NXT will emanate from the Performance Center in Orlando once again tonight, two nights after the Great American Bash. Four matches have been confirmed for the show, including both the NXT Tag Team Titles and the AAA Latin American Championship being defended. Plus, all of the Bash fallout will be felt after a new NXT Women’s Champion was crowned. If you missed the Bash on what was a crazy wrestling weekend, you can check out our play-by-play breakdown and Marcus’ recap of the show to get ready for tonight’s NXT! Either way, be sure to tune into the action on the CW starting at 8 PM ET, and follow along with all the action right here on Cageside!
NXT’s men’s division gets a boost from AAA
With another NXT PLE (with ads) in the books, we have yet another data point to back up the assertion that NXT’s women’s division is light-years ahead of the men’s. Kendal Grey defeated Lola Vice in a solid main event, Zaria retained the North American Championship in a thrilling match with Tatum Paxley, and Wren Sinclair and Arianna Grace made the best of the 5 minutes they got, given the Speed Championship match format. The men’s matches on the show were serviceable, but the division continues to lack any real breakout stars after the entire main event scene was purged and promoted to Raw and Smackdown in the first half of 2026.
To NXT’s credit, it’s clear they are trying.
The creative team is definitely in a “throw-everything-against-the-wall-to-see-what-sticks” kinda mode right now, and that will pay off at some point when they find something that really clicks with the audience. They’ve brought in several new talents from overseas and promoted from within by bringing Evolve talent into the fold. This week, they’re tapping into the roster of one of the hottest brands in all of wrestling right now by featuring 3 AAA stars.
On AAA this past week, right before (now former) NXT Women’s Champion Lola Vice’s title defense against La Hiedra and after Karmen Petrovic and Bronco Nima joined the infamous Los Perros del Mal stable the week before, GM Rey Mysterio announced that he and NXT GM Robert Stone had agreed on a talent exchange between the two brands. Less than 24 hours later, it became clear that NXT wasn’t wasting any time to cash in.
Talking to the Vanity Project in his office, GM Stone let Smokes and Baylor know that they’d be defending their NXT Tag Team Titles tonight against the AAA combo of El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. and Galeno. The two imposing brothers walked in to introduce themselves, and it was clear that the Vanity Project will have their hands full. Later in the night, Stone was talking to Eli Knight EK Prosper, fresh off an upset victory over Keanu Carver last week. Prosper wanted another match with Carver to avenge the post-match beatdown Keanu gave him, but instead, Stone gave Prosper for a huge opportunity, signing him for a title match against AAA Latin American Champion El Hijo de Vikingo.
Will the infusion of AAA talent into the NXT men’s division be the spark that they need to try to catch up to the NXT women? There’s only one way to find out, and that’s by tuning in tonight!
NXT has entered the Grey Area
After Sami Zayn shockingly won the WWE Championship to cap off Night of Champions on Saturday afternoon, NXT closed its show by crowning another fan favorite as the new Women’s Champion. While rumors are already swirling about Sami’s reign being a short one, Kendal Grey could find herself at the top of the NXT women’s division for quite a while. I say that not because I don’t see a ton of potential in her. Despite the obvious comparisons, I truly think Kendal has a chance to pattern her career after Kurt Angle and end up main-eventing WrestleMania one day.
But with a ton of women jockeying for TV time on Raw and Smackdown right now, a move up for Kendal before fleshing her character out more would result in her being lost in the shuffle. Instead, letting her mix it up with other top female talent who are stuck in NXT purgatory due to the main roster logjam would not only be best for Kendal’s long-term outlook, but also make WWE’s Tuesday night show more must-see in the process.
Adding to Kendal’s success at the Bash, her WrenQCC partner, Wren Sinclair, successfully defended her Speed Title against Arianna Grace on the show as well. Now that both women are draped in gold, what’s next for their friendship and partnership? Plus, who will be the next women to step up to them in search of championship opportunities?
Quick Hits
- While his Vanity Project buddies will be busy defending their NXT Tag Team Titles against Dr. Wagner Jr. and Galeno, Jackson Drake will have to endure his own punishment from GM Stone when he goes one-on-one with Mason Rook. Will Myka Lockwood’s presence be enough to help Drake pick up an upset win? Or should Jackson’s dad be on high-alert for a baby-faced Brit trying to body slam him?
- Guinness World Record holder Nattie seems to have added a new face to her budding stable at the Bash, mentioning that Layla Diggs received an invite to the illustrious Hart Dungeon. After saying she can’t stand having soft women like Jaida Parker in the wrestling business, new Nattie crony and Perros del Mal member Karmen Petrovic said she’d step up and take out Miss Parker this week. Will Jaida give Nattie and company more proof that she’s lost her edge? Plus, will there be any link to Parker’s OTM buddy Bronco Nima running around with Karmen in AAA?
- Tony D’Angelo successfully retained the NXT Championship at the Bash just 5 days after taking a fireball to the face from his challenger, Naraku. Is there any reason we should take Naraku seriously after he couldn’t even beat a guy with one eye on Sunday? Will anyone new try to step up to Tony D this week?
- Zaria successfully retained the NXT Women’s North American Championship at the Bash by withstanding an onslaught of scrappy offense from Tatum Paxley. Tatum got into a scrap backstage with Kelani Jordan after the match, so what’s next for her seems mapped out, but what about Zaria? Who will be next to step up and try their hand against the Aussie powerhouse?
- Myles Borne outlasted his former NQCC bro Tavion Heights at the Bash to hold onto his own North American Championship. Will losing fair and square make it easier for Tavion to accept defeat and move on, or will he be hitting his buddy up for another shot at the gold this week?
- Saquon Shugars stole a quick win over Dion Lennox on Sunday as the rest of DarkState returned. Inexplicably, James and Griffin waited until after the match to remove their arm sling and knee brace and left the Shuga Man laid out in the ring. Is Saquon going to need to find some backup if he ever hopes to take out the faction that he helped create?
- Remember that thing I mentioned above about NXT throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks? There has been no better example of that than the Tristan Angels/Shiloh Hill match at the Great American Bash. Shiloh was victorious in a match that featured a camera under the ring, Angels answering a phone call, and Hill choking his opponent out while wearing a mask. Now that that match happened and Shiloh has his Mr. NXT sash back, will he be moving on to other things this week?
All this and more on NXT on the CW tonight as we feel the fallout from the Great American Bash! Let us know what you’re most excited for on tonight’s show in the comments below, and be sure to follow along with the live coverage here on Cageside tonight, starting at 8 PM Eastern!
