The main story of NXT tonight (May 12, 2026) revolved around Lola Vice and all of her potential challengers for the NXT Women’s Championship. We found out early on that Kendal Grey and Kelani Jordan would be main eventing the show, and several segments throughout the night set the table for that match.
First, it was Kendal Grey vowing to her bestie Wren Sinclair (who was getting around on crutches) that they will never go down the same road that Sol Ruca and Zaria just did a few months ago. Lola would
then walk in, which gave Kendal the opportunity to let Vice know that after she beats Kelani, she’s got next for the NXT Women’s Championship. Lola told Grey she would have no problem running it back and told the former Evolve Women’s Champion that she would be watching her match tonight.
Then, it was another needlessly cryptic and overly dramatic backstage segment with The Culling. Izzi was riding high after pinning the champ in mixed tag team action last week, and told Spears and Vance that if Lola was watching the main event, then she would be sure to be watching Lola. Umm. Okay.
And finally, right before she went down to the ring for the main event, Kendal (with Wren) would interrupt Kali Armstrong’s interview segment, where Grey would remind Kali that she was able to beat everyone on the Evolve roster….. except for her.
Then it was time for the match. Jordan and Grey were given a fair amount of time and put together a really solid contest, with both women getting ample opportunity to showcase the unique styles they bring to the NXT roster. Just as Kelani was setting up for a Spanish fly from the top rope, we saw a picture-in-picture of Lola getting jumped by Izzi Dame while watching the match on a monitor backstage. Lola and Izzi would take the fight into the Performance Center, eventually making it to ringside and rolling up on Wren’s injured leg. Meanwhile, the commotion and her partner being knocked down distracted Kendal in the ring, allowing Kelani to hit a split-legged moonsault to pick up a huge win.
After the match, as Kendal tended to Wren, Lola came back out to apologize but Kendal wasn’t having any of it. She shoved Lola and blamed her for Wren getting heard, leaving an opening for Izzi to come back out and lay Vice out to close the show.
Dame, for the third or fourth straight week, seems to be positioned as her next challenger, but with Kendal, Kali, and Kelani on the periphery, it’s clear Lola has no shortage of women gunning for her.
Naraku Debuts
For most of 2026, it has felt like NXT has been trying to rebuild the main event scene on the men’s side almost constantly. When the trifecta of Oba, Trick, and Je’Von were moved up, it was Page, Saints, and Hendry that moved up to the top of the card. With those three a part of the post-WrestleMania callups last month, it was a perfect opportunity to introduce some fresh faces for the now-elder-statesman Tony D’Angelo to mix it up with.
The first to step up was former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, EVIL, now going by the name Naraku in NXT. After a few weeks of some silent mind games with the NXT Champion, it was finally time this week for the Japanese star to make his in-ring debut. (It was clear it was that time of the night when Lince Dorado made his entrance coming out of a commercial break.) The veteran Dorado got a bit of offense in, but it was a dominant showing for Naraku, who hit an STO that Vic Joseph called “Enter the Abyss”.
He’ll Bodyslam Yer Dad
Naraku isn’t the only new NXT star that’s been looking to get his hands on the NXT Champion recently. After multiple weeks of attacking and hitting vicious moonsaults on Tony D’Angelo, Mason Rook walked past a fleet of ringside security guards and joined GM Robert Stone in the ring to officially sign his NXT contract. Before he could say a word, the PC crowd acknowledged him by reciting his chant “He’s big, he’s bad, he’ll bodyslam yer dad”. Rook cut a decent intro promo, quickly bringing up how John Cena sees him, after a recent social media shoutout from the Never Seen 17. I also dug how he said he wasn’t just the best super heavyweight, but the best ”any-weight”.
Tony D then made his way out for a rebuttal, but before he could get in the ring or get through restating what Rook had just said, Kam Hendrix emerged from behind to shoot his cheap shot on D’Angelo again. As security tried to separate Tony and Kam, Rook headed to the top rope and hit another moonsault, this time to the floor, taking out D’Angelo, Hendrix, and the security team. Mason then calmly stepped back into the ring to sign on the dotted line as the PC crowd serenaded him again. In an era where chants and catchphrases can amp crowd participation and get an act over, Rook seems to be well on his way.
A Supernova Burns Out and the State Gets Dark
The pre-match entrances for Noam Dar’s return match with Jackson Drake of the Vanity Project both popped me. First, it was Noam Dar who entered the PC to the vastly underrated song that Meta-Four used to come out to. Then, it was Jackson Drake, who made his way out perched on Myka Lockwood’s shoulders like he was a little kid trying to get a better view at the 4th of July parade. The match was a solid if unspectacular affair that saw the Vanity Project numbers game catch up to the Scottish Supernova, allowing Drake to hit a 450 splash to pick up the win.
As the Vanity Project celebrated in the ring, the lights went out in the Performance Center and the boys of DarkState hit the scene. After a commercial break, Saquon Shugars and Dion Lennox, who haven’t even been reading the same book lately, much less on the same page, talked up their buddies, Cutler James and Osiris Griffin as next in line for the NXT Tag Team Championships after they beat former champs Hank & Tank last week. After Baylor and Smokes declared Cutler and Osiris unworthy of a shot, James informed them that it was already official for next week…. but that it would be Shugars and Lennox taking them on instead. As DarkState sorted that news out in the ring, the Vanity Project trio would attempt to attack, but were fought off by a seemingly united DarkState, setting the stage for the tag team title match on next week’s show. Despite tonight’s show ending on a positive note, it feels like next week could take us a step closer to the complete implosion of DarkState. If not that, I guess we could be seeing the beginnings of a face turn for the faction, as the Performance Center faithful seemed to be getting behind the group more than I remember in the past.
Quick Hits
- NXT kicked off tonight with tag team action out of the women’s division as Nikkita Lyons teamed up with Zaria to take on North American Champion Tatum Paxley and newcomer Lizzy Rain. There were a few clunky moments early on, but the action really picked up later in the match. With both teams lined up for hot tags, it was Zaria, clearly not thrilled to be put into tag team action just weeks after finally putting her previous partner in the rearview, who dropped off the apron and walked out on Nikkita. The 2-on-1 ended with Lizzy hitting her unique finisher, a step-up knee strike she calls Thunderstruck, on Lyons to pick up the win. Zaria leaving resolidified that she wants to do it on her own now, but the timing of it was sort of random. Like, why fight for the first 10 minutes of the match and then walk out? On the other side, Tatum and Lizzy both looked strong and were over with the PC crowd, with Rain getting the shine from the pinfall.
- Later, after Tatum decided to gift Lizzy a North American Title shot next week, Shiloh Hill (literally) jumped in to congratulate them on their win. He then revealed to the ladies that, according to his research, Tristan Angels’ family owns more sheep per acre than any farm in the United Kingdom. Sure. This, of course, prompted the British star to enter the picture wearing a shirt that looked like my grandma’s tablecloth to announce that he’ll be making his NXT in-ring debut next week, with Shiloh seeming to be a likely opponent.
- After the third-generation star called her soft on NXT last week, Miss Parker interrupted Nattie as she shot a promotional video for LFG. After briefly needing to be separated, Jaida warned that she would meet Nattie at her car. No follow-up on tonight’s show, so maybe we’ll see more next week?
- The Birth Right combo of Connors, Stacks, and Dempsey squared up with Sean Legacy,
Eli KnightEK Prosper, and recent Evolve call-up Tate Wilder in 6-man tag team action. One thing I think NXT has done pretty well for years is logically plan out the action in 6 and 8-man tags like this, and this match was no exception. The action was fast paced and Wilder found himself in firm control towards the end, hitting a flurry of high-risk moves. But as his two partners begged to be tagged in, Wilder kept pushing his luck and eventually missed a moonsault, allowing Stacks and Uriah Connors to hit a combo attack and pick up the win. Later, Tate would ask Robert Stone for a singles opportunity, but would end just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Keanu Carver walked in and Stone signed Wilder vs. Carver for next week. - Speaking of Carver, new NXT interviewer Emily Agard had her first assignment last week and it ended up being an awkward, forced segment with Keanu in the middle of a park. This week, Agard tried again and met up with OTM at a backyard barbecue. The interview was brief, but gave a little back story on Bronco Nima, who lost his mom at a young age and was tasked with raising his younger brother, as well as Lucien Price, who Bronco described as an intelligent, but dangerous artist. OTM closed by letting us know that their sights are set on the Vanity Project’s NXT Tag Team Titles. I liked this week’s segment a lot more than the one Agard did with Carver last week. If they continue these and are able to fine-tune them a bit, these segments could be a great way to build more backstory for the NXT roster.
- Tensions between former NQCC members Myles Borne and Tavion Heights continued to escalate this week. Heights mixed it up with Tony D last week, but tonight, Borne told his former tag partner that he’d be teaming with D’Angelo next week against Rook and Hendrix. This didn’t sit well with Tavion, who initially thought he would be teaming with Borne in a high profile match next Tuesday and not Tony who he’s been beefing with. An eventual match between Borne and Heights seems to be where we’re headed, and I’m not mad about it.
Final Thoughts
This was another decent showing from the developmental brand this week. They continue to really focus on building up some new characters, though I still wish there was a little bit more for us to sink our teeth into. After weeks of chaos, it might be time to settle in a bit more and start building out some actual feuds. Tony and Lola both have multiple challengers gunning for them, which can be great for a little while, but focusing things a bit could help the audience become more invested in some of these new cats they’ve introduced in the past few weeks. It’s clear they’ve got some talented performers on the NXT brand, but now that the introductions and returns seem to be done, it’s time to start building some interesting stories around them.
Match Results
- Lizzy Rain & Tatum Paxley def. Nikkita Lyons & Zaria
- Naraku def. Lince Dorado
- Birth Right def. Sean Legacy, EK Prosper & Tate Wilder
- Jackson Drake def. Noam Dar
- Kelani Jordan def. Kendal Grey
So what do you think Cagesiders? After the big reset a few weeks ago, do you like how NXT is positioning their roster heading into the summer? Sound off in the comments below!
