After an episode less than a week ago that featured some of the company’s top stars, NXT returned to its normal Tuesday night slot this week. With their two top champions coming off successful title defenses over CM Punk and Paige, tonight’s show was likely to give us some insight into who is next up for Grayson and Kelani.
On the heels of such a big episode and the conclusion of a pretty entertaining Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, I was curious whether NXT could parlay that momentum into more entertaining programming
tonight. To find out if they were successful, keep scrollin’!
He’s big, he’s bad… and he’s BACK!
Grayson Waller picked up the biggest win of his career last week, retaining his title in the NXT main event against CM Punk. The Aussie Icon might’ve also added another name to his Christmas card list, because he should be sending one to Kevin Owens this year after KO’s distraction paved the way for Grayson’s win.
For a split second at the start of tonight’s NXT, it looked like the Best in the World might have trekked down to Orlando for another shot at the NXT Title. But after the first verse of Cult of Personality sent the Performance Center into a frenzy, it was Grayson Waller who emerged, not CM Punk.
The NXT Champion came to the ring and rhetorically asked everyone what’s next for him. After declaring himself the best in the world, Grayson was interrupted by Shiloh Hill. After having a confrontation with Waller before winning his match with Naraku at Halloween Havoc, the LFG Season 2 winner reminded the champ that he was the only person in the locker room to say anything to him after Waller buried the whole NXT men’s division a few months ago. Although he was talking really quickly and rushing his lines a bit, Shiloh showed some true fire and passion in declaring himself next up for the NXT Championship.
Grayson, though, played the wet blanket by telling Shiloh he didn’t think he was ready. Waller’s music hit, and the NXT Champ brushed past Hill to leave, but just as his feet hit the Performance Center floor, Mason Rook came out of nowhere and attacked! Mason took Grayson back into the ring and hit his fireman’s carry cannonball into the corner, making a statement that he’s back and ready for the title shot that he earned before his injury a few months ago.
Reaction: Fun way to start the show. Decent troll job by Grayson to play Cult of Personality. We haven’t seen a ton of this intense, serious version of Shiloh Hill, but I think there is potential there. He just needs to slow down a bit, as it was clear he was rushing through his lines. And as for Mason Rook, the promo he cut just before he went out with an injury truly legitimized him at the top of the NXT card in my eyes, and it’s good to see him back. No shade to Tony D, but this matchup seems fresh and interesting.
Zilla ignites a faction war
The main event segment went to Zilla Fatu, who had vowed earlier in the night to call out Grayson Waller. The Main One came to the ring sporting his John Cena Classic leather jacket, which I assume was in his briefcase? Seconds after Zilla called the NXT Champ down to the ring, the lights in the arena went out, and DarkState appeared in the crowd.
Before Dion could get started on the mic, Zilla Vanilla interrupted and said he figured Lennox would be worried about the crew that whooped DarkState’s asses and stole their catchphrase last week. Damn. Dion and Zilla went back and forth, using a whole lot of words to not say a whole lot, with Cutler and Osiris adding their two cents to the mess. DarkState descended on the ring, presumably for a 3-on-1 attack, but didn’t get there before Birth Right interrupted.
Lexis King made me chuckle by saying he couldn’t remember the last time DarkState was relevant, without mentioning that Birth Right has arguably never been. El Hijo de William Regal then chimed in, saying they’re sick of other people claiming to be the best when Birth Right is the top dogs in NXT. Zilla then challenged Dion to a match next week and then pointed to Karmen Petrovic, who was standing in the crowd. Speaking of dogs, Los Perros del Mal was in the building! The three factions surrounded the ring, with Zilla standing on the inside. The fuse was then lit, and Birth Right, DarkState, and Los Perros brawled to end the show, with Fatu sneaking out before he could get caught in the crossfire.
Reaction: So, judging by Vic’s reaction and comments, in the spirit of Survivor Series season, the point of this segment seems to have been to start a faction war between these three groups, I guess? I mean, I’m not mad at the idea, but how they got there doesn’t seem to make much sense. First off, all three of these groups have been predominantly heels in recent months. Once the initial chaos is over, I’m guessing the NXT crowd will probably cheer for Los Perros, but NXT is risking burying its own factions even further in the process. I’m willing to see where this goes, but this feels like Exhibit M of HB-Shizzle and his creative team just throwing stuff against a wall to see what sticks.
The next round of Kelani vs. Kendal is set!
Kelani was next to receive an invite to the John Cena Classic. Kelani dropped her mean girl act and seemed to genuinely mark out for the Never Seen Seventeen for a few minutes. She, of course, went right back to her regularly scheduled gimmick when she took her turn in the ring to address what’s next for her, like Grayson Waller did earlier in the evening. After reminding us she knocked off Paige last week and bragging a bit about being invited to the Cena Classic, Kelani said she’s going to do what a Standout deserves: rest.
This is wrestling, so of course that wasn’t going to be the end of it. The most recent former NXT Women’s Champion, Kendal Grey, crashed the party. Kendal announced she’s officially cleared and demanded a rematch with Kelani for the NXT Women’s Title. Kelani tried to say that Kendal was in her rearview mirror, but Grey wouldn’t let that stand. As they argued about whether a rematch was warranted, GM Robert Stone came out and interjected that Kendal will, in fact, get a rematch for the gold, and that match will happen next week!
Reaction: The only slightly surprising thing here is that it took this long for this rematch to get booked. I figured for sure it would happen immediately after Kelani beat Wren at Halloween Havoc. This match being on a normal Tuesday episode mostly leaves me wondering how it will end and what the Women’s Title match will be at TLC next month, but this match should definitely close the show next week, and it should definitely tear the house down.
Hank & Tank pinch-hit, Vanity Project retains anyway
As they prepared for the NXT Tag Title match, Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno were joined by John Cena, who gave the Dusty Cup winners props: Noam, for learning and growing in his decade in the WWE, and Romeo, for traveling all over the world and working effectively as a team with someone he idolized. Cena then invited both guys to the John Cena Classic and made it official by giving them a coin, an envelope, a personal gift in a briefcase, and another coin. Laying it on pretty thick here, Chaina! I can’t wait to hear how much they sell those commemorative coins for on Club WWE, but I digress.
Watching that all transpire was the Vanity Project, already livid that Dar and Moreno were getting a shot at their tag team titles tonight. As Smokes and Baylor bellyached about it, Myka cut the crap and suggested they do something about it. Just a few minutes later, the VP was shown brutally beating Noam and Romeo down backstage in a vicious 4-on-2 attack.
A while later, GM Stone checked with medical, and it was confirmed that Dar and Moreno were not medically cleared for their tag team title match tonight. The Vanity Project rolled up on their boss to taunt him for ruining his main event, and Stone let them know that they would still be defending their titles tonight!
When it was time for the main event, Vanity Project awaited their opponents, and former NXT Tag Champs and 2026 Dusty Cup runners-up Hank & Tank entered from behind, jumping Smokes and Baylor to start the title match! Hank and Tank seemed to have a little extra gusto on a lot of their offense and even looked like they might be closing in on dethroning the champs, until Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno limped their way out from the trainer’s room. They needed to be restrained by security, and the distraction allowed Myka to get involved, knocking Hank off the top rope. Brad Baylor slid in and scored the pinfall.
After the match, Hank and Tank realized that Dar and Moreno had just cost them the titles, and both teams needed to be pulled apart in the ring.
Reaction: As annoying as it was to not get the advertised tag team title match, I don’t mind the potential story they’re telling here. It feels like we could be heading towards a triple threat TLC match for the tag team titles, and if that’s the destination here, I’m all for waiting on Dar and Moreno’s title shot. Hank & Tank are in the same category as Tony D, in that, I feel like they’ve hit their ceiling in NXT and it’s probably sink-or-swim time on the main roster. There’s an energy there that could fit somewhere on Raw or SmackDown. I find Vanity Project more entertaining than some, but I think Dar and Moreno could be the babyface champions that NXT needs right now. Hopefully it’s only a matter of time.
Quick Hits
- Kam Hendrix cost EK Prosper the North American Title by interfering two weeks ago. EK started to get some revenge by laying Kam out on Halloween as Hendrix made it through one of Danhausen’s escape rooms. Kam and EK were set to tangle in the ring tonight. Hendrix cut a pre-match promo, continuing to overdo it on the slang while wondering where his Cena Classic invite was. Prosper, on the other hand, popped me with his when he said Hendrix can play with all the balls he wants, but EK is about that action! The match itself was solid. Prosper continued to impress me, and Hendrix played his heel role decently. It looked like it might be Lights, Kam, Action after a Death Valley Driver, but EK kicked out and hit his ceiling-scraping moonsault a few moments later to pick up the win! In perhaps a little foreshadowing for TLC after the match, Kam snapped and threw a bunch of steel chairs from ringside into the ring. And Kam’s night wasn’t over.
- Back at the same bridge where he was standing last week, Tony D’Angelo was approached by Myles Borne, who asked him if he was still thinking. The former Don responded by saying he’s done thinking, and Myles chuckled before asking if that meant he was going home. Tony responded that he was going to work. Later, Tony arrived back at the Performance Center and seemed to be getting stalked by Myles. Tony then caught a stray from Kam Hendrix, who was being interviewed by Blake Howard. Kam said he’s too good to be losing to EK Prosper, and it’s time that he gets a proper opportunity. Guys like Tony D have already had their chance. Tony didn’t take kindly to it and got in Kam’s face. Just when it looked like they would avoid physicality, Kam jumped D’Angelo, leaving him on the floor in the locker room… as Myles Borne looked on.
- After beating Zaria at Halloween Havoc, Izzi Dame was feeling pretty good about herself last week when she confronted Kendal Grey, Wren Sinclair, and a visiting Sol Ruca in the women’s locker room. Wren, who came up short in her own match with Kelani Jordan at Havoc, wasn’t in the mood for Izzi’s games, and the two were set for a match tonight. The ladies put on a pretty solid match and it looked like Wren was going to pick up a win with the Final Wrench, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite moves in the biz, but Izzi was able to fight out of it. Wren went to lift Dame up a moment later, but Dame found a way out again and hit a big running knee on the rebound to pick up the win. After the match, as Izzi celebrated, Zaria appeared and hit a massive spear on the woman who beat her at Halloween Havoc. The North American Champ stood over Izzi, holding her title high.
- Chantel Monroe made her NXT debut with considerable fanfare a few weeks ago and came away with a win over Lizzy Rain. Since then, the Maiden of Metal has been itching for a chance to get her win back, and she was given that opportunity tonight. Like the other matches earlier in the night, this one got a lot of time, and Rain and Monroe put on a show. The Reflection of Perfection almost stole a win by holding onto the middle rope for leverage during a pinfall attempt, but the ref caught her and stopped the count. Moments later, Lizzy hit the Thunderstruck to pick up the win and even the score with Chantel.
- Footage from last week of Dragon Lee, Chad Gable, and Sean Legacy trying to talk some sense into Saquon Shugars backstage, when Tristan Angels entered to kick off a strange three-way trash-talking sesh. Not even sure where they’re going with that one.
- Thea Hail was shown backstage with Layla Diggs, checking out her hair as she deals with the effects of alopecia. Chantel Monroe entered and Thea tried to give her a word of encouragement, but Monroe went low, saying that she could lose every night and it still wouldn’t be as bad as having a bald spot on the side of her head like Thea does. Seriously?
Match Results
- EK Prosper def. Kam Hendrix
- Izzi Dame def. Wren Sinclair
- Lizzy Rain def. Chantel Monroe
- Vanity Project def. Hank & Tank to retain the NXT Tag Team Titles
Final Thoughts
NXT was a mixed bag for me tonight, and it really was a tale of two shows. I thought all four matches delivered solid in-ring action, and I liked most of the storyline development in the first hour. The second hour, for me, was a mess. The Angels/Shugars/Legacy segment didn’t serve any of them well, Chantel bullying Thea was cringy, and the show-closing angle with Zilla and the faction brawl was chaotic but kinda nonsensical. On the plus side, I’m excited to see Kelani face Kendal again, to see if Mason Rook can pick up where he left off before missing time, and I was glad to see the tag division carry some of their momentum over from the Dusty Classic.
Now it’s your turn, Cagesiders! Who else from NXT should be in the John Cena Classic? Who ya got in the NXT Women’s Title match next week? Let us know in the comments below!
