NXT – 09.01.26

By Niz on 1 September 2026

Coming off a huge Heatwave show, NXT returns to the CW airwaves from The Performance Center in Orlando, FL. The announcing team for tonight’s broadcast consists of Vic Joseph and Booker T on match calls and analysis, Mike Rome on ring introductions, and Sarah Schreiber on interviews and news segments. It’s time for the FALLOUT from the big weekend show, so let’s watch some wrestling!

Here’s a look back at Heatwave to start the show. Real-time, I thought it was one of their better PLE’s in awhile, but the booking moved a lot of things around titles-wise, and sometimes it can be hard to follow up on LOTS of changes, dig what I’m saying?

Arrivals: NXT Women’s Champion Kelani Jordan and Shiloh Hill.

Here’s Zilla Fatu out to a good pop from the NXT UNIVERSE. Fatu wanted to be standing in the ring as the new NXT champion but he took the L because he didn’t get the job done. Fatu says it’s crazy to be in a WWE ring fighting for a title and that part felt amazing. Here’s Tristan Angels out to say he doesn’t want to hear Fatu “prattle on” about Heatwave. Angels wants to simplify things so the facts are Zilla lost and isn’t ready to be the Main One in NXT. Angels says the further down the Bloodline we go the less talent we find. Angels says Fatu neither looks like nor carries himself like a champion, unlike himself. Fatu calls Angels “Gangrel Jr.” and says his family in Orlando wants to see him beat Angels ass. Fisticuffs break out briefly and Angels runs for the hills.

Here’s EK Prosper and Saquon Shugars in NXT GM Robert Stone‘s office. Stone wants to make Fatu-Angels for tonight, but Prosper interrupts to complain about Grayson Waller putting down the NXT Men’s Division. Shugars is also really perturbed by Waller’s remarks. Prosper wants the first shot at Waller’s new title but Shugars helpfully points out that Prosper lost last week, while he squashed Dion Lennox like a bug. Prosper and Stone put each other over and here’s Keanu Carver in to also claim a potential spot and says Stone is in a pickle.

THE NXT SPOTLIGHT PRESENTED BY PROGRESSIVE is the NARAKU-Shiloh Hill piece that ran during Heatwave. That match is NEXT as we go to commercials.

Here’s Myles Borne who mentions watching attacking Tavion Heights after losing his North American title at Heatwave. Borne says he attacked Heights because he really thought Heights was going to attack him first. Borne says he was naive enough to think he could both make money and friends, and the whole situation sucks.

Shiloh Hill vs NARAKU

NARAKU gets tripped up and Hill goes behind to dump him down. NARAKU fires off a back elbow and some chops. NARAKU trucks Hill down and Hill responds in kind with a flying shoulder. NARAKU hits a double thrust and gets shouldered into a corner. NARAKU mashes Hill down when he tries to ascend and NARAKU gives chase to the floor. We go to commercials.

NARAKU has a rear chinlock and fires off a front facebreaker when the show returns. NARAKU covers and gets two. NARAKU assaults Hill in a corner and then chops away. Hill slips a charge and they slug it out a bit. Hill hits a high boot and tosses NARAKU down with a gut-wrench that gets two. It appeared that NARAKU might have had the wind knocked out of him briefly as the ref checks on him while Hill paces. NARAKU lures Hill in for a Hot Shot (Rest in peace to a real one, Eddie Gilbert) but Hill slips out of a NARAKU hoist and grabs a sunset flip for two. NARAKU tries another hoist and succeeds with this one while driving Hill down with a rotating sit-down powerbomb. NARAKU’s cover gets two. They slug it out and Hill catches NARAKU with a lofted uppercut. There’s a simultaneous exchange of lariats that sends both guys down and NARAKU shoots out some green mist on his own hand. NARAKU fakes spraying Hill and then puts his misted glove into Hill’s mouth and eyes. NARAKU nails Hill with The Abyss and that ends things.

This felt fairly squash-tastic to me at times as poor Shiloh was on the receiving end of a beating here. NARAKU dominated this from start to finish, quite frankly, but perhaps the lesson being taught here will be returned on NARAKU at a later date. NARAKU looked smooth and crisp with only the brief intermission after Hill’s gut-wrench. I was fine with this for an opener, it mostly stayed in the ring and both guys did their parts well enough. 2.75*

Winner – NARAKU (The Abyss)

Post-match sees a writhing Hill with a towel over his eyes as Joseph wonders what other EVIL that NARAKU has planned for NXT.

Here’s Noam Dar, Romeo Moreno, Sean Legacy, and Dorian van Dux in the Men’s locker room. Some words are exchanged and Dar and van Dux rise while Legacy tries to back van Dux off. Moreno intervenes and Legacy mentions that he and van Dux are on their way. Legacy says he and DvD will show the tag division who’s super, while Dar promises to be SUPER DUPER. We go to a break.

Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno vs Sean Legacy and Dorian van Dux

The bummer of this entire thing is that if the Heritage Cup was still around, these four would be a great division for that title. Instead, we’re doing this. Legacy starts with Moreno and we reset after some acrobatics and grappling. Legacy fires off a dropkick to take control and Dar and DvD tag in. Dar takes control with some quick strikes and DvD responds with a huge lariat. Legacy and DvD exchange quick tags but Dar manages to tag in Moreno who blasts DvD with an enziguri. Moreno hits a rotating powerslam and covers DvD for two. Moreno gets kicked away as Legacy grabs a blind tag. DvD hoists Legacy up and Dar flies in to prevent any helicoptering. Moreno trips Legacy up sending DvD down fall-away style. Dar and Moreno slap on ankle locks but Legacy and DvD break out of them quickly. Legacy and DvD lure Dar and Moreno out to the floor for powerbombs and we go to a break.

DvD nails a charging Dar with a missile dropkick when the show returns. DvD tosses Dar over and then goes to work on Moreno in a corner. DvD drops Moreno with a rana before crushing Moreno with a springboard moonsault that gets two. Dar breaks the cover up and Moreno fires up with some lefts and rights. They slug it out before Legacy and Dar get gags. Dar fires off some strikes and grabs a roll up for two. Dar wants an armbar as Moreno flies over to attack DvD with a top rope suplex. Legacy breaks up Dar’s armbar attempt and we reset with all four guys down. Legacy crushes Dar with a tope suicida before Moreno waffles Legacy with a cross-body. DvD nails Moreno with an Asai moonsault and Dar then breaks up their lofted moonsault attempt. Dar and Moreno combine on a lofted double-stomp/cutter on Legacy that gets two. Dar accidentally nails Moreno with a back elbow as Legacy slips out of the way, and Legacy uses that to hoist Dar up for a toss slam before tagging DvD in. DvD ascends for a splash before Legacy comes back in. Dar lifts his knees on Legacy’s dive and turns him over for three.

As a fan of Noam Dar and all of his assorted nonsense, I’m happy that he and Moreno got the win here because A. they needed it and B. Legacy and van Dux aren’t important enough to care about them losing. That being said, I’m sure there’s going to be a thing about Dar inadvertently nailing Moreno with his back elbow, but we’ll deal with that later. The post-match suggests a bunch of things are about to happen with the tag division, anyway. 2.5*

Winners – Dar/Moreno (Dar knee lift/pin on Legacy)

Post-match sees Brutus and Julius Creed make their return to NXT by wrecking Dar and Moreno. They combine for a Brutus Bomb on Moreno before barking at the crowd.

Here’s NXT Women’s Unified Champion Zaria in Robert Stone’s office and she’s going to be giving up the Speed title after a quick Sol Ruca reference (DRINK!). As it turns out, the entirety of Birthight are also in Stone’s office as Stone informs Lexis King that his Speed title is now also defunct. Charles Dempsey wants to know why Stone doesn’t take them seriously after they won the eight-man tag last week, and King says YOU CAN TAKE MY TITLE BUT YOU CAN NEVER TAKE OUR BIRTHRIGHT! Dempsey says it’s time to start taking and King says he knows exactly what they should do. As Birthright exits, here’s Cruz Montana in to say that he’s trying to keep himself in check, so he wants Grayson Waller one-on-one. Keanu Carver wanders back in and points out that it sucks to be Stone with Tony D’Angelo surely wanting his rematch as well. We’ll hear from Kelani Jordan after an ad break.

Here’s NXT Women’s Champion Kelani Jordan out to point out that she told everyone what was going to happen for a month while hoisting her title. Jordan doesn’t want the “you deserve it” chant because she earned it. Jordan puts over her match with Kendal Grey at Heatwave while calling it the “best women’s match of the day”. Hey Mercedes, hey girl. Jordan says people aren’t talking about Kendal Grey anymore after they put her in the hall of fame once she won the title. Jordan says Grey was in over her head and is now in the hospital dealing with vertigo. Jordan makes fun of Wren Sinclair by calling her a “sidekick” and says she can tell Grey that when she comes for the inevitable rematch Grey will still be second. Jordan puts over her record of winning titles on her first attempts at taking them. Jordan says no one is going to overlook her again.

Here’s Jaida Parker out to say that Jordan did earn the title but she’s not the only one who called their shot at Heatwave. Parker mentions tapping out Nattie at Heatwave and thinks her game is at the championship level. Parker says she’s already beaten Jordan and asks if there’s still time left in the show. Parker wants to run a title match tonight and Jordan says it’s all talk because that’s all Parker can do. Jordan says Parker is three levels below her but she’s a fighting champion, but not tonight. Jordan says Parker will see her next week.

Here’s Thea Hail making her entrance while giving some stink-eye to a retreating Jordan. Hail hugs her BFF Parker and we go to a break.

Evolve Women’s Champion Nikkita Lyons vs Thea Hail

Hail ducks a couple of kicks and goes to ground and pound on Lyons as the bell sounds. Hail immediately attacks Lyons arm before grabbing a quick cover for two. Lyons manages to dump a charging Hail to the apron where Hail instantly nails her with a kaman giri. Hail ascends and slips a Lyons charge. Hail comes off the ropes and Lyons catches her cross-body attempt before heaving Hail down in a heap. Lyons yanks Hail’s throat into the second rope while falling away before pounding away in a corner. Lyons tosses Hail over again and covers her for two. Lyons yanks Hail into a seated rear chinlock but Hail rises and drops Lyons on her…bottom. Hail drops her knees on Lyons arm and follows with an overhead suplex. Hail fires off a Blockbuster and covers Lyons for two. Hail and Lyons square up and Hail gets yanked into a Lyons German. Lyons wallops Hail with a huge right that gets two. Lyons yanks Hail up but Hail rolls through for a two count. Hail wants the Kimura but Lyons transitions into a rear suplex. Hail slips a Vader Bomb. Hail nails Lyons with a springboard coffin drop and covers Lyons for three.

That’s an interesting result from a couple perspectives, but I would suspect Hail has probably just earned an Evolve title shot. In the NXT scheme of things, I suppose this might give Hail some ammunition for a run at Zaria perhaps, I guess we’ll see. Fun match, they both worked hard enough, and I’ll always be happy with a one-segment deal. 2.5*

Winner – Thea Hail (springboard coffin drop)

Mason Rook makes his entrance as we go to a commercial break.

Joseph shows some highlights of the Kendal Grey injury at Heatwave and says she’s out for awhile. I am sad.

Kam Hendrix vs Mason Rook

Rook waffles Hendrix during his entrance before running him into the ring. The bell sounds and Rook just murders Hendrix with splashes and a standing senton. Rook misses a charge and Hendrix blasts him with a right. They go to the floor and Hendrix runs Rook into the ring steps. Hendrix runs Rook back in and covers him for two. Hendrix bullies Rook around and hits his own standing senton for one. Hendrix and Rook slug it out and Rook eats some rights from Hendrix that result in a two count. Hendrix lands on Rook’s back before he continues firing off rights and kicks. Hendrix gets waffled by a Rook running splash. Rook smashes Hendrix around and drops him with a lariat. Rook hits a sit-out Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Hendrix grabs a roll up for two before smashing Rook with a Showtime Kick for two. Hendrix pulls off a turnbuckle pad and Rook makes him pay immediately by running him into it twice. Rook nails Hendrix with a back body drop and ends things with the Ruckus.

Rook gets his first singles win on the brand since joining in April, as Booker helpfully pointed out on commentary. Considering he attacked the NXT champion when he first showed up, this is probably a good first step to maybe living up to that standard. Hendrix remains as kind of a lovable heel goof who occasionally looks the part, but both of these guys fall into the “need more reps” category for me in general. Nothing too wrong with a power-sprint but nothing you have to go out of your way to see, either. 2.25*

Winner – Mason Rook (Ruckus)

Rook celebrates briefly before we go to commercials.

Here’s Sarah Schreiber with Tavion Heights. Heights is asked for a reaction to Myles Borne’s social media post that was shown earlier, and he feels betrayed. Heights doesn’t understand the “I got him before he got me” talk because he wouldn’t have done that to his brother. Here’s NXT Tag Team Champions Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes in to mock Heights thinking that he and Borne were brothers, while NXT Men’s North American Champion Jackson Drake mentions that they should give “T” some grace. Heights challenges Drake for his title and Drake seems up for it as he and Myka Lockwood head out for a word with Robert Stone.

Tristan Angels vs Zilla Fatu

Angels gets the “already in the ring” entrance, while Fatu gets the full treatment. Fatu’s t-shirt toss lands right on Booker, hilariously. Fatu bullies Angels to a corner and eats some rights in response. Angels trucks Fatu and then turns into a Fatu headbutt. Fatu splashes Angels in a corner and then nails Angels with a back body drop. Fatu nails Angels with a chop to his back and then crushes Angels with a running headbutt. Fatu gets driven throat-first into the second rope and Angels takes over with a running dropkick and some boots to Fatu’s chest. Fatu dumps Angels to the floor and then sends him back out with a lariat. Fatu clips Angels with a tope suicida and then runs him back in. Fatu ascends and Angels pulls the ref in to prevent Fatu from leaping. Angels flies around and crotches Fatu on the top turnbuckle before sending him to the floor with a step-up enziguri. We go to commercials.

Fatu wins a short skirmish with a headbutt when the show returns. Angels tries to fire up by ramming Fatu’s head into a turnbuckle but clearly doesn’t know about Samoans and their heads. Fatu mashes Angels into a bunch of tunrbuckles and yanks him up for a Rock Bottom and a senton. Fatu’s cover gets two. Fatu misses a charge and Angels takes advantage with a Backstabber that gets two. Angels yanks Fatu up and mounts him on a top turnbuckle. Angels ascends and Fatu fights him off with a headbutt. Fatu hits a superkick and crushes Angels with a Samoan Drop. Fatu hits the Triple Z and ends things quickly.

I think you’ll see Zilla for just a bit longer in NXT before he transitions up to Raw, but for now, this was a solid win over a game Angels. I thought Angels did well here as an antagonist who might have written a check with his mouth that his ass wasn’t ready to cash. Zilla has the basics down but if they pull him up to the main, he’s going to need dance partners who can lead him through more high profile stuff than this. Hopefully there’s a plan there. 2.75*

Winner – Zilla Fatu (Triple Z)

Post-match sees Birthright emerge as a group. Uriah Connors has the stick and welcomes Fatu to NXT. Connors says they don’t have to introduce themselves because Fatu is just like them. Dempsey wants Fatu to join Birthright so they can run NXT. Dempsey says if Fatu joins the Bloodline he’ll just be a soldier where he could be a star in NXT with Birthright’s help. King tells Fatu he’s got a target on his back and the locker room is full of snakes, but Birthright can make that all go away. Fatu takes the mic and tells King HELL NO before dropping King with a superkick. Fatu escapes before Birthright can commit any further atrocities.

Here’s NXT Men’s Champion Grayson Waller grabbing his title belt before heading in for a MAIN EVENT CHAT SEGMENT THAT SURELY WON’T GET INTERRUPTED REPEATEDLY. We go to commercials.

Joseph runs down the current card for next week that does now include a Women’s title match between Kelani Jordan and Jaida Parker. Tavion Heights will challenge Jackson Drake for the Men’s NA title, as well.

Robert Stone is mid-ring and introduces Grayson Waller to a chorus of boos. Waller has a mic and wants to know if the NXT UNIVERSE was expecting someone else out there as champ. Waller badmouths Stone and Vic Joseph before saying it’s time to stay real. Waller says he’s done a lot of things on the main roster and won a title at Wrestlemania, but winning this title means more than all of that. Waller wants to thank the people that got him there, and he thanks…Grayson Waller. Waller says he’s the one who worked his ass off and can now carry the NXT title with pride. Waller says he forced the world to listen and now his phone is ringing off the hook with people who weren’t taking his calls for a long time. Waller wants to know who’s next and lists off Zilla Fatu, Cruz Montana (Waller: “Cruz, you’re really good. You’re just TNA good.”) Waller mentions Tony D’Angelo and says to find him you’ll need “two dimes and a shovel”.

Here’s Saquon Shugars out to say that he’s the answer to Waller’s question. Shugars says if Waller doesn’t watch what he says he’ll treat him just like he treated Dion Lennox.

Here’s Cruz Montana coming through the NXT UNIVERSE to say that he’s definitely ready for another shot because Waller actually hasn’t beaten him.

Here’s EK Prosper out to say Montana has already had his shot and….

Here’s Mason Rook out to say that Waller has pissed off everyone in the back.

Here’s Tony D’Angelo out to say no one has a claim to the title except for him getting his rematch. Stone tries to intervene and here’s Keanu Carver out to say that Stone should make a six man tag for next week with the winning team meeting in a three-way the following week to determine the new number one contender. Stone likes that idea and makes it official while a fight breaks out in the ring. The credits roll and we’re out very quickly.

So the second hour of this show kind of fell off a bit and really kind of hit the skids with the main event chatting segment. I’m really over all of this multi-man stuff at this point but Shawn loves having a lot of people to choose from when it comes to title shots. We’ll see how this unfolds but the main problem with this main event solution is that none of these guys are thought of as heels by the NXT UNIVERSE which is going to make for a very odd crowd situation when it unfolds over the next two weeks. Like right now I couldn’t even begin to guess the teams, you know? That’s a problem of Shawn’s own creation, too, so we’ll see how he figures that out. Kelani Jordan is not too good at live promos, but they got to where they needed to get with Jaida for next week. Drake-Heights should be decent, so we’ll look to next week with hope and perhaps we’ll get some direction as we start on the road to HALLOWEEN HAVOC.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy your Wednesday.