Quick Results

Zaria def. Thea Hail (9 minutes) • Mini Vikingo & Chazz “Starboy” Hall def. BirthRight (12 minutes) • Fraxiom def. DarkState (11 minutes) • Grayson Waller def. Mystery Opponent (21 minutes) — scroll below to see who!

It’s NXT Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday, folks, and welcome back to our LIVE coverage of WWE NXT! Tonight’s action comes to us LIVE from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, with two championships on the line and the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic continuing its opening round. NXT Champion Grayson Waller will defend his title tonight, but his opponent remains a mystery after WWE announced earlier today that scheduled challenger Mason Rook is not medically cleared to compete. NXT Women’s North American Champion Zaria puts her title on the line against Thea Hail, while the Dusty Classic continues as Fraxiom battles DarkState’s Cutler James & Osiris Griffin and BirthRight’s Uriah Connors & Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo takes on Mini Vikingo & Chazz “Starboy” Hall. Also tonight, Myles Borne returns following his brutal attack on former partner Tavion Heights.

Tonight’s WWE NXT airs LIVE on The CW beginning at 8pm, with Vic Joseph and Booker T on commentary…or does it? Dun, dun, dunnnnn!

Welcome to NXT!

It’s 8pm, you know what that means–it’s time for some NXT! We start our show with a cold-open card memorializing the late, great PAC. We then cut to the Performance Center, where Vic Joseph & Booker T welcome us to a raucous and rowdy NXT Universe. We get breaking news: as mentioned earlier, Mason Rook wasn’t medically cleared to compete, so we see footage from earlier today in which NXT GM Robert Stone informed Grayson Waller of Rook’s status, then announced Waller will defend the NXT Championship in an open challenge. Anyone on the NXT roster can challenge him tonight.

NXT Women’s North American Championship Match: Zaria (c) vs. Thea Hail

Thea Hail is out first, followed by our champion Zaria! The entrances are kept short, and we get our official introductions ahead of the opening bell at 8:05pm! Thea Hail charges the champion and looks for a Kimura Lock immediately out of the gate, but Zaria has it scouted and quickly battles her into the corner. Hail’s ankle gets caught on the rope during her onslaught, and she takes a moment to check on it. Zaria spends some time working Hail over in the corner, tenderizing her midsection with repeated shoulder thrusts. Hail starts to fight back, cartwheeling off the top turnbuckle to avoid Zaria before connecting with a big shot off a rope rebound. Hail looks for a Hurricanrana, but Zaria powers out of it. Hail then looks for a Crucifix Bomb, but again, Zaria powers out. Hail switches tactics, taking the champ down to the canvas with an armbar for a few moments before taking a stretch in control, focusing her attacks and holds on the champion’s left arm. Commentary reminds us that Hail has a win over Zaria in the past. The battle spills outside, where Zaria turns things around with a huge Discus Lariat that drops the challenger. We head to break at 8:08pm with the champ yelling insults at Hail, who’s still down on the floor.

During the break, Zaria takes the action back into the ring and continues to work over Hail. Hail mounts a comeback mid-break and again strings together several strikes with working holds in an effort to wear down the powerhouse Zaria. The champ takes control back before we return and, at one point, stands on the middle turnbuckle, wrenching Hail up by the neck until the ref warns her. Zaria spends the remainder of the break in control, focusing on Hail’s neck with a modified chinlock and what appears to be an inverted Anchor Lock. We return officially from break just as Hail begins throwing fists and feet to gain some separation. A big boot rocks the champ, allowing Hail to chain together a few more moves before eating a jawbreaker from Zaria. Zaria charges Hail, but Hail drops down and yanks the top rope, sending the champ to the outside. Hail follows it up with a suicide dive to wipe out Zaria. Zaria attempts to hoist Hail up, but Hail turns it into a Tornado DDT before sending the champ back into the ring. Hail connects with a crossbody off the top rope, then chops down the champion before hitting a big Exploder. Hail charges Zaria and rolls her up for two. Zaria scoops Hail up, but Hail wiggles free, ducks under a chop and headbutts Zaria, dropping the champ. Hail follows it up with a Meteora, then hits the World’s Littlest Slam on Zaria! Hail looks for a bottom-rope Senton, but Zaria catches her with a German Suplex! Zaria looks for a Spear, but Hail counters it into a Kimura Lock! The champ is so close to the ropes, but Hail keeps her locked in! Zaria powers to her feet, then powers Hail up over her shoulders and looks for an F5. Hail floats over and looks for a quick pin attempt, but Zaria kicks out, throwing Hail off. Zaria is first to her feet and hits a Spear on Hail as she tries to rise. Zaria, her left arm weakened from Hail’s sustained attack, still hoists Hail up and hits an F5 to pick up the win at 8:14pm!

Your Winner AND STILL Women’s North American Champion, Zaria! (9 minutes)

In the Ring: Myles Borne Explains His Actions…Again

Myles Borne gets heavily booed, though not quite Dom-level, as he tries to explain his actions. It boils down to Borne feeling he couldn’t truly trust Tavion Heights, and he says he’s never going to play the sucker for Tavion. Borne began to believe he could have everything when he won the North American Championship and also held the tag titles with Tavion, but he was wrong. He says Ethan Page tried to warn him that there can only be one face of a brand; two people can’t be at the top. Borne says he deserves to be the boss, the one man at the top, so he had to make a career-defining decision–either continue to be viewed as just one half, or “I could be the star I always knew I was. So the decision was clear. I wrapped that steel around Tavion’s ankle and I stomped it! The same way I did to Ethan Page. And it felt right! Better yet, in that moment, I felt that I wasn’t just creating this new version of me that didn’t already exist. No, I was being the real version of Myles Borne.”

Borne then blames the fans for trying to make him feel guilty. “But let’s call it for what it really is…the only reason you all ever liked me is because you felt sorry for me.” He says he was the poor deaf kid who they supported by buying his shirts, and says every fan who tried to tell him at a meet & greet that he was an inspiration was just using him to “fill your social warrior cup.” Borne says that, just like the fans, Tavion tried to use him, too, and takes credit for their tag title win. He says if it weren’t for Tavion, he’d still be North American Champion. Borne tells the NXT Universe not to feel sorry for Tavion; they should feel sorry for themselves. “You see, I’m the deaf one. But I’m the one in the ring, and you’re all watching me.” He says his shoulders were meant to carry the weight of championships. He’s not the underdog, he’s the favorite.

Borne encourages the fans to mock the way he talks, then tells them to turn on the closed captions and read what he says–or he can show people something they’ll understand. He says he’s tired of being surrounded by hypocrites and is going to be the real version of Myles Borne, one that doesn’t break. Borne then turns to the camera: “Luckily, I know you’re not deaf, so you can hear me real clear when I say…go to hell.” Who wrote this? That ends our segment seconds shy of 8:30pm. We then experience audio and video technical difficulties before cutting backstage.

Backstage: GM Robert Stone, Lizzy Rain, Chazz “Starboy” Hall & Mini Vikingo

More technical difficulties, but it seems Lizzy Rain is expressing concern for Mason Rook when Chazz “Starboy” Hall & Mini Vikingo walk up. More difficulties, sorry, folks. From what we can make out, Hall & Mini Vikingo are hyped for their match tonight. Lizzy asks Stone if he “thinks it’s gonna work, though?” Stone tells her we’ll find out, and we head to break. Sorry, folks, CW via ESPN via Disney is wonky tonight.

Backstage Interview: Emily Agard & NXT Champion Grayson Waller

Emily asks Waller about the news that he’s now facing an unknown opponent due to Rook’s injury. Waller says he had a mission when he came here, and he’s finally starting to see some hunger in the NXT locker room. He tells the lads that tonight is their chance to step up and get the Grayson Waller rub because, at the end of the day, that’s what everyone wants.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First-Round Match: BirthRight vs. Mini Vikingo & Chazz “Starboy” Hall

We cut to the ring, where Mini Vikingo & Chazz “Starboy” Hall are finishing their entrance. Out next are their opponents, BirthRight’s Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo & Uriah Connors, and we get our opening bell at 8:37pm. This match keeps a fast pace from the start, with multiple tags and the ref allowing plenty of latitude. BirthRight look to take control early and attempt some underhanded tactics, but our younger faces fire things up quickly, albeit briefly. We’re sent to our first break after BirthRight scouts and successfully counters aerial attacks to the outside by Mini Vikingo & Chazz “Starboy” Hall. When we return, we find BirthRight still in control. Connors & Stacks work together to hit a pair of diving Swantons off the top, smooshing poor Starboy. Connors looks for a cover, but no joy. They spend several moments keeping Starboy isolated in their corner. He looks to break free, but they contain him for a few moments longer. Finally, “The Denim Dragon” makes the hot tag to Mini Vikingo, who comes in cleaning house with dropkicks. AAA’s youngest Superstar hits a beautiful twirling Tornado DDT, then hits a Spanish Fly on a charging Stacks to nearly pick up the win. Mini Vikingo shows off some superior athleticism and ring awareness for such a young age–very impressive. Both teams put the pedal to the metal as they keep the pacing on fire, with the ref basically letting it become a Tornado Tag Team Match at several points. BirthRight’s Lexis King, Charlie Dempsey & Arianna Grace try to distract our faces but fail. Mini Vikingo makes the save on a pin attempt with a beautiful springboard Frog Splash. All four begin slugging it out in the middle of the ring, building toward our finish as all four Superstars begin hitting big spots on each other, to the point that not even commentary knows who the hell is legal anymore. These results are not doing this match justice; I’d highly recommend at least watching it from the ad-break return until the finish. Speaking of, Stacks barely avoids a German Suplex into a roll-up from Starboy, but Mini Vikingo manages to put him away at 8:49pm!

Your Winners AND ADVANCING in the Dusty Cup, Mini Vikingo & Chazz “Starboy” Hall! (12 minutes)

After the Match: BirthRight Attacks; Zilla Fatu Defends

Before the winners can celebrate, the entirety of BirthRight hits the ring and begins stomping away at Mini Vikingo & Chazz “Starboy” Hall. Zilla Fatu hits the ring to make the save, clearing it out before isolating Stacks in the ring. Zilla yells “Hello!” a few times before taking out Stacks with a Triple Z, as Vic Joseph calls it. Fatu then gets on the mic and warns BirthRight before saying he’s not done yet–he’s going to accept Grayson Waller’s open challenge and bring the NXT Championship home tonight.

NXT Chronicle: Cruz Montana

We get a vignette from Cruz Montana, who has a few things to get off his chest before he accepts tonight’s open challenge. Uh oh. We get clips chronicling Montana’s career in NXT as he addresses his recent history with Dion Lennox. Montana says he’s also blessed that his daughter will never have to go through the chess game of a difficult, poor life that Cruz himself had to endure. He mentions that, yes, his mother was a drug dealer, but states that she did what she had to do to provide for Cruz and his many siblings. He says he’s damn proud of that woman “because not ever a day was she ever addicted. She never spent a day in jail.” He’s proud of the woman she is because she’s a survivor.

Montana then addresses his late father, getting emotional. Cruz says his father found out at the age of 12 that he would be completely blind by 25. Cruz was born when his father was 17, and he says his father never complained about struggling with his demons. He’s thankful that before his father left, Cruz got to tell him what a presence his father was in his life. Now that Cruz has his own kids, he’s had to sit down and explain to them that he was a drug addict and alcoholic. But he got help, he got clean, and he’s worked hard to climb to the top from the bottom. Montana tells Dion that he may have started this, but Cruz is the finisher.

Backstage: NXT Women’s North American Champion Zaria & the Locker Room

Zaria enters the women’s locker room and finds multiple Superstars snickering. When she reaches her locker, she finds it decorated with pink lace and other pretty things, along with a pink dress and a photo from her youth. Zaria looks around at the other women and tells them she’s not that person anymore.

In the Ring: NXT Women’s Champion Kelani Jordan Speaks

Coming up after these words from our sponsors! When we return, we get the above locker room segment. We return to the ring, where Jordan gets on the mic to address her next challenger. She points out multiple snafus among her usual list of challengers–Kendal Grey is injured, Wren Sinclair is suspended, Jaida Parker is on Raw, and so on. Jordan says she’s not going to be a champion who just hands out title shots like Grayson Waller; she’s the Standout, not the Handout. She says no one handed her opportunities, so she’s not going to put any more pressure on herself. When a true challenger presents herself, then she’ll put the title on the line. “It doesn’t matter who’s up next, because the results are gonna remain the same…no one is gonna do it like Lani.” NXT General Manager Robert Stone comes out on the mic and tells Jordan that she won’t be picking her next opponent–and neither will he. Instead, next week there will be a twenty-woman Battle Royal, with the winner earning a shot at Jordan’s NXT Women’s Championship at Halloween Havoc. Stone announces that the Battle Royal is open to Superstars from six brands: NXT, SmackDown, Raw, AAA, Evolve & TNA! Before Jordan can fully process the announcement, she’s attacked from behind by a mystery woman! We head to break with our next Dusty Cup match coming up!

Backstage: Naraku, NXT General Manager Robert Stone & Saquon Shugars

Naraku is shown backstage talking about how he will accept Grayson Waller’s open challenge tonight. Saquon Shugars walks up and says he’s going to accept the challenge himself. Stone tells Shugars that next week’s show is already packed, but he can give Shugars a match in two weeks. Naraku reminds us that next week, he takes on Shiloh Hill. Shugars says Shiloh is just as creepy as Naraku, but he’s got a brain, and he thinks Shiloh will be ready for Naraku next week. Naraku says we’ll see about that, lets out an evil laugh and walks off.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First-Round Match: DarkState (Cutler James & Osiris Griffin) vs. Fraxiom

DarkState is out first, followed by the returning Nathan Frazer & Axiom–Fraxiom! We get our opening bell at 9:13pm, with Osiris Griffin & Axiom starting us off. Booker T & Vic Joseph consider Fraxiom the greatest tag team in NXT history. Axiom quickly tags in Frazer, and together the duo drops the big man with a pair of double-team dropkicks. Osiris shrugs Frazer off before throwing him into the corner. He looks for a chop, but Frazer ducks under and fires off multiple chops in return. Frazer mounts the middle ropes and begins counting out right hands with the crowd, but at five, Osiris tosses him off and over to the apron. Frazer springboards back into the ring and uses his speed and agility to avoid Osiris for a few moments. But only a few; Osiris drops the cruiserweight with a stiff shoulder before tagging in Cutler James. Cutler drastically slows the high-octane opening pace to more of a Sunday-driver pace. He uses a strong Irish Whip to send Frazer into the corner, then takes him over to the DarkState corner.

Cutler uses slower strikes, conserving energy and slowing the action down further. Fraxiom work together after a quick tag to clear the ring, but DarkState rallies and quickly overwhelms Fraxiom. Cutler hits a huge backbreaker on Axiom, sending us to the next commercial break! When we return from the break, commentary informs us that it’s been nothing but DarkState dominating Axiom. Eventually, Axiom makes the hot tag to Nathan Frazer, who comes in completely on fire and maintains a blistering pace for a good three minutes. Vic Joseph calls Nathan Frazer “speed personified,” and the description fits well as Frazer uses his agility and athleticism to keep Osiris Griffin & Cutler James off balance. DarkState briefly takes control back, but Fraxiom continues to use its lightning-fast lucha style to keep DarkState reeling. Axiom & Frazer eventually put them away at 9:24pm! Another match worth watching, especially after the ad-break return.

Your Winners AND ADVANCING in the Dusty Cup, Fraxiom! (11 minutes)

Vignette: Kendal Grey’s Therapy Session — The Continuing Journey

We get another vignette in which Grey is having a therapy session. Her therapist probes her about what she’s been up to, her relationships and how things have been progressing. Much like last week, he eventually sums up the session with a simple question for Grey to consider: what will she do if she puts in all the hard work required for her recovery and it doesn’t pay off?

NXT Championship Main Event Match: Grayson Waller (c) vs. Mystery Opponent

We see Waller, wearing his robe and sporting the NXT Championship over his shoulder, making his way through the back. Commentary questions which NXT Superstar will step up to challenge him–and we’ll find out after these words from our sponsors! We return from the break and get the entrance for our NXT Champion, Grayson Waller! I love that light blue robe of his; I want one. Waller gets on the mic and tells the booing NXT Universe that they should thank him–he turned up for work tonight, after all, unlike Mason Rook. “Now, the men of NXT have their chance. They love tweeting, they love Instagramming and TikToking…so my question, ladies and gentlemen, is who do you think is ready for Grayson Waller? …Here we go, boys! Step up, first one in this ring gets a shot!” And then all hell breaks loose. We see the locker room erupt into chaos as a dozen Superstars try to fit through the door at once. We cut elsewhere backstage to see basically the rest of the NXT men’s locker room pouring through the back, through Gorilla and charging down the ramp en masse. Multiple referees try to sort this mess out as Zilla Fatu and Cruz Montana get past them–Fatu through the pack and Montana through the crowd–and begin arguing with each other. Both try to slide into the ring, but they pull each other back out! The refs completely lose containment, allowing DarkState to hit the ringside area and begin attacking everyone.

Finally, EK Prosper slips past the chaotic crowd and into the ring! We’ve got ourselves a challenger, and we get our opening bell at 9:38pm! Waller & Prosper start off fast, with Prosper battling the champ to the outside, back into the ring and then right back outside. Prosper connects with a Moonsault off the apron onto the champ before taking Waller back into the ring. Waller immediately flees out the other side, but Prosper streaks across the ring and dives over the top, wiping out the champion! Waller heads back into the ring, only for Prosper to pursue him with a springboard attack off the top rope! The crowd is on fire as we head to break at 9:39pm! We return from the break to find Waller taking control and slowing the pace. Waller uses working holds to keep Prosper grounded, dominating for several minutes until Prosper manages to gain some separation with a jawbreaker. Prosper climbs the turnbuckles at 9:48pm, only to eat a rising knee strike from Waller right under the jaw. Prosper & Waller battle on the apron briefly, with Prosper looking for a German Suplex off the apron to the ringside floor, but Waller desperately holds on to the ropes. Waller manages to escape and hoists Prosper up onto his shoulders before popping him up and dropping him face-first across an exposed top turnbuckle! Prosper falls to the outside and grabs his throat, rolling in pain and gasping for air as Waller smirks and we head to yet another commercial break at 9:49pm.

During the break, Waller takes the action back inside and continues to dominate, using a slow, methodical approach in an effort to ground and dismantle Prosper’s aerial offense. Waller spends the bulk of the preceding ten minutes in control, keeping Prosper grounded with slower strikes interspersed with off-mic verbal beatdowns. Finally, around 9:57pm, Prosper begins showing signs of life, chaining together enough strikes for an official comeback sequence. Prosper battles the champ to the outside, then hits a springboard Moonsault from the ring onto Waller, who’s stretched out across the announce table, sending the champ crashing through it! The crowd erupts with a loud “NXT!” chant. Please note, dear readers, the CW via ESPN via Disney technical difficulties have persisted throughout the night and have been especially bad during this main event. Prosper takes the action back into the ring and covers the champ, but Waller gets his foot on the bottom rope and the ref stops the count. Waller flees to the outside. Prosper, nursing an injured left leg, looks for a diving attack, but Waller catches him on the apron with a knee strike. Waller backs up the ramp, gets a running start and charges back into the ring, catching Prosper with the Rolling Stunner! Waller covers and picks up the win at 9:59pm after an exciting 90-second finish to an otherwise rather tedious match.

Your Winner AND STILL NXT Champion, Grayson Waller! (21 minutes)

After the Match, Backstage: Zilla Fatu is Interrupted by The CW Network

We cut to the back, where Zilla Fatu begins a promo. “I can’t believe this–” And then he’s cut off, Sopranos-finale style. To borrow from Zilla, I can’t believe this. That’s a wrap for tonight.

Next Week on NXT

Shiloh Hill vs. Naraku + 20-Woman Battle Royal — Superstars from NXT, Raw, SmackDown, AAA, Evolve & TNA compete for an NXT Women’s Championship Match against Kelani Jordan at Halloween Havoc. Have a great week, folks!

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