Will NXT now belong to The Main One?

After his shocking NXT debut, it’s clear Zilla Fatu wants after Tony D’Angelo, but Cruz Montana wants after Zilla Fatu!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• AAA World Cruiserweight Championship #1 Contender’s Match: EK Prosper VS Tristan Angels VS Romeo Moreno VS La Parka; EK wins and will challenge Rey Fenix for the title.
• Thea Hail w/ Jaida Parker VS Natalya w/ Nikkita Lyons & Karmen Petrovic; Nattie wins.
• WWE Speed Championship: Lexis King w/ BirthRight VS Lucien Price; Lexis wins and retains the title.
• Kendal Grey & Wren Sinclair VS Kelani Jordan & Kali Armstrong; Lani & Kali win.
• Championship Stakes: Jackson Drake w/ The Vanity Project VS Shiloh Hill; Drake wins and Vanity Project will challenge for the NXT North American and Tag Team Championships at Heatwave.

PLAY BY PLAY

Cruz Montana is here!

The fans fire up as the Boricua Badass makes his way through the crowd to go to the ring. Cruz grabs the mic to shout, “YERRRT~! Hey yo, NXT, what’s good?” The fans cheer that, and Cruz says let’s get to business. Yo, Zilla! Where you at, homeboy?! When Cruz came here to NXT, he made his intentions very clear: He wasn’t gonna fill a spot, he was gonna take one! And that meant coming after the NXT Championship! Right? Damn straight! But luckily for you, Zilla, you get to add yourself to that list! If not for Zilla, Cruz would be standing here as #1 contender. But check him, he’ll say this right now: Cruz doesn’t care that the world is talking about Zilla.

Cuz there’s no way in hell he’s gonna let someone take what’s his! He’s a loud ‘n’ proud Boricua from the Bronx, New York! Staff tells him Zilla isn’t here. Oh, well, well, big surprise. But guess what? WAIT! REY FENIX is here! And Fenix tells Cruz, “Hermano! I’m happy to see you again, bro! And just to let you know… I’m just here to find out who I’m going to defend my AAA Cruiserweight title against next week, and that match is next. But, but… If someone cost him a title shot, you know me. I’m ready for them, too.” The fans applaud, and Fenix tells Cruz to trust him, Fenix has his back. Cruz says these two have gone back and forth.

From indies to AAA to TNA, and even to Hell and back. Cruz respects how Fenix represents himself and the Latino culture. The floor is Fenix, but just so he knows… The most dangerous place in NXT is in that parking lot. So guess what, Zilla? Cruz will meet you out there! How ’bout that?! The fans cheer as Cruz heads out, but will Cruz get his hands on The Main One before the end of the night? Meanwhile, it is just as Fenix said, we’ve got a Fatal 4 Way to start the night! Who defies the odds to then head for the Immortal Firebird’s gold?

AAA World Cruiserweight Championship #1 Contender’s Match: EK Prosper VS Tristan Angels VS Romeo Moreno VS La Parka!

The  bell rings, all four men watch each other as they approach, then they feel out grapples. But Mr. England goes and sucker punches Parka! And CHOSP! Then LARIATS him up and out! Tristan talks trash, but turns around into DOUBLE SUPERKICKS! The fans cheer, then EK trips Romeo. Things speed up, EK front flips over Romeo’s backdrop! Romeo dodges, slides, then hits a fireman’s carry takeover, only for EK to handspring through that! Romeo avoids a dropkick, EK avoids the Penalty Kick, then dropkicks cancel out! The fans fire up as these two stare down, then go again. EK ducks to DIVE onto Tristan! Romeo goes to the apron, PENALTY KCIK!

Parka is back, Romeo dodges, slides, and SWINGING RANAS Parka into EK! DROPKICK DDT COMBO! The fans fire up as Romeo covers EK, but Tristan drags him out! Tristan fireman’s carries to SNAKE EYES off the apron! Tristan returns to the ring but Parka fires KNEE after KNEE! Parka whips, Tristan reverses, but Park goes up and over and handsprings! Then Parka ducks ‘n’ dodges to CALF KICK! Parka tilt-o-whirls to arm-drag Romeo! Romeo comes back but into a LARIAT! Romeo ducks ‘n’ dodges again, but into a FLAPJACK! The fans fire up for Parka as he stands tall, then sees EK! EK goes up and over in the corner, also handsprings, then SOBATS!

EK whips, Parka reverses, but EK LARIATS! the fans fire up as Romeo runs up, EK dodges to atomic drop Romeo! Then DROPSAULT! Cover, TWO! The fans fire up for EK as he goes up, but Tristan SHOVES him down! The fans boo Tristan, but Romeo dodges a lariat to whip. Tristan reverses, Romeo reverses back and he HIP TOSSES Tristan out! Romeo builds speed, ESCALARA FROG CROSSBODY! Down go Tristan and EK, but Parka wants in on the fun! He goes up, up, and ARIHARA MOONSAULT onto everyone else! The fans are thunderous for NXT as we go picture in picture.

Parka hobbles but he throws down some fists before he puts Romeo in the ring. But then Tristan YANKS Parka off the apron! Tristan rushes Romeo but Romeo fires fast hands! Romeo whips, Tristan reverses and ELBOWS Romeo down! Then he SMACKS EK off the apron! Tristan storms over to Romeo, CHOPS him in the corner, then whips him corner to corner. Romeo staggers forward into a scoop and BACKBREAKER! Tristan swings on Parka, Parka blocks, but Tristan HOTSHOTS him down! Tristan then suplexes Romeo high and hard! Cover, TWO! Tristan CLUBS Romeo, brings him up, and fireman’s carries.

Tristan HOTSHOTS Romeo off ropes, then LARIATS him down! But EK is up top! CROSSBODY, but Tristan catches him! Tristan pops EK up but Ek lands out to kick, then JAB, JAB, JAB! EK whips, Tristan reverses, but EK QUEBRADAS! Tristan dodges, EK lands on his feet, but Tristan ducks the lariat to BACKSTABBER! EK flounders away while Tristan mocks Parka’s dance moves. But Parka is back to turn Tristan around and CHOP, CHOP, CHOP! Tristan kicks low, puts Parka in a corner, but Parka dodges to ROCK and CHOP in return! parka whips, Tristan reverses, then he blocks Parka’s boots to put him in the ropes.

Tristan hits a DRAPING BACKSTABBER! Cover, TWO! Tristan is annoyed, but he stomps away on Romeo in the other corner. Tristan goes out to drag EK up and SMACK him off the apron. Tristan slides in, then goes after Parka. Tristan bumps Parka off buckles while NXT returns to single picture. Romeo BOOTS Tristan, goes up, but Tristan STEP-UP ENZIGIRIS! The fans boo but Tristan goes up to join Romeo. But EK YANKS Tristan down! Tristan dodges a haymaker, shoves, but EK SUPERKICKS! Parka springboards, BEAUTIFUL DISASTER! DOUBLE LARIATS on EK and Parka, then they both kip up! DOUBLE ROUDNBHOUSES!

EK and Parka stagger, Romeo DOUBLE MISSILE DROPKICKS them down! The fans are thunderous again as all four men are down! The four slowly rise up, and Romeo goes to ropes. EK runs up, he blocks the boot, but not the ENZIGIRI! But then EK slips through, and he kicks off Tristan to TORNADO DDT! Romeo flounders away, but Tristan puts EK on the apron! Parka runs up, EK GAMANGIRIS! But Tristan UPPERCUTS EK! Tristan goes up the ropes, deadlift SUPERPLEXES! Cover, Romeo DOUBLE STOMPS it apart! Romeo gets Tristan up, but Tristan throat chops! “This is Awesome!” even as Tristan reels Romeo in.

But wait, Romeo cradles, then deadlift BRAINBUSTERS! Romeo hurries to a corner and climbs up! But Parka is right up there to join him! SUPER SPANISH FLY! Parka flounders to the cover, EK FROG SPLASHES! All three men are down, and Tristan slowly crawls back inside. Romeo goes to the corner, EK runs up, but Romeo goes up and over! EK dodges back, blocks the boot again, and CALF KICKS! But Tristan back suplexes EK! EK lands out, but Tristan BOOTS him! And SUPERKICKS Romeo! But EK BOOTS Tristan! EK tumbles out, Romeo falls on the cover! Parka breaks it! Parka fires knees and forearms, then whips, only for Romeo to reverse.

Romeo runs up, but Parka BUCKLE PLEXES! Then the BLUE THUNDER BOMB! Tristan TOSSES Parka, covers Romeo, TWO!! Romeo survives and Tristan is furious! Tristan powers up his leg as he takes aim! But EK uses Romeo as a step to FLYING LEG LARIAT!! Then he BUSAIKU KNEES Romeo!! The fans fire up as EK is ready to go superhero! MOONSAULT!! Cover, EK WINS!

Winner: EK Prosper, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contender to the AAA World Cruiserweight Championship)

Fenix steps into the ring to shake EK’s hand, and now we are just seven days away from what could be the fastest, high-flying-est match in NXT history. Will EK continue to prosper under the brightest lights? Or will he learn what #ANIMO is all about?

Wren Sinclair & Kendal Grey talk backstage.

The WWE Women’s Speed Champion asks the NXT Women’s Champion if she’s good tonight. She can ear, she can see. Kendal was cleared for the live events, she’s cleared for tonight. But then Vanity Project steps in, and Brad Baylor brings up Kendal being a bit off balance. Is she okay? Does she need someone to… take care of her? Kendal says wow, Brad is asking her? He’s asking her? She never thought this would happen! Wren, can you believe this? Brad says yeah, and she’s for real, right? Absolutely not. Vanity Project look like the guys she faced in high school. Y’know, the ones who struggled to grow facial hair?

Jackson Drake says they choose not to grow facial hair, okay? Ricky Smokes says yeah, they were just gonna offer tag team advice, seeing as how Swipe Right are the future two-time tag team champions. Oh, well, no, because Myles & Tavion beat them, and Wren taught them everything the know. Drake says those boy scouts are gonna get sent packing at Heatwave. Drake just has to smoke that freak show, Shiloh Hill. Wren says Shiloh’s not a freak, he’s just quirky. Yeah, he’s really smart, knows how to use tools, unlike these boys, who are tools. They spend too much looking in the mirror. Myka has all the muscles in this group!

Heck, Myka is the vanity, they’re the project! Anyway, boys, good luck, but the ones with all the gold will be the #WrenQCC! Wren & Kendal head out, and Smokes says that was kinda hot. Drake says that was not hot at all. Myka, you gonna let those talk to her boys like that? Myka says sorry, but they cooked y’all. And Drake needs to lock in if he wants to prove them wrong. Drake says you know he will. But will Drake be able to earn himself and the boys title opportunities? Or will the Carolina Reaper be the one burned?

Thea Hail w/ Jaida Parker VS Natalya w/ Nikkita Lyons & Karmen Petrovic!

The Grown-Ass Woman is ready to be NXT’s #DAD (Dangerous And Devious), and that starts with humbling this Lowkey Legend! Will Thea be able to sink The BOAT? Or will Nattie continue to be the winningest woman in WWE history?

Nattie wants after Thea right away, but the ref keeps her back. The bell rings and the two circle. The fans rally for Thea, but Nattie TACKLES her, then rains down fists! Thea gets free, Nattie grins, and they go again. Nattie trips Thea, steps through, but Thea throws Nattie away,. They go again, Nattie hits a headlock takeover. Thea slips free, but Nattie clinches her. Nattie puts Thea in the corner, slaps her around, but Thea fires a forearm! Nattie SLAPS, Thea SLAPS! Nattie shoves, Thea shoves! Nattie throws Thea, hits another headlock takeover, and shrugs off the headscissors. The fans rally for Thea as she fights up.

Thea powers up and out but Nattie RUNS her over! Nattie tells her to stay down, then runs. But Thea drops down, jumps up, THESZ PRESS! Thea rains down fast hands, but Nattie bails out! Nattie checks with her team, but Thea DIVES! Down goes The BOAT and her crew! The fans fire up with Thea & Jaida, and they do their dance while NXT goes to break.

NXT returns as Thea arm-drags Nattie, then rolls her up! TWO, and Thea jumps on for a KIMURA! The fans fire up but Nattie RAMS Thea into the corner! Nattie shakes out her hand, but Thea jumps back on! Nattie backdrops but Thea sunset flips! Nattie rolls through to stack, TWO! Nattie steps through but Thea BOOTS her away! Thea ducks the discus to backslide, TWO! The arms are still linked, the two fight up, and Thea ducks a lariiat to CLOBBER Nattie! Thea whips, runs up, and ELBOWS Nattie! Thea clinches Nattie to EXPLODER! Thea runs up and ROLLING NECKBREAKER! The fans fire up as Thea covers, TWO!

Thea is frsutrated, and we get a quick picture in picture of Cruz Montaqna pacing in the parking lot. Nattie SLAPS Thea, but Thea comes back to wheelbarrow and victroy roll! TWO and Nattie has it, TWO! Thea has it, TWO! Nattie has it, TWO! Both women stand, and Thea HEADBUTTS! The fans fire up with Thea as she waits on Nattie. Thea brings Nattie aroudn to scopoand WORLd’S SMALLEST SLAM! Then she somersaults to the ropes, for the TRUST FALL FLOP! Nattie rolls Thea in a ghost pin< TWO! Thea mounts, Nattie turns it around, ground ‘n’ pound! But Thea catches the arm, KIMURA!!

The fans fire up as Nattie reaches out! Thea THRASHES the arm, but Nattie sits up! Nattie rises to her feet, then she SPINEBUSTERS! Thea lets go, but Nattie gets the legs! Nattie steps through, and she SLAPHS Thea before putting on the SHARPSHOOTER! Jaida coaches Thea to fight her way to the ropes! Thea crawls, reaches out, but Nattie DRAGS her back! Thea is stuck, she TAPS! Nattie wins!

Winner: Natalya, by submission

The Queen of Harts evens the score with Thea, but then the crew snatches Jaida! They make Miss Parker watch as Nattie puts Thea back in the SHARPSHOOTER! Nattie has an evil smile as she makes Thea suffer! The fans chant “NATTIE SUCKS!” but she lets Thea go so she and her crew can leave. Will Jaida get her revenge on Nattie? Will Thea get her own revenge when she goes for the WWE Evolve Women’s Championship tomorrow night?

Bronco Nima talks with Lucien Price backstage.

Nima knows Price wants to do this solo, but they already know how BirthRight rolls. And especially tonight with it being for the Speed Championship. Snakes don’t stop being snakes just cuz you see them. Price gets that, and appreciates Nima, but he still has to get this done himself. Nima says say less, go get that gold! Price heads out, but will he be able to beat Lexis in five minutes or less? Or will Lexis still be the King of Speed?

WWE Speed Championship: Lexis King w/ BirthRight VS Lucien Price!

NXT returns as Lexis makes his entrance, accompanied by BirthRight. The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who’s quicker on the draw!

The bell rings and Lexis forgot his cowboy hat. He takes it off and puts it aside, then turns around into a SUPERKICK! Cover, but BirthRight drags Lexis outta there! The fans boo, the ref reprimands, but Price storms out after Lexis! Arianna Grace stands in the way! Price jukes her to get Lexis in the ring! Lexis bails out the side, but Price pursues. The fans boo as Lexis flounders around. Price puts Lexis in the ring, but Lexis scrambles away! Lexis bails out again and uses his team as a shield! The fans boo as Lexis is literally wasting time running away from Price! He slides in, out, but Price puts him in the ring! Price whips Lexis, Lexis hurdles, then bails out again!

The fans boo but Lexis says it’s all about time and strategy. But Price snatches him and THRWOS him into the ring! Lexis flounders, but he manages to KICK Price! Price snarls, Lexis runs up, but Price CHOPS! The fans fire up and Lexis sputters. The fans want that again but we’re hitting the three minute warning! Price YANKS Lexis up and into the ring! Lexis crawls away but Price runs up! SPLASH in the corner, then a whip corner to corner for another SPLASH! Price scoops, but Lexis slips free! SUPERKICK! Price drops to a knee, Lexis runs, but into another CHOP! The fans fire up as Price roars!

Price fires up, he stalks Lexis, and Lexis is almost crying! Price drags Lexis up, but Lexis HOTSHOTS Price! Lexis goes back to the apron, but Price THROWS him in! Price snarls, but Lexis KICKS the leg out! BASEMENT DDT! Cover, TWO! We’re in the two minute orange phase as Lexis stomps away in the ropes! Lexis CHOKES Price, then backs off to run up and KNEE Price down! Cover, TWO! Price survives but there’s only 90 seconds left! Lexis KICKS Price in the chest! The fans rally up as Lexis KICKS again! And again, but Price blocks! LARIAT! The fans fire up as Price ELBOWS Lexis down, then HEADBUTTS!

The fans fire up but we’re at the final minute! Price ducks a lariat, to URENAGE! Lexis flounders, Price drags him up, and Price puts Lexis up top. CHOP! Price gets under Lexis, but Stacks distracts the ref! Uriah & Charlie trip Price up!! Lexis hits the CORONATION! Cover, Lexis wins!

Winner: Lexis King, by pinfall (still WWE Speed Champion)

With 25 seconds to spare, it still took the ENTIRE team to win! And now the entire team mugs Price! The fans boo but here comes Nima! He CLOBBERS Charlie, CLBOBERS Uriah, and CLOBBERS Stacks! The fans fire up for OTM as Price then THROWS Uriah out at King! Price & Nima look to each other, and they hug it out! The fans cheer as OTM holds together. But will they ever hold gold in NXT?

Grayson Waller is here!

The fans are a bit torn over The Aussie Icon going to the ring, mic in hand. Waller says, “For weeks, I’ve been begging someone to try and end the Grayson Waller Takeover of NXT. But instead of one of those TikTok tough guys actually doing something, I somehow have to deal with another Samoan trying to take bread off my table. But you made a huge mistake, Zilla. Cuz unlike everyone else backstage, I’m not scared of you or your family. I’m from Western Sydney, lad! I’ve been fighting with Uces all my life! And now, since none of the Uces know how to wrap it up, there’s another Samoan here, who’s the black sheep of the family who’s trying to take from me.

“But if I’m honest, ladies and gentlemen, I like to stay real. Zilla, I’m happy for you. No, from the bottom of my heart, Zilla, I’m so happy you’re here. Because you finally got the ankle monitor off and now you can roam free!” The fans are a bit torn on that comment, but Waller says Zilal chose the wrong night, the wrong show, and the wrong guy at the wrong time. Waller assures Zilla, he can’t handle this version of Waller. And until he got involved last week, Waller was gonna be #1 contender! In fact, he’s pretty sure he IS #1 contender! And there’s nothing Zilla can do about it, there’s nothing these fat blokes can do about it, and-

Tony D’Angelo is here! And he tells “Walla” to hold on! Waller wants to think he’s #1 contender, fine. They keep lining them up, Tony keeps knocking them down. Doesn’t matter where they’re from: Japan, TNA, Raw, the “Island of Irrelevancy.” All Tony knows is, he will knock every single one of them flat on their asses. Waller says finally! He’s been talking about this for weeks and- Cruz is back in here! Cruz says no, no, no, not today! Hey, first of all, that don’t sit right with Cruz. He was waiting for Zilla. And second of all, Cruz doesn’t know what dust Waller is smoking, but he must’ve spun him too hard, leaving his head in the third row.

But Cruz will say this: Waller was the one looking up at the lights before Zilla’s punk ass jumped him. So how about Cruz does this? Waller and Cruz can finish their business, then Cruz and Tony go toe-to-toe for the title. Then if Zilla decides to show up, Cruz will break his foot off in his ass, too! Waller says not to look past him, but Robert Stone hurries out here. He has everyone calm down. He agrees, though, Waller and Cruz both got screwed. But the reality is, Zilla isn’t even officially signed yet. So here’s what we’ll do, this is what Stone deems fair. At Heatwave, it will be Waller VS Cruz VS Tony in a TRIPLE THREAT for the NXT Championship! The fans like the sound of that!

And Stone says whenever Zilla gets here, Stone will be the one to handle him. That is set in stone, but will the numbers now spell disaster for Tony D at Heatwave?

Lizzy Rain talks with Shiloh Hill backstage.

The Maiden of Metal asks if he’s feeling ready for tonight, and he says yeah, he’s just trying to keep up with what she got started last week. By the way, he would’ve been out there for her in Mixed Tag if he was cleared. She says that’s alright, he knows that. But she and EK rocked it. EK has a real shot at the Cruiserweight title next week. But then Kali Armstrong… Lizzy is still really upset at her interrupting like that. Yeah, that was weird. Myles Borne politley interrupts, he wants to talk with Shiloh. The match with Drake, it seemed all about Drake and nothing for Shiloh. So Myles talked with Stone real quick, and the deal is, if Shiloh wins, then he gets the shot.

Really? Yeah! Shiloh says Myles is real for that! They high-five, and now Shiloh is even more hyped! But wait, Myles is doing double duty either way? Is that wise from the champion? Or is he going to prove he’s truly born for this?

Robert Stone heads to his office.

He finishes a phone call with Zilla, getting an ETA for the new signee. But then waiting in Stone’s office is Keanu Carver! What is he doing here? Keanu brings up the Triple Threat for Heatwave. Stone takes a guess, Keanu wants to be in it? Well, he can’t just put Keanu in a match- Keanu says no, no, he knows how the landscape is right now. His time will come. But for now, he got Stone some coffee. He knows Stone is stressed. Stone is wary, it’s a little late in the day. Keanu tells Stone to have some coffee! OKAY! Stone takes a quick sip, says it’s good, but then Kam Hendrix steps in. He asks what’s going on!

After his huge win over Mason Rook, Kam should be on the top of the list, right? Keanu tells Kam that was rude, he didn’t even knock! Did he not see Keanu and Stone having a moment? W-What moment? Keanu says he’ll catch Stone later. Stone asks what Kam wants, and they talk while we cut away. Doesn’t matter what Kam wants, what is going on with Keanu?

Kendal Grey & Wren Sinclair VS Kelani Jordan & Kali Armstrong!

The #WrenQCC brawled it out with The Standout & The Difference Maker last week, and now they’re gonna have it out again! But will Kendal & Wren be able to humble Lani & Kali? Or will both champions be in trouble this close to Heatwave?

NXT returns as Kali makes her entrance, followed by Lani’s. The teams sort out and Wren starts against Lani. The bell rings, the fans rally, and teh two tie up. Lani headlocks, hits the takeover, but Wren rolls thorugh to get the headlock in return. Lani fights up, rolls Wren away, but Wren is right back! Lani counters with a headlock, then cravats, but Wren powers out to DROPKICK Lani down! Lani flounders, and Kali tags in. Lani is annoyed but she steps out. Wren drop toeholds but Kali stays up! Kali flexes, but Wren CHOP BLOCKS, then CLULBS Kali down! Wren facelocks, gator rolls with Kali, but Kali powers up to THROW Wren away!

Kali runs up but into a SOBAT! Wren runs up, tilt-o-whirls and RANAS Kali onto ropes! Tag to Kendal and she SUPERKICKS Kali! Wren DROPKICKS! Then Kendal slingshots to DOUBLE STOMP! Cover, TWO! Kali is tougher than that, but Kendal clamps on with a facelock. Kali RAMS Kendal to the corner, RAMS into her, and Lani tags in. Feed to the ELBOW! Then basement SUPERKICK! Lani clamps on with a facelock, but Kendal wrenches out to trip and jackknife bridge! TWO as Lani bridges! Lani spins things around, flips Kendal over, but Kendal ducks the roundhouse! Kendal waistlocks, but Lani ELBOWS Kendal down!

The fans rally for Kendal but Lani headlocks. Kendal powers up, and Wren tags in as Kendal powers out! They drop, leapfrog, then DOUBLE HIP TOSS! The fans fire up but here comes Kali! But she gets a DOUBLE HIP TOSS, too! And a DOUBLE DROPKICK! Kali bails out, Kendal goes to the apron, and Kendal SLIDING RANAS! The fans fire up, but Lani runs up! Wren SUPER CROSSBODIES Lani & Kali! The fans fire up for the #WrenQCC as NXT goes to break.

NXT returns again as Lani HANDSPRING MOONSAULTS! Cover, TWO! Wren survives, Lani argues with the ref, but the fans rally for Wren. Lani bumps Wren off buckles, tags Kali, and Lani sends Kali in! But Wren dodges! Lani runs up, Wren DUMPS her out! Kali hurries to anchor a foot! Wren BOOTS free! The fans fire up as Wren tags Kendal! Kendal rallies with ELBOW after ELBOW, then an OVERHEAD BELLY2BELLY on Lani! Kali runs up, but into an OVERHEAD BELLY2BELLY! The straps come down, the fans fire up, and Kendal snatches Lani for an EXPLODER! Then an EXPLODER for Kali! Another EXPLODER for Lani!

Kali runs up again, Kendal slips around, but Kali switches! Kali hits a back suplex, but Kendal lands out! Only to fall backwards! The equilibrium is still a problem! But she still trips Kali to an ANKLE LOCK! The fans fire up while Kali flails! Kali crawls, reaches out, and rolls to send Kendal into buckles! Kali hobbles but she whips Kendal, only for Kendal to turn scoop into cradle! TWO!! Kali JABS! Kendal BACK ELBOWS! Wren tags in, Kali tags Lani! Wren dodges Lani, then CHOPS! And CHOPS! Then DOUBLE CHOPS! Wren LARIATS, ELBOWS, and fires up! The afns are with her as she then clinches Lani to SLAM!

Wren hurries, reels Lani in, but Lani wrenches through to KNEE low! Lani whips, Wren reverses, but Lani goes to the apron! Kali saves Lani from the shoulder thrust! Lani BOOTS Kendal, slingshots for the CUTTER! Kendal storms in but the ref stops her! This distraction delays the count on the cover! TWO!! Wren survives, and Lani is furious! Lani argues, Kali tags in, and Kali drags Wren up! Kali reels Wren in, lifts, but Wren powers up to Alabama Lift! BANGARANG! Then the chicken wings! FINAL WRENCH! But Lani sweeps the legs and stomps Wren! Kendal runs up, but Lani DUMPS her out! Kendal skins the cat to RANA Lani!

The fans fire up as Kendal runs up, but she’s sent into the steel steps! Just like Underground! Wren is distracted seeing that, Kali rolls Wren up, TWO! Wren has Kali, TWO! Kali SNAP POWERSLAMS! The fans are torn but Kali fires up! Kali kicks it into gear, she’s going down the highway! KALI CONNECTION!! Cover, Kali & Lani win!

Winners: Kelani Jordan & Kali Armstrong, by pinfall

Lani gets one on Kendal, Kali gets the pin on the Women’s Speed Champion! Wren is going to face Zaria at Heatwave, but will the winner of that match have to deal with Kali on the other side? As for Kendal, can she recover in time to fight off The Standout?

NXT holds a video chat interview with Dion Lennox and Saquon Shugars.

Dion is impatiently waiting on Saquon to get to his position. Dion asks if Saquon’s sorry ass is ready yet. Saquon says relax, he thought he had some time to kill while Dion was helping Osiris & Cutler into their booster seats. Where are they? Dion says he don’t need ’em. Oh, for sure. About time Dion did something on his own. Dion’s had a team around him his entire life. Cutler & Osiris carry out Dion’s play. Yeah, just like Saquon did. Okay, except Dion couldn’t touch Saquon. Dion couldn’t even come close if not for the numbers. And Dion knows that if it’s just them, Saquon would mop the floor with him 100 times outta 100, fool! That’s simple math, college boy!

Dion asks if he’s supposed to be scared of “low rent Saquon.” Saquon has always been in Dion’s shadow, and that’s where he’s gonna stay. Doin will prove why he was always the leader of DarkState! Saquon says he don’t care! Dion could’ve been the leader this whole time, and he still couldn’t have done any of it without Saquon. But hey, how about they do this in a Steel Cage? Oh, to keep Cutty & Os out? Saquon acting like Dion’s the only one with back-up. Last week, Dion beat Saquon’s ass, and what’d Saquon do? He threw a tantrum! He hit Dion with a baseball bat! All cuz he couldn’t take an L like a man!

But y’know what? Saquon wants a Steel Cage? Let’s throw some weapons in there, too! Saquon says Dion don’t want this! Oh, Dion do! Wow, Private School Pete wants to get extreme! Dion was a great football player, but he cannot touch Saquon in the ring! He doesn’t know what this is, but Saquon’s about to teach him. Saquon will embarrass Dion for everything he did to Saquon. Saquon is a diamond created by the pressure of carrying dead weight! It could be the cage, this bat, a trash can, but Dion will feel everything, he’ll learn why Saquon is up next and Dion is up never. It don’t get sweeter than Shugars!

Dion says what he does next week won’t be out of anger, remorse, any emotion. This is just the end of their story. Dion makes sure the sun sets on Saquon Shugars. Two men walk in, but Dion will be the one to walk out. And it don’t get sweeter than that! Dion says he’s out. But will Dion taste sweet victory? Or will it be bitter defeat?

Championship Stakes: Jackson Drake w/ The Vanity Project VS Shiloh Hill!

The deal was struck, but then it was altered. The Carolina Reaper could win himself and Swipe Right title opportunities at Heatwave, but now the same goes for #ToothlessAggression! Will #HeartbreakDrake be able to swipe right on a huge night in Texas? Or will he get lost in The Fog?

The bell rings, the two circle, and Drake KICKS Shiloh’s leg! Drake eggs Shiloh on, then goes to the ropes for defense. The ref has Shiloh stay back, Shiloh tells Drake to bring it. The two reset, tie up, and Shiloh powers Drake to the ropes. The ref counts, Shiloh lets off, but Drake pie faces Shiloh. Shiloh snarls and CHOPS! The fans fire up as Drake flounders, but Shiloh brings him up to wrench and wristlock. Drake rolls, but Shiloh wrangles him! Drake rolls, cartwheels, then cording holds. But Shiloh scoops to SLAM! The fans cheer, Shiloh runs up, and he RAMS into Drake! Then he whips corner to corner, runs up, but Drake dodges!

Shiloh hits buckles hard, and Drake wrenches to ELBOW BREAKER! Then ARM BREAKER! The fans boo but Drake brings Shiloh up to fire forearms. Drake facelocks, but Shiloh wrenches free to facelock back! SWINGING NECKBREAKER! Then a wrench and- NO, Drake fights the suplex with a headlock. Drake BOPS Shiloh with his foot! Drake CHOPS Shiloh, CHOPS again, then whips. Shiloh turns backdrop into a whip, then hits a fireman’s carry takeover! SLIDING D! Cover, TWO! Drake toughs it out, but Shiloh scoops. Drake slips free, waistlocks, but Shiloh switches. O’Conner Roll, TWO! Myka distracts the ref, Brad gets a cheap shot in!

Drake brings Shiloh around, THROWS him out, and now the ref has Drake stop. That just lets Swipe Right go after Shiloh! The fans boo as Smokes outs Shiloh in, UNALIVING!! Cover, TWO!! Shiloh survives that knee strike, Drake argues the count, but NXT goes to break.

NXT returns once again as Shiloh whips but Drake reverses. Drake then runs past to SHOTGUN BOOT! Cover, TWO! Shiloh survives again and Drake is seething. Drake drags Shiloh up, but Shiloh fires body shots. Shiloh WRINGS Drake out, then blocks a shot to fire haymakers! Shiloh CHOPS, whips, but Drake reverses. Shiloh ducks the lariat to back suplex, but Drake lands out! ENZIGIRI! Shiloh staggers, Drake handsprings, but Shiloh gets under! Shiloh has his own handspring, LARIAT!! The fans fire up and Shiloh smiles big and wide! The fans rally behind Shiloh as he stands, and he runs up on Drake to BOOT him down!

Shiloh DECKS Drake, scoops him, and SLAMS! Then the IMPLODER SENTON! Cover, TWO! Drake survives but Shiloh hauls him up. Drake fights the lift, backdrops, then stops the sunset flip to step over and KICK! Drake LIONSAULTS, but has to roll through! Shiloh pops Drake up to CLOBBER him! The fans fire up but Myka gets on the apron! The fans boo but Shiloh runs, only for Swipe Right to trip him up and drag him out! They mug Shiloh again, but then the ref spots Smokes! The ref snatches Smokes’ arm, and he EJECTS Vanity Project!! The fans cheer and Drake begs for mercy, but no!

Shiloh rolls into the ring, and he FLIES over the ref to take out Vanity Project! The fans are thunderous as Myka has no choice but to drag the boys away. Shiloh puts Drake in the ring, runs, and CLOBBERS Drake! The fans fire up as Shiloh climbs the corner! But Drake ROCKS Shiloh first! Drake climbs up, but Shiloh HEADBUTTS him! Drake falls onto the ref! Wait, NARAKU pops out from under the ring!? RED MIST!! Shiloh wanted to learn about that stuff, but not like that! Drake goes up, up, and 450 SPLASHES!! Cover, DRAKE WINS!

Winner: Jackson Drake, by pinfall (Vanity Project will challenge for the titles)

The fans boo as the King of Darkness steals this moment from Shiloh Hill! And now Drake, Brad & Smokes all get their chance to get some gold back around their waists! Will they make sure the last day of Summer belongs to them? Or will Myles be able to pull off two wins in one night?

Zaria meets with Robert Stone.

The Women’s North American Champion asks what the heck is going on. Stone says the Winner Takes All match is an even trade. Saquon and Dion got involved during that title match last week, so now both Zaria and Wren defend their titles in a “unification” match. Oh, so no clock to run out on her, huh? Exactly. Kali Armstrong walks in, she is fired up over her win, and she says Stone’s been making deals with everybody and they mama, so seeing as how Zaria pinned the Speed Champion, what’s he got for her? And please don’t say “tournament,” we saw Lucien Price pin Lexis King and got to skip all of that.

Zaria says too bad, because after Heatwave, there will be NO Women’s Speed title to speak of, just one dominant Women’s North American Champion. And it’ll be Zaria. Kali says, “Dominant? Listen here, you red-headed heifer! You needed two matches and a distraction to beat Wren, and you wanna call yourself dominant? Girl, please. I beat her and only needed one match, straight… like… that.” Stone says here’s a deal for Kali: Kali VS Zaria 1v1 next week, and if Kali wins, we make another Triple Threat for Heatwave. Kali likes that. Zaria says don’t count on it. Kali heads out, will the heat turn up after next week?

Robert Stone is in the ring.

The NXT General Manager says, “Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce NXT’s newest superstar, Zilla Fatu!” The fans fire up as Zilla makes his entrance, and he already has a theme song and tron! Zilla is fired up, too, as he goes to the ring. Zilla then spots Tony D on the perch! The fans cheer as Tony stares Zilla down, then Zilla gets the mic. “HELLO, NXT!” The fans cheer Zilla on, and he says this is a big moment for him to be signing with the number one wrestling company in the world, and to start here at NXT. The fans also cheer on “UMAGA! UMAGA!” and Zilla nods. Zilla says he never thought he’d be here. But he is now, though!

The fans cheer again, and Zilla says his goal is to show you all that he’s not just another nepo-baby. That he is here to let his talent speak for itself. And he understands last week, he made a lot of folks mad. But all he’s got to say to that, is get used to it! But wait, Waller is here! Zilla says hey, “Mr. Controversy!” You already got one black eye, you want another one? Then Cruz storms through the crowd! Oh, Cruz wants the drama? Welcome to the Zilla Show, baby! Zilla says, “Stone, Stone, Stone, why don’t you go ahead and lace these boys out?” Stone says yes, in this contract here, it states that Zilla’s first NXT match will be a TITLE MATCH! What?!

The fans are torn, but plenty chant “YOU DESERVE IT!” Zilla says, “Boys, at Heatwave, we turning the Triple Threat into a FATAL 4 WAY! HELLO!” The fans fire up as Zilla signs on the dotted line! The odds just got a lot worse, but who gets even with The Main One while also winning that title?

My Thoughts:

A great episode for NXT with a lot more set up for Heatwave. Good stuff with Cruz and Waller each wanting after Zilla, and then the reveal that we’re going all the way to Fatal 4 Way. This is a wild move, even if you ignore that they are doing this just to further counterprogram All In. But with that level of a match, Tony’s gotta be losing somehow, right? It doesn’t have to be Zilla, it doesn’t have to be Cruz, but I don’t see it being Tony. Tony’s hit the Grand Slam, his new persona isn’t exactly going to change that drastically, so he can just move to main roster.

Great Fatal 4 Way from the Cruiserweights, really hard to keep up with so thank goodness for DVR abilities. Great win for EK Prosper, he’ll have an awesome match with Fenix, but I would think Fenix wins. Great match from Nattie VS Thea, but I figured Nattie would win given her sidekicks were messing around the whole time. Lyons VS Thea will be a great Evolve Women’s Championship match, too, but who knows who wins that. It’d be great continuity of Jaida showed up to help as part of the revenge. Full disclosure, I’m already thinking of just doing another “roundup” where I put both last week’s episode and this week’s episode in one article.

Very good stuff with the Men’s Speed Championship, because of course Lexis’s strategy would be to waste time and have the team interfere because he knows he can’t win fair ‘n’ square. But as I said last week, if they’re doing away with the Women’s Speed Championship, the men’s title is not going to last much longer. And speaking of the Women’s Speed title, Kali getting in on that scene is interesting. The tag match was great stuff, and the Heels winning really puts the pressure on Kendal & Wren going towards Heatwave. I feel like Kali could actually win her way into the title match, the Triple Threat being a great way to stack that card and further counterprogram.

Myles giving Shiloh the chance to earn his own title opportunity was really cool, really adds to the Face points, but I’m surprised there wasn’t a quick moment where Tavion questioned that choice. Great promo from WrenQCC with Vanity Project, and Drake VS Shiloh was great match. Naraku going after Shiloh was surprising, but really I should’ve seen the foreshadowing in Shiloh talking about Naraku and the mist in his vlog. On the whole, we’re still getting Vanity Project VS Myles & Tavion as I figured we’d get, but now we’re also going to get a great feud from Naraku VS Shiloh. Maybe the winner of that feud can head for a title as we head into Autumn.

My Score: 8.9/10