NXT Review – 05.26.26

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NXT comes to the CW/Netflix airwaves from The Performance Center in Orlando, FL. The announcing team for tonight’s card are Vic Joseph and Booker T on match calls and analysis, Mike Rome on ring introductions, and Blake Howard and Sarah Schreiber on breaking news and backstage interviews. Let’s watch some wrestling!

Then, Now, Forever….TOGETHER

I’m glad no one films me walking into work every day. However, our NXT Superstars love it! Here’s AAA Mixed Tag Team and NXT Women’s Champion Lola Vice walking in, while Izzi Dame is in a photo shoot with her cohorts Shawn Spears and Niko Vance. Here’s Osiris Griffin, Dion Lennox, and Cutler James doing some backstage “we look good walking” exercises.

WWE Women’s Speed Champion Wren Sinclair vs Kelani Jordan

Here’s Kendal Grey out with Sinclair, who just turned 31. Happy birthday Wren! Joseph says Jordan has learned “how to annoy everyone around her” and man, I guess I just came across it naturally. Jordan attacks Sinclair prior to the bell to a chorus of boos, and Jordan charges after the bell officially sounds. Sinclair slips it and grabs a roll up for one. There’s a series of standing switches and Sinclair grabs a go-behind roll up for two. Sinclair snaps off some armdrags and a dropkick and Jordan bails to the floor. Jordan drives a shoulder in and rams Sinclair into a turnbuckle. Sinclair hits a reverse suplex and then gets nailed by a running forearm to the back of the neck by Jordan. Jordan goes to ground and pound but Sinclair reverses it. Jordan gets caught in a Fujiwara armbar and then Sinclair stomps on Jordan’s arm before going back to the armbar. Jordan pulls Sinclair’s hair to break out of it and Sinclair continues working Jordan’s arm. Jordan mashes Sinclair down and then Sinclair avoids disaster near the ring post by pulling Jordan in face-first. Sinclair hits a dropkick and then tosses Jordan back in. Jordan slams Sinclair down by the hair and then Sinclair has an issue with her injured knee. Jordan yanks Sinclair to the floor but Sinclair recovers with a back body drop. We go to commercials.

Jordan has been murdering Sinclair’s leg throughout the break and is still doing so when the show returns. Jordan torques on Sinclair’s knee and then puts on a modified Cloverleaf as Sinclair drags herself to the ropes to break it. Jordan gets dumped to the apron but she manages to continue torquing on Sinclair’s knee. Sinclair eats a springboard lariat and Jordan snaps off a Perfectplex for two. Jordan kicks Sinclair on the head and Sinclair fires up with some rights and lefts. Jordan cuts that off and runs right into a back body drop. Sinclair fires off some slaps and chops before nailing Jordan with a butterfly suplex. Sinclair hits a gut-wrench suplex and then tweaks the knee while avoiding a Jordan charge. Jordan hits some kicks but misses a split-legged moonsault. Sinclair grabs a crucifix for two. Jordan pulls Sinclair down and puts on the STF. Jordan switches to a modified cloverleaf and Sinclair taps out.

I see Shawn decided to come out hot tonight, I like it. Jordan is starting to get there, it feels like. She’s backed off some of the cutesy-poo gymnastics stuff and is now much more of a striker-grappler and I’m here for it. Jordan’s strengths are her athleticism and her presentation and that’s what they need to emphasize, since she’s a fairly basic and not-great promo. Jordan is getting there, though. Sinclair is great, knows how to sell, works like a perfect underdog babyface, and has the crowd with her win, lose, or draw. I liked this opener. 3.5*

Winner – Kelani Jordan (modified Texas cloverleaf)

Post-match sees Grey consoling Sinclair while Jordan grins in the aisle.

Here’s NXT Women’s North American Champion Tatum Paxley with Lizzy Rain and Paxley tells Rain she’s sorry that Rain got caught up in Zaria’s rampage last week. Rain says if Zaria thinks she’ll just take it and be collateral damage she’s got another thing coming. Here’s a top-hatted Shiloh Hill entering with his petition regarding his campaign to become Mr. NXT. Here’s Tristan Angels in to berate Rain for eyeing up Hill’s petition before reading off some names of signees including “Papa Shango, Marie Curie and Timothee Chalamet”. Hill: “We went to camp together, he loves wrestling.” Angels says pageants require order and he hopes that Charlie Dempsey stretches some knowledge into him tonight. Rain and Hill take off to go Zaria hunting, and Paxley wishes them luck.

Here’s some highlights of Saquon Shugars being bounced out of Darkstate last week. Darkstate will ADDRESS THEIR ACTIONS after commercials.

Here’s Darkstate out in street clothes. There’s now a big red X over the Shugars icon that’s part of their tron presentation. Osiris Griffin has a mic and reminds everyone that their catchphrase got a brand new meaning last week. Griffin puts over the athletic backgrounds of the three remaining members, and Lennox mentions that Shugars was just “an indie wrestler”. Griffin says Shugars chose the path of MOST resistance every time and James says Shugars became reckless and would charge blindly into everything. Lennox says he was shocked to see Shugars get punked out but they had to eliminate the weak link. Lennox says Shugars tried to make him the bad guy and he wasn’t having it. The crowd: “We want Saquon! No, we don’t!” The PC crowd is just magical. Lennox says the machine they’re building is for all of them and it’s being built brick by brick. Griffin warns everyone in the back to keep their heads on a swivel and Lennox declares that Darkstate is back and promises no one is safe.

Here’s Wren Sinclair and Kendal Grey in medical and here’s Lola Vice to console Sinclair. Here’s Kali Armstrong in to mock Grey (I love that they continue the continuity of Armstrong-Grey from Evolve. It makes me happy.) and Sinclair. Vice bickers with Armstrong and Armstrong promises to keep an eye on Vice’s match tonight. Vice says you can add Armstrong to the list of women she wants to knock out. We go to commercials.

WWE Men’s Speed Championship Tournament Semi-Final: Sean Legacy vs Dorian van Dux

Legacy trips van Dux up and hits a series of dropkicks and a tope suicida. van Dux recovers and tosses Legacy into a ring post. van Dux hits a legdrop and covers Legacy for two. Legacy fires up with an enziguri and a Sliced Bread that gets two. Legacy misses a 450 and wanders into a van Dux clothesline. van Dux hits a powerbomb and covers Legacy for two. Legacy recovers with a DDT and a 619 before ascending. Legacy misses his move and everyone ascends. Legacy hits a rana from the top rope and follows with a springboard move that meets van Dux’s knees. van Dux gets caught with a kick when he comes off the top rope. van Dux lifts a knee and fires off a forearm. van Dux hits a side kick and they end up on a top turnbuckle before the time runs out for a draw, and both guys are eliminated.

It’s not often they book draws in these matches according to Vic Joseph, so I guess this was kind of special? To me, it felt like both guys just kind of came up with some sequences of stuff they wanted to do and went out and did those things exhibition-style. There was very little heat to this even with van Dux’s natural intensity. 1.5*

No winner – Time limit draw

Post-match Joseph tells us that the other semi-final, Nathan Frazer vs Romeo Moreno, will now be the finals with the winner advancing to take on Lexis King for the title. Legacy and van Dux dap it up and get a hand from the crowd.

Here’s Layla Diggs running into Shooter Nattie who thanks Diggs for standing up to Jaida Parker last week. Diggs puts over Nattie’s legend status and Nattie decides to be in Diggs corner tonight for her big match. Jaida Parker makes her entrance as we go to commercials.

Layla Diggs vs Jaida Parker

Booker apparently really likes Diggs’s entrance theme. Diggs goes behind and Parker reverses before eating a Diggs back elbow. Nattie is indeed out with Diggs. Diggs trips Parker up and Parker fires up with some ground and pound. Parker trucks Diggs down but runs into a Diggs knee. Diggs grabs a quick roll up for two. Diggs tries some acrobatics and Parker cuts it off with a lariat. Parker slaps Diggs into position for her butt drop and Diggs slips away and shoulders Parker. Diggs hits a side kick and drops a knee, a leg, and an elbow before covering and getting two. Diggs works an elbow lock and Parker armdrags her way out of it. They start slugging it out and Parker mashes Diggs down a couple of times before waffling her with a right. Parker hits a gourdbuster and dumps Diggs into another corner. Parker hits the butt drop and does the high stepping afterwards. Diggs fires off a handspring back elbow and covers Parker for a quick two. Diggs ascends and misses a moonsault before Parker crushes her with Hipnotic. Parker hits the Deja Vu lofted powerbomb and that finishes things.

Hey, Layla looked solid here! She’s a favorite of mine from Evolve and I’m glad she got a shot on NXT this week. Parker has a match with Nattie in her future and I’m guessing that will be her NXT final exam before potentially joining the main, so she’s got to knock these kinds of things off while still working hard. This was decent for a no-doubt-about-the-outcome kind of match. 2.5*

Winner – Jaida Parker (Deja Vu powerbomb)

Post-match sees Parker and Nattie eyeing each other up as highlights play. Parker puts the stink-mouth on Nattie and backs up the aisle.

Here’s Blake Howard with Birthright. WWE Men’s Speed Champion Lexis King is not surprised that there were some casualties along the way in the Speed tournament. Here’s FrAxiom in as Nathan Frazer mocks King’s constant references to being the “King of Speed” by calling himself a cheetah in comparison to King being a cow. Frazer has a go at Axiom’s country’s chances in the upcoming World Cup, and then mentions he’s not betting on England, either. WE JUST HAVE FUN DOWN HERE AT THE PC.

Here’s a quick video package on NXT Men’s Champion Tony D’Angelo as we go to commercials.

It’s time for everyone’s favorite segment, the Top Of The Second Hour Yap-Fest! Here’s NXT Men’s Champion Tony D’Angelo out and his new moniker is “The Master of Fate”. I can’t say I’m a fan of that choice but here we are. D’Angelo mentions the constant influx of new talent and says that makes NXT more unpredictable and chaotic. D’Angelo says he’s going one on one with Kam Hendrix next week for the title, but it’s up to the crowd to decide if Hendrix is worthy of staying on the brand, but he won’t be the champion coming out of next week. However, D’Angelo wants to speak to NARAKU directly, and he’s immediately granted his wish. D’Angelo says he knows NARAKU likes to speak in riddles but D’Angelo is a STRAIGHT SHOOTER and just wants to know why NARAKU doesn’t state his intentions plainly. NARAKU says he’s here to keep “Tony-san” and his title safe. D’Angelo says he doesn’t buy that bullcrap and promises to handle NARAKU after dealing with Hendrix. NARAKU says it’s their destiny to go to war over the title. Here’s Kam Hendrix out to mention that he knows his entrance music is clean as hell and promises that D’Angelo has seven days left with his title. Hendrix puts over D’Angelo but promises he’s a buzzsaw and that’s straight facts, cutty. Hendrix promises to destroy a “pillar of NXT” and D’Angelo puts over Hendrix’s confidence. D’Angelo says Hendrix looks at the title as a status symbol while D’Angelo sacrificed five years to get to where he is now. D’Angelo says Hendrix hasn’t earned a thing in NXT but somehow has a title match, but Hendrix will have to rip D’Angelo’s heart out to take the title. Hendrix goes to attack D’Angelo and NARAKU stops it and lariats Hendrix to the floor. NARAKU offers D’Angelo a ceremonial bow and then leaves.

Some nights these segments way overstay their welcome, and some nights like tonight, they don’t. This was pretty good in lining up the young hot-headed challenger, the champion with the target on his back, and the wild card who’s intentions are murky at best. Hey, I have to point it out when these segments don’t make me wish for the television to suddenly explode.

Here’s Tavion Heights apologizing to NXT Men’s North American Champion Myles Borne and Borne pleads with Heights to slow down his efforts to become a champion. They both get jumped by Darkstate with Dion Lennox crushing Borne into a wall before tossing his title belt at him. We go to commercials.

Here’s The Vanity Project walking backstage as Jackson Drake puts over NXT Men’s Tag Team Champions Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes retaining last week as “cinema”. “Hundos” says Baylor who is glad to have Darkstate behind them. Drake puts his foot on Tate Wilder‘s motorcycle and Wilder greets his old friends. Baylor wonders what hurt more, Wilder falling off of his bike or the stitches that Wilder got from Keanu Carver. Smokes asks Wilder how long he’s going to be out and Wilder says it was just four stitches and he’s not actually out. Drake says Wilder has a lot to learn and Wilder points out that he’s actually older than Drake. Wilder wants Drake next week and promises he lives for this.

WWE Men’s Speed Tournament Final: Nathan Frazer vs Romeo Moreno

Axiom is out with Frazer, and Noam Dar is out with Moreno. Frazer runs the ropes at a million miles an hour before wasting Moreno with a kick. Frazer barely clips Moreno with a tope con hilo and then tosses im back in. Moreno fires up with a kick and a top rope missile dropkick that gets two. Moreno puts on a side headlock and Frazer reverses for two. Frazer lifts a knee but runs into a Moreno kick. Frazer sells that for .0000001 seconds and then snaps off a Spanish Fly that gets a LONG two. Moreno grabs a quick roll up for two and then ascends. Moreno’s jump meets a Frazer superkick and Frazer covers for two. They both go up and Moreno hits an avalanche German before yanking Frazer over with a suplex. Frazer follows with a twisting facebreaker and both guys are down. Moreno tosses Frazer to the floor with a rana and then nails him with a springboard splash. Moreno goes up and Frazer springs up to nail him with a one-legged superplex (Don’t ask, Frazer is at the height of annoying me right now.) and then gets caught by a Moreno inside cradle that finishes things with ONE SECOND LEFT ON THE CLOCK, BOOKER.

Listen, I know nobody really sells in these Speed matches but Frazer is the dirt worst for it. My god. Sell something for longer than a mili-second dude. Anyway, this was mostly fine for what these matches are but keep Nathan Frazer away and on Smackdown, please. 2.25*

Winner – Romeo Moreno (Inside Cradle)

Post-match sees Dar hug Moreno while Axiom consoles a stunned Frazer. They shake hands and Frazer raises Moreno’s hand. Birthright have emerged on top of the NXT Roost and everyone points and calls each other names.

Izzi Dame is warming up and tells Niko Vance that they are going to win their match. Shawn Spears is nowhere to be found and Dame seems nettled by it. We go to commercials.

Joseph runs down the Clash In Italy itinerary when the show returns. NXT GM Robert Stone is with Mason Rook who mentions that he should have a title match but Stone mentions that Kam Hendrix got the pin in last week’s big tag match and that’s why he’s got Tony D’Angelo next week. Rook says maybe he’ll do something about it and here’s NARAKU in to tell Rook that he will not be doing that. Rook says “We’ll see” and leaves.

OTM are making their entrance when Shawn Spears attacks them in the aisle with a chair. Niko Vance and a bunch of refs charge out to stop it and Vance and Spears bicker on the way to the back.

Here’s Sarah Scrheiber with Kali Armstrong who mentions that she might go after both the NXT Women’s and the North American championships. Thea Hail stops to say that would be amazing but tells Armstrong that wouldn’t be easy. Armstrong says it wouldn’t be easy for Hail but it’ll be cake for her. (There was a parade of women behind Armstrong and every last one of them gave her the stink-eye on the way by, it was hysterical.)

Here’s Shiloh Hill at a white board that has the following names on it: Hornswoggle, Matt Mathews, Dan Hausen, N.D. Tyson, and Karl Anthony Towns. Mathews is the only one with a check next to his name. “Need More Aussies” is circled as it turns out their signatures are lagging behind the other category listed which is “Raccoons”. Here’s Zaria, who happens to be an Aussie, in to say she won’t sign Hill’s petition and he should go get his creepy friends to sign instead. Hill says Zaria should be worried about Lizzy Rain. Hill leaves as his match is up next, and here’s Lizzy Rain in to attack Zaria. Everyone screams at each other as Robert Stone and the referee crew attempt to intervene.

Charles Dempsey vs Shiloh Hill

Stacks Lorenzo, Arianna Grace, Uriah Connors and WWE Men’s Speed Champion Lexis King are with Dempsey while Hill is out alone. I haven’t mentioned Hill’s incredible America-themed vest that could have only come from the finest Florida roadside establishment. Dempsey, meanwhile, looks like something out of a Guy Ritchie movie with his facial hair at this point. Booker mentions not signing Hill’s petition while Joseph berates him and says he signed it. DON’T PRESSURE HIM, VIC.

Dempsey works an elbow to start and Hill yanks him up for a bodyslam in response. Dempsey fires off an uppercut and Hill transitions into a side headlock. They run the ropes and Hill trucks Dempsey down with a shoulder tackle. Dempsey tries an armbar and Hill escapes it as we reset. Dempsey gets caught in a back body drop and Hill ascends for a big lariat. Hill clotheslines Dempsey to the floor and we go to commercials.

Hill hits a hiptoss as the show returns but eats a big Dempsey right when he charges. Dempsey hits a double underhook suplex and pulls Hill into an armbar. Hill rises up and dumps Dempsey right on his back. We reset with a slugfest and Hill powers Dempsey down with a couple of slams. Hill hits his weird inverted cannonball thing but runs into a Dempey high boot. Hill mashes Dempsey down with a clothesline and Dempsey goes to clubbering. Hill hits a lofted right hand and we reset again. Dempsey slaps Hill who loves it. Dempsey fires Hill over with a double underhook suplex, but Hill lands on top of Dempsey and covers him for three.

Man, Charlie Dempsey never wins a damn thing. I’d have to go looking to see the last time he won a singles match on television but it’s 4 AM and I don’t care to do that now. Hill was fine here but this was a bit of a styles clash and it showed. 2.5*

Winner – Shiloh Hill (Bridging cover)

Post-match sees everyone in Birthright stunned on the floor and Dempsey sitting unbelieving in the ring. Hill is holding his sign up and wearing his vest again, before Tristan Angels emerges from the back. Angels says he has to teach Hill a lesson and there’s a Mr. NXT pageant in two weeks time. Angels says that’s the perfect amount of time for him to prepare to humiliate Hill while Robert Stone has the time to get the place pageant-ready. Hill says he can’t wait to embarrass Angels and then cackles.

Here’s Izzi Dame berating Shawn Spears and Spears says he was just trying to do the right thing by attacking OTM. Dame mollifies Spears by telling him he did in fact do the right thing while Vance says they have to help Dame in the main event. They make their entrance as we go to commercials.

Joseph runs down some upcoming matches including the newly-made Lizzy Rain vs Zaria for next week. Two of Darkstate will take on Myles Borne and Tavion Heights, as well.

NXT Women’s Championship: Lola Vice (C) vs Izzi Dame

Spears and Vance are out with Dame, as expected. Vice will be in a big trios match at Noche de los Grandes this weekend. Mike Rome does the in-ring intros and we’re off.

Dame fires off a right and bullies Vice in a corner before smashing her down with a short-arm clothesline. Dame stomps away and Vice puts on a sleeper after Dame hoisted her up. Vice hits some kicks and then drives a knee into Dame. Vice gets caught in a roll up that gets two and Dame transitions to a crossface. Dame rolls Vice over for two, and Vice smacks her in the mid-section in response. Vice hits an armdrag and a reverse thrust that sends Dame to the floor. Vice hits a rolling senton and tosses Dame back in. Spears interferes by grabbing Vice’s legs and Dame uses that to hit a Backstabber. OTM charge out and start pummeling Spears and Vance as we go to commercials.

Vice kicks Dame into a corner when the show returns. Vice shimmies and hits the Hip Attack but runs right into a Dame high boot. Dame hits a lofted powerbomb and gets two. Vice crawls to the apron and Dame misses a charge. Vice lofts a knee and Dame goes out to drive Vice back-first into the ring post. Dame mounts Vice on a top turnbuckle and Vice clambers on to Dame’s back to try for an armbar. Dame escapes and works a crab but she can’t turn it the whole way over, so she just torques on Vice’s back. Vice kicks her way out of it and runs into a Dame high boot. Dame misses a charge and wipes out the referee. They hit simultaneous clotheslines and everyone is down. Dame and Vice rise and start slugging it out and Vice snaps off some kicks. Vice hits the backfist and gets the visual pin, but the ref doesn’t make it quickly enough and only gets to two before Dame kicks out. Dame goes out and retrieves the title belt as Vice checks on the ref. Dame tosses the belt to Vice and then mashes her with a high kick that hits the belt into Vice’s face. Dame covers and Vice kicks out at two. Dame gets caught in a guillotine and she rolls through for a two count. Dame misses a kick and walks into Vice’s backfist, and that ends things.

That was a weird ref bump in that it really didn’t lead to anything that you normally get with a ref bump. They just kind of kept fighting and no one came out from the back to either sub in or interfere in the match. Weird. Anyway, I’m a bigger Izzi fan than a lot of the commentary group are and tonight she reined in some of her more annoying tendencies. I guess we’re getting to a point here where Spears is getting turfed out, but this is one of Shawn’s very slow burns storyline-wise so it might be awhile. Vice was fine but as I’ve said before, she’s got a playbook of moves and she does them all every time. 3.25*

Winner AND STILL NXT Women’s Champion – Lola Vice (Backfist)

Here’s Darkstate exiting the building while cutting a promo about next week, and they are being observed from afar by Saquon Shugars who will apparently be playing the role of Dark Knight to Darkstate! The credits roll and we’re out.

There’s a bunch of new talent and we’re just plowing forward with them and seeing how it all shakes out. Some of it’s working and some of it’s a work in progress but I like that everyone seems to see it as an opportunity. A rebuild is never easy and there’s always going to be good and not-so-good while it’s happening. I think tonight’s show was decent enough and the bookend women’s matches were the best parts of it, at least for me. You can tell me just how wrong I am in comments, I guess.

Thanks for reading and commenting. Y’all be cool.