Greg DeMarco’s Three Stars Of The Night: WWE NXT (7/7/2026)

A loaded edition of WWE NXT made it tough to pick just three…who made the list?

Tuesday’s NXT kept the post-Great American Bash reset moving, with Kendal Grey successfully defending the NXT Women’s Championship against Nattie in the main event. Elsewhere, Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux won the four-way tag team match to earn a shot at the NXT Tag Team Championship, while Layla Diggs won the fatal four-way to become the next challenger for the NXT Women’s North American Championship.

All that…and who stood out?

The Third Star: Dorian Van Dux

That fatal 4-way team team match (to be named #1 Contenders to the NXT Tag Team Championships) was one hell of a match–highly entertaining. But the talent who stood out to me, and who continues to stand out, is Dorian Van Dux. He has big star potential, and everything he does comes off as real.

He’s a legit star, and I fully expect him to win the NXT Championship before all is said and done.

The Second Star: Layla Diggs

One drawback of NXT is how they debut talent without a proper introduction or video packages. Layla Diggs made her WWE NXT debut to very little fanfare, and it’s easy to diminish her when she shares the screen with bigger personalities. But when she works? SHE WORKS.

And the crowd knows it, too. In her 4-way #1 Contender Match (for the NXT Women’s North American Championship), Layla slowly built up momentum throughout the match, until the crowd was ON FIRE for her win at the end. She’s giving me early Bayley vibes, as I can see her becoming a breakout star in the division when things clear out a little.

Must Read:
Mitchell’s WWE NXT Results, Review, & Reaction!

The First Star for WWE NXT: Kendal Grey

Kendal Grey defended her NXT Women’s Championship against a low key legend in Nattie, and proved why she continues to appear in the main event of NXT. She is fast becoming a top star in the division. Not because of her look, or her persona. It’s her in-ring skill, and her genuine personality.

There is no question that Nattie will be in the WWE Hall Of Fame. But in this match, Kendal Grey appeared to be on-par with her challenger. Add in her aura after the match with her top contenders, and it’s obvious early on that WWE has a huge star on their hands.

Who are your Three Stars of WWE NXT?
Comment on social media @ChairshotGreg, @ChairshotMedia,
and use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

In hockey, a game’s “Three Stars Of The Night” represent the top three performers of the night. For more clarification, I defer to this Pittsburgh Gazette explanation:

“The tradition dates to the 1936-37 season, when Imperial Oil became the principal sponsor of Hockey Night in Canada radio broadcasts and was seeking a way to promote one of its products, Three Star gasoline. The idea of doing so by selecting the top three performers in a particular game purportedly came from a Canadian advertising agency.

Many clubs do recognize the player with the most three-star selections with an award or trophy, usually in conjunction with a corporate sponsorship, at the end of the season (or sometimes, each month). All six Canadian franchises, for example, have an affiliation with a well-known brewery.

The NHL keeps track of its own Three Stars Of The Night selections, but that is done on a league-wide basis. The league employs a system that awards 30 points to a first star, 20 to a second star and 10 to a third – a running total can be found on the league’s website – but it does not present an award based on them.”

In hockey tradition, the first star represents the best of the three, but all three are considered to be receiving a high honor.