tackle. Prosper ascends for a moonsault as Legacy tags in. Legacy hits a burning hammer/twisting neckbreaker combo that Joseph calls “Shambles” and covers Connors for three.

I thought this was a solid showcase piece for Legacy and Prosper, but there’s some things here. One, they never let a move breathe in the slightest. They hit a big move and go right to the next big move – let your opponent sell! Two, everyone has super convoluted finishes all of a sudden. You want to do a twisting neckbreaker for a finish, give it a cool name and let Joseph yell it on television. Whatever that Legacy finisher thing is is real cute and all, but like…not every bowl of ice cream needs extra sprinkles on it. Anyway, from a “didn’t expect that outcome” perspective, this was fun. 3*

Winners – Sean Legacy and EK Prosper (Legacy twisting neckbreaker on Connors)

Post-match sees Birthright charge in to overwhelm with numbers, and here’s Tate Wilder rushing out to aid Prosper and Legacy. A chaotic brawl breaks out and Birthright barks at the faces from the floor.

Jaida Parker is chatting up NXT Women’s Champion Lola Vice and Kali Armstrong decides she’s had enough of Parker’s mouth. As Armstrong is berating the room, Parker calmly removes her earrings and rises. Predictably a lot of yelling follows, so let’s see what develops here. We go to commercials.

Shawn Michaels lets us all know that the NXT PLE content will be on the CW moving forward. Joseph and Booker discuss that before throwing to a highlights package of the Izzi Dame-Lola Vice confrontation from last week.

Here’s NXT GM Robert Stone welcoming Tate Wilder to NXT, and here’s Lola Vice to warn Stone that she’s about to call Izzi Dame out. Vice makes her way to the ring and grabs a mic. Vice says she feels sorry for Izzi Dame because she can never stand on her own. Vice wants Dame right now and here’s Shawn Spears on the video board with some free advice. Spears says Vice needs to stay one step ahead, and of course here’s Izzi Dame and Niko Vance looming up behind Vice. Vice laughingly tells them they think they’ve outsmarted her, but here’s Mr. Iguana to even up the numbers and send Dame and Vance to the floor. The AAA Mixed Tag champions embrace mid-ring.

Here’s Darkstate arguing backstage and Cutler James has had enough, as has Osiris Griffin. James says they’re going back to their first goal which is tag team gold. James and Griffin leave as Lennox and Shugars eye each other warily. We go to commercials.

Lizzy Rain vs Nikkita Lyons

Lyons gets to cut a pre-match insert promo and she tells Rain that her vibe is too much for Lyons aura. Lyons promises to get that W. Lyons snaps Rain down by her hair, so Rain rises and responds in kind. Rain fires off a springboard back elbow and then kicks a charging Lyons in the face. Rain gets caught and dumped after an ill-fated cross-body attempt. Lyons hits a roundhouse kick and goes to ground and pound. Lyons hits her split-legged drop and then runs Rain’s head into a top turnbuckle. Lyons bullies Rain along the ropes and then hits a chest kick before covering and getting two. Lyons puts on a cobra clutch and Rain breaks out of it with a high boot. Rain hits an enziguri and some lariats before snapping off a cutter. Rain fires off some chops but walks into a Lyons high kick and Death Valley Driver. Lyons covers and gets two. Lyons puts the boots to Rain and then misses a Vader Bomb. Rain fires off a huge running forearm and then hits Thunderstruck (a knee strike from a lofted position) for three.

My impression here was that Lyons maybe got a bit too much offense in for a debut match, but I know they’re trying some stuff with her right now and perhaps this was part of it. Rain looked fine for what she got to do, but plucky underdog heavy metal lady is a weird gimmick to me. I guess we’ll see how it plays out. I thought overall this was fine for what it was meant to be. 2*

Winner – Lizzy Rain (Thunderstruck)

Here’s a grumpy Myles Borne chatting with Tavion Heights about Heights attack of Tony D’Angelo. Borne says Heights attacking like that isn’t him, and Heights points out how Borne attacked Ethan Page. Heights says he’s in the mix for titles. Here’s Keanu Carver in to threaten Borne after Heights leaves. Kelani Jordan makes her entrance as we go to commercials.

Here’s The Vanity Project discussing Ricky Smokes birthday, and all the goings-on around the company. Drake has a new friend, the young lady from last week named Myka. Jasper Troy walks over to put the stink-mouth on Drake and apparently they will see about something for next week.

Kelani Jordan vs WWE Women’s Speed Champion Wren Sinclair

Kendal Grey is out with Sinclair. This is non-title. Jordan bullies Sinclair down to start and then they exchange roll-ups for two. Sinclair works a leg before Jordan grabs a headlock. Jordan works the headlock but Sinclair goes right to leg-scissors to break out of it. There’s some gymnastics and an exchange of holds before another exchange of roll up covers. Jordan hits a dropkick and covers Sinclair for two. Jordan clubbers away and rams Sinclair into a corner so she can put the boots to her. Jordan continues clubbering but eats a back elbow, a running shoulder, and an X-Factor that gets two. Sinclair misses a charge and Jordan wallops her with a forearm. Sinclair fires off a right hand and a spinning kick that sends Jordan to the floor. Sinclair hits a dropkick and appears to tweak her knee. We go to commercials.

Jordan is working Sinclair’s knee when the show returns. Sinclair kicks Jordan away and then grabs an inside cradle for two. Sinclair grabs a sunset flip for two before Jordan rises to clip her knee again. Jordan gets kicked to the floor and sprints back in to meet a huge Sinclair slap. Sinclair hits a couple of lariats and a huge clothesline. Sinclair hits a double underhook suplex that gets two. Jordan kicks out at Sinclair’s knee and then Sinclair grabs another roll up for two. Jordan hits an over-the-top-rope cutter and then ascends. Jordan’s frog splash meets Sinclair’s knees, and Sinclair pulls Jordan into the Final Wrench. Sinclair’s knee gives out and Jordan hoists her for an Angle Slam. Jordan hits the split-legged moonsault and covers Sinclair for three.

I thought Jordan was better tonight than usual, but I think you’re actually seeing Wren Sinclair level up in real time. Jordan is getting to the point where they’re going to have to make some decisions on her soon because they’re running out of feuds for her. Sinclair’s entire game feels so natural now, and I thought she really looked the part tonight without any kind of “she’s thinking how to do the next thing” moments. Fun match in a vacuum, let’s see if it leads to anything further. 3*

Winner – Kelani Jordan (Split-legged moonsault)

Here’s a video retrospective on the Zaria-Sol Ruca feud narrated by Zaria. She vows to scorch everything and everyone in her way.

Here’s a look back at the ongoing Shiloh Hill-Ricky Saints feud prior to their main event tonight. We go to commercials.

Joseph runs down next week’s card when the show returns. It’s time for the main event!

Shiloh Hill vs Ricky Saints

Ricky Saints holds the last pinfall win over Oba Femi, kids. That might end up being his greatest WWE accomplishment when it’s all said and done. Saints clubbers away at the bell and drives Hill to a corner. They slug it out and Saints rams Hill into a corner turnbuckle. Hill reverses and chops and clubbers away himself. Hill gets elbowed down and Saints puts the boots to Hill again. Saints snaps off a forearm and Hill dumps Saints over after a missed enziguri. Hill drapes Saints over a top rope and clubbers away before walloping Saints with a knee. Hill hits a spinning double kick on Hill, who then disappears under the ring. Saints pulls out a stuffed dummy and that allows Hill to fly in with a rolling tackle that drops Saints on the floor. Hill gets a high five from his dummy friend and then sets him up on the barricade. We go to commercials.

They’re slugging it out mid-ring when the show returns. Saints snaps off a tornado DDT and covers Hill for two. Saints puts the boots to Hill’s face but Hill snatches a charging Saints up for a tilt-a-whirl slam to end that flurry. Hill fires off some rights and then drops Saints face first before hitting a helicopter powerslam that gets two. There’s a headbutt exchange and Hill misses his standing knee drop. Saints pulls Hill into a submission hold but doesn’t have it fully sunk in. Hill rises and and Saints catches him with a spear that gets two. They slug it out again and Hill fires off a lofted forearm and his spinning shoulder drop gets two. Hill ascends and Saints rams the ref into the ropes to crotch Hill on a top turnbuckle. Saints ascends and hits a superplex that gets two. Saints goes up for his rope walk and knocks Hill’s tooth out before fully ascending. Hill gets pissed and crotches Saints on the top rope. Hill kicks Saints to the floor and Saints yanks him up for a Roshambo after Hill charges. Saints grabs a chair and has it taken by the ref before HIll hits a legdrop that sends Saints face-first onto the chair. Hill hits the Whisper To The Beast backdrop suplex and that gets three.

That will be that for Ricky Saints on the NXT brand. It will be interesting to see how he fares on Smackdown and how he’ll be aligned. There’s nothing left for him in NXT so it does feel like it’s time to see if he can sink or swim on the main. I really like Shiloh Hill’s whole game at this point and I think we just need to see him get more and more reps. He’s got almost all the basics right where you’d want them to be at this point. It will just take some time (and probably a heel turn at some point) to see if he could be a thing on the main. 3.25*

Winner – Shiloh Hill (Whisper to the Beast)

Post-match sees Hill celebrating with his dummy pal in the audience. Backstage, Tony D’Angelo charges into a meeting and tells Shawn Michaels that he loves the chaos. Michaels says it’s time for D’Angelo to prove he’s got what it takes to be NXT champion. D’Angelo says “LET’S [REDACTED] GO!” as the credits roll and we’re out.

Graduation season always brings new faces, but this is the first time in a long time that the men’s side feels like it doesn’t have a “blue chip-can’t miss” prospect roaming the halls. Since 2.0 began there’s been Bron, ‘Melo, Trick, Je’von, and then Oba and all of them felt at one point like absolute top level prospects for the main. They’re all gone now and Shawn has a lot of work to do to create that next prospect because it’s not readily apparent who it might be. That’s not to say that you can’t be entertained by all the new faces, because I think you will be, it’s more that without a can’t miss-prospect on board, Shawn’s going to have to be more creative around the rest of things. Tonight’s show had a bunch of new faces, and one big one making his exit. Lizzy Rain’s debut was fun and we’ll see how she fares. There were some positives tonight and I’m cautiously optimistic for where it all might go.

Thanks for reading and commenting. Have a good rest of the week.