Venue: WWE Performance Center in Winter Park, Florida
Commentary: Vic Joseph and Booker T
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
Zilla Fatu vs. Lexis King
Zilla Fatu launched himself into Birthright before the bell and immediately overwhelmed Lexis King with his power. Fatu controlled the opening stages with a spinning wheel kick, repeated headbutts and a flying crossbody onto Birthright at ringside.
Arianna Grace distracted the referee, allowing the group to pull Fatu from the ring. King capitalized by kicking the middle rope into Fatu’s groin before sending him into the barricade and delivering a belly-to-back suplex onto the apron.
King slowed the match with repeated chinlocks and scored a near fall with a Blockbuster. Fatu eventually fought back with a pop-up Samoan drop, lariat and diving headbutt.
Birthright attempted to interfere again, but Fatu knocked Uriah Connors, Stacks and Charlie Dempsey from the apron. He shrugged off a superkick from Connors, dropped King with a full-nelson flatliner and finished him with the Triple Z.
Winner: Zilla Fatu
Birthright attacked Fatu after the match. Dempsey repeatedly struck him with a steel chair before sending him shoulder-first into the ring steps.
The group placed Fatu’s right hand beneath the steps and crushed it, leaving him injured as Birthright stood tall.
Kelani Jordan Addresses the Battle Royal
NXT Women’s Champion Kelani Jordan discussed the 20-woman battle royal featuring competitors from NXT, Raw, SmackDown, TNA, EVOLVE and AAA.
Jordan said 20 desperate women were attempting to prove they belonged in the ring with “The Standout.” She acknowledged that Reina Volcan had gained her attention by attacking her from behind but questioned whether Volcan could outlast 19 other competitors.
Chantel Monroe interrupted and declared that “The Reflection of Perfection” would win the battle royal and capture Jordan’s championship.
Layla Diggs then reminded Monroe that she had earned a title opportunity before suffering an injury but never received it. Diggs told Jordan that the battle royal was personal and promised to see her at Halloween Havoc.
Jordan wished both women luck and insisted she would be the one creating the moment at Halloween Havoc.
Dion Lennox Attacks Cruz Montana’s Past
Dion Lennox acknowledged the emotional impact of Cruz Montana’s story but accused him of taking the easy route after creating his own problems.
Lennox said Montana had filled his body with toxins, possibly the same ones his mother had sold. In contrast, Lennox claimed he had used his past to build himself into a disciplined machine that never broke down.
He argued that making the correct decision every day and living up to the expectations of his family and community had created its own pressure. Lennox resented Montana being celebrated for overcoming addiction while his own sacrifices went unrecognized.
Lennox noted that it had taken him two years to reach NXT and Montana 20. He promised to defeat Cruz and send him back to the dark place from which he had fought to escape.
Backstage, Montana told Lizzy Rain they would soon discover whether Lennox’s actions matched his words. He encouraged Rain ahead of the battle royal and praised her past work on the British independent scene.
Xia Brookside overheard the conversation, told Montana that he had changed and walked away in disgust.
First-Round Match in the 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
Hank Walker and Tank Ledger vs. Shido Ash and Viktor Zanov
Shido Ash and Viktor Zanov used their judo-based offense to frustrate Hank Walker and Tank Ledger during the opening exchanges.
Hank and Tank responded with their power and tandem offense, including a corner clothesline, running bulldog and senton. Ash and Zanov eventually isolated Hank with frequent tags, throws and an assisted German suplex.
Hank escaped long enough to tag Tank, who ran through both opponents with clotheslines, a pump knee, Western lariat and backdrop driver. Tank followed with a cannonball senton from the apron while Hank pounced Ash over the announce table.
Ash and Zanov briefly recovered and prevented the Honk Honk, with Zanov powerslamming Hank for a near fall. Hank answered with a Bossman Slam before Tank wiped out Zanov with a suicide dive.
Hank and Tank finally delivered the Honk Honk and followed with their running headbutt-powerslam combination to advance in the tournament.
Winners: Hank Walker and Tank Ledger
Birthright Attacks Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux
Birthright continued its assault on the NXT roster by viciously attacking Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux backstage, leaving their Dusty Cup participation in doubt.
Myles Borne and Tony D’Angelo Target Grayson Waller
NXT Champion Grayson Waller celebrated retaining his title in the previous week’s open challenge.
Waller said the old version of himself might have panicked when his scheduled defense changed at the last minute, but he welcomed the opportunity to fight. He praised EK Prosper’s performance before dismissively claiming Prosper had received the “Grayson Waller Rub.”
Waller declared that he had returned to restore the prestige of the NXT Championship and invited his next challenger to step forward.
Myles Borne answered. He said he was finished doing what others expected and would now act solely in his own interests. After removing the “dead weight” of Tavion Heights, Borne wanted to capture the only NXT championship he had never held.
Waller praised Borne’s newfound selfishness and ruthlessness, but Tony D’Angelo interrupted. Tony said he had unfinished business with Waller and intended to reclaim “his” NXT Championship.
Waller proposed that D’Angelo and Borne settle their dispute in a one-on-one match the following week, with the winner receiving an NXT Championship match at Halloween Havoc.
Borne ended the segment by dropping D’Angelo with a right hand.
William Regal Encourages EK Prosper
William Regal found EK Prosper dejected over his loss to Grayson Waller. Prosper believed he had squandered his opportunity, but Regal disagreed.
Regal praised Prosper’s fighting spirit and told him he had Raw or SmackDown superstar potential—as well as future world champion written all over him. Regal advised him never to lower his head and to keep fighting.
Robert Stone then asked Regal for advice after Birthright’s attack left Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux unable to compete in the Dusty Cup.
Regal proposed replacing them with Charlie Dempsey and Lexis King. Stone objected to rewarding Birthright’s behavior, particularly after the attack on Zilla Fatu, but reluctantly approved the substitution.
NARAKU vs. Shiloh Hill
Shiloh Hill used his strength advantage early, connecting with two bodyslams and a running shoulder tackle. NARAKU responded with a belly-to-back suplex, swinging neckbreaker and repeated strikes.
Both men knocked each other down during a sequence featuring simultaneous rolling elbows, headbutts and clotheslines.
NARAKU began controlling the pace with knee strikes, a cravate neckbreaker and senton. He applied the Crossface, but Hill reached the bottom rope.
NARAKU followed with Darkness Falls for a near fall. Hill avoided another senton and rallied with a big boot, pop-up punch and inside-out senton.
Hill prevented NARAKU from spraying him with mist and attempted a bodyslam. NARAKU escaped, but accidentally sprayed the referee with blue mist.
The referee immediately stopped the match.
Result: No contest
NARAKU and Hill continued fighting after the bell, leading to a major pull-apart brawl around ringside.
Kendal Grey Completes Her Therapy Referral
During her third therapy session, Kendal Grey admitted that the hardest part of missing the battle royal was realizing she had caused her own injury.
Grey reflected on entering an Underground match against Lola Vice, competing at Heatwave despite not being fully fit and exposing the metal ring post that ultimately contributed to her injury.
She admitted that she was relentlessly hard on herself. Even after doing something correctly 100 times, her mind remained focused on the one mistake.
Grey explained that she criticized herself before anyone else could because she feared being told she was not good enough. That mindset prevented her from celebrating success or feeling proud of herself.
She concluded that her greatest opponent had always been herself and acknowledged that changing her mentality would be her most difficult challenge.
The therapist confirmed that Grey had completed the three visits included in her referral. With another medical evaluation approaching, she reminded Grey that her door would always remain open.
First-Round Match in the 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
Lexis King and Charlie Dempsey vs. Tokyo Bad Boys
After taking out Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux, Lexis King and Charlie Dempsey entered the tournament as their replacements.
Dempsey and Kento opened with technical wrestling before Kento used arm drags and a dropkick to gain control. Takuma entered and joined Kento for a series of double-team attacks.
Tokyo Bad Boys used their speed to overwhelm King, including springboard crossbodies, a somersault plancha and an Asai moonsault onto Dempsey.
Birthright eventually isolated Kento, with Dempsey delivering a gutwrench suplex. Kento escaped with a dragon screw and tagged Takuma, who connected with a springboard clothesline, standing Spanish Fly and springboard 450 splash.
King broke the cover with a running double stomp. Dempsey then caught Takuma with an avalanche butterfly suplex before driving him shoulder-first into the ring post.
Dempsey finished Takuma with the Regal-Plex to advance Birthright.
Winners: Lexis King and Charlie Dempsey
After the match, Dempsey took Vic Joseph’s headset and said Zilla Fatu, Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux had been made examples of what happened to anyone who stepped up to Birthright.
Myles Borne Promises to Take Out Tony D’Angelo
Backstage, Borne said he was elevating himself to the position where he belonged.
His next step would be defeating one of NXT’s pillars in Tony D’Angelo. Borne predicted that he would then challenge Grayson Waller for the NXT Championship at Halloween Havoc.
No. 1 Contender’s Battle Royal for the NXT Women’s Championship
The match featured Zaria, Reina Volcan, Kali Armstrong, Izzi Dame, Thea Hail, La Catalina, Lizzy Rain, Kiana James, Indi Hartwell, Skylar Raye, Arianna Grace, Layla Diggs, Xia Brookside, Ivy Nile, Adelicious, Lady Shani, Nikkita Lyons, Chantel Monroe, Heather By Elegance and Maggie By Elegance.
Izzi Dame scored the first elimination by throwing out Layla Diggs, but Zaria immediately eliminated Dame.
Reina Volcan removed both Skylar Raye and Adelicious, while Ivy Nile eliminated Chantel Monroe. The Elegance Brand combined to eliminate Arianna Grace before Thea Hail helped Maggie eliminate Heather By Elegance. Hail then eliminated Maggie.
Lizzy Rain scored an upset by eliminating Ivy Nile. Rain later joined Hail, Lady Shani and Xia Brookside to eliminate Volcan.
Kiana James eliminated Nikkita Lyons, while Izzi Dame returned to interfere and helped Kali Armstrong eliminate Zaria.
Indi Hartwell eliminated Xia Brookside, but Xia retaliated by pulling Hartwell from the apron to eliminate her. James then removed Hail.
Armstrong took control of the closing stages by eliminating La Catalina, Kiana James and Lizzy Rain in succession.
The match appeared to come down to Armstrong and Lady Shani. Shani eliminated Armstrong to win the battle royal before revealing herself as the suspended Wren Sinclair.
Winner and new No. 1 contender: Wren Sinclair
Wren will challenge Kelani Jordan for the NXT Women’s Championship at Halloween Havoc.
Order of Eliminations
- Layla Diggs — eliminated by Izzi Dame
- Izzi Dame — eliminated by Zaria
- Skylar Raye — eliminated by Reina Volcan
- Adelicious — eliminated by Reina Volcan
- Chantel Monroe — eliminated by Ivy Nile
- Arianna Grace — eliminated by The Elegance Brand
- Heather By Elegance — eliminated by Thea Hail and Maggie By Elegance
- Maggie By Elegance — eliminated by Thea Hail
- Ivy Nile — eliminated by Lizzy Rain
- Reina Volcan — eliminated by Lizzy Rain, Thea Hail, Lady Shani and Xia Brookside
- Nikkita Lyons — eliminated by Kiana James
- Zaria — eliminated by Kali Armstrong following interference from Izzi Dame
- Xia Brookside — eliminated by Indi Hartwell
- Indi Hartwell — eliminated by Xia Brookside
- Thea Hail — eliminated by Kiana James
- La Catalina — eliminated by Kali Armstrong
- Kiana James — eliminated by Kali Armstrong
- Lizzy Rain — eliminated by Kali Armstrong
- Kali Armstrong — eliminated by Lady Shani/Wren Sinclair
Announced for Next Week
Tony D’Angelo will face Myles Borne in a No. 1 contender’s match. The winner challenges Grayson Waller for the NXT Championship at Halloween Havoc.
Saquon Shugars will face Tristan Angels.
Fraxiom will face Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno in the Dusty Cup quarterfinals.
The Vanity Project will face Mini Vikingo and Chaz “Starboy” Hall in the Dusty Cup quarterfinals.
