By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
NXT TV
Orlando, Florida, at the WWE Performance Center
Aired live January 13, 2026, on The CW Network
[Hour One] Highlights from last week’s New Years Evil show aired…
Vic Joseph and Booker T were on commentary. Mike Rome was the ring announcer…
The show started with the camera focused on the vacant NXT Championship in the center of the ring. GM Ava picked up the belt and talked about there being an opportunity in her hands now. The NXT roster was surrounding the ring. In the middle of Ava’s pep talk, Ricky Saints made his entrance. The crowd played along a bit with Ricky’s theme, but then showered him with boos once he got into self-gloating mode.
Ricky took credit for running off Trick Williams, Je’von Evans, and Oba Femi, and he called them the past while he’s the future. Ricky said he’s the Then, Now, and Forever of NXT and everyone is watching him. Ricky talked down to the men around the ring and said they were the talented and “the future”. Ricky said Ava should just hand the title over to him.
Ava said Ricky is funny. Ava said Ricky deserves an opportunity at the title, and so does everyone else in the ring. Ava said on February 3rd, there will be a 6 man ladder match to crown the new NXT Champion. Ava said qualifying matches start next week. Ava then loaded the belt on the hanger. Joe Hendry stormed the ring to attack Ricky, while everyone else brawled.
Evolve’s Keanu Carver chucked a random dude into the crowd and then pounced another man in the ring. Carver power bombed someone, I think Jensen, through the announce table. Carver then Press slammed someone on a pile of wrestlers. Carver stood tall alone in the ring while Ricky Saints stood in fear on the ramp.
Separate shots of Lola Vice and Kelani Jordan heading to the ring were shown…[c]
John’s Thoughts: I was a bigger fan of what Jason Powell proposed of doing last week for the title situation, a tournament. Tournaments are a positive lazy booking strategy which allows TV to be written automatically while you focus your creative bandwidth on massive character development for a bunch of wrestlers, which NXT needs at the moment with the raided roster. Good showing with cocky ass Ricky here, which is his wheelhouse. A nice left-field introduction of Kenau Carver to the NXT main roster as he got the obvious spotlight and looked impressive standing above the cannon fodder in the ring.
GM Ava was on her phone backstage. Tony D’Angelo was randomly passing by in the background. Robert Stone met up with Ava and told her Blake Monroe was in the building and has a lot to get off her chest…
Entrances for the next match took place…
1. Kelani Jordan vs. Lola Vice. Kelani Jordan hit Vice with a dropkick before the bell and then hit her with a Corkscrew Plancha. Vice punched Jordan in the gut midair. Vice and Kelani traded ground and pound. Vice hit Jordan with a armdrag and shoulder tackle. Jordan countered Vice’s TKD with her own kicks. A picture-in-picture showed The Culling arriving to the venue.
Jordan worked on Vice with methodical offense. Vice came back with nice shortarm roundhouse kicks. Both women traded quick rollup counters. Jordan got to the rope to prevent a Triangle. Vice worked on Jordan with hooks. Jordan came back with a bitch slap. Jordan took down Vice with a clothesline at ringside.[c]
Vice had reversed Jordan’s Three Amigos when Kelani went over the top in doing the Eddie Guerrero shimmy. Jordan regained control with methodical offense. Both women took each other out with pump kicks. Kelani and Lola had a kick Fighting Spirit exchange with Lola getting the upper hand with her Tae Kwon Do kicks.
Kelani ducked to ringside to avoid the I’m a Latina. Lola hit Kelani with a modified Ruff Ryder from the apron. Lola hit Kelani with a Stink Face. Vice reversed a Pele Kick into a Rear Naked Choke. Kelani broke the hold with a pin attempt. Kelani hit Vice with a RVD Pele Kick and Frog Splash for a nearfall. Vice reversed a One of a Kind into a Triangle Choke.
Jordan broke the pin with a pin. Jordan hit Vice with a Reverse Angle Slam. Vice avoided a 450. Vice missed a spin kick. The referee didn’t count when Kelani tried to steal the pin with a hand full of tights. While Kelani was distracted arguing with the ref, Vice nailed Jordan with a Spinning Backfist for the victory.
Lola Vice defeated Kelani Jordan via pinfall in 11:26.
Vice got in the camera and said since she beat Izzi Dame a few weeks ago, Vice is going after the North American title…
John’s Thoughts: A strong women’s match from two of NXT’s tenured roster members. I wouldn’t be surprised if Vice or Jordan were called up because they’re definitely ready, but I also understand that you want to do these in batches and not risk wrestlers getting lost in the shuffle. Jordan worked this match better as a heel compared to her attempted heel turn about a year ago. She was more emotive here whereas last year she was just acting boring and mopey. Vice has come a long way as a developmental type and delivers on her end too. It is also a joy for me all the time to see a fellow Tae Kwon Do practitioner get to Tae Kwon Do in pro wrestling.
A hype package aired to hype Jasper Troy vs. Tavion Heights for the WWE Speed Title…[c]
Vic Joseph plugged WWE’s podcast lineup…
Both wrestlers were already in the ring…
1. Jasper Troy vs. Tavion Heights in a Five Minute time limit Match for the WWE Speed Championship. Heights managed to get Troy to a knee with his amateur Greco Roman wrestling. Troy escaped and hit Heights with a front kip attack and rapid standing splashes. Troy whipped Heights around the ring. Troy got a two count after a backbreaker. Shiloh Hill was shown doing bicep curls backstage.
Troy worked on Heights with an abdominal stretch. Heights rallied back with a body slam and Belly to Belly Suplex. Heights hit Troy with a Splash for a nearfall. Troy came back with a choke at the one minute mark. Troy hit Heights with a Black Hole Slam for the victory.
Jasper Troy defeated Tavion Heights via pinfall in 4:08 to retain the WWE Speed Championship.
After the match, Lexis King attacked Tavion Heights and laid him out with a twisting neckbreaker…
Wren Sinclair and Kendal Grey were waiting at Ava’s office door to ask for a rematch for Grey due to the interference in her last match. Sol Ruca and Zaria also were there and wanted title shots. Jacy Jayne was already in the office. Sol, Zaria, Grey, and Wren all barged in…
My computer had technical difficulties before the break… Will fix it when I have time…[c]
Lexis King was gloating om front of the New Chase U guys and talked about how he’s trying to claim the top spot. He said it was his birthright to be on top. Stacks and Ariana Grace showed up to brag about how King helped him win the International Championship…
A replay aired of Ava booking the ladder match to name a new NXT Champion in February…
Vic Joseph and Booker T checked in on commentary…
A Elio Lafleur promo aired. He talked about it being unique seeing a french man in a mask. He said his trainer was a Mexican Luchador named Nitro who gave the mask to his best student, Elio Lafleur. He said he represents his trainer every time in the ring to do the lucha style proud. He said the French Luchador is coming to NXT and he’s going to slash the sky…
Ethan Page showed up to Ava and thanked her for signing Vanity Project to NXT. Page asked who is his opponent in his qualifying match? Ava said Page needs to vacate the NA title if he wants in the ladder match? Page bragged about his strong year in multiple companies defending the North American title.
Ava said it’s a big deal that Page is the longest reigning champion in WWE currently and Page should get the spotlight defending the title against the French Luchador next week. Page asked Ava if she’s awarding a man a title shot in his first match? Ava smirked and said Page would know something about that (noting how he won the NXT title in his first match)…
Blake Monroe was shown walking backstage…[c]
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