NXT Review – 08.04.26

By Niz on 5 August 2026

See also: NXT 2.0 | A Moment In Time

NXT comes to the CW/Netflix airwaves from The Performance Center in Orlando, FL. The announcers for this evenings broadcast include Vic Joseph and Booker T on match calls and analysis, Mike Rome on ring intros, and Emily Agard on interviews and news segments. There’s Women’s title match in the Underground tonight, and tensions are high. Let’s watch some wrestling!

WWE Remembers: Dory Funk Jr. (1941-2026). RIP Hoss.

Here’s a look back at last week‘s show that began with the shocking return of Grayson Waller. Waller proceeded to torch the place to the ground with his promo. Waller got involved again at the end of the show during a showdown between NXT Men’s Champion Tony D’Angelo and Cruz Montana and things got physical.

Some folks are showing up for work and they include Lola Vice, and NXT Women’s Champion Kendal Grey and WWE Women’s Speed Champion Wren Sinclair.

Jaida Parker and Thea Hail vs Evolve Women’s Champion Nikkita Lyons and Karmen Petrovic

Nattie Neidhart accompanies Lyons and Petrovic this evening. Petrovic starts with Parker and grabs a side headlock. Parker escapes and pulls on a wristlock. Petrovic reverses and then goes back to the side headlock. Parker escapes and trucks Petrovic while Hail grabs a blind tag. Hail bodyslams Petrovic and then allows Parker to use her as a deadweight to land onto the prone Petrovic. Hail covers and gets two. Hail trucks Petrovic in a corner and runs right into a Petrovic reverse thrust when she charges her again. Lyons tags in and drops a big foot onto Hail’s back before covering and getting two. Lyons works a wristlock and pushes Hail down, but Hail rises slowly. Parker comes in to yell about something so Petrovic uses that to fly in and double-team Hail. Hail slips away and she and Parker then mash Petrovic and Lyons with lariats. Hail finally gets Parker to dance with her (If you follow Thea on TikTok you know what I’m referring to.) and they crush Petrovic and Lyons on the floor with dives. Parker misses a charge and rams herself into the ring steps and Nattie charges over to push Hail down. Nattie tosses Hail back in to Lyons who hits a double-underhook powerbomb on Hail for two. We go to commercials.

Hail grabs a crucifix on Lyons for two when the show returns. Hail pulls Lyons into an inside cradle for two. Hail keeps desperately trying for a tag and Lyons finally yanks Hail back for a lariat. Petrovic tags in and Hail finally escapes from their corner to tag in Parker. Parker runs wild and ranas Lyons out to the floor. Parker yanks Petrovic into a back elbow and follows it with a lariat and a body slam. Parker hits a gourdbuster and then slaps Petrovic into position in the corner. Nattie pulls Petrovic to safety while Lyons distracts the ref, and Petrovic then waffles Parker with a sling blade. Lyons and Petrovic combine to crush Parker with the Hart Attack and Lyons cover is broken up at two by a recovered Hail. Petrovic and Hail start fighting on the floor and Parker rolls up Lyons for two. Lyons kick-out sends Parker into Nattie who flies off the apron to the floor. Lyons grabs a roll-up for two and then pops her with a right. Parker recovers to mash Lyons with her butt drop/high step routine and Hail grabs a blind tag. Parker whoops on Petrovic while Hail hits a Coffin Drop on Lyons to finish things.

I think there was some thought that Hail could turn on Parker here but they worked together pretty flawlessly and came out with a victory so who’s the smart guy now, huh Mr. Smart Guy? Yeah, that’s what I thought. ANYWAY, not too bad of an opener here and I have to shout-out the tenacity and grit of Nikkita Lyons who’s been grinding away in Evolve and has gotten back to more regular appearances in NXT. Well done Big Kat. 2.75*

Winners – Parker/Hail (Hail Coffin Drop on Lyons)

Post-match sees the grumpy heels attack Hail and Parker with Nattie fully involved. Nattie ends up slugging Lyons by mistake before getting dropped by Hail while Parker is canceling Petrovic. They both handle Lyons and the heels end up on the floor with the triumphant babyfaces standing tall.

Here’s a wildly anxious Tavion Heights telling NXT Men’s North American Champion Myles Borne that tonight is the biggest match of his career and Borne better be ready. Borne says he’s locked in to become a double champ and to see his best friend win his first NXT title. Heights says he doesn’t know what he’ll do if they don’t win, but Borne keeps things on track and they are on point.

Here’s NXT Men’s Champion Tony D’Angelo making his way out as we go to commercials.

Here’s a look at Hell in a Cell from Summerslam weekend, and the subsequent “retirement” of Brock Lesnar that occurred on the Pat McAfee Show on ESPN. Joseph and Booker put over Lesnar’s career.

Here’s Tony D’Angelo out for a chat. I suspect interruption(s) will occur. D’Angelo mentions being disrespected by Grayson Waller last week and says Waller is trying to use his title to boomerang back to the main roster. D’Angelo promises not to be a stepping stone and vows that there will be consequences for his mouth. D’Angelo then calls out Cruz Montana, but here’s Grayson Waller on top of the NXT Roost. Waller says he was the one everyone was talking about on Summerslam weekend and he’s the one pointed at the title, not Montana. D’Angelo invites Waller to come chat man to man but says he won’t because he’s a bitch. D’Angelo mentions that he and Waller were teammates in a 2.0 WarGames and runs the names down – Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, Trick Williams (who wasn’t in the match), D’Angelo, and Waller. All of those guys became title holders except for Waller, but Waller tells him they haven’t been relevant in awhile and he’s here now. Waller hits D’Angelo with “I knew you lost your family, I didn’t know you lost your balls, too.” Waller says at least D’Angelo isn’t constantly on his phone tweeting, and here’s Cruz Montana entering through the NXT UNIVERSE. Montana addresses Waller and says he did in fact rattle some cages and says he was once in Waller’s shoes. Montana says the difference was that he went out and proved himself through his work, while Waller just has a chip on his shoulder because his nice comfy life went away. Montana says it was either wrestling or becoming a statistic. Montana says Waller better never meet the person Montana fought in the mirror because he spent years trying to get here while Waller just tried to get noticed. Waller wants to know when Montana is going tell a new story and promises to piss all over the new story he’s trying to tell. Montana says Waller is funny but he only fights for himself, while Montana has people depending on him and that’s what makes him the man. D’Angelo finally chimes in and says both of them want his title, so they should talk to Stone, get a number one contender’s match together, and he’ll see the winner at Heatwave.

Here’s a video retrospective of the Lola Vice-Kendal Grey series of matches. Back live, here’s a pacing Wren Sinclair babbling about defending her Speed title while thinking maybe they’re in over their head tonight. Grey centers Sinclair and says she’s got this. NXT Women’s North American Champion Zaria makes her entrance as we go to a break.

WWE Women’s Speed Championship: Wren Sinclair (C) vs NXT Women’s North American Champion Zaria

This will have a five minute time limit, and if Sinclair retains, she’ll get be in line for a title shot against Zaria in the future. Sinclair grabs a quick roll-up for one and then works a side headlock. Zaria breaks out of it and boots Sinclair down. Zaria misses an elbow drop and runs into a Sinclair armdrag. Zaria shakes that off and clubbers away in a corner. Sinclair hits a double sledge in response before mashing Zaria into the ropes. Sinclair trucks Zaria before snapping her over and getting a two count. (Sol Ruca mention – DRINK!) Sinclair again mashes Zaria over the top rope and snaps off an armdrag. Sinclair hits a helicopter head scissors. Zaria fires up and mounts Sinclair in a corner before yanking her down. They go to the apron and Sinclair rolls in to escape. Zaria drops a bunch of elbows and stalks Sinclair in a corner. Zaria hits a back elbow and a big right. Zaria crushes Sinclair with a running pump kick that gets two. Zaria eats a superkick and fires off a back elbow in response. They slug it out and Sinclair grabs a roll up for two. Sinclair slaps away and hits an elbow before dropping Zaria with an X-Factor that gets two. Zaria murders a charging Sinclair with a lofted knee but Sinclair manages to roll through the cover attempt and get a two count. Sinclair fires off a dropkick and a double underhook butterfly suplex that gets two. Sinclair ascends for a cross-body but Zaria rolls through and rises. They tumble to the floor and the time runs out as Zaria plants Sinclair with an F5. Sinclair retains her title.

That was a hell of a fight for five minutes. Now, no one sold anything for very long other than one sequence when Sinclair caught a back elbow, but they really went at it for the short timeframe. This was decent for a Speed match. 2.5*

No winner – Time limit draw (Sinclair retains the Speed title)

Post-match sees a grumpy Zaria clobber Sinclair with a forearm shot before hoisting her up for another F5.

Here’s Bronco Nima telling Lucien Price that he’s sorry for taking his eye off the goal during their tag match and mentioning that he cost Price and their team in a big way. Price forgives him and says Nima has his back-up plan in AAA so Price will be working on his own back-up plan. Here’s WWE Men’s Speed Champion Lexis King along with Uriah Connors, Charles Dempsey, Arianna Grace, and Stacks Lorenzo in to berate OTM. Price wants a shot at King’s Speed title, and says he’s found his back-up plan right now.

NXT Tag Team Champions Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes make their way out with Myka Lockwood and Jackson Drake in tow as we go to a break.

Here’s Kelani Jordan in a cafeteria area running into Grayson Waller. Jordan likes what Waller has been saying but she’s going to do something he never did and win the big title on her first shot at it. Waller tells her to not miss and as she’s leaving, here’s Mason Rook in for a chat and a challenge. Waller says Rook doesn’t know anything about his story and here’s Kam Hendrix in to attack Rook as Waller eggs them on. A bunch of refs break things up as everyone yells and points.

NXT Tag Team Championship: The Vanity Project (Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes) (C) vs NXT Men’s North American Champion Myles Borne and Tavion Heights

Heights grabs an immediate roll-up on Smokes for one, and then grabs a side headlock. Heights trucks Smokes down and then yanks him up to toss him. Heights slams Smokes and then catches him for a fireman’s carry/bodyslam. Borne tags in fires Smokes over with an Angle Slam that gets two. Smokes nails Borne with a shoulder and then gets mashed by a Borne lariat as Baylor grabs a tag. Baylor charges in and eats a huge Borne dropkick that gets two. Borne nails Baylor with a lariat and then whips Baylor hard into a corner. Heights tags in and he and Borne work a double-team on Baylor until he escapes to tag in Smokes. Baylor nails Heights with a knee and Smokes goes up and over the top rope for a cover that gets two. We go to a break.

Baylor drops Borne with a right hand when the show returns. Borne sneaks around Baylor and grabs a roll-up for two before yanking Baylor into an inside cradle that gets two. Baylor kicks Borne down and Smokes tags in. Smokes puts the boots to Borne and Baylor tags in to continue that assault. Baylor and Smokes combine on a sling blade/knee drop that gets two. Baylor and Borne start slugging it out and Smokes tags in. Borne makes a hot tag and Heights comes in to wreck everyone. Heights nails Smokes with a sling blade and a lariat that gets two. Borne tags in and hits a lofted dropkick into a Heights powerbomb. Baylor breaks up the cover at two. Baylor nails Heights with an elbow that sends him to the floor, but Baylor gets sent out in response by Borne. Smokes hits a Meteora on Borne and tags in a recovered Baylor. Baylor holds Borne up for a Smokes dropkick and Baylor covers Borne for two as Heights trucks Smokes into the pile to break it up. Heights tags in as does Smokes. The Project guys hit double knee strikes but then get caught by double snap powerslams and everyone is down. The ref catches Jackson Drake trying to interfere and tosses him and Lockwood. Smokes gets pushed into Baylor before Borne crushes Smokes with Borne Again. Borne and Baylor tumble over the top rope during a Borne lariat, and Heights uses that to crush Smokes with the Heights Bomb. Heights covers and we have new tag team champions!

There’s an effort being made to bring Heights up a level here and hopefully he’s appreciating this chance because not everyone gets them. I suspect that they think he’s got it in him but he has to grind away at it maybe with a bit more focus. This is a good start. The Project kids will be fine, I don’t love this for them but they’ll be okay. We’ll see what this leads to with Borne now having two titles to focus on. 3*

Winners AND NEW NXT Tag Team Champions – Heights/Borne (Heights Bomb on Smokes)

Post-match sees the new champs celebrate in front of the NXT UNIVERSE.

Here’s another look at the Vice-Grey saga including the big three-way Women’s title match at this year’s Stand and Deliver.

Here’s a screaming Jackson Drake and a quiet Myka Lockwood passing Keanu Carver backstage. Carver and Lockwood again lock eyes and Lockwood grins at Carver as we go to a break.

Here’s Lizzy Rain running into Niko Vance and Izzi Dame backstage. Predictably, there’s some verbals regarding last week and here’s Shawn Spears in with a chair to tell Dame and Vance that there’s a mixed tag between the four of them next week. Vance tells Spears he should take his own advice and quit while he’s ahead. Rain says she doesn’t trust Spears so things better be on the up and up next week.

Keanu Carver vs EK Prosper

Prosper is 2-0 against Carver so far, so let’s see how this goes. Carver bullies Prosper to a corner and we get a clean break. Carver goes behind and tosses Prosper down. Prosper rises and works a hammerlock, but Carver tosses Prosper over with one arm. Prosper gets dumped to the apron and mashes Carver with a kaman giri and a knee lift. Prosper hits a springboard moonsault and covers Carver for two. Prosper crushes Carver with a dropkick and Carver responds with one of his own. Carver ends up on the apron and eats a Prosper dropkick. Prosper runs the length of the ring and gets caught by Carver. Carver gets run towards the announce desk but pulls up in time. Carver apologizes to Booker (!) and gets caught with an immediate Prosper dropkick. Prosper jumps off the barricade and destroys Carver with a double stomp as we go to a break.

Prosper breaks out of a Carver elbow lock and mashes him with a kick to the hamstring. Carver grabs another kick attempt and yanks Prosper forward for a huge lariat. Prosper sits out into a jawbreaker and then starts firing rights and lefts. Carver fires up with a right of his own and then yanks Prosper up for a backdrop. Prosper fires up with some jabs and a reverse thrust kick. Prosper kicks Carver in the head and then nails Carver with a springboard moonsault. Prosper hits a DDT and ascends for a top rope Blockbuster that gets two. Prosper ascends and leaps over a charging Carver. They slug it out and Prosper runs into a Carver lofted German suplex that gets two. Carver yanks Prosper up for a nasty jackknife powerbomb that gets two. Carver yanks Prosper up and Prosper immediately grabs a sunset flip for two. Prosper charges in and nails Carver with a lofted dropkick and a Shining Wizard. Prosper ascends and sees Carver lift a foot when he jumps. Prosper reaches down and Carver pulls him into a small package that gets three.

Well, this is a fairly wild and interesting set of developments here. Carver, who basically the entire time that he’s been in NXT has been quite a nasty personality, suddenly has figured out respect and hustle? That’s kind of a cool thing but it really hasn’t been fleshed out yet, so I’m interested to see if there are further developments around this. Prosper getting a banana peel loss isn’t a huge deal and he’ll be fine, he took a ton of offense in this and looked really good. Match of the night so far. 3.5*

Winner – Keanu Carver (small package roll-up)

Post-match sees a short show of respect from Carver to Prosper before he leaves.

Here’s Osiris Griffin and Cutler James backstage while Dion Lennox stews in the background. Griffin mentions that Lennox has a rematch against “Quon” next week but that Lennox always has something to prove. Lennox has overheard and fires up, so Griffin mentions that “hypertension is bad for you, dawg.”. Griffin tells Lennox they won the six man and doesn’t understand what more Lennox could want, so Lennox rises and screams about wanting Darkstate to be untouchable. Lennox mentions Grayson Waller’s remarks and that Darkstate used to be champions. Lennox promises that next week will be the end of Saquon Shugars because when Darkstate strikes, ain’t nobody safe.

Here’s more video on Lola Vice and Kendal Grey and this one is concerning Grey beating Vice for the title at the Great American Bash. There were a lot of verbals leading up to tonight’s main event in the Underground. We go to commercials.

Here’s Shiloh Hill via what looks to be social media footage. Hill mentions that he actually fractured part of his skull during last week’s match with Tristan Angels and he’s going to be out for awhile. Hill then talks some smack about Kam Hendrix and his percentages, but he’s been doing some research on his colleagues. Hill actually has solved the mystery of Pat Patterson’s Intercontinental title win. Hill then informs us how Japanese wrestlers actually got the poison mist concept from The Great Kabuki who first used it in World Class.

Vic Joseph and Booker T throw to the tribute video WWE did for Dory Funk Jr. narrated by Joseph.

Here’s NXT GM Robert Stone on his phone talking to a “free agent” that he’s interested in. Cruz Montana happens by and Stone says the number one contenders match is next week. Here’s Tristan Angels in to say he doesn’t appreciate Montana or Waller jumping the line because title shots have to be earned. Montana mentions his work in NXT last year and that Angels has only been in NXT for three months, so he’s got a lot of nerve calling Montana “new”.

The locker room empties out into the arena for the Underground and we see both challenger and champion making their way out. We go to a break.

NXT Women’s Championship Underground Match: Kendal Grey (C) vs Lola Vice

Vice has her dad in the crowd, and Grey has Wren Sinclair out with her for support. The only way to win this match is by knockout, submission, or ref stoppage. Mike Rome does intros and we’re off.

They spar at the outset and Grey tries to shoot the half, Vice anticipates it and goes behind but Grey fires Vice over and tries for an armbar. Vice releases and we reset. Vice and Grey get tied up and roll towards the edge so Grey offers a break and Vice takes it. Vice charges and dumps Grey down for some hammerfists but Grey slips it and sends Vice to the floor with a charge. Grey ranas Vice into the announce table. Grey charges in to a Vice guillotine so Grey pushes Vice back-first into the ring steps to break it. Grey charges and Vice catches her kick before slamming Grey head-first into the ring steps. Grey comes up bleeding from her ear (!) and we go to a break with her being checked on by senior referee Adrian Butler.

Grey has a giant bandage over her head as the show returns. Grey snaps off a couple of half-and-half suplexes before nailing Vice wiht a German. Grey drops the straps but her ear is still giving her problems and she drops to the mat. Vice uses this to mash Grey with a knee strike that sends Grey to the floor. Vice dumps Grey back onto the mat and drives in another knee. Vice wants a rolling kick and Grey grabs her leg and pulls Vice right into an ankle lock. Vice reverses and Grey finally kicks out of it. Vice fires off a kick but eats an immediate Grey right in response. They slug it out and Vice fires up with her rapid fire low kicks. Grey eats a backfist and gets pushed back into Vice nailing her with an elbow. Vice pulls Grey into a rear naked choke and Grey manages to fight out of it to try an armbar. Vice clutches on to her fist so Grey can’t sink it in. Vice manages to slip out and take her gloves off. Grey goes behind and catches a back elbow from Vice right in her damaged ear. Vice flies over and as Grey ducks Vice mashes referee Butler with a backfist. Grey gets yanked into another rear naked choke and Grey appears to go out cold. Vice tries to rouse Butler and while she’s doing that Grey gets some pep talk from Wren Sinclair. Grey hits Vice with a superkick but turns into a Vice roundhouse. Grey pulls Vice into an armbar and Vice is forced to tap.

So I’m sure one of you guys will find out before I do whether or not Grey’s ear thing was legit or just for the match storyline, but hopefully she’s okay regardless because this was a hell of a battle. You knew going in that they were probably going to go for it in terms of physicality and they certainly did. I’m not sure why the ref bump was needed because it wasn’t a sure thing that he would have called for the bell, but I guess we got the story that Grey has a friend who understands the mindset of this type of thing and that’s what helped her overcome the Vice onslaught. I don’t think you can really rate this stuff like a normal match but for the sheer theater of the thing, it was pretty cool. 3.75*

Winner AND STILL NXT Women’s Champion – Kendal Grey (armbar submission)

Post-match sees a bow of respect and a big hug as a tearful Vice raises Grey’s hand. I wonder if that’s it for Vice at this level, and if it is, she had a very solid run. The credits roll and we’re out.

I thought it was a solid show tonight. We moved things along at the top of the men’s division and got a tag title change, while Wren Sinclair earned a Women’s NA title match and Kendal Grey held on to her Women’s title in a war. I’m kind of low-key fascinated by where this Keanu Carver thing might be going but it’s something new for him and we’ll see where it goes. We’re moving pieces into place for Heatwave which really feels like it could be kind of a big card. Let’s keep up this momentum and hopefully this Montana-Waller match will kill it next week.