By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
NXT TV
Orlando, Florida, at the WWE Performance Center
Aired live June 30, 2026, on The CW Network
[Hour One] Highlights from NXT Great American Bash 2026 aired… Vic Joseph and the returning Booker T were on commentary. Mike Rome was the ring announcer…
Wren Sinclair and Kendal Grey were shown backstage. Sinclair told Grey that it was her moment and she should head out herself. Grey agreed and made her entrance. New NXT Women’s Champion Kendal Grey made her entrance. Grey soaked in the obligatory “you deserve it” chants. Grey asked if she could be real. She said she’s more nervous coming out here this week than wrestling on Sunday. She said she’s not good at public speaking.
She talked about being the kid who hid under the desk when the teacher called for an answer. Grey said she didn’t think she was ready for the moment when John Cena picked her for Iron Survivor. She said the people believing in her put pressure on her. She said she’s used to pressure ever since being a young girl. She said she’s not used to losing, ever since Amateur Wrestling.
She said she ran through the Evolve women’s division. She said she had to deal with failure and doubt when she dropped the ball on the main NXT roster. She said she questioned whether she could hang. She said she got her answer by winning the NXT Women’s Championship. She said she may not look like your normal champion. She talked about standing across from a glammed up person like Lola Vice.
She said glam isn’t her style and she can’t stand staying minutes in a makeup chair. She said she accidentally wipes off half the makeup they put on her when she makes her entrance. Grey said she’s going to be nervous as hell when she talks. She said what she will do is wrestle like a champion when the bell rings. She said if the title puts a target on her back, then great, because she thrives. She said when you step in the ring with Kendal Grey, it’s her match, her tempo, her pace.
Grey said the locker room will find out they can keep up with Kendal. Wren Sinclair made her entrance with a two-level cake. Wren said she wanted to let Grey come out first because she deserved her moment. She said Grey also had the perfect plan for a celebration, a two-layer cake for the two champions in the ring. Kelani Jordan made her entrance, mocking the champions in the ring for eating cake after being given a bunch of opportunities.
Kelani asked Grey for a chance at the title. She pointed out how she didn’t have a match at The Bash and was assaulted for speaking her truth. Tatum Paxley emerged from under the barricade and gave Kelani a crossbody. Tatum beat up Kelani. The segment ended with Wren and Kendal scarfing down an entire cake with their hands…
Vic Joseph ran through upcoming segments. The camera abruptly cut to Keanu Carver standing over El Hijo Del Vikingo with a pipe. Carver yelled that EK can’t be given his title shot now. Robert Stone ran in and told Kenau to go away. Stone called for a medic…[c]
John’s Thoughts: I’m not the biggest fan of NXT constantly having Kendal scarf down cakes with her hands like a savage. Even if she’s a tomboy, males eat cake with forks! Anyways, aside from Kendal’s weird obsession with cake, I liked the promo. There was a heckler in the crowd, and I think Kendal stomped him out well enough by logically responding to him. The rest of the promo was an in-person version of her documentary promo from a few weeks ago. Both promos did a good job establishing her as a tomboy and fighter.
Izzi Dame was sulking about not having a title backstage. Zaria passed by and called Izzi desperate. There was random guitar music playing, and they couldn’t hear each other. Izzi opened a nearby door, and it was Lizzy Rain randomly rocking out in a room…
Kelani Jordan walked up to Robert Stone to ran about the prior segment. Stone said he had to cancel the Latin American title match. Stone yelled back at Kelani, saying she has Tatum in the main event. Stone walked over to Keanu Carver to yell at him that he had to face EK Prosper as punishment for getting his title match cancelled. Booker complained and wondered if that was actually a punishment (I agree)…
Galeno and El Hijo Del Dr. Wagner Jr made their entrance. Vic Joseph pointed out that they are brothers and sons of Dr. Wagner Jr. Vanity Project made their entrance…
1. “The Vanity Project” Ricky Smokes and Brad Baylor (w/Jackson Drake, Myka Lockwood) vs. El Hijo Del Dr. Wagner Jr and Galeno for the NXT Tag Team Championships. Wagner and Galeno dominated early on with quick tags. Wagner dumped both opponents to ringside with kicks. Wagner hit both opponents with a flip dive.[c]
Back from break, Vanity Project cut the ring in half on Wagner. Wagner quickly got a hot tag to his brother Galeno. Galeno worked on Baylor with lariats in the corner and a body slam. Galeno hit Baylor with a splash after several runs. Smokes broke up the pin. Smokes tagged in, but was tossed in the ring by Galeno. Wagner tagged in and was launched into a dropkick by Galeno.
Baylor put Ricky’s foot on the bottom rope for the break. Smokes rolled up Wagner for a two count. Baylor hit Wagner with a Hart Attack Dropkick for a two count. Wagner and Baylor traded Yay Boo punches. Baylor hit Wagner with a throat punch. Wagner came back with a kick. Galeno hit Baylor with a Reverse Suplex for a good nearfall. Galeno tossed Wagner on Smokes. Galeno backdropped Baylor, who accidentally broke up the pin.
Galeno sold pulling a rib or something. Galeno was tossed aside. After the distraction from Drake, Smokes hit Wagner with a Gamengiri. Vanity Project hit Wagner with their Scorpion Death Drop and Double Stomp combo. Smokes picked up the pinfall win.
The Vanity Project defeated El Hijo Del Dr Wagner Jr and Galeno via pinfall in 10:13 to retain the NXT Tag Team Championships.
OTM and Birth Right were with Robert Stone backstage. Uriah Connor pointed out that Vanity Project only defended their titles three times. Sean Legacy showed up and said he and his partner need a title shot. Nima pointed out that Sean looks stupid for not having a partner with him. Dark State showed up and demanded a title shot.
Stone agreed that the titles should be defended more frequently. Stone booked all the teams in the room in a number one contenders match next week. Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno were late, and Robert Stone told them to build up more of a resume to get a title shot. Moreno was disappointed, but Dar agreed that they needed more matches under their belt…
Vanity Project was still in the ring for the next match…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Weird finish with Galeno selling the rib. Maybe he actually pulled something. Aside from that, the rest of the match was solid. I was actually more impressed by Galeno than his more famous brother, who got the family mask name. Galeno looked good as a big man with speed. Wagner does continue to look solid, though, so I’m not slighting him. Vanity Project continues to fly under the radar as one of the most solid tag teams in a pro wrestling industry that doesn’t have a huge focus on tag team wrestling at the moment. They are great bump machines and solid wrestlers overall. Their douchey act helps them get over as douches you want to see punched in the face.
Mason Rook made his entrance…
2. Mason Rook vs. Jackson Drake (w/Myka Lockwood, Ricky Smokes, Brad Baylor). Drake got a kick in and quickly stalled at the ropes. Rook ran through Drake with a shoulder tackle and Power Slam for a nearfall. Rook no-sold Drake’s chops, while Drake heavily sold Rook’s chops. Booker T’s phone started ringing with a generic ring. Apparently, the TV feed can see his FaceTime. It was Kam Hendrix saying he’s going to return with his “Lights, Kam, Action”.
Vic Joseph was justified in wondering why Booker’s phone was plugged into the production truck. Rook hit Drake with a Senton combination for a nearfall.[c]
Back from break, Drake hit Rook with a Lethal Injection for a nearfall. Rook came back with a front slam and cannonball on Drake. Rook got a two count. Drake dodged a Banzai Drop and hit Rook with a PK and a sweet-looking Moonsault Stomp for a good nearfall. Rook hit Drake with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Drake reversed a Suplex into a DDT for a nearfall. Drake hit Rook with a nice Code Red.
Rook no-sold a Poison Rana and hit Drake with a Sitout Bomb for a good nearfall. Lockwood distracted the ref. Smokes tried to run in but was hit by a Press Slam onto Baylor. Drake hit a distracted Rook with a Backstabber. Lockwood held onto Rook’s feet so he couldn’t kick out of Drake’s pin. The referee didn’t see it and counted the pin.
Jackson Drake defeated Mason Rook via pinfall in 11:51.
Rook beat up Smokes and Baylor after the bell to stand tall in the end…
John’s Thoughts: I noticed for a while, but Jackson Drake (as well as Baylor and Smokes) is deceptively tall, which stood out across from the Super Heavyweight Rook. It’s a similar case as Je’von Evans where he’s just lanky. Lanky works for the Vanity trio. Drake continues to show that he has a great future ahead of him given his in-ring and selling ability. That Moonsault Stomp could be a good babyface finisher. While I’m tired of distraction finishes in all companies, I don’t mind it from Vanity Project as they do it well and it fits their gimmick. I really like them establishing Myka Lockwood as an X Factor with her in the Chyna role. Rook is protected by having to be beaten by four people. I would give him more wins soon, though, as he has eaten a few distraction losses early in his WWE run.
Tate Wilder was psyching up EK Prosper backstage. Prosper was disappointed that he couldn’t get his title match. Wilder encouraged EK to get revenge on the guy who put him through a table. EK was fired up and dapped it up with Tate…[c]
Kali Armstrong met up with Robert Stone, asking for an opportunity. Stone said he can’t just hand out title shots. Stone said, “Actions speak louder than words.” Armstrong agreed…
[Hour Two] EK Prosper made his entrance. Keanu Carver made his entrance. An Instagram video showed Keanu toss Hank Walker through a table at The Great American Bash during a fan event…
3. Keanu Carver vs. EK Prosper. Carver smothered Prosper with ground and pound. Carver worked on EK with methodical offense. EK came back with a dropkick. EK dumped Carver to ringside and hit him with a flip dive. EK followed up with a Tornado DDT at ringside. Prosper hit Carver with a Frog Splash heading into break.[c]
A replay aired of a high-angle German Suplex that Keanu gave EK during the break. Prosper rallied with superkicks. Keanu came back by turning EK inside out with a clothesline. Keanu tossed EK across the ring. EK reversed a Power Slam into a Stundog Millionaire. EK followed up with a clothesline. EK hit Keanu with a moonsault and a diving leg lariat.
Carver no-sold the move by slowly getting to his feet. Knight hit Carver with a spin kick. Carver blocked a Suicide Dive with a right hook. Carver gave EK Snake Eyes on the announce table. While the referee was checking on EK. Tank Ledger showed up and tackled Carver through the LED barricade. Carver beat the ten count at nine. EK hit Carver with a Shining Wizard. EK hit Carver with a Moonsault for the victory.
EK Prosper defeated Keanu Carver via pinfall in 10:12.
John’s Thoughts: Uhm? Mixed thoughts. I was hoping that NXT would start giving EK Prosper a consistent push, and so far, they’ve given him two surprise victories over the powerhouse Keanu Carver. Great. EK reminds me a bit of AEW star Kevin Knight, as he’s a plucky brother with mad hops. Where I’m perplexed is them turning Keanu Carver into the sacrificial lamb. Carver has a lot going for him. He has a great look, looks mean, and they’ve done a good job selling that he’s “real”. I was saying they were doing a better big man job with him than Jasper Troy, but I hope he doesn’t spiral into being a Jasper with his recent character development fodder matches.
Kendal Grey was chatting with Robert Stone. Grey said she was okay defending the title against Kali. Stone said he respects that Grey is a fighting champion, but he thinks people need to earn title shots. Stone booked a number one contender’s match. Nattie Neidhart walked in with her Dungeon faction (Nikkita Lyons, Layla Diggs, Karmen Petrovic), hyping up her faction and talking about her legacy. Stone agreed that Nattie does have the background to deserve a title shot. Stone booked Grey vs. Nattie for next week in a title match, which Grey liked…
Jaida Parker made her entrance…[c]
Vic Joseph hyped WWE’s Saturday Night’s Main Event…
The Dungeon made their entrance. Nikkita Lyons is the current Women’s Evolve Champion (I actually liked that match from last week’s Evolve)…
4. Karmen Petrovic (w/Nattie Neidhart, Layla Diggs, Nikkita Lyons) vs. Jaida Parker. Jaida started the match with a side headlock takedown. Jaida caught Karmen out of the air and hit her with a gutbuster. Jaida hit Karmen with her signature draping Banzai Drop. Karmen went to her crew for a time-out. Karmen tripped Jaida and used her feet to smash Jaida’s face in the apron. Kamen gave Jaida forearms and stomps in the corner.
Karmen got a two count after Eat Da-Feet. Jaida came back with a back elbow. Jaida put Karmen in a Rings of Saturn. Karmen got her feet to the bottom rope. Jaida hit Karmen with a baseball slide. While the referee was distracted, Lyons held Jaida in place, but Diggs refused to attack Jaida. Jaida escaped and hit Karmen with a Gourd Buster and Hip Notic. Jaida hit Karmen with a Sit-out Bomb for the victory.
Jaida Parker defeated Karmen Petrovic via pinfall in 4:47.
John’s Thoughts: I was looking forward to Nattie’s new faction as they all have talent and good looks. I feel like we just met them and we’re already heading towards them imploding?
Shiloh Hill was chatting with Tatum Paxley while playing with her hair. Tatum congratulated Shiloh on his win. Hill said Tristan brought out a different side of him. He said that part is always inside of him. He said he had to let the “Thunder” out to play (His real name is actually Thunder Justice Keck. Seriously, his parents named him Thunder).
Tatum said she and Hill are alike in being able to tap into their inner darkness. Tatum hugged Hill and left. Niko Vance showed up and noted that it was a smart decision to get rid of a weak link in Tatum in the Culling. Hill told Niko not to talk Trash about Tatum. Niko said “nice smile” and left…
Tony D’Angelo was shown walking backstage…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Ayo Shiloh Hill! That woman’s married! Maybe their characters are just good platonic friends. I usually wouldn’t care, but Tatum is married to one of the greatest wrestlers to come out of NXT 2.0! Big Body Javi, Javier Bernal!
Sean Legacy caught up with Dorian Van Dux and said he was embarrassed that Dorian lost him backstage, and he had to meet with the tag teams alone. Dorian apologized and said he just lost Sean. Sean said he got them a title shot. Dorian was excited, and the two men did a secret handshake…
After Wren Sinclair left, Tavion Heights and Myles Borne were chatting. Borne was trying to make up with Heights. Borne listened a bit and walked away. Heights said he deserved that…
NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo made his entrance, still with a bandage over his bloodied right eye. Tony D said you take things for granted every day. He talked about being able to see your family, friends, and doom scrolls on the phone. He said he got worried about being able to see again after being in the Emergency Room. He said he had to sign a bunch of waivers to get into the title match on Sunday.
He said the regular contract blew up in his face, but he hesitated, thinking about mortality regarding the waivers. He said he slowed and said, “damn right,” that he’ll wrestle. He said he went to war with Naraku and never let up. He said he beat Naraku and is done with him. He said his eye was expected to make a full recovery. He said to his next opponent: “He’s a master of his fate, a captain of his soul. He said you saw what he did to defend the title, but what will you do to take it? He said there’s not a man who will swim in the waters with him and take the title from Tony D.
While Tony D’Angelo was making his exit, NXT Women’s Champion Kendal Grey made her entrance. While Tony headed to the back, he stumbled back out because Naraku was beating him up with a steel chair. Naraku hit Tony D with his legsweep finisher on a steel chair in the ring. Referees and Kendal Grey ran to the ring to check on Tony D…[c]
A security camera showed that Naraku ambushed Tony D in the Gorilla Position with poison mist into Tony’s injured eye area…
Kendal Grey joined the commentary team for the next match. Booker T talked about how “evil” Naraku is. The following matches were announced for next week: Number One Contenders Tag team four-way, women’s number one contender four-way, and Kendal Grey vs. Nattie Neidhart for the NXT Women’s Championship…
Kelani Jordan made her entrance (I’m not sure if she’s a Lakers fan, but she’s wearing Lakers colors. I’m thinking Lakers given today’s Lebron news. Farewell, Lebron!)…
5. Kelani Jordan vs. Tatum Paxley. Tatum dragged Kelani into a side headlock takedown. Tatum did a leapfrog and hit Kelani with a dropkick. Kelani blocked a Wrecking Ball kick. Kelani missed a Asai Moonsault after Tatum’s dodge. Tatum took down Kelani heading into break. A loud yell could be heard as Kendal Grey was attacked off-camera.[c]
Because I’m watching the Netflix feed, Kali Armstrong laid out Kendal Grey during the break. Back from break, Tatum hit Kelani with a Spanish Fly. A replay aired of Kali giving Grey a Pounce during the break. They also showed Tatum tweaking her foot off a spinning heel kick. Tatum hit Kelani with a chambered thrust kick but sold the injury. Tatum hit Kelani with a German Suplex.
Tatum hit Kelani with a standing Harlem Hangover for a nearfall. Kelani avoided a 450. Tatum avoided a crossbody and hit Kelani with a Rebound Suplex. Tatum hit a messy spinebuster for a two count. Kelani escaped a submission and stomped on Tatum’s injured leg. Both women traded rapid rollups until Kelani was dumped to ringside. Kelani caught Tatum’s leg on the top rope and tangled it.
Kelani gave Tatum’s injured foot a pump kick. Tatum hit Kelani with a Koppu Kick. Kelani ducked an enzuigiri. Kelani hit Tatum with a twisting slam. Kelani hit Tatum with an Argentine Angle Slam. Kelani hit Tatum with One of a Kind for the victory.
Kelani Jordan defeated Tatum Paxley via pinfall in 12:21.
After the match, Tatum Paxley was attacked by a random female wrestler with some Muay Thai clinch knees. Vic Joseph said, “We all know who that is?” (Do we, Vic?) I believe it was former independent wrestler Nikki Blackheart. Vic said the unnamed Nikki was “One of the most talked about women in the industry today.” (Is she, Vic?) Nikki laid out Tatum with a Torture Rack. The executive producer credits were displayed to close the show…
John’s Thoughts: Nikki Blackheart was on my radar, as I’ve seen some of her GCW work, but I think Vic was a bit hyperbolic in claiming that everyone knew who she was. Based on the live NXT crowd, most people don’t know who she is. That said, I like her chewing out Tatum Paxley as she’s presumably on her way out the door (Maybe they get yet another match out of Tatum to put Nikki over). What little I have seen of her, I’ve liked. She has a good look and facial expressions. She kinda reminds me of Jordynne Grace in terms of being a cut-looking powerhouse wrestler. Looking forward to seeing her in this deep women’s division.
No cosplay from Tatum tonight? No big deal. I was just a huge fan of her Rouge the Bat and Yumiko Jabami cosplays in recent matches (She literally picked a favorite video game and anime of mine in Sonic and Kakeurui). The reason we assume she’s leaving is that there was already a “goodbye” she did while in the Rouge cosplay a few weeks ago. She’s definitely ready, and I wish her well on the call-up if that’s what’s happening. My wild guess is they’re setting her up with Lyra Valkyria again. I say that because Lyra debuted a disheveled and unhinged persona on Monday. The continuity will work too, as they do have a lot of history together, and Lyra had the most connection to the crowd when she was paired with Tatum.
Overall, this was a solid standard episode of NXT. NXT, out of all the big wrestling shows, is the best in terms of being a weekly episodic drama, and that drama is fresh and in a new season with the roster raid. AEW gives you the best in-ring product, while Raw and Smackdown give you that solidly strong wrestling variety show weekly. NXT focuses on “character development,” which is the natural course given that it’s a “developmental” brand. The only downside we had this week was the Vikingo match having to be pulled. Reports suggest that there was a legit injury or injury scare? The only reason it’s a true negative is that a lot of people probably tuned in to see the star Vikingo.
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