-A strong opening tag team match in the men’s division this week. Mason Rook was on the heel side of things and that won’t stick for very long. He’s unique in almost every way and fans are already drawn to that. His size screams heel, but his demeanor, personality, and presence all line up better as a babyface.
Zack was wrong
-Myles Borne did some good work in this match. He’s more of a white meat babyface than Rook is, but he’s playing that part well. It doesn’t seem like the odd call of cheating to beat Ethan Page hurt his connection with fans at all.
-Fun to see Kelani Jordan get some solo promo time out in the ring this week. More of the up and coming talent in NXT need the reps at doing just that. Jordan was fine, but like others in her generation of NXT, she ignored the crowd too much and sounded like she was reading a piece of paper. Jordan was fine, but the parade of talent walking out and wanting title shots was not. There has to be a more creative way to do this. It’s freaking 2026.
-With that said, take notice of the reaction that Kendal Grey got from the NXT audience. The loudest of all the women in the segment — including the champion, Lola Vice.
-The Jaida Parker vs. Natalya feud didn’t get much juice last week, but after the segment with Parker this week, the show is moving in a direction where that match is a reality. Parker was good during her backstage promo. If she can find a way to tap into her energy more naturally, it’ll go a long way in establishing an authentic gimmick.
Newcomers deliver
-Tristan Angels vs. Romeo Moreno was a fun match. Didn’t expect to being say that about this one. Both Angels and Moreno hit some high risk moves and wrestled with a fast pace. Neither has a great gimmick right now, but both are brand new. Plenty of time for that to develop. The in-ring action clicked and it was a good first showcase for this new crop of talent.
-Annnnnnnnd the Zaria run as NXT Women’s North American Champion is nearly upon us. Tatum Paxley vs. Lizzy Rain was the match of the night this week, but the memorable news was Zaria laying out both Paxley and Rain after it was over. It’s a smart spot for Zaria to be coming off everything that happened last year with Sol Ruca. She’ll be able to get strong heat opposite both Rain and Paxley.
-Keanu Carver didn’t squash Tate Wilder, but it was pretty damn close. These matches are fine for Carver to have because they showcase his best traits. He’s going to eventually have to wrestle a full-on match. A small Carver problem is brewing away from the ring. At this point in time, nobody new or old on the NXT roster has been positioned as dominantly as Carver has. He kinda stands above the rest in that regard, NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo included.
-Shiloh Hill was way, WAY too goofy this week. For as much as he struck the right tone on last week’s show, he missed by that much this week. A disappointing turn of events.
A reset for DarkState
-Vanity Project vs. DarkState for the NXT Tag Team Championships was a strong main event. Good action from an athletic group of top developmental talents. This match is what NXT is about right now. The DarkState turn on Saquon Shugars was foreshadowed last week and executed fine. It doesn’t leave a lot for Shugars. You never want to be the newly turned babyface that only turned because the heel faction didn’t like you anymore. As for the rest of DarkState, they had a viciousness to their Shugars beat down. The question will be whether or not they can maintain that edginess long enough to turn it into something.
What did you think of this week’s episode of WWE NXT? Let us know in the comments!
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