NXT Review – 06.16.26

AW YEAH MAN: Evolve | Impact | Smackdown | AAA | Raw

Also, Kat took a look back at the beginning of NXT 2.0, and the Wedding of the Century!

NXT is on the CW/Netflix airwaves LIVE from The Performance Center in Orlando, FL. The announcers for tonight’s show are Vic Joseph and Corey Graves (!) on match calls and analysis, Mike Rome on ring introductions, and Emily Agard on interviews and breaking news. We have a sit-down between the Men’s Champion and his number one contender on the docket for this evening, but I’m sure we’ll get some good in-ring as well. Let’s watch some wrestling!

Then, Now, Forever….TOGETHER

We’re 12 days away from the Great American Bash and some folks are arriving to work. Here’s Jaida Parker entering looking stone-faced but fashionable. Nattie Neidhart arrives wearing a Stone Cold Steve Austin shirt, and meets Nikkita Lyons and Karmen Petrovic at the doors. Vic Joseph throws to highlights of all the chaos from last week‘s show.

Here’s the new NXT Women’s North American Champion Zaria out for a chat. It takes all of about six words for her to mention Sol Ruca because it’s her entire identity, still, at this point. She gets a “you deserve it” chant from the crowd, and holds the belt aloft for a nice pop. Zaria did all of this on her own and her name wasn’t mentioned as being a part of the “future of THIS DIVISION” but now she has the title and the future is in her hands. Zaria says she doesn’t owe anyone any gratitude and will never allow her name to be….

Here’s Kelani Jordan out to congratulate Zaria, who just wants to know what Jordan wants. Jordan says she’s just out to offer some advice and it’s….enjoy all of this, because the fans who are chanting “you deserve it” will turn on her later. Jordan starts complaining about Kendal Grey and Lola Vice, and says Grey always folds when the lights are brightest and…

Here’s Kendal Grey out to say that Jordan is acting like they have unfinished business but they don’t because Grey beat Jordan in the middle of the ring to earn her shot at Lola Vice. Instead, Jordan is going to watch her fight Vice. Zaria fires up and says that Jordan was at least right about how the locker room will always try to make it about themselves instead of respecting the champions and….

Here’s NXT Women’s Champion Lola Vice out and I’m sensing a tag match for later. Vice chides Zaria about calling herself “dominant” after only a week of being champ and advises her to “get over Sol already”. From your lips to God’s ears, Lola. Vice tells Jordan to shut her mouth in Spanish, and then tells Grey she’s already acting like she’s won the title and the match hasn’t happened yet. Everyone starts yelling and here’s NXT GM Robert Stone and Vice says she knows what’s coming (as do we all) that it’s going to be her and Grey vs Jordan and Zaria tonight. Stone says that’s why we have the best WOMEN’S DIVISION in the business.

Here’s Tavion Heights warming up, while Jackson Drake heads to the ring for their number one contenders match flanked by Myka Lockwood and the NXT Tag Team Champions Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes. We go to commercials.

After pumping up the new New York Knicks championship gear on wweshop.com, Joseph speculates on Danhausen potentially uncursing the Cleveland Browns and well, he’s a powerful dude, but I’m not sure he has the juju to make that happen, Vic.

NXT Men’s North American Championship Number One Contenders Match: Tavion Heights vs Jackson Drake

Drake is seconded by Swipe Right and Myka Lockwood, who helpfully carries Drake to the ring on her shoulders. There’s some grappling to start and we reset. Heights trucks Drake down and then yanks him up for a body slam. Heights rolls through and pulls Drake up to shoulder-level before tossing him across the ring. Heights hits an overhead belly-to-back suplex and covers Drake for two. Drake bails to the apron and Heights just yanks him back in while working an elbow lock. An inset shows us NXT Men’s North American Champion Myles Borne keeping an eye on the match backstage. Drake lifts a knee and then twists Heights neck with his feet. Drake wants a high boot but Heights steps through and tosses Drake again. Heights hits some shoulder tackles and then tosses Drake over onto his back. Smokes interferes and eats a Heights right hand, but this gives enough time for Drake to fly in with a knee to Heights jaw. Heights ends up on the floor and Drake goes out to run Heights into the ring steps. We go to commercials with the Vanity Project looming over a fallen Heights.

Heights tosses Drake over his shoulders as the show returns. They run the ropes and hit simultaneous cross-bodies on each other. Heights mashes Drake with a clothesline and a sling blade before tossing him again. Heights hits another lariat and covers Drake for two. Heights uses a shoulder again, and Drake slips a charge. Drake rolls up Heights for two and then snaps off a handspring cutter. Drake hits a standing Shooting Star Press and covers for two. Heights gets dropkicked to the floor and Drake hits a tope suicida before nipping up to a pop. Drake tosses Heights back in before ascending. Drake preens for too long and Heights springs up to hit him with an overhead belly-to-belly from the top rope. Heights ascends and hits a huge splash for two. Heights mounts Drake on a turnbuckle and pounds away, but Drake fights back and pushes Heights to the mat. Drake ascends and wants a 450 but Heights slips out of the way. Heights hits a back body drop on a charging Drake that sends him to the floor where he lands on Baylor and Smokes. Heights tosses Drake back in and Myka Lockwood draws the ref’s attention while Baylor and Smokes sneak in from behind. Here’s Myles Borne out to yank Baylor and Smokes out of the ring before clotheslining both of them down. Drake wanders into a full circle belly-to-belly suplex and that finishes things.

An interesting outcome, that. I would have expected the mega-heel Drake here since Borne’s story is basically tailor-made for Drake to mock, but it’s Heights getting a big win, finally, to get the shot at the Bash. This is where I start trying to think like Shawn and I’m wondering if this might be a bit of a test to see if Heights can finally hang on the big stage since they clearly haven’t been too impressed thus far. I guess we’ll see. Drake will be fine, I think, and I’m sure will take his chances in the division over time. This was pretty good overall, I thought. 3.5*

Winner and NEW Number One Contender to the NXT Men’s North American Championship – Tavion Heights (rolling belly-to-belly)

Post-match sees Borne lift Heights arm, but Heights seems perturbed and tells him he didn’t need Borne’s help before exiting.

LAST WEEK Robert Stone had a post-pageant conversation with Matt Mathews, Evolve Men’s Champion Aaron Rourke, and Hank & Tank and here’s WWE Men’s Speed Champion Lexis King with Birthright in tow. King thanks Stone for giving Arianna Grace a shot in the Women’s Speed tournament and King is sure Grace will become the fastest woman alive. Mathews calls King “Temu Bret Michaels” and this makes Uriah Connors grumpy. Connors says he doesn’t like celebrities coming in and ruining what their dads built, so Mathews tells him to thank his dad for his job. BURN! Stacks Lorenzo fires up and tells Mathews to leave, and everyone starts barking at each other while maybe challenging each other to a match? I guess we’ll see. We go to commercials.

WWE Women’s Speed Championship Tournament Semi-Final: Thea Hail vs Izzi Dame

Hail has incorporated shotgunning a beverage during her entrance and I’m not sure it helps with the presentation. Dame is flanked by Niko Vance and Shawn Spears as Joseph talks up the issues within the Culling. As always, the Speed tournament matches have a three minute time limit.

Hail charges at the bell and grabs a crucifix on Dame for two. Hail grabs a sunset flip for two. Dame fires up with a lariat and Hail lifts a knee when Dame charges. Dame yanks up Hail for a facebuster and covers her for three. Dame gets pulled over and Hail tries for the Kimura, but Dame makes the ropes and Hail is forced to break. Hail charges Dame on the floor and Dame drives Hail back-first into the apron. Dame tosses Hail back in and misses a dropkick. Hail stomps on Dame’s hand and blasts her with a dropkick. Hail hits a Blockbuster and covers Dame for two. Hail tries for another submission and can’t lock it in, so she blasts Dame with a headbutt. Hail tries for a springboard reverse cutter but Dame slips it. Dame crushes Hail with a running knee and that finishes things.

Yeah, that went exactly how I expected it to, honestly. I think Dame will ultimately end up facing Wren Sinclair for the title but this was a pretty solid way to start on the road. 2*

Winner – Izzi Dame (running knee strike)

Here’s WWE Women’s Speed Champion Wren Sinclair with Kendal Grey and Sinclair is running through her potential list of opponents now that Dame has advanced. Grey wants Sinclair in her corner at the Bash and Sinclair is hesitant because she’ll have to defend her title as well. Grey says okay and says both of them will be champs by the end of the night at the Bash. Lola Vice slides in to tell Grey to lock in and Sinclair leaves to get her medical clearance.

Here’s a vignette with NXT Men’s Champion Tony D’Angelo walking and coming upon a pagoda. We go to commercials.

NARAKU greets Tony D’Angelo with a bow when he arrives and offers Tony-san a seat. D’Angelo says he knows how these meetings go because he used to run them. NARAKU has the contract from Stone, and D’Angelo says he knows that NARAKU is putting on a nice guy act right now. D’Angelo runs down the EVIL HISTORY of NARAKU in Japan and mentions all of his title reigns, but that he had a pack of wild animals helping him along the way. NARAKU says he’s a warrior today, and D’Angelo calls him an EVIL man who left Japan for one reason…D’Angelo’s title. D’Angelo says NARAKU is on his own now, a man without his family, and NARAKU says D’Angelo must understand that. D’Angelo says NARAKU is wrong to think he can take the title at the Bash, and signs the contract. NARAKU says he’ll sign the contract and give it to D’Angelo next week. D’Angelo warns NARAKU to be ready for war, and he leaves. NARAKU: “EVIL is coming!”

THE NXT FOCUS PRESENTED BY PROGRESSIVE is on Jaida Parker and Nattie’s building antagonism. Nattie is on her way to the ring as is Parker. It’s time to sell some goods and services or talk about upcoming sporting programs.

Robert Stone is on the phone with someone and mentions that the Bash tailgate is going to be fantastic. There’s going to be a big deal in the NXT Parking Lot and are we sure that’s a good idea, Stone? Here’s Keanu Carver in to chat about Stone’s promise to get him a match. EK Prosper wanders in and it turns out that he’s Carver’s opponent for next week. Carver was thinking he was going to be getting a match with someone in the title picture and seems put out, so Prosper says he’s not going to be disrespected like that. There’s some back and forth and Carver leaves.

Nattie Neidhart vs Jaida Parker

Parker tries to offer a clean break after pushing Nattie to a corner, but Nattie decides to slap Parker in the chest and push her into the corner. Nattie fires off rights and wants the smoke, so Parker advances for some ground and pound. Parker trucks Nattie down and to the floor and Nattie regroups while clapping derisively at Parker. Parker invites Nattie back in and Nattie works some side headlock takeovers. Nattie says something the crowd reacts to, and then pulls Parker over again in a side headlock. Parker goes behind and Nattie snaps her over again. Nattie gets rolled over for two, and then tries for an ankle lock. Parker snaps Nattie over and rolls her into the Rings of Saturn. Nattie makes the ropes and Parker misses a subsequent charge. Nattie drops Parker down and kicks her in the face before slapping her again. Parker fires back and Nattie dumps Parker to the apron. Parker lifts a knee and then dumps Nattie to the floor. Parker goes out and gets dumped before they crush each other with simultaneous clotheslines. We go to commercials.

Nattie reverses an abdominal stretch when the show returns. Nattie gets dumped off and sent to the floor, and then Parker flies in with a between-the-ropes dropkick. Parker yanks Nattie up and runs her back in but Nattie wants to be on the floor and smashes Parker down with a forearm. Nattie puts the stink-mouth on Vic Joseph for a second and then poses for the crowd. Nattie runs Parker back in and barks at the NXT UNIVERSE who respond in kind. Nattie grabs a rear chinlock and locks in her legs to tie Parker up. Parker rolls through and puts the boots to Nattie’s hamstring. Parker grabs an STF mid-ring and Nattie again makes the ropes to break it up. Nattie dumps Parker down and yanks her into a surfboard. Parker won’t give and Nattie dumps her down. Nattie snapmares Parker into the ropes and then torques her knee onto the mat. Parker fires up with some rights and yanks Nattie over for a back suplex. Nattie eats an elbow when she charges and Parker follows with a huge lariat. Parker hits a high boot and dumps Nattie over the second rope for her patented butt drop and high stepping. Parker hits Hipnotic and Nattie kicks out at two. Parker works the Rings of Saturn again and rolls Nattie into a crucifix for two. There’s an exchange of covers and Nattie wants an armbar. Parker hits another Hipnotic along the ropes and Nattie tumbles out to the floor. Parker gets yanked down the steps and then run head-first into them by Nattie. Nattie dumps parker back in and Parker grabs an inside cradle for two. Nattie fires off a discus lariat and yanks Parker into the Sharpshooter. Parker tries for the ropes and doesn’t make it. Nattie leans all the way back and Parker is forced to tap.

I’m really not understanding that booking decision at all unless we’re going to the Underground at the Bash, and I’ll be honest, I don’t need to see more of this feud. The match itself was very clunky because it felt like they had maybe rehearsed some spots and Nattie was getting into position while Parker was working through her transitions. The whole thing felt awkward at least to me, I know Nattie likes to think she’s some catch wrestling queen or some shit, but Parker has had better matches with much less-tenured talents so I’m not inclined to put this on her. 2.5*

Winner – Nattie Neidhart (Sharpshooter)

Post-match sees Petrovic and Lyons out to celebrate with Nattie who glares at a very upset Parker.

Here’s Lizzy Rain having a right old chat with her mate Mason Rook innit. They run into Tristan Angels who claims that at least one of them is representing England properly. Angels mentions he can now be referred to as Mr. NXT and here’s Evolve Men’s Champion Aaron Rourke in to question that particular statement. Angels says that Shiloh Hill is unable to fulfill his duties due to not being medically cleared, so as runner up, he’s now the MAN. Angels and Rourke bicker over the Evolve title, Rourke makes a tiny penis joke, and Angels leaves in a huff. Rourke then teaches Rook and Rain (So many R names!) how to CLOCK IT.

Arianna Grace, flanked by Birthright, makes her entrance and we go to commercials.

WWE Women’s Speed Championship Tournament Semi-Final: Arianna Grace vs Layla Diggs

Diggs is an Evolve talent, and this is a reminder to always check out our pal Phred’s EXCELLENT Evolve coverage every Thursday morning. Grace misses a pump kick at the bell and Diggs pulls her into a roll up for one. Diggs grabs another roll up for two. and then gets dumped to the floor. Diggs blocks an attempt to ram her head into the apron before doing just that to Grace. They go back in and Diggs yanks Grace up for a front facebuster. Diggs hits a Shining Wizard and covers Grace for two. Grace fires up with a double thrust and a flying elbow that gets two. Grace trucks Diggs in a corner and then yanks her into a suplex. Grace hits a flying forearm and that gets two. Grace gets caught by a back elbow, a high kick, a lifted knee, and an enziguri. Diggs hits a Pele kick and ascends but Stacks jumps up to interfere. Diggs kicks him away and decides to moonsault the Birthright crew. Grace fakes being in distress and pulls Diggs into an inside cradle for three when she approaches.

It’s a rough couple of days for Layla. Her Evolve partner Masyn Holliday left the company, and now she loses in the Speed tournament. Let’s hope things get better for her. Grace was fine here but you didn’t miss anything if you didn’t see this. 1.25*

Winner – Arianna Grace (inside cradle)

Noam Dar, Romeo Moreno, Sean Legacy, and Dorian van Dux are backstage chatting and Legacy wants to know how Dar knew that teaming with Moreno was the right thing. Dar says he wasn’t expecting to be a team guy and was planning on just focusing on himself but Moreno is persistent. Moreno feels that they are artists blending together and Dar admits that Nathan Frazer was right about them being good partners. Legacy mentions that van Dux and he came to a similar conclusion about them tagging, and van Dux is distracted by a Culling discussion happening behind them. van Dux suggests that he and Legacy maybe go to Robert Stone for a tag match with Spears and Vance and Legacy thinks that’s a good idea, so they leave.

Here’s SHERIFF OF JUSTICE Tate Wilder showing off his mangled pinky finger from taking a bad backflip. Wilder says you can’t grow unless you take risks. Wilder laments being winless so far in NXT but he’s excited for the future. We go to commercials.

Graves and Joseph run down the Bash card as it stands right now, and they announce that Saquon Shugars will be taking on Dion Lennox at that show. THE NXT CHRONICLE has a long look at Saquon Shugars who mentions that he grew up in the ‘hood in Washington DC. Shugars says he stays ready, and you can ask Darkstate about that. Shugars mentions that the athletes came to him because he understood pro wrestling at that point before Darkstate coalesced as a team. Shugars says it was the dumbest decision of his life to team with James, Griffin, and Lennox, and says he’s never going back to them. Here’s Dion Lennox muttering to a monitor that he’ll see Shugars next week.

Kelani Jordan makes her entrance, followed by Zaria making hers. We go to commercials.

NXT Women’s Champion Lola Vice and Kendal Grey vs Kelani Jordan and NXT Women’s North American Champion Zaria

It’s Vice and Jordan to start and Vice works a full nelson before Jordan rolls her over for two. Vice runs the ropes and Jordan manages a roll up for two. Jordan tries a cross body and gets two. Vice dumps Jordan and tags in Grey. Grey mashes Jordan with a double stomp and covers for two. Grey wants a single leg but Jordan escapes it. There’s some acrobatics and Grey snaps off a dropkick that sends Jordan into Zaria who tags in. Vice tags in and she and Zaria lock up. Vice fires off some kicks and Zaria trucks her down in response. Vice smacks Zaria in the gut and fires off some slaps. Zaria yanks Vice into a belly to back suplex and Grey grabs a blind tag when Vice stumbles into their corner. Vice objects but leaves, and Zaria gets caught by a low dropkick. Grey slips a charge but eats a lifted knee from Zaria that sends her to the floor. The ref chastises Zaria and Grey gets mashed by a charging Jordan off the apron. We go to commercials.

Jordan sends Grey careening into Zaria’s ankles when the show returns. Zaria ends up on the floor and Grey slips Jordan’s charge to tag in Vice. Vice hits a bunch of kicks on Jordan and then dumps Zaria back out. Vice hits the Hip Attack twice on Jordan and Zaria grabs a blind tag. Zaria flies in with a high boot to Vice’s face when she tries a third Hip Attack. Vice fires up with more kicks and Zaria comes off the ropes with a discus lariat. Jordan grabs a tag and crushes Vice with a frog splash that gets two. Jordan locks in a submission and Vice immediately transitions over to try for an armbar. Jordan rolls through and gets two, and then wallops Vice with a superkick when they rise. Grey tags in and hits an overhead belly-to-belly on Jordan before dropping the straps. Grey hits two release Germans on Jordan but her third attempt is reversed into a Jordan waist-plant. Jordan ascends and Grey springs up to join her. Grey tries for a suplex but Jordan lands on her feet. Zaria tags in and immediately spears Grey before dropping Vice off the apron with a right. Zaria wants the F5 but Grey rolls through right into a Fujiwara armbar. Grey re-adjusts into a regular armbar but Zaria rolls over and yanks Grey up for a sit-out powerbomb of sorts. Zaria’s cover is broken up at two by Vice. Jordan charges in and she and Vice meet with simultaneous high kicks. Everyone is down and we reset. Grey smashes Zaria with a backfist and Vice tags in. Zaria ducks a backfist and then awkwardly tries to toss Vice over her shoulder. Vice grabs a guillotine and Jordan charges in only to get pulled into an ankle lock by Grey. Jordan rolls over and sends Grey careening out to the floor. Zaria mashes Vice into a corner but misses her subsequent charge before tumbling to the floor. Jordan hits an Asai moonsault on Grey but turns into a sitting senton from Vice. Vice walks into a Zaria spear but here’s Tatum Paxley in the crowd to draw Zaria’s attention. Zaria turns back into a Vice roundhouse kick and Vice sends her back in. Vice hits the backfist on Zaria and that ends things.

Not sure why Jordan couldn’t have eaten that pin, but here we are. I will never get Zaria’s booking, I swear. Anyway, they really went for it here and it mostly delivered other than a wildly awkward sequence in the second act with Zaria and Vice. These are four talented folks and this was a worthy main event so I’m not going to harp too much on that particular bit of business other than to tell you that it’s live television and sometimes things go off kilter for a second. I thought Grey was good here, Vice played her greatest hits, Jordan had another impressive showing, and Zaria ended up looking at the lights again for reasons? She wins the title and immediately gets pinned clean as a sheet. Legit, I don’t get it. So, we’ll call this MOTN and move on. 3.75*

Winners – Vice/Grey (Vice backfist on Zaria)

Post-match sees a fist-bump between Vice and Grey, and here’s Paxley coming out of the crowd to fight with Zaria. They fight to the back and Vice holds her title aloft in front of Grey. Jordan yanks the title from Vice, and when Grey tries to retrieve it Jordan lets it go and Grey smashes Vice in the face with it. Hey, they did that spot before! The credits roll and we’re out.

There are two contract signings next week for the main titles, so that bit at the end was to set up the tension for the Women’s side of things. Overall, they book-ended the show with two pretty solid matches. The Speed matches didn’t do too much for me, and I thought Parker-Nattie kind of worked but was awkward as hell with weird booking. So, a mixed bag tonight, and we’ll move on with more Bash build and contract signings galore next week. Tell me what you liked and didn’t like in comments, unless it’s me, and then you can just take a long walk off a short pier, Mister.

Enjoy your Wednesdays and be good to each other.