NXT Review – 07.14.26

So many words, please make time to read them: Evolve | Main Event | Impact | NXT 2.0 | Smackdown | AAA | Raw

NXT is live on the CW and Netflix from The Performance Center in Orlando, FL. The announcers for tonight’s show are Vic Joseph and Booker T on match calls and analysis, Lillian Garcia (!) on ring introductions, and Emily Agard on interviews and breaking news. There’s a lot happening on the road to HEATWAVE so let’s see what goes on tonight. It’s time, so let’s watch some wrestling!

Then, Now, Forever….TOGETHER

There are some folks showing up for work tonight and they include all three members of our big main event, Kelani Jordan, AAA Mixed Tag Team Champion Lola Vice, and Kali Armstrong. NXT Women’s North American Champion Zaria is also in the building.

NXT Tag Team Championship: The Vanity Project (Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes) (C) vs Dorian van Dux and Sean Legacy

Myka Lockwood and Jackson Drake are with Baylor and Smokes. Legacy works some grappling to start and grabs a crucifix on Smokes for two. Legacy grabs another rollup for two. Legacy snaps off a dropkick and Baylor tags in. Legacy greets Baylor with an armdrag and DvD tags in. DvD hits a sort of weird spear on Baylor for two. DvD eats some kicks from Baylor but fires off a dropkick of his own after some rope-running. DvD covers and gets one. Legacy tags in and eats a knee and an elbow from Baylor. Smokes tags in and puts the boots to Legacy in their corner. Legacy trucks Smokes down and Baylor charges in to get dropped by Legacy. DvD tags in and hits a slingshot legdrop. Smokes tags in and he eats a backdrop suplex from DvD and a running kick and standing moonsault from Legacy. Legacy covers and gets two. Smokes eats some Legacy chops and Baylor grabs a blind tag. Legacy bundles both Baylor and Smokes to the floor and DvD propels him super high into the air to splash Baylor and Smokes. We go to commercials.

Smokes hits a corner splash on Legacy when the show returns. Baylor tags in and Legacy fights his way out of the corner before eating a huge Baylor knee lift. Smokes tags in and Baylor holds Legacy aloft for a dropkick-spinebuster combo that gets two. Smokes ties up Legacy but Legacy manages to grab a roll up for two after escaping. Baylor tags in and Legacy escapes to tag in DvD. DvD runs wild and it ends with a springboard moonsault on Baylor that gets two. DvD ascends but misses his jump. Baylor tags in Smokes and he yanks DvD neck-first over the top rope. Baylor pulls DvD into a Codebreaker and Smokes hits a slingshot spear before Legacy breaks up the cover at two. We reset with everyone down. Baylor drives Legacy to the floor and Smokes tags in. DvD flies up for a huge superplex on Smokes. DvD hits a splash and Legacy follows with a 450. Legacy covers Smokes and Baylor breaks up the cover at two. Smokes fakes out Legacy and grabs a roll up for two. Baylor and DvD grab tags and Baylor runs right into a DvD helicopter suplex. Legacy and DvD hit tope suicidas and then Legacy flies back out with a tope con hilo on both Baylor and Smokes. Drake jumps up on the apron and eats a DvD right hand, and while the ref checks on Drake, Lockwood pulls the ropes down and DvD crashes to the floor. Baylor rams Legacy into the ring steps and Lockwood runs DvD back in. Smokes gets a tag and he ascends for a flying stomp on DvD that ends things.

I thought this was pretty solid for the story that they were telling in terms of “plucky babyfaces vs cheating heels with an entourage”. Of course no one sold anything, but pointing that out seems almost antiquated at this point. I like the Project kids and always have, and I think Shawn has fun with their heel stuff when booking them. Drake and Lockwood on the floor seem like a cheat code, but DvD and Legacy were game here even with a wildly predictable outcome. This was good for television. 3.5*

Winners AND STILL NXT Tag Team Champions – The Vanity Project (Smokes flying stomp on DvD)

Here’s NXT Men’s North American Champion Myles Borne and Tavion Heights backstage. Heights is warming up while Borne watched the tag title match. Heights has an idea that he and Borne should team to take on the Vanity Project and here’s Kam Hendrix in to tell Borne to watch his title because Hendrix is coming for it. Hendrix claims to be at 82.6% health but promises that it will be SHOWTIME real soon. Heights leaves to continue warming up but tells Borne to think about trying for the tag titles.

Here’s Tristan Angels in a makeup room chair gazing at his face in a mirror. Angels will be joining us when the show returns from commercials.

Here’s Saquon Shugars spying on a workout before being caught by Bronco Nima and Lucien Price. Shugars offers them a chance to tag with him against Darkstate but they seem very uninterested in that while pointing out that Shugars “goofy ass” is alone. OTM leave Shugars to confront Birthright who have entered backstage. A chat about last week’s tag team number one contenders match ensues before Lexis King starts putting the stink-mouth on Nima joining Los Perros del Mal while maybe not letting Price know he was doing that. King thinks Price and Nima should maybe work a few things out while mentioning that Birthright is a family that maybe Price never knew before.

Here’s Tristan Angels out for a chat. Angels starts talking about Shiloh Hill walking around having dirty shoes and a terrible family tree, but the Good Lord sent Angels into NXT as an apology for Hill’s presence. Angels has Hill’s dental bridge for some reason, and claims that Hill is a “creepy hillbilly weirdo” who’s not fit to stand across the ring from Angels. Angels says he’s going to do Hill a favor and stomps the bridge into pieces on the ring steps. Shiloh Hill joins us on the video board to tell Angels that losing that tooth helped his mind. Hill says THE FOG IS COMING and cackles as the area fills up with dry ice.

Here’s Lizzy Rain, Izzi Dame, Nattie Neidhart, Evolve Women’s Champion Nikkita Lyons, Karmen Petrovic, and a hurting Layla Diggs in NXT GM Robert Stone‘s office. Nattie thinks that one of her group should take Diggs place against Zaria and specifically suggests Lyons. Dame points out she was not pinned in the contenders match and is the only one in the room to actually hold the North American title. Everyone bickers and Stone shuts everyone up by making a Fatal Four-way for the North American title with Zaria defending against Rain, Dame, and Lyons. Everyone exits the office.

Tate Wilder vs NARAKU

Wilder cuts an inset promo and claims he’s willing to take the risk to beat the former number one contender. (We now have a Tate and a Tatum in NXT, we need a TATIUS!) NARAKU dumps Wilder and slaps him dead in the face. NARAKU fakes a clean break and pops Wilder in the mouth. NARAKU smacks Wilder around but Wilder manages to snap off an armdrag after some rope-running. Wilder gets rammed into a rope before eating a double thrust, but he comes off the ropes and trucks NARAKU down with a shoulder. Wilder hits a slam and a dropkick that sends NARAKU to the floor. Wilder charges and eats a huge right forearm from NARAKU. Wilder hits a double stomp as NARAKU tries to re-enter and we go to commercials.

NARAKU pulls Wilder into a back suplex when the show returns. NARAKU slaps on an STF and Wilder tries for the ropes. Wilder pulls NARAKU over and grabs a two count. NARAKU fires off a big chop and slaps on a rear chinlock. NARAKU gets caught by a sling blade and we reset with both guys down. Wilder fires off some rights before dropping NARAKU with a sling blade-backbreaker thing. Wilder hits a brainbuster and covers NARAKU for two. Wilder hits a cross-body and covers NARAKU for two. Wilder ascends again and NARAKU flies in to send him over the ring post and on to the barrier. NARAKU tosses Wilder back in and hits EVERYTHING IS EVIL, er…THE ABYSS and that ends things.

Wilder is paying his dues right now but he’s got the chops. NARAKU is fully realized so there’s not much to talk about in terms of growth, he is what he is and he’ll be the same guy on the main roster if/when he makes it. There wasn’t too much to this other than Wilder fighting from underneath and mostly getting his ass handed to him. 2.5*

Winner – NARAKU (The Abyss)

Post-match sees NXT Men’s Champion Tony D’Angelo fly in to smash NARAKU out of the ring and to the floor. D’Angelo barks at NARAKU before beating up some Security goons. A fight breaks out and NARAKU hits a Security goof with THE RED MIST as D’Angelo ducks out of the way. The fight continues as Joseph throws it to commercials.

Here’s Hank Walker, Tank Leisure, and EK Prosper backstage talking up recent interactions with Keanu Carver, and Hank promises to deal with Carver fully next week. Here’s Saquon Shugars in to tell Hank he believes in him while a skeptical Tank seems uninterested. Shugars tries some recruiting and no one is interested. Shugars tries the HONK HONK thing and Tank tells him NO HONK. That’s cold, bro.

NXT Women’s North American Championship Fatal Four-way: Zaria (C) vs Izzi Dame vs Lizzy Rain vs Evolve Women’s Champion Nikkita Lyons

Lyons gets the “already in the ring” entrance, so I suspect she will not be taking home more gold this evening. So this is three heels and Rain, which I think is going to be strange, but let’s see. The opening skirmish sees everyone take offense and Dame grabs a roll-up on Rain for two. Lyons blasts Rain with a roundhouse and then pounds Dame with a right. Dame fires off a neckbreaker and covers Lyons for two. Lyons pulls Dame into a Michinoku Driver but her cover gets broken up by Zaria at two. Rain and Zaria face off and Zaria blasts Rain with a lofted headbutt. Zaria smashes Dame and Lyons and we have another sequence of everyone getting hit by stuff before we reset with all four down. A Pier Six erupts when everyone rises and we go to commercials.

Dame is fighting Zaria on one apron while Rain and Lyons battle on the opposite one as the show returns. Rain smashes Lyons head into the apron (Sol Ruca mention! DRINK!) as Zaria hoists Dame up for a boot to the face. Zaria and Dame crush each other with simultaneous clotheslines. Rain hits a double top rope dropkick on Zaria and Dame. Rain fires off some chops on Zaria and then ducks a Dame charge. Rain drops Dame with a German and plants a charging Lyons with a spinebuster. Rain crushes Zaria with a DDT but turns right into a Dame clothesline. Dame gets caught by a Rain stunner and Lyons theatrically breaks up the cover at two. (Seriously, who breaks up a cover with a split?!) Lyons runs wild for a second and plants Rain with a double underhook sitdown powerbomb that gets two. Lyons ranas Zaria who crashes directly into a seated Rain. Zaria springs up and catches Lyons and they both get dropkicked by a charging Dame. Dame covers a prone Rain and gets two. Dame covers Zaria and Lyons and gets two each time. Dame drops Lyons with a German and a dropkick but Rain breaks up her cover at two. Dame fires Rain at a charging Zaria and then plants Rain with a backstabber. Dame hits a chokeslam on Rain and Zaria breaks up the cover at two. Zaria and Dame slug it out and Zaria hits a huge lofted knee. Zaria smashes Lyons and Rain around but Dame catches Zaria with a dropkick. Zaria no-sells it and spears Dame for two. (We’ve reached the “this match is too long” portion of the evening.) Here’s Nattie and Karmen Petrovic out from the back as Lyons boots Zaria in the face. Rain fires off a headbutt on Lyons before missing a between-the-ropes dropkick. Dame fires Rain into the announce table and they fight it out on the floor. The ref is watching that as Nattie grabs Zaria from behind. Here’s Jaida Parker out from the back to attack Nattie as Zaria spears Petrovic down. Lyons smashes Zaria with a roundhouse but when they go back in Lyons misses a roundhouse and Zaria hits a spear and an F5 to finish things.

So we went for the “let’s combine a few different stories” into a match as a replacement for Zaria beating Layla Diggs, and I guess for the most part it worked. Dame and Rain are building a rivalry and obviously there’s the whole thing with Parker and Nattie as well. Zaria just does her basic power stuff and wins, but I think she really needs another big program to get her to the next level THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SOL RUCA. 2.75*

Winner AND STILL NXT Women’s North American Champion – Zaria (F5 on Lyons)

Here’s Saquon Shugars complaining to WWE Women’s Speed Champion Wren Sinclair and NXT Women’s Champion Kendal Grey how no one wants to team with him. Grey points out that Shugars hasn’t really given anyone a reason to be his friend. Lola Vice slides into scene and Shugars makes a quick exit. Vice promises to get her title back and vows to win the number one contenders match.

Jackson Drake rides Myka Lockwood’s shoulders as he makes his entrance, and he’s also got Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes out with him as well. We go to commercials.

Tony D’Angelo barges into Robert Stone’s office and insists on another match with NARAKU, but Stone says he’s trying to protect D’Angelo. Stone says the rematch will be next week and D’Angelo says it’s not good enough and he’s not waiting. Stone chases after D’Angelo after he leaves.

Jackson Drake vs Tavion Heights

Heights seems wholly unimpressed by the Project’s entourage as the bell rings. Drake grapples Heights which seems like a bad idea. Drake blasts Heights with some kicks and then they exchange grapples. Heights tosses Drake around and threatens a right as Drake backs off. Heights wants an amateur showdown and offers Drake top position, but Heights was fooling and slaps on a side headlock. Drake reverses into a front facelock before Heights reverses. Drake pounds away in a corner and then gets caught by another side headlock from Heights. Heights hits a half-and-half and covers Drake for two. Drake boxes Heights ears and boots him in the face before covering and getting two. Drake fires off a couple of forearms but on his third attempt Heights fires Drake into an overhead Exploder. Drake topples to the floor and we go to commercials.

Drake is working a guillotine when the show returns. Heights fires him over in a Northern Lights suplex and gets two. Drake gets snatched up by Heights but he slips off. Drake eats a right and fires off a Dragon Screw leg whip in response. Drake puts on an Indian Death Lock (Can we still call that move that name? Hmm.) but Heights rolls him over for two. Drake fires off a spear and slaps on a Figure Four. Heights rolls it over and Drake makes the ropes to break it. They slug it out and Heights fires off a belly-to-back suplex. Heights uses the AIRPLANE SPIN and then heaves Drake over the top rope onto Baylor and Smokes. Heights runs Drake back in and hits another overhead suplex before Baylor leaps on to the apron. Heights drops Baylor with a right but walks into a Drake sunset flip that gets three.

I think this was meant to be more comedic in timing in terms of the finish but Heights looked even dumber by pausing a beat and then walking into Drake’s small package. Regardless, take a look at the Vanity Project! Two for two tonight with overbooked heel interference finishes. Love it. Anyway, Heights is really starting to turn the corner into a more finished article as he’s slowed his pace down, works more to his natural amateur abilities, and is moving through his sequences with more focus. Heights still needs reps but it’s starting to come together. Drake is good at almost all of it, he’s just 188 pounds and a stringbean, so I don’t know what the upside for him might be unless they keep this group together like they did with Fatal. 3.25*

Winner – Jackson Drake (sunset flip)

Here’s a pre-tape promo from Reina Volcan. Volcan says while you’re admiring the view, she was born to destroy your expectations. Volcan says she’s one of one and promises THIS DIVISION will belong to her. Volcan will make her debut next week!

Here’s a clip of Oba Femi who talks about his entrance walk during a promo for UNREAL.

Here’s Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno backstage chatting before Saquon Shugars comes in. Dar says Shugars would be hard to trust and Moreno has an idea, but Dar tells him to chill. Moreno points out that Darkstate were former tag champs and this might be an opportunity to get in that scene. Dar concedes the point and we have a TEAM.

Here’s Wren Sinclair and Kendal Grey discussing who Grey might want to face after the number one contender’s match and Grey mentions having wanted to run things back with Kali Armstrong for awhile. Conveniently, here’s Kali Armstrong in to say she’s coming for Grey as soon as she wins tonight. Armstrong wanders past Jaida Parker who’s got some words for her. After Armstrong exits, here’s Nattie in to watch as Karmen Petrovic and Nikkita Lyons utterly destroy Parker. We go to commercials.

THE NXT FOCUS PRESENTED BY PROGRESSIVE is on Shawn Spears visiting Full Sail while chatting about building the Culling. Spears says that Izzi Dame and Niko Vance have become what he hoped they would, but they took steps back when they attacked Spears. Next week it’s Spears and Vance and Spears wants to find out just how much Vance has learned. Joseph also announces that Nattie will face Jaida Parker next week as well. Big show coming!

NXT Women’s Championship Triple Threat Number One Contenders Match: Kelani Jordan vs AAA Mixed Tag Team Champion Lola Vice vs Kali Armstrong

Vice could not roll her eyes any harder during Armstrong’s entrance. Jordan and Vice square off before dumping Armstrong, and Jordan grabs a roll up for two. Vice yanks Jordan into a rear naked choke but Jordan shakes loose and applies a sleeper. Armstrong flies in and spears Vice before ramming her into an opposite corner. Armstrong trucks Vice and Jordan with shoulders but Jordan slips one and runs right into a Vice superkick. Vice kicks Jordan in a corner before hitting the hip shake. Jordan yanks the ref in front of her to prevent Vice’s hip attack and then rises to slap Vice in the face. Jordan rams Vice into a corner and fires off some kicks. Vice yanks up Jordan and they exchange some ground and pound. Armstrong flies back in to drop them both and then yanks up Vice and Jordan for body slams. Armstrong fires off some jabs and a big right to drop Jordan. Vice fires up but gets yanked out by Jordan for a lariat. Jordan flies back in for a rana and a dropkick before covering Armstrong for two. Jordan tosses Armstrong into a Vice front headlock before dropkicking Vice who DDT’s Armstrong. Jordan covers Vice for two. Vice grabs an inside cradle on Jordan for two. Vice turns to Armstrong while kicking Jordan away. Vice locks in a guillotine on Armstrong but Jordan flies in with a kick to Vice’s face to break it up. Jordan goes to the apron and flies in to get caught by an Armstrong powerslam. Vice breaks up Armstrong’s cover at two. Vice drives a boot into Armstrong’s mid-section before going to the apron to hit a sitting senton on Jordan. Armstrong botches a rope leap but goes up a second time for a cross-body on Jordan and Vice. We go to commercials.

Vice breaks out of a double team and smashes Jordan and Armstrong down with kicks. Vice has them lined up for Hip Attacks and delivers one to Armstrong before smashing Jordan. Vice runs into an Armstrong spinebuster but Jordan’s double stomp breaks up Armstrong’s cover at two. Jordan kicks Vice and Armstrong before hitting a double Eat Defeat. Jordan nips up and drops Armstrong with a German before smashing Vice in the back. Jordan ascends and drops a leg on Vice. Jordan ascends again but her split-legged moonsault ends up in a triangle submission by Vice. Jordan rolls over and gets two as Armstrong breaks up the cover. Jordan reverses a cover by Armstrong and Vice breaks it up with a knee. Armstrong boots Vice in the gut but Vice gets a sunset flip for two. Vice wants an armbar but Jordan comes off the top rope with a frog splash on Vice for two. Jordan and Armstrong start slugging it out before Vice rises to join them. Vice and Jordan superkick Armstrong away before Vice superkicks Jordan. Vice runs into a rolling powerslam by Armstrong. Armstrong hits the Kali Connection on Vice but she rolls out of the ring. Jordan flies in with a roll up on Armstrong for two and then hits a powerslam into a cradle for a LONG two. (There might be some controversy here because I’m not sure Armstrong actually kicked out, but the ref stopped the count anyway.) Jordan hits a series of kicks on Armstrong and then ducks out of the way as Vice murders Armstrong with a backfist. Jordan hits a springboard elbow on Vice and then ascends. Jordan hits a 450 on Armstrong but Vice smashes Jordan with a kick and falls onto Armstrong for a three count.

There’s a lot to unpack here. My first thought is that Vice is the most uninspiring choice for a winner out of these choices. Secondly, I think the ref probably did what was best for the match by not counting the pin on Armstrong assuming she just forgot to kick out or was maybe dazed, I don’t know. Thirdly, I thought this was pretty good but maybe a little too fast-paced overall. I think Kali held her own here against two more seasoned opponents and she shook off her jumping botch without a thought, so good for her there (but don’t do shit you aren’t confident in, Kali). Vice and Grey again just really doesn’t do anything for me anticipation-wise but I guess Lola may be getting close to a call up and perhaps this is endgame for her at this level. 3.5*

Winner – Lola Vice (covers Armstrong after disposing of Jordan)

Post-match sees Joseph run down next week’s card as Vice’s music plays in the background. There’s a fight in the NXT Parking Lot and it’s NARAKU and Tony D’Angelo. Stone makes next week’s match a STREET FIGHT as the credits roll and we’re out.

Not a bad effort tonight, overall. I thought mostly everything worked, but again, going back to Lola Vice is disappointing for me. I think Shawn is doing the best he can with what he has right now and with no major blue-chippers on the men’s side to build around, it’s hit and miss in terms of what’s working and what’s just….happening. So we’ll take all this in and move on to next week with about six weeks left until Heatwave.

Thanks for reading and commenting. Have a great Wednesday.