Two nights removed from Heatwave, NXT wasted zero time pivoting to the fall slate. The show opened by planting its championship stakes, moving the women’s divisions forward, and letting a few simmering feuds snap to a boil. It felt like a reset episode with purpose: short, punchy undercard matches, one big contenders bout, and a lively main event that put momentum behind the right trio.
1️⃣
Kelani Jordan def. Blake Monroe
A speedy, TV-tight opener with a crucial wrinkle: Jordynne Grace emerged to pressure Monroe back to the ring, creating the opening for Jordan to hit the athletic finish and pocket the win. It keeps Jordan hot coming out of the weekend and keeps Monroe entangled with Grace.
2️⃣
Blindfold Match: Lexis King def. Myles Borne
Classic blindfold chaos: wild swings at air, comedic pratfalls, and a crafty heel shortcut. King used referee confusion to his advantage and stole it. As a palette cleanser after the opener, it landed—silly but on-brand for King and it gives Borne a gripe for the rematch.
3️⃣
The Culling (Izzi Dame & Tatum Paxley) def. Wren Sinclair & Kendal Grey
Kendal Grey debuted with sharp offense, but the numbers and timing favored The Culling. Dame and Paxley stole the pin during a scramble, reinforcing their uneasy-but-effective pairing while giving Sinclair a reason to keep hunting them with a more seasoned partner.
4️⃣
No. 1 Contender to the NXT Championship: Ricky Saints def. Josh Briggs
A well-structured clash of styles where Briggs’ heavy artillery kept Saints in peril until ring awareness and a tornado DDT swung it. Saints’ win sets the title match course, and the post-match scene ensured the champ’s orbit stayed busy. Strong TV bout, decisive result.
5️⃣
Tyra Mae Steele def. Alba Fyre
Short, physical, and story-first. With Tavion Heights and the Ethan Page–Chelsea Green alliance looming, Steele capitalized amid the chaos, then Page got the last word in a post-match attack. The angle positions Steele as a resilient foil while further villainizing Page’s crew.
6️⃣
Main Event — Lola Vice, Sol Ruca & Zaria def. Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley & Jazmyn Nyx)
Fast, flashy trios formula that let Ruca’s explosiveness and Zaria’s power shine while Vice targeted henchwork at the finish. After a sequence of all-six-down fireworks, Vice cracked Henley and scored the pin, giving the challengers bragging rights and tightening the chase toward Jayne’s camp. A crowd-pleasing capstone that spotlighted all six while subtly elevating Vice.
🎥
Opening scene sets the table: Ricky Saints called his shot for Oba Femi, but Josh Briggs crashed the party. GM Ava immediately sanctioned Saints vs. Briggs for a No. 1 contender’s slot later in the night.
Championship turbulence: After Saints’ win, Oba Femi confronted the new challenger. DarkState swarmed, only for Hank & Tank to even the odds—leading Ava to book an eight-man tag for next week involving Femi, Saints, Hank & Tank vs. DarkState. Heat applied, stakes set.
Women’s SPEED title tournament news: Ava announced names for the upcoming SPEED tournament—Candice LeRae, Lainey Reid, Faby Apache, and Xia Brookside—kicking off 9/2 with the title shot landing at No Mercy. Smart cross-brand flavor with dates that frame the fall roadmap.
DarkState message to the champ: Beyond the in-ring brawl, the tag champs made their intentions clear in a highlight package—painting a target on Oba Femi and escalating the champ’s busy schedule.
Setting the scene: The episode emanated from Orlando’s Performance Center/Capitol Wrestling Center and aired live on The CW, marking another packed, post-Heatwave stop.
🤔
As a post-Heatwave recalibration, this episode checked the right boxes. The No. 1 contender result cleanly pointed the men’s title picture at Saints vs. Femi, while the DarkState chaos layered in an immediate TV attraction. On the women’s side, the trios main event gave Vice, Ruca, and Zaria a statement win, Jayne’s camp fresh friction, and the upcoming SPEED tournament a little extra electricity. Nothing overstayed its welcome; the show moved briskly, threaded stories through nearly every segment, and closed on a satisfying high note with clear next steps already on the board.
