NXT Review – 08.11.26

By Niz on 11 August 2026

You should also be checking out: NXT 2.0 | A Moment In Time

NXT is back on the air LIVE and in LIVING COLOR from The Performance Center in Orlando, FL and being broadcast around the world on the USA Network and Netflix. Tonight’s announcing team consists of Vic Joseph and Booker T on match calls and analysis, Mike Rome on ring introductions, and Emily Agard on news and interviews. There’s a huge number one contender’s match on the Men’s side tonight, so let’s watch some wrestling!

Then, Now, Forever…..TOGETHER

Here’s a look back at last week‘s show. Kendal Grey retained her Women’s title against the seemingly-now-departed Lola Vice. The Vanity Project dropped the tag titles to Myles Borne and Tavion Heights. Grayson Waller, Cruz Montana, and Tony D’Angelo continued to circle each other and point towards Heatwave.

Here’s an anxious Lizzy Rain being confronted by Izzi Dame and Niko Vance so they can remind her that they absolutely told her that Shawn Spears would flake. Dame and Vance head to the ring while Rain vows to fight them both alone.

The Culling (Izzi Dame and Niko Vance) vs Lizzy Rain and EK Prosper

Rain and Dame go for it, and the bell is rung. Dame boots Rain down and then drives a shoulder in a few times. Dame drops Rain on her back and covers her for two. They slug it out with forearms and Rain takes advantage with a springboard back elbow. Vance tags in and here’s EK Prosper sprinting out. Vance decides to try to attack, misses, and gets nailed with an Asai moonsault. Prosper runs Vance back in tries for a cross-body, but Vance intercepts and catches him. Prosper slips out and nails Vance with a dropkick that gets two. Prosper hits a high boot but Vance smashes him down in response. Rain grabs a tag and her and Dame exchange kicks. Prosper, who has not exited to the apron and has been battling with Vance, signals Rain and it’s time for some chops. Dame and Vance tire of this and push Prosper and Rain down, but both manage to get pulled into tornado DDT’s. There’s some criss-cross applesauce with Prosper nailing Vance but Rain’s between-the-ropes dropkick is prevented by Dame. Dame dumps Rain on the apron and then tries for a powerbomb, but Rain slugs her a couple of times in response. Dame decides to smash Rain’s head into the ring steps before barking at her as we go to commercials.

Vance is putting the boots to Prosper when the show returns. Tags are made and Rain smashes Dame down before nailing her with a roundhouse. Rain dumps Dame over with a belly-to-back suplex and then mounts Dame in a corner. Rain hits a Frankensteiner and then crushes Dame with a Saito suplex. Vance breaks up the cover at two. Prosper takes exception to that and drops Vance with a dropkick. Dame nails Rain with a lariat as Prosper wastes Vance with a roundhouse. Dame charges and catches Prosper with a crucifix driver before tagging in Vance. Vance ascends and hits a flying headbutt for two. (Shawn, I BEG of you to ban that move at the PC. Please. Your pal, Niz.) Prosper gets yanked up but flips around to pull Vance into a stunner. Prosper ascends for a weird-looking swanton thing and tags in Rain. Rain charges in and Vance lofts her into a Dame powerbomb that gets two. Rain fires up with a back elbow as Vance makes a blind tag. Rain mashes Dame with a cutter while the ref signals a hurting Prosper to re-enter. Dame charges into a big Rain headbutt and a bold Rain nails Vance with Thunderstruck. Prosper crushes Vance with a Shining Wizard before ascending for a moonsault that finishes things.

I thought this could have been an email rather than a meeting, but we got to where we needed to get at the end. Rain was a bit better tonight, but still felt a little awkward at times. Prosper is a prospect, but there’s a LOT of athletic types on the roster at the moment and he’ll need to show other things to make himself invaluable. Dame and Vance continue to flounder in whatever this thing with Shawn Spears will end up being. 2.75*

Winners – Rain/Prosper (Prosper moonsault on Vance)

Here’s footage from last week when Myles Borne and Tavion Heights entered a very happy Men’s locker room after capturing the NXT tag team championships. Lucien Price and a smiling Bronco Nima congratulate the new champs. Sean Legacy warns Dorian van Dux from challenging immediately but Heights says it’s all good. Heights puts over the tag division and says they’ll be fighting champions. Romeo Moreno wants a bit of that action but is calmed by Noam Dar as the champs make their exit.

Here’s NXT Women’s Champion Kendal Grey being treated in medical for her busted ear while a concerned WWE Women’s Speed Champion Wren Sinclair looks on. Grey is a week away, says Medical, and apparently will address THE NXT UNIVERSE after a commercial break.

Here’s Emily Agard with EK Prosper and Lizzy Rain and Prosper mentions that the men’s division was put on notice and he stepped up. Here’s Kali Armstrong to steal Agard’s mic and walk right out to the ring with it. Armstrong says she wants a title shot against Kendal Grey and here’s Kelani Jordan out to say OH NO GIRL .Jordan asks Armstrong what she’s basing this claim of a title shot when she got pinned by Jordan in the triple threat, even if the ref didn’t see it. Jordan says she’s next in line, and here’s Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair out. Grey has a folder with her and tells Jordan that she’s been saying the same thing over and over again, and everyone is sick of it. Jordan says it’s all been true, but Grey says when Jordan was in the underground she got knocked out while Grey emerged as a winner from that same environment. Grey hands over a contract to Jordan and says it’s for a title shot anytime and any place. Armstrong again wonders when she’s getting her shot, and Grey says it will be after Jordan’s. Jordan says she’s not going to waste her shot for the PC, so she’s going to do it at Heatwave. Jordan signs the contract and Grey says she’ll see her at Heatwave. Armstrong cannot abide by this but Sinclair points out that Grey told her that her shot would happen after Jordan. Armstrong tries to slug Sinclair but catches Grey instead. Sinclair decides to attack Jordan and Armstrong in response and she takes an immediate ass-kicking. Jordan and Armstrong go eye to eye.

Here’s Cruz Montana warming up while chatting with NXT GM Robert Stone. Montana thanks Stone for putting him in the match and vows to make Grayson Waller eat his words. Here’s Keanu Carver in to question two people just walking in and suddenly getting a number one contender’s match before going nose to nose with Montana. Carver’s air changes and he wishes Montana a sincere good luck before exiting. Stone chases him down and Carver tells him that he’s just figuring things out, and Stone hasn’t seen anything yet.

Dion Lennox is flanked by Osiris Griffin and Cutler James as he makes his entrance. We go to a break.

Saquon Shugars vs Dion Lennox

Shugars has his bat with him. Lenox charges but Shugars slips it and nails Lennox with an enziguri that gets two. Shugars goes to ground and pound and then some chops. Shugars gets a roll-up and tries to use the ropes during the cover that gets two. Griffin and James complain as Shugars makes the WHO ME? gesture at them. Shugars hits a backbreaker-facebreaker combo and covers Lennox for two. Shugars stomps on Lennox’s hand and then mashes him with a shotgun dropkick. Lennox bails and Shugars catches him with a kick. Lennox fires off a back elbow but Shugars responds with a kick. Griffin and James interfere and this gives Lennox an opening to crush Shugars with a clothesline. Lennox hits a lariat and covers Shugars for two. Lennox slaps on a sleeper and Shugars breaks out of it. Lennox whips Shugars to a corner and fires in a shoulder before hitting a bridging Northern Lights suplex for two. Lennox goes back to the sleeper before driving a knee into Shugars back. Shugars hits a lofted knee when Lennox charges before mashing Lennox with a knee to the mid-section. Shugars hits a running elbow and goes to the floor. Lennox ends up on the apron and Shugars hits a springboard clothesline thing. Shugars dumps Lennox back in and here’s James and Griffin around for some menacing. Shugars grabs his bat and stalks around to the side of the ring where the announce table is, but a recovered Lennox steals it. Lennox misses a wild swing and the ref takes back the bat, but Griffin and James use that distraction to powerbomb Shugars on the announce table. They run Shugars back in and Lennox finishes things with a sit-down body slam.

This was awkward at times. Shugars has the weirdest looking offense but it’s kind of sloppily effective, I guess is the best way to put it. Lennox is not getting better, though. Nothing about him would stand out on the main, and this goober squad isn’t helping any of them right now. The ref also didn’t help things here by getting back into position too quickly as James and Griffin were clearly running Shugars back in. At least it was one segment. 2*

Winner – Dion Lennox (sit-out body slam)

Post-match sees an immediate attack from Griffin and James on a helpless Shugars. They toss Shugars into another Lennox powerbomb and Darkstate stand tall.

Here’s Robert Stone having a speakerphone call with AAA GM Rey Mysterio. Mysterio mentions that he wants to know what’s next for the AAA-NXT relationship and Stone wants Rey Fenix to defend his cruiserweight title at Heatwave. Stone suggests a four way contenders match for next week and Mysterio tells him that EK Prosper should be in that match based on tonight. Mysterio suggests La Parka from AAA and Stone is good with that. Mysterio says he has to go and is good with Stone picking the last two guys for the match next week.

Here’s NXT Women’s North American Champion Zaria making her entrance as we go to commercials.

Here’s Saquon Shugars in Medical getting berated by an agitated Grayson Waller. Waller tells Shugars to stop feeling sorry for himself and go do something about it. Shugars grabs his bat and a chair and limps out of Medical.

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

Mike Rome does in-ring intros because he rules. Sinclair grabs an immediate roll-up for one. Zaria smashes Sinclair with a headbutt and rams her into a corner. Zaria runs Sinclair into the opposite corner shoulder-first and hits a running back elbow. Zaria mashes Sinclair with a running kick that gets two. Zaria smashes Sinclair’s shoulder but Sinclair sneaks in another roll-up for one. Sinclair fires up and trucks Zaria over before nailing her with a running bulldog that gets two. Zaria hits a pump kick and covers Sinclair for two. Sinclair runs into a high boot before Zaria again rams her shoulder-first into a corner. Zaria hauls Sinclair up in a hangman’s choke but Sinclair slips out of it. Zaria slaps it on again and Sinclair smashes her with a back elbow. Sinclair snaps Zaria’s arm over the top rope and then sort of hits a running dropkick between the ropes. We go to commercials.

Sinclair tries a sunset flip when the show returns but Zaria prevents it and drops Sinclair on her face. Zaria kicks at Sinclair who has had just about enough of that, so she dumps Zaria over for some clubbering. Sinclair whales Zaria with some chops before nailing her with a high boot. Sinclair ascends for a high cross body and some lariats. Sinclair hits a double underhook suplex but runs into a Zaria knee when she charges. Zaria mashes Sinclair around and dumps her with a German. Sinclair ducks a Zaria charge and fires her over in a Victory Roll that gets two. Zaria fires up with a discus lariat and hoisting Sinclair up for an F5. Sinclair slips out and helicopters Zaria down on her shoulder. Sinclair wants the Final Wrench but Zaria slips out and Sinclair goes throat-first into the top rope. Zaria hits a spear and here’s Saquon Shugars beating up Dion Lennox. They charge into the ring and go flying over the top rope. James has a chair and Sinclair decides to dropkick it into James face. Zaria uses the distraction to haul Sinclair up for an F5 and that finishes things.

Well, if you’re going to overbook, at least go full roadshow and overbook the shit out of it. Now, I don’t care one iota about DARKSTATE IMPLODES but a wacky arena-length brawl because Grayson Waller went into full shit-stirring mode is fine with me in this circumstance. I really didn’t think Sinclair had a chance here with Heatwave two weeks out, but this is Zaria’s only thing at the moment and she might not be making that card. I guess we’ll see. I keep using this word but this was awkward at times. I think everyone is really keyed up tonight for some reason. Zaria’s power game is getting better but she still needs reps. SOL RUCA MENTION COUNTER = ZERO! 2.5*

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

THE NXT SPOTLIGHT PRESENTED BY PROGRESSIVE is on Shiloh Hill who has good news. Hill says the docs have told him that his bones are healing very quickly. Hill enters some kind of shed where he has a bunch of masks in a bag, and he apparently worked out in one of the masks this weekend. Hill greets a raccoon and shows off some of his mask collection. Hill says the FOG IS COMING and then talks more about the Japanese mists and it’s history. Hill will let us know more soon!

Here’s Mason Rook making an entrance as we go to a break.

NXT has some house shows this weekend and WWE Men’s Undisputed Champion CM Punk will be at the Petersburg, VA card.

Kam Hendrix vs Mason Rook

Rook mashes Hendrix down and drops him with a slam. Rook hits a huge back body drop and Hendrix ends up on the floor. Hendrix comes back in to another back body drop and bails again. Hendrix drops Rook over the second rope and then runs him into a ring post. Hendrix smashes Rook with some rights and then boots him in the head. Hendrix mashes Rook with some lariats before covering and getting two. Hendrix drops an elbow and clubbers away. They start slugging it out and Hendrix hits a spinebuster for two. Hendrix smashes Rook down while chirping at him. Hendrix hits a combo of kicks and punches but Rook starts firing up. Rook hits some rights and smashes Hendrix down. Rook hits an enziguri and a high cross body before mashing Hendrix in corners. Rook hits a standing senton and drops Hendrix with a release German. Rook hits a Blue Thunder Bomb for two as a turnbuckle pad has been pulled off. Hendrix rams Rook into the exposed turnbuckle before nailing Rook with the Showtime Kick. The subsequent cover gets three.

Interesting that we’ve now had two one-segment matches on this show tonight. Rook is starting to get some jobber stink on him, so we’ll see where he goes from here. Hendrix is a prospect in that he’s tall, good looking, and muscly. His work is getting better but he needs to be doing things while others are actually selling his moves. He stands around too much right now. This was fine for what it was. 2.75*

Winner – Kam Hendrix (Showtime Kick)

Here’s Robert Stone listening to Ricky Smokes and Brad Baylor complain about last week’s loss while Jackson Drake and Myka Lockwood stand by. Drake wants acknowledgement of the Project’s greatness, but here’s Myles Borne and Tavion Heights in. To make this fully complicated here’s what Stone proposes: Drake gets a one-on-one match next week and if he wins, Drake will get a shot at Borne’s North American title AND Baylor and Smokes will get their rematch for the tag titles. However, if Drake loses, all of that is off. Borne questions maybe having to wrestle twice at Heatwave and Stone says the dates aren’t confirmed for any of this. Baylor questions the whole “fighting champions” thing and Heights calls him crazy for thinking that Borne should wrestle twice, but Borne says he’s game. Borne wants to know Drake’s opponent for next week and it’s….Shiloh Hill.

Here’s Bronco Nima hyping up Lucien Price, but Price indicates he’s okay doing things on his own tonight as we go to commercials.

WWE Men’s Speed Champion Lexis King vs Lucien Price

King is accompanied by Arianna Grace, Stacks Lorenzo, Uriah Connors, and Charles Dempsey. Price looks like Andre staring down at Hogan when standing in front of King. King starts with a slap and a chop to zero effect. King gets caught with a massive slap to his chest and Price follows with a wild headbutt that sends King to the apron. Price gets distracted by Connors and King uses that to crush Price with a knee. King ascends for a double stomp on Price’s arm before dropping down on that same arm. King covers for two as we see his chest was actually opened up on that huge slap. King continues to work the arm and works a Fujiwara armbar. Price rolls it over and covers for two. Price hoists King up for a powerbomb and mashes him with a lariat. Price hits a hiptoss but runs into a reverse thrust when he charges. King hits a reverse cross-body for two and Price yanks him up for a backbreaker. Price runs into a King high boot before King nails Price with a Drive-By. Price hits a headbutt and drops Stacks off the apron. Price turns and drives King down with a one-armed powerbomb that gets three.

Hey, if we’re going to start doing more one-segment matches I am ALL FOR IT. Not everything needs to be 12-15 minutes. This is a good singles start for Price, but he’ll need a LOT of reps to get to where he needs to be. He’s big and well-put together, so he’s got that, and we’ll see if this leads to anything. King can always take a loss because he’s at the level he’ll be at forever, presumably. 2.25*

Winner – Lucien Price (one-armed powerbomb)

Here’s Robert Stone telling someone that he’s still interested in them as Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair barge in. Sinclair begs for another shot at Zaria due to the Darkstate nonsense and Stone wants to think about it. Sinclair vaguely hints at “you know who” holding the Speed title and Zaria’s obsession over it, and then suggests a unification match at Heatwave. Stone says that works for him, and also makes a tag match for next week with Grey and Sinclair vs Kali Armstrong and Kelani Jordan. Grey says they will be leaving Texas with all the gold when Sinclair questions her readiness, and the segment ends. We go to commercials after Joseph hypes the main event.

Here’s Jaida Parker and Thea Hail in the locker room chatting about last week and Hail wants Nattie. Parker sits her down and tells Hail that Nattie is tougher than she looks, and says she’s got Hail in this fight. Hail says she feels good right now and feels like she belongs while enjoying Parker’s friendship. Parker tells Hail she’ll be there for her next week.

Here’s Romeo Moreno telling Noam Dar that Robert Stone has asked him to be part of the four-way contenders match for the AAA cruiserweight title next week. Moreno wants to maintain the team structure so he’s thinking of saying no, but Dar says he cannot turn this chance down. Moreno hypes up Dar’s performance in the Cruiserweight Classic and Dar tells Moreno he’s now two wins away from being a cruiserweight champion and must go for it. Here’s Tristan Angels in to say that he’s the fourth and final entrant and will extinguish Fenix’s flames after dealing with everyone in the four-way.

Joseph throws to highlights of the opening mixed tag before running down next week’s card as it stands now. Lucien Price has earned a shot at Lexis King’s Speed title!

Cruz Montana and Grayson Waller are making their way out, and NXT Men’s Champion Tony D’Angelo is out to join commentary as we go to commercials.

NXT Men’s Championship Number One Contenders Match: Cruz Montana vs Grayson Waller

Waller dances around a bit looking for an opening and Montana backs off to get some hype from the NXT UNIVERSE. A hockey fight breaks out and Waller drives Montana to a corner for some rights and lefts. Montana dumps Waller down and crushes him with a lariat. Montana hits an overhead suplex and covers for one. Waller hits a double thrust to Montana’s throat and then fires off some back elbows. Waller dumps Montana over and wallops him with a shotgun dropkick. Waller hits an overhead suplex and gets one. Waller catches a back elbow and fires back at Montana with a high kick. Waller drops a double fist and stands on Montana’s face. Montana fires up and a slap fight breaks out that Waller wins with a dropkick. Waller gets rammed into a corner and Montana clobbers him with a chop. Montana yanks Waller into a flip that sends him face-first to a top turnbuckle. Montana dumps Waller over with a facebuster and follows with a standing senton. Waller bails and Montana waffles him with a tope suicida that takes out comms at the announce desk for a second. We go to commercials.

Montana springs up to the top rope as the show returns, and crushes Waller with a superplex. Montana fires off some rights and a flying forearm before nailing Waller with an enziguri. Waller hits a lofted knee in response but Montana yanks him up for Outlined In Chalk. Waller fires off a forearm but runs right into a Montana fireman’s carry slam that gets two. Montana misses an enziguri but catches Waller with a rolling cutter that gets two. Montana calls for Spin the Block but Waller bails to the apron. Montana boots him to the floor and follows with a tope attempt. Waller catches him with a knee and then drops Montana with a Flatliner that gets two. Waller bullies Montana and catches him with a high boot when he charges. Waller drives Montana down with a stomp and covers him for two. Waller hits a springboard legdrop for two and then waffles Montana with a boot. Montana gets caught in an inverted atomic drop and Montana (Joseph slips up for the first time here and calls him “Santana”) mounts Waller on a top turnbuckle. Montana climbs up but Waller pushes him down and yanks Montana over the top rope throat-first. Waller tries to spring back into the ring and gets murdered by a Spin the Block. Here’s Zilla Fatu (Called exactly that by Joseph, for the record.) in to drop Montana with a pop-up Samoan Drop. The referee calls for the bell.

Yeah, so we know where this is going to go now. Everyone was expecting an outcome that allowed Montana and Waller to be in the Heatwave match, and now it appears Fatu will be joining them. Fatu has obvious main roster connections, so we’ll see how this goes for the Bloodline saga on Raw. The match was decent but I felt like Waller didn’t do as much as I was expecting. Montana might have had some nerves at the outset but once it got going it was fairly decent and became the match of the night before the run-in finish. 3.25*

No Winner – Match tossed out after Zilla Fatu interfered

Post-match sees Fatu crush Waller with a flying punch and then ascend to crush Montana with a splash. Fatu yanks Waller into position and nails him with a splash. Fatu eyes up D’Angelo and says he needs D’Angelo’s belt. Joseph wants to know who D’Angelo is going to face at Heatwave before saying Zilla Fatu has arrived!

An interesting show tonight from a format perspective, and then obviously with the Zilla Fatu debut during the main event. Heatwave continues to take shape and it feels like they’re trying to make this the Summerslam to Stand and Deliver’s Wrestlemania. I’m fine with that but I thought they’d maybe use the Great American Bash name since it’s fairly synonymous with the Summertime. But what do I know? Decent show tonight, nothing blow-away great, but everyone worked hard and we moved pieces around on the board to get to Heatwave. It will be fine, friends.

Enjoy your week!