NXT – 11.04.26

By Niz on 5 November 2026

Last week on NXT: Hank & Tank and Ultra-Nueva secured their spots in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic finals!

NXT joins the CW airwaves LIVE from The Performance Center in Orlando, FL. The announcers for tonight’s presentation include Vic Joseph and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T on match calls and analysis, Mike Rome on ring introductions, and Emily Agard on news and interviews. NXT was pushed to Wednesday night this week due to election coverage, but luckily, there are no other wrestling shows happening tonight and thus, all appearances by main roster folks are MERELY COINCIDENTAL. Ya dig? Anyway, there’s a LOT happening around this show, as you may have heard, so let’s watch some wrestling!

Folks arriving for work today include: John Cena, Cody Rhodes, NXT Women’s Champion Kelani Jordan, NXT Men’s Champion Grayson Waller, and CM Punk who’s having a chat with NXT Head of Creative and WWE Two-Time Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels.

Here’s a look back at Halloween Havoc. The next NXT PLE will be NXT TLC in December and I think we’re losing Iron Survivor, friends.

Dragon Lee, Chad Gable, and AAA Cruiserweight Champion Rey Fenix vs The Vanity Project (NXT Men’s North American Champion Jackson Drake, and NXT Tag Team Champions Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes)

Apparently Chad Gable reported to the PC for the first time 13 years ago tonight, so happy anniversary Chad. Myka Lockwood is out with the Project kids. Jeremy Marcus is your referee.

It’s Gable and Drake to start and Gable walks away from an armdrag battle before tossing Drake over from a go-behind. Drake bullies Gable in a corner and that goes poorly for him. Gable runs Drake to the floor and a Pier Six standoff ensues. The fists start flying and and the heels are all dumped. Lee wants to fly but he gets yanked to the floor by the tag champs. Fenix nails them with a cross-body and Gable nails Drake with a Chaos Theory German that gets two. The faces send the Project to the floor again and we go to commercials.

The Project are in control when the show returns but Gable and Lee save Fenix from a double vertical suplex. Gable tags in and the faces take way too long to try their top rope moves before being crotched by the tag champs. Baylor holds up Gable for a Smokes moonsault and Drake follows with a moonsault that gets two. The Project continue working Gable over and Baylor and Drake combine on a flatliner/double stomp/handspring cutter on Gable that gets two. Gable fires up and Baylor goes up with him, but this proves to be a mistake as Gable nails Baylor with an overhead belly-to-belly. Fenix tags in and runs wild before ascending and blasting Baylor with a rope-walk kick to the head. Fenix nails Baylor with a moonsault and covers him for two. Fenix nails Baylor with a rolling kick and Lee comes in to mash Drake around. Gable hits a double German on Drake and Smokes before Baylor fires up and blasts Gable with a kick. Baylor goes up and Gable tosses Smokes over his head into Baylor’s feet, knocking him down into a semi-Tree of Woe. Lee ascends for a double stomp on Baylor. Lee yanks Baylor into Operation Dragon and that ends things.

Man, it feels like a minute since Dragon Lee won a match, so good for him I guess. This was fine for what it was but three main roster guys beating three dev guys doesn’t exactly move the needle much for me. I will say that Gable, Lee, and Fenix at least went out at full speed to give the NXT UNIVERSE the impression that they care, so kudos to them. 3*

Winners – Lee/Gable/Fenix (Operation Dragon on Baylor)

Kelani Jordan is heading to the ring for her title defense as we go to commercials.

Here’s Shiloh Hill chatting with CM Punk about his fog work that saved him from NARAKU. Punk puts over Hill and Hill says he’s always looked up to Punk, but Hill wants the first shot when Punk wins the title tonight. NXT Men’s Champion Grayson Waller wanders in and puts the badmouth on Hill before telling Punk to make sure to wipe his feet before entering Waller’s house.

NXT Women’s Championship: Kelani Jordan (C) vs Paige

Vicky D’Errico is your referee. Paige gets a hell of a pop from the NXT UNIVERSE, and given her NXT history, it feels appropriate. Jordan drives in a knee and fires Paige over by her hair. Jordan bullies Paige on the mat and nails her with a running cross-body for two. Paige fires up and drives Jordan head-first into some turnbuckles. Paige stomps away in a corner and nails Jordan with some headbutts. Paige eats a big right from Jordan but manages to push Jordan to the apron when she charges. Paige works Jordan over as she tries to re-enter and then nails Jordan with a rolling tackle from the apron to the floor as we go to commercials.

Paige and Jordan are slugging it out and there’s some criss-cross applesauce into simultaneous clotheslines. They slug it out again and Paige flips Jordan over during a kick attempt. Paige nails Jordan with a German and a fisherman’s suplex. Paige hits the Paige Turnah and gets two. Jordan rolls to the apron and yanks Paige over the ropes. Jordan ascends but misses her 450 and Paige fires up with a superkick. Paige yanks Jordan into Ram-Paige and gets two. Jordan yanks Paige into the ropes again and rolls her up for a pair of two counts. Jordan slaps on a cross-face and Paige rolls her back onto her shoulders for two. Jordan plants Paige with a DDT before positioning her. The split-legged moonsault meets Paige’s knees, and Paige tries for another Ram-Paige. Jordan rolls through and over before covering and getting three to retain.

Paige is pretty limited as a worker these days, but she was never one to do moonsaults or topes or whatever. She’s pretty much a grappler-striker and not really elite at either one of those things, but she’s a longtimer and a legend and so things like this will occasionally get tossed her way. Jordan probably passed another test tonight on her way to the main and I expect her up there full time by Rumble season. 2.5*

Winner AND STILL NXT Women’s Champion – Kelani Jordan (roll up off a Ram-Paige attempt)

Here’s Wren Sinclair and Kendal Grey in the locker room being greeted by….Sol Ruca. Ruca puts over Sinclair’s performance at Halloween Havoc. Zaria apparently wanted to meet with Ruca but it turns out Ruca was being fooled by Izzi Dame who is the foolingest fool whoever fooled. Dame mentions Ruca defending “the losers” in Zaria and Sinclair. Sinclair says Dame can find out first-hand that she’s not the same anymore, but Dame brushes it off while saying that she can’t fix all of them. (Kali Armstrong and Lizzy Rain were in the background here but didn’t say a word during this.)

Cody Rhodes is heading out for the Dusty Cup finals as we go to commercials.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals: Hank & Tank vs Ultra-Nueva (Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno)

“Kingdom” brings out Cody Rhodes, but neither team gets a televised entrance in case you were wondering who the star is here. Chip Danning is your referee. Rhodes daps up all the competitors before joining Booker and Joseph at the desk. Rhodes and Booker playfully lock up as Rhodes joins the proceedings. Mike Rome does in-ring intros and we’re off.

Moreno starts with Tank and Moreno plants Tank with a dropkick after some rope-running. Tank fires up with a springboard cross-body and Hank tags in for a bulldog. Tank hits a senton on Moreno and Hank covers him for two. Hank eats a kick from Moreno when he charges and Dar tags in for some violence. Hank lifts a knee and sends Dar to the rope but he escapes to tag in Moreno. Moreno and Dar get pushed together but they escape as Hank and Tank crash into each other. Hank and Tank yank Dar and Moreno up to mash them together. Hank and Tank ascend and Tank catches a Dar roundhouse. Hank leaps into a Moreno triangle choke. Hank and Tank yank Dar and Moreno up for overhead suplexes and everyone is down. There’s four-way fisticuffs and we go to a commercial break.

Tank and Moreno get tags when the show returns and Moreno runs wild for a bit before Hank gets planted with a Moreno German. Moreno sends Hank to the floor and follows him with a rope-assisted splash. Moreno fires Tank back in and hoists him up but Tank slips over and escapes. Tank charges and Moreno sends him to the floor. Dar tags in and pushes Hank to the floor before he and Moreno try apron kicks. Hank tosses Moreno off the corner of the announce table and they roll Dar back in. Hank and Tank ascend for top rope splashes on Dar and Hank’s cover gets a LONG two. They line Dar up but Moreno stops Tank from HONK HONK. Dar yanks Hank into an ankle lock and grapevines him as Moreno cannot prevent Tank from breaking it up. Hank pulls Dar into a Bossman slam but Dar follows with a huge back elbow on Tank. Moreno and Dar nail Hank and Tank with Cross-Rhodes and a HIGH-LOW on Tank finishes things to give Ultra-Nueva the Dusty Cup!

That was quite a battle and the second act was loaded with chaos tag work. I had a thought that they were using this tournament to elevate Moreno a bit and that’s exactly what happened here, along with Dar collecting kind of a Lifetime Achievement award for all of his developmental work over the years. Hank and Tank hit all their greatest hits and it’s a shame that tag wrestling is such an afterthought on the main because I really don’t know what’s left for them in Orlando. I guess we’ll see how it plays out. 3.25*

Winners – Ultra-Nueva (HIGH-LOW on Tank)

Post-match sees Cody come over to present the Cup to Dar and Moreno. Cody then tells Dar and Moreno that they get a tag team title shot NEXT WEEK!

Here’s Cruz Montana and Dion Lennox making their way out for their Unsanctioned match as we go to commercials.

Unsanctioned Match: Dion Lennox vs Cruz Montana

UFC Fighter Michael Chandler is your special guest referee/enforcer. Montana attacks Lennox in the aisle and smashes him off the apron. Montana yanks Lennox up but Lennox slips off and rams Montana into a ring post. Lennox drops Montana into the ring steps before blasting his face into the apron. Lennox pulls Montana into a vertical suplex and tosses him into the ring. Lennox tries a cover and gets one. Lennox kicks Montana back to the floor and follows him out. Montana trips Lennox up and finds a SLIM JIM TABLE. Montana gets pushed back into the barricade by Lennox and they go back into the ring. Lennox mashes Montana back to the floor and runs him over a couple of chairs right near the NXT Roost. Lennox piles up some chairs and Montana yanks him right over and through the bottom of the Roost. Montana mashes Lennox into the ring steps and then positions the bottom portion. Montana yanks up the mats around the ring to expose the concrete. Montana pulls Lennox onto the steps and we go to commercials.

Lennox is putting the boots to Montana in a corner when the show returns. Lennox finds some cuffs and Chandler tries to prevent the usage. Lennox smashes Chandler down and that gives Montana enough time to fire up with some rights. Montana nails Lennox with a back elbow and a rolling cutter. Lennox ends up in a corner and Montana crushes him with a cannonball. Lennox goes to the floor and Montana follows with a tope con giro. Montana rolls Lennox back in and sends him right back out with a lariat. Lennox lands on the exposed concrete and Osiris Griffin and Cutler James are out to attack Montana. They yank Montana up for a table spot and the lights go out. When the lights come back on, here’s Jaida Parker putting the badmouth on Lennox. Carmelo Hayes, Lucien Price, and Bronco Nima come flying out of the stands to attack the Darkstate goons, with Royce Keys looking on.. James gets driven through the announce desk and Montana yanks up Lennox for a powerbomb through the table at ringside before rolling him back in. Montana crushes Lennox with Spin the Block and that ends things.

So 946 were full-on babyfaces here to the NXT UNIVERSE despite being mega-heels on the main roster. I suppose that maybe that’s to be expected as they are the actual stars here as opposed to Darkstate who are the mayors of Goobertown. This was probably Montana’s exit from the brand and if so, I’m fine with it. Go be awesome on the main event my dude, you’ve earned it. 3*

Winner – Cruz Montana (Spin the Block)

Post-match sees 946 gather mid-ring as Keys reminds everyone that AIN’T NOBODY SAFE.

John Cena is heading to the ring as we go to commercials.

Here’s “My Time Is Now” bringing out the NEVER-SEEN 17. Cena was probably very happy about the short distance from the aisle to the ring as he tells the camera-person that it’s time to go to work. The crowd does a full verse as Cena soaks it all in. Cena says NXT is passion, creativity, and potential. Cena says it’s Opportunity Season and invites Zilla Fatu into the Classic. Fatu gets a big pop and joins Cena in the ring before grabbing a mic. Cena says he’s here tonight for Fatu and sometimes he feels like an honorary Samoan tonight before listing off Rikishi, the Rock, Roman Reigns, the Usos, Solo Dolo, and Umaga. Zilla seizes up at the mention of his dad, and Cena tells him what an honor it is to put Fatu into his Classic. Fatu says he appreciates Cena’s relationship with his family, but he’s more blessed by the opportunity. Fatu says he’s The Main One and December 14th everyone will be screaming HELLO. There’s a big hug and Cena raises Fatu’s hand to a big pop.

The main event is next as we go to commercials.

THE NXT FOCUS PRESENTED BY PROGRESSIVE is on Tony D’Angelo, who’s staring out at…nothing…from the famous bridge. Interesting, I guess.

Here’s John Cena backstage running into Kam Hendrix who immediately inquires about his opponent in the John Cena Classic. Cena tells Hendrix to put his focus on his opponent for next week, who is…EK Prosper. Joseph then mentions the tag team title match next week, as well.

NXT Men’s Championship: Grayson Waller (C) vs CM Punk

Adrian Butler is your referee for this one, and Mike Rome does in-ring intros. Punk grabs a headlock and trucks Waller down after he escapes. Punk grabs a La Magistral and gets one. Waller fires up with some rights and drives a knee into Punk’s mid-section. Punk goes behind and yanks Waller into a body slam before walking on Waller’s stomach a couple of times. Punk sends Waller to the floor and runs into a Waller right when he tries a tope. Waller stomps on Punk’s neck and grabs a side headlock. Punk shakes Waller off but gets trucked. Punk lifts a knee and starts throwing kicks. Punk blasts Waller in the mid-section and Punk starts throwing right and left crosses into Waller’s ribs. Waller fires up and sends Punk to the floor with a lariat but Waller gets caught between the ring skirt and the apron when he charges. Punk fires off a bunch of strikes and ends the flurry with a big right as we go to commercials.

Waller has Punk in a rear chinlock with torque when the show returns. Punk rises and drives Waller to a corner for some shoulders. Punk misses a charge and Waller ascends for some clubbering from above. Waller snaps Punk’s neck over the top rope turnbuckle stanchion and then rams him into the ring post. Waller stands on Punk’s head and then rams him head-first into the announce desk. Waller nails Punk with a lariat and sends him back in for a cover that gets two. Waller smashes Punk into a corner and drives in some elbows. Waller yanks Punk over the top rope for a triangle and then starts putting the boots to him in a corner. Punk eats a rolling right hand and Waller’s cover gets two. Waller bullies Punk which proves to be a bad idea. Punk and Waller exchange vertical suplex attempts and Punk finally wins the battle. We reset with both guys down. They slug it out and Punk eats a huge spinning forearm. Punk is on the apron and Waller drives in a bunch of knees. Waller goes out and wants a piledriver, but Punk reverses and flips Waller over onto the apron and down to the floor. Punk hits a tope and rams Waller back in. Punk ascends for a cross-body that gets two. Punk nails Waller with some rights and a rolling neckbreaker. Punk fires off a running knee and a short-arm clothesline before ascending. Punk hits the Savage Elbow and covers Waller for two. Waller kicks Punk but Punk paintbrushes Waller in response. Punk ascends and nails Waller with a superplex that gets two. Punk says it’s GTS time and here’s Kevin Owens out to distract. Waller uses this to roll up Punk with a handful of tights and retains his title.

When Owens was shown on socials at the Performance Center earlier today I knew this was going to be the finish. It builds up the Smackdown match for Friday night (taped on Monday, I know the result, please do not discuss spoilers in the comments, thank you) and Punk eats a pin off distraction. It’s all fine, nothing wrong with that finish and it gives Waller a win he can talk about for years. This was good, easily the match of the night, and maybe Waller’s best match ever. 4*

Winner AND STILL NXT Men’s Champion – Grayson Waller (roll up off Kevin Owens distraction)

Post-match sees the cameras catch Owens flipping Punk off before being escorted out. An agitated Punk is aghast at the whole thing as Waller holds his title belt on the floor. Waller puts the badmouth on Punk from the floor, the credits roll, and WE ARE OUT.

That was a big episode, as promised. I hope they get what they were hoping for out of this, but I’m not really a fan of what happened tonight overall from a “we’re not running on our normal night” perspective. It’s a business, they can do what they want with their talent, and tonight was an example of them flexing their muscles in the face of another company’s big Wednesday night show. Now, will any of this affect the ratings? I doubt it, because the people who normally watch Dynamite would be very much looking forward to tonight’s show and I doubt Cena, Cody, and Punk turning up would make much of a difference for them. We’ll see when whatever numbers come out if any of it made any kind of difference. The show itself was good, everyone worked hard, the matches were solid, and we might have seen the end of Darkstate! I call all of that positive, so we’ll move on to next week and see what shakes out.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy your Thursday.