WWE NXT aired from the WWE Performance Center in Winter Park, Florida. The show featured both semifinal matches in the 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, Jackson Drake defending the NXT North American Championship against EK Prosper, and escalating tensions ahead of Halloween Havoc.
2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinal
The Vanity Project vs. Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno
Ricky Smokes immediately knocked Romeo Moreno from the apron before he and Brad Baylor overwhelmed Noam Dar with a dropkick and spinebuster combination. Dar weathered the attack and brought Moreno into the match, allowing the partners to answer with quick tags and coordinated strikes. Moreno eventually wiped out both opponents with a springboard crossbody to the floor, but The Vanity Project used the resulting ringside brawl to isolate him.
Smokes and Baylor repeatedly cut Moreno off from his corner, wearing him down with strikes, chin locks and tandem offense. Moreno finally escaped and tagged Dar, who entered with forearms, kicks and a Superman Punch. Dar and Moreno followed with a double pendulum slam, but The Vanity Project regained control by targeting the staples in Dar’s forehead. Baylor delivered an Ushigoroshi after Smokes connected with a slingshot spear, yet Dar survived the ensuing cover.
The closing stretch became increasingly chaotic as both teams traded submissions, pinning combinations and accidental strikes. Smokes inadvertently hit Baylor, while Dar mistakenly caught Moreno with a discus back elbow. The Vanity Project capitalized with Hit It and Quit It, but Moreno broke up the pin before the count of three.
Myka Lockwood later attempted to interfere, but Dar avoided her clothesline. When The Vanity Project tried Hit It and Quit It again, Moreno pulled Baylor into the path of the attack. With the referee ordering Lockwood off the apron, Dar struck Smokes with a discus back elbow before joining Moreno for their back-elbow and leg-sweep combination to secure a place in the final.
Winners: Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno via Pinfall
Next week’s NXT will air on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT due to election coverage.
Grayson Waller Targets Tony D’Angelo’s Family
Grayson Waller posted a video showing himself visiting Tony D’Angelo’s home as part of his mind games before their NXT Championship match at Halloween Havoc. An enraged D’Angelo confronted Robert Stone and warned that he would kill Waller if the champion touched anyone in his family.
Stone attempted to calm him down and offered to send someone to the house, but D’Angelo refused to listen. The Don left the Performance Center and headed home to confront Waller himself.
Cruz Montana Warns Dion Lennox
Cruz Montana said the worst part of the previous week was neither being embarrassed nor escorted from the arena. It was realizing that Dion Lennox had briefly brought out the man Montana had spent years trying to bury.
Montana blamed Lennox for awakening that side of him and warned that nobody would be able to pull him away once he got his hands on Dion. After Lennox involved Montana’s family, Montana promised that his own past would become Dion’s future.
Lizzy Rain vs. Chantel Monroe
Rain and Monroe exchanged holds and counters during a competitive opening sequence before Rain established control with a spinning wheel kick and step-up enzuigiri. Monroe answered by pulling Rain down by her hair and hitting a running neck snap. Rain briefly responded with a backslide, springboard back elbow and fisherman’s suplex, but Monroe stopped her momentum with a Hangman’s Neckbreaker across the middle rope.
Monroe remained in control through the commercial break and scored another near-fall with a swinging neckbreaker and running knee. Rain eventually rallied with clotheslines, a roundhouse kick, pumphandle suplex and release German suplex. She followed with a spinebuster, but Monroe escaped a fireman’s carry and reversed an O’Connor roll by shifting her weight and using the bottom rope for leverage.
Winner: Chantel Monroe via Pinfall
Izzi Dame Promises to Expose Zaria
Izzi Dame claimed Zaria’s mask had finally begun to slip. She accused the NXT Women’s North American Champion of repeatedly changing her appearance and personality to hide from her insecurities, loneliness and fear of rejection.
Dame said Zaria had begun hiding behind her championship after losing the friend who had previously broken through her emotional walls. She promised to force Zaria to confront every demon she had spent her life avoiding at Halloween Havoc before taking away the final thing she had left to hide behind.
Saquon Shugars vs. Sean Legacy
Shugars attempted to overpower Legacy and repeatedly taunted him after landing a series of shoulder tackles. Legacy answered with headscissors, arm drags, a back body drop and a standing moonsault before Shugars regrouped outside. Shugars took control during the commercial break by attacking Legacy’s right knee and applying a combined wrist lock and chin lock.
Legacy fought back with a superkick, release German suplex and running enzuigiri before landing Sliced Bread for a two-count. He later connected with a springboard lifting reverse DDT, but Shugars blocked the springboard 450 splash with his knees and delivered the F12 for another near-fall.
Legacy escaped a second F12 and nearly stole the match with a roll-up. He then avoided Shugars’ diving clothesline and connected with a standing Spanish Fly to earn the victory.
Winner: Sean Legacy via Pinfall
Grayson Waller Continues to Manipulate Tony D’Angelo
A camera crew followed D’Angelo as he drove home, but Waller was no longer there. The NXT Champion called and claimed he had told D’Angelo’s wife that he would embarrass The Don at Halloween Havoc.
Waller then revealed that he had gone to a restaurant frequently visited by the D’Angelo family. D’Angelo ordered him to remain there and promised to arrive and beat him up.
Myles Borne and Tavion Heights Spin the Wheel
Tavion Heights confronted Myles Borne in the ring, which was surrounded by security. Heights accused his former partner of only wanting him to succeed as long as he never surpassed Borne. He called Borne arrogant, self-righteous and backstabbing, arguing that Borne constantly blamed others for his own failures.
Borne replied that Heights was the problem and claimed his greatest success had come whenever he left Tavion behind. He reminded Heights that he had defeated Ethan Page for the North American Championship after Heights had failed to do so. Borne also took credit for Heights’ only NXT championship and accused his former friend of using him to advance his career.
Heights admitted that spending so much time beside Borne may have caused him to forget his own identity. He promised to remind everyone that he was an Olympian, the “Weapon in Human Form” and the “God of Suplexes.” Borne mocked him for clinging to his Olympic achievements, prompting Heights to promise an ass-kicking Borne would be able to hear.
Halloween Havoc host Danhausen interrupted and ordered the druids to spin the wheel. It landed on “Weapons Wild,” establishing the stipulation for Borne and Heights’ match at Halloween Havoc.
Cruz Montana and Dion Lennox Set for an Unsanctioned Match
Backstage, DarkState discussed the previous week’s attack and Cutler James’ condition. Dion Lennox took pride in pushing Cruz Montana beyond his limits, but Robert Stone questioned why he had involved Montana’s daughter.
Lennox claimed he only wanted to prove that Montana could not control his impulses. When Stone acknowledged Montana’s desire for revenge, Lennox demanded the match. Stone announced that Montana and Lennox would meet in an Unsanctioned Match on next week’s NXT.
Tony D’Angelo Finds Another Message
D’Angelo arrived at his family’s restaurant, but Waller was once again nowhere to be found. The NXT Champion had left behind a note instructing The Don to meet him “where it all started.” D’Angelo immediately stormed out of the building.
2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinal
The Wagner Brothers vs. Hank and Tank
Galeno and Hank Walker tested one another’s strength before Tank Ledger entered and exchanged shoulder tackles with Galeno. The Wagner Brothers gained the advantage through coordinated offense, including an assisted hip-toss splash. Hank and Tank responded with consecutive Stinger Splashes and briefly isolated Dr. Wagner Jr., but Wagner escaped and brought Galeno back into the match for an assisted somersault plancha.
Hank and Tank controlled the action during the commercial break, but Galeno entered with shoulder tackles, rising knee strikes and corner clotheslines. He bodyslammed both opponents and landed a running double splash for a two-count. Hank later made a blind tag and combined with Tank for a running powerbomb and belly-to-back suplex, but Galeno broke up the pin.
The Wagner Brothers answered with dives on the floor before landing a backdrop driver, triple-jump moonsault and frog splash inside the ring. Hank and Tank survived and recovered during the ensuing exchange of kicks, lariats and power moves. They ultimately combined a spear and running lariat before landing their frog splash and flying splash combination to advance.
Winners: Hank and Tank via Pinfall
After the match, Hank and Tank had a tense ringside staredown with fellow finalists Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno.
Kelani Jordan and Wren Sinclair Prepare for Halloween Havoc
Footage from Raw showed Adam Pearce meeting NXT Women’s Champion Kelani Jordan in his office. Pearce said he would closely monitor Jordan’s Halloween Havoc title defense against Wren Sinclair before Iyo Sky entered for a previously arranged meeting.
Jordan took exception to the interruption and declared that she was tired of allowing people to walk over her. She promised that once she reached Raw, she would walk over every woman in the division, including Sky. Pearce separated the two and asked to speak privately with Iyo.
Back at the Performance Center, Wren Sinclair and Kendal Grey watched the footage from their locker room. Grey became increasingly angry over Jordan’s actions but acknowledged that Halloween Havoc belonged to Wren. Sinclair described Jordan as desperate and vowed to bring the NXT Women’s Championship back to the WrenQCC.
John Cena will appear on next week’s NXT.
The Birthright Attacks Zilla Fatu
Zilla Fatu dismissed Sarah Schreiber’s question about The Birthright and promised to get revenge for the group’s repeated attacks. Fatu said all he wanted to do was punch and declared that Halloween Havoc would be “get-back season.”
Arianna Grace accused him of relying entirely on his family name. As Fatu proudly identified himself as “The Main One,” Uriah Connors struck him from behind with a shovel. The members of The Birthright revealed themselves beneath druid costumes and viciously targeted Fatu’s injured right hand with the shovel.
WWE NXT North American Championship
Jackson Drake (c) vs. EK Prosper
Prosper refused to be drawn into Drake’s mind games and matched the champion’s early disrespect. He used a running hurricanrana, bodyslam and step-up moonsault before sending Drake into the turnbuckles with a corner dropkick. The Vanity Project pulled Drake outside, but Prosper followed with a somersault plancha.
Myka Lockwood tripped Prosper behind the referee’s back, allowing Drake to drive the challenger throat-first into the middle rope and take control. Prosper rallied after the commercial break with an inside-out lariat, springboard moonsault press and tornado DDT. Drake answered with a running boot before the competitors traded strikes and near-falls.
Drake connected with a springboard reverse Spanish Fly and a handspring cutter, but Prosper survived both. Prosper later delivered a leaping Frankensteiner, running boot and reverse hurricanrana before knocking Ricky Smokes from the apron. He appeared ready to finish the match with a moonsault as Lockwood distracted the referee.
Kam Hendrix emerged and shoved Prosper from the turnbuckles. Drake capitalized immediately with the Unaliving to retain his championship.
Winner: Jackson Drake via Pinfall to retain the WWE NXT North American Championship
Zaria Responds to Izzi Dame
A reporter attempted to interview Zaria in the parking lot following Izzi Dame’s earlier comments. Zaria insisted that Dame knew nothing about her and promised that everyone would see what she did to Izzi at Halloween Havoc. She then ordered the camera operator to get out of her face.
Next week, Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno will face Hank and Tank in the 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic final, with Cody Rhodes presenting the trophy to the winners. John Cena will appear, while Cruz Montana and Dion Lennox will collide in an Unsanctioned Match.
Grayson Waller and Tony D’Angelo Brawl
Grayson Waller appeared at the WWE Performance Center and revealed that his entire scheme had been designed to keep Tony D’Angelo focused on the wrong things. Waller claimed D’Angelo had grown soft while he had become hungrier and remained one step ahead.
The NXT Champion called D’Angelo another small fish that had taken his bait and declared that nobody on any WWE roster could match his current run. D’Angelo then arrived at the Performance Center, prompting Waller to head directly for the parking lot.
The two began a wild brawl as officials attempted to intervene. D’Angelo launched Waller into the back of his Dodge Ram truck, and referees struggled to separate them as NXT went off the air.
