Location: WWE Performance Center in Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph and Booker T
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
Cody Rhodes Opens the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
Cody Rhodes opened the show with a video introducing the 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
Rhodes described tag team wrestling as one of professional wrestling’s foundations and explained how much it meant to his father, Dusty Rhodes. He said the tournament was created to honor that tradition while searching for the tag teams of the future.
This year’s tournament features 14 teams representing NXT, Raw, SmackDown, AAA and EVOLVE. Cody promised to present the Dusty Cup to the winning team in person before officially declaring the tournament underway.
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First-Round Match
Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno vs. Los Americanos
Noam Dar and Rayo Americano exchanged wristlocks before Rayo tagged Bravo Americano into the match. Dar responded by bringing in Romeo Moreno, who used his speed to dropkick Bravo.
Los Americanos quickly took control with tandem offense. Bravo catapulted Moreno into a forearm from Rayo, who followed with a slingshot senton.
Dar tagged in and targeted Rayo’s arm before connecting with a discus back elbow for two. Rayo and Dar later applied simultaneous guillotine chokes until Bravo slammed Moreno onto Dar to break the holds.
Los Americanos remained in control through the commercial break, but Moreno used his agility to escape their corner and make the tag. Dar entered with several forearms, kicks, a dragon screw in the ropes and a German suplex.
Dar trapped Bravo in an ankle lock before Moreno joined him for a draping cutter and springboard double-foot stomp combination. Los Americanos answered with stereo diving headbutts, but Moreno broke the count.
Dar caught Bravo in the Champagne Supernova kneebar, only for Bravo to escape with a deadlift German suplex. Los Americanos followed with a top-rope hurricanrana and flying splash, earning another close near fall.
During the closing sequence, Rayo snapped Moreno’s fingers and stomped on Dar’s elbow. Dar recovered with a discus back elbow, allowing Moreno to hit an avalanche Death Valley Driver. Dar and Moreno then connected with their discus elbow-leg sweep combination to advance.
Winners: Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno via pinfall
A video package recapped Mason Rook winning last week’s Triple Threat Match to become the number-one contender for the NXT Championship.
Kendal Grey Attends Therapy
Kendal Grey participated in a therapy session while continuing to deal with vertigo.
Grey initially claimed she was fine and ready to wrestle, but admitted she felt lost and restless after losing the NXT Women’s Championship and being medically sidelined.
Grey compared the situation to the Lisfranc injury she suffered during her freshman year of college. The difference, she explained, was that she had a clear recovery plan at the time. With vertigo, she has no idea whether she will be sidelined for weeks, months or even a year.
Grey questioned whether she would return with the same speed and ability that defined her career. The therapist asked Grey to consider who she was when she was not competing, leaving Grey unable to provide an answer.
Grammy-nominated recording artist Jimmie Allen was shown in attendance.
Kali Armstrong vs. Skylar Raye
Skylar Raye charged at Kali Armstrong as soon as the bell rang, but Armstrong drove her into the corner and unloaded with body shots, stomps and shoulder strikes.
Raye responded with two arm drags, a headscissors takeover and a dropkick that sent Armstrong outside. Armstrong quickly regained control with a running clothesline and gut-wrench bodyslam.
Raye caught Armstrong with a running crossbody and later connected with an enzuigiri. Armstrong answered by catching Raye in midair and delivering a running powerslam for two.
After the break, Raye escaped another powerslam and hit a backstabber. She built momentum with three shoulder tackles, a running back elbow, satellite DDT and frog splash for a near fall.
Armstrong responded with a Blue Thunder Bomb and spinebuster. Raye escaped another powerslam and scored an O’Connor roll, but Armstrong kicked out and powerslammed her from midair.
Armstrong then accidentally struck the referee while attempting the Kali Connection. Reina Volcan entered the ring and clotheslined Raye before powerslamming Armstrong. Volcan followed with a spinning rack bomb on Raye.
Raye recovered first and placed herself over Armstrong to steal the victory.
Winner: Skylar Raye via pinfall
Backstage, Shiloh Hill and Saquon Shugars spoke with Robert Stone. Hill used an analogy involving raccoons to explain his growing understanding of NARAKU, while Shugars complained that Tristan Angels had cost him an NXT Championship opportunity.
Hill jokingly suggested that Shugars blind Angels with red mist. Stone objected and said they could revisit both situations next week, potentially with matches being made official.
Outside the Performance Center, the suspended Wren Sinclair held an unauthorized meet-and-greet beside the NXT merchandise truck. Stone ordered Sinclair to leave because she remained suspended.
Kelani Jordan and Zaria vs. Thea Hail and La Catalina
Thea Hail immediately attempted the Kimura Lock on Zaria, but Zaria escaped and Kelani Jordan tagged herself into the match.
Hail caught Jordan with a drop-toe hold before tagging La Catalina, who connected with a Perro Attack. Hail added a running Meteora that sent Jordan outside. Catalina then wiped out Zaria with a suicide dive, while Hail followed with a springboard senton.
Hail and Catalina controlled the action through the commercial break. They worked over Jordan’s arm until Jordan used a hair-pull takedown and reached Zaria.
Zaria overpowered Hail with a discus lariat, vertical toss and repeated power moves. Jordan and Zaria then connected with a double back suplex for two.
Hail continued fighting and applied a sleeper to Zaria, but Zaria drove her into the canvas. Jordan made a blind tag and landed a springboard moonsault for a near fall.
Jordan and Zaria struggled to work together throughout the match. Zaria took a swipe at Jordan earlier, and Jordan later yelled at her partner after several mistimed exchanges.
Hail eventually escaped their corner and tagged Catalina. Catalina entered with a missile dropkick, headscissors takeover, vertical suplex and three Perro Attacks.
Hail tagged herself back into the match before Zaria hit Catalina with the F5, causing Jordan to go down in the process. Zaria attempted another F5 on Hail, but Hail countered into a rollup and scored the pin.
Winners: Thea Hail and La Catalina via pinfall
Backstage, Sean Legacy thanked Zilla Fatu for helping him against Birthright. Legacy revealed that Dorian Van Dux had suffered a punctured lung and was not medically cleared.
Van Dux appeared and insisted he was ready to compete, but Legacy refused to jeopardize his health ahead of the Dusty Cup. Legacy announced that EK Prosper would replace Van Dux in the six-man tag team match.
Cruz Montana and Dion Lennox Trade Personal Insults
Cruz Montana entered the ring and acknowledged that he had not been stacking victories since arriving in NXT. However, Montana said he had not been losing either and was learning from every setback.
Montana promised that regardless of whether Grayson Waller or Mason Rook emerged as NXT Champion, the title would eventually belong to him.
DarkState appeared in the crowd, where Dion Lennox accused Montana of making himself sound more important than he was. Lennox said DarkState would run through the Dusty Cup and told Montana to focus on what was standing in front of him.
Montana challenged Lennox to enter the ring without the rest of DarkState.
Lennox acknowledged Montana’s international success but argued that disciplined athletes like himself were taking over professional wrestling. He questioned why Montana had called EK Prosper the future of NXT and suggested it was because Prosper had endured similar struggles.
Montana fired back by discussing the years he spent overcoming his personal demons. He said he had paid his dues, learned from some of the greatest wrestlers in the business and earned everything in his career.
Montana then attacked Lennox’s athletic background, saying WWE had not discovered him through social media or invited him to a tryout. He claimed Lennox entered wrestling because his football career had failed, while Montana had fought for every opportunity.
Lennox made the confrontation deeply personal by bringing up Montana’s mother and his history of addiction. Lennox said Montana was celebrated for finally becoming the person he should have been from the beginning, while Lennox had been somebody his entire life.
Montana and Lennox erupted into a wild brawl to end the segment.
Backstage, Robert Stone congratulated Mason Rook on becoming the number-one contender and gave him an open microphone to address Grayson Waller.
Hank and Tank encouraged Rook to trust his instincts. They also expressed their excitement about competing in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First-Round Match
The Creed Brothers vs. Harley Riggins and Jaxson Presley
Julius Creed attacked Harley Riggins with a jumping knee before the bell. The Creed Brothers followed with an assisted back body drop before Julius drove Riggins into the ring post.
Jaxson Presley briefly turned the match around by overpowering both Creeds. He caught Brutus with a big boot, clotheslined Julius and delivered back body drops to both opponents.
Brutus stopped Presley’s momentum by dumping him face-first onto the steel steps. The Creeds then isolated Presley with a double knee gutbuster and repeated strikes.
Riggins eventually received the tag and exploded into the match with clotheslines, a big boot, double dropkick and twisting senton. Brutus broke the resulting pin with the Brutus Ball.
Riggins and Presley attempted the Doomsday Device, but Brutus knocked Riggins to the floor. Julius escaped Presley’s electric-chair position and hit a release German suplex.
Julius tagged Brutus, and The Creeds connected with a double chokeslam to advance in the tournament.
Winners: The Creed Brothers via pinfall
A video package recapped Myles Borne betraying Tavion Heights on last week’s NXT.
Zilla Fatu, Sean Legacy and EK Prosper vs. Birthright
Sean Legacy started against Stacks and used his athleticism to connect with a handspring arm drag, bodyslam, PK and standing moonsault.
EK Prosper entered and exchanged fast-paced counters with Uriah Connors before catching him with a dropkick. Lexis King tagged in and taunted Zilla Fatu while working over Prosper.
Prosper responded with a single-leg dropkick and tagged Fatu. Zilla entered with two bodyslams, a double clothesline and Muay Thai knees.
Birthright attempted a double suplex, but Fatu landed on his feet and overwhelmed both Stacks and King. Legacy and Prosper later joined him for consecutive dives to the outside.
Birthright gained control during the commercial break. Prosper fought back with a Frankensteiner and Busaiku Knee before Fatu wiped out King with a clothesline and suicide dive.
Connors and Stacks trapped Prosper with a vertical suplex and sit-out powerbomb combination. Connors followed with a springboard Stunner for two.
Prosper escaped and tagged Fatu, who ran through Birthright with clotheslines, a uranage, Bubba Bomb and Banzai Drop. Zilla shrugged off King’s superkick and hit him with a pop-up Samoan drop before crushing Connors with a running hip attack.
Fatu attempted to tag Prosper, but the referee did not see it because Arianna Grace caused a distraction. Zilla was forced to tag Legacy instead.
Legacy attempted a 450 splash, but Connors raised his knees and rolled Legacy up to steal the victory.
After the match, King shoved Fatu and received an uppercut in response. Fatu prepared to deliver the Triple Z, but Birthright pulled King to safety.
Winners: Birthright via pinfall
Emily Agard interviewed Zaria backstage. Because of the result of the earlier tag team match, Zaria will defend the NXT Women’s North American Championship against Thea Hail next week.
Zaria said there was a major difference between beating her in a tag team match and defeating her when the championship was at stake.
Izzi Dame interrupted with footage of Zaria performing in school theater. An embarrassed Zaria stormed away. Dame then mocked Zaria’s inability to make friends and hinted that she had more information to reveal.
Announced for Next Week’s WWE NXT
Zaria defends the NXT Women’s North American Championship against Thea Hail.
Fraxiom faces DarkState in the first round of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
Birthright battles Mini Vikingo and Chazz Hall in a Dusty Cup first-round match.
Myles Borne will address his betrayal of Tavion Heights.
Grayson Waller and Mason Rook Face Off
NXT Champion Grayson Waller entered the ring and immediately mocked Mason Rook’s lack of experience with a microphone.
Waller said one of his goals upon returning to NXT was restoring prestige to its championship by defending it against the best. He acknowledged that Rook had earned his opportunity and was currently the top challenger.
Waller compared their journeys, noting that both had left their families and lives behind to pursue their dreams. However, Waller argued that Rook had only been in WWE for six months and did not understand true sacrifice.
Although Waller praised Rook’s size, strength, creativity and unusual athleticism, he accused him of being only 75% committed. Waller called Rook soft, lazy, complacent and happy simply to be in WWE.
Waller promised to drag Rook into deep waters during their championship match, where his lungs would burn and every part of his body would tell him to quit.
The champion then handed Rook the microphone and challenged him to prove him wrong.
Rook said he understood Waller’s strategy. The champion wanted him to engage in a verbal battle so Waller could turn their confrontation into a comedy routine.
Rook briefly played along, suggesting Waller had returned to NXT because he did not fit into The Vision on the main roster. He also reminded Waller that John Cena knew who Rook was before he had even entered a WWE ring.
Rook then refused to continue playing Waller’s game. He said Waller could hide behind punchlines while holding a microphone, but none of that would matter once the bell rang.
Rook rejected the suggestion that he had arrived in professional wrestling after failing somewhere else. He declared that he had earned the right to become a WWE Superstar and called himself the best big man in the industry.
Rook told Waller that once more than 300 pounds was coming toward him, the champion would discover that being great on the microphone could not save him.
Rook finished by promising that Waller would not take him into deep waters. Instead, the NXT Champion would be drowning in Rook’s.
