Cook’s WWE NXT Review 6.16.26

Hey kids! Steve Cook here with you for the latest episode of WWE NXT on the CW! We’ve got a lot of stuff in store for us tonight, including a Women’s Speed Tournament starting to determine Wren Sinclair’s next challenger. Nattie & Jaida Parker will meet in the ring to settle their issue, and there will probably be some stuff with men too. Should be a good time!

If you already subscribe to the 411MANIA Wrestling Newsletter, earlier today you received some of my thoughts on Conor McGregor not knowing Roman Reigns, CM Punk speculation & Drew McIntyre being busy with an actual movie career. If you don’t already subscribe, do so right now! Yes, before we get to the show because if you’re like me you won’t remember to do this a minute from now.

Cook’s WWE NXT Review 6.16.26

Then. Now. Forever. Together!

We’re in Orlando! Jaida Parker & Nattie are WALKING! We go right to a video package covering last week. It features Zaria winning the North American Championship, and Zaria makes her way to the ring. Vic Joseph is joined by Corey Graves this week on commentary. Zaria spent so long living in Sol’s shadow. She forgot what the sun looked like. Zaria did this all on her own. They talked about Lola, Tatum, Kendal & Sol being the future of the women’s division. She doesn’t owe anybody anybody any gratitude for something that was obvious from the start.

Kelani Jordan appears and puts herself over for being the first North American Champion. She wants to give Zaria some advice. The same people that says she deserves it now will turn on her. Zaria should hold on to that title as long as she can, she might not get another title shot. Kendal Grey insists that she doesn’t have unfinished business with Kelani since she beat her. She’ll beat Lola and become champion, the result will be the same if they meet again. Zaria’s getting tired of hearing all this, and Lola Vice comes out. Lola wants Zaria to get over Sol. She talks to Kelani in Spanish, and tells Kendal she’s tired of hearing her say she’ll be champion.

Robert Stone staggers out and Lola books the tag team match for him playa, holla holla holla!

NXT North American Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Tavion Heights vs. Jackson Drake (w/the Vanity Project): Drake takes Heights over for a quick cover. Heights slams Drake, takes him over again. Cover gets two. Heights takes over and works Drake’s arm. Drake takes Heights over, gets a near-fall. Heights suplexes Drake and works him over in the corner. Drake knocks Heights outside. He throws Heights into the steps as we go to commercial!

Tavion & Jackson both try a cross-body when we return. Tavion backdrops Jackson, cover gets two. Drake with a funky rollup for two, hits a cutter and a standing shooting star for two. Drake kicks Tavion out of the ring and hits a tope suicida. Tavion sends Jackson off the top rope. Top rope splash gets two. Drake knocks Heights off the top, goes for the shooting star press, that gets broken up. Myles Borne shows up at ringside to head off the Vanity Project. Tavion hits a belly to belly suplex on Jackson for three!

Winner: Tavion Heights (7:15 shown via pinfall)
Match Rating: **1/4
Drake has a ton of potential but it’s not his time quite yet. Heights & Borne have an issue that needs to be dealt with.

Tavion tells Myles he didn’t need his help, although from what I saw it seems like he did.

We see a segment from last week hyping up Arianna Grace’s appearance in the Women’s Speed tournament with a lot of men talking that didn’t seem to matter.

Women’s Speed Tournament First Round Match: Izzi Dame (w/Shawn Spears & Niko Vance) vs. Thea Hail: This is the first time Thea has appeared on NXT since I started reviewing, I remember hearing she had potential with Chase U back in the day. Thea goes for near-falls early, Izzi with a faceplant for two. Thea works the arm before getting planted on the apron. Swinging neckbreaker from Thea gets two. Thea hits a headbutt, misses a move, Dame hits a running knee strike for three.

Winner: Izzi Dame (2:20 via pinfall)
Match Rating: **
One of these wrestlers has been all over this show lately, the other hasn’t been seen forever. No surprise in the result here.

Wren backs off from being in Kendal’s corner, and once Lola shows up she says she’s tired of the will they won’t they dynamic. Wren Sinclair is the smartest person in the NXT Women’s division, prove me wrong.

Tony D’Angelo shows up to Naraku’s lair. He asks why he’s here. Tony knows that Naraku held the biggest title in Japan, but didn’t do it on his own. He stomped all over Japanese wrestling traditions. Naraku is an evil man that left Japan for his title. He came over here by himself. He thinks he can get it done by himself, but he’s wrong. Tony’s title is staying with him. Tony signs the contract, Naraku promises to sign it next week. After Tony walks off, Naraku says that evil is coming.

Vic & Corey talk about Tony & Naraku’s sit-down & throw us to a video package covering the issues between Nattie & Jaida.

Keanu Carver & EK Prosper both barge into Robert Stone’s office, and they have a match with each other next week.

Nattie vs. Jaida Parker: Nattie works Jaida over early. Jaida fights back and sends Nattie out of the ring. Strikes exchanged. Some back & forth, Jaida gets the upperhand on the mat. Rings of Saturn applied, Nattie reaches the ropes. Nattie fights back, then gets slapped. Jaida hits a knee, sends Nattie outside, Jaida joins her, double clothesline on the floor as we go to NXT Non-Stop.

Jaida shoulderblocks Nattie in the corner. Nattie fights back and hits a leglock on the mat. They roll around. Nattie gets out and gets an ankle lock. Jaida fights out of the leglock, rolls Nattie up for two. Nattie smacks Jaida down. They trade abdominal stretches.

We go back full screen and Nattie has that ab stretch locked in, Jaida gets out, sends Nattie outside and kicks her on the floor. Nattie hits Jaida, then throws Vic’s papers. Back in the ring, Nattie hits the rear chinlock. Jaida gets out, works Nattie into an STF. Nattie reaches the ropes. Nattie fights back, gets Jaida into a surfboard. Jaida gets out, but Nattie flips her into the ropes. Jaida hits a suplex. Nattie runs into an elbow, then a kick. Clothesline by Jaida, Nattie runs into a big boot. Jaida smacks Nattie in the corner, drops her down to the mat. Running elbow gets two for Jaida. Rings of Saturn locked in again, Nattie gets out. Sharpshooter blocked, Nattie goes for an armbar, blocked, Jaida sends Nattie outside with a hip attack. Nattie sends Jaida to the floor & to the steps. In the ring, inside cradle gets two for Jaida, Nattie hits a discus lariat and locks in the Sharpshooter. Nattie pulls it to the center of the ring and Jaida taps out.

Winner: Nattie (15:08 via pinfall)
Match Rating: **3/4
The best showing I’ve seen from Jaida Parker. I’ve been confused about Nattie’s presentation for a long time, but it works better in the NXT environment than on Raw.

Mason Rook & Lizzy Rain walk & talk about their future prospects before Tristian Angels & Aaron Rourke cut them off to talk about the Mr. NXT title. Angels wants Rourke’s Evolve title on the line, Rourke is ok with that. Rook & Rain want Rourke to kick Angels’ ass.

Women’s Speed Tournament First Round Match: Arianna Grace (w/The BirthRight) vs. Layla Diggs: Diggs shows off her athleticism early, hits a shining wizard for two. Grace fights back, hits a suplex, forearm gets two. Diggs fights back with some kicks. Flipping kick from Diggs, Stacks gets kicked off the apron, then Diggs moonsaults the rest of BirthRight! Grace takes advantage, gets a small package for three.

Winner: Arianna Grace (2:42 via pinfall)
Match Rating: **
Diggs did show some potential here. I have yet to see much in Arianna Grace even if she has that BirthRight, but I am interested to see how her match with Izzi goes.

Noam Dar admits he wasn’t looking to form a team when he came back to NXT, but Romeo Moreno ended up being the perfect guy to work with & teach along the way. Dorian Van Dux & Sean Legacy listen to this and hopefully they’ll learn.

Tate Wilder shows us his deformed pinky finger. You can’t grow if you don’t take risks. He’s still chasing that first win. It’ll come, and many more after that.

Vic & Corey run down the Great American Bash card, which leads to an in-depth look at Saquon Shugars. He ain’t no gangsta. He’s seen things that no kid needed to see. He had no friends, so he needed to get out. DarkState needed him, they asked for him. They got to the top of NXT, he was robbed blind of who he really was. He won’t ever go back, but emotionally he will need to in order to deal with Dion Lennox. Lennox says we’ll see who made a mistake.

Next Week: Angels vs. Rourke! Hank & Tank vs. BirthRight! Contract Signings!

Lola Vice & Kendal Grey vs. Kelani Jordan & Zaria: Lola & Kelani start us off. Lola gets the upper hand, kicks missed, Kelani hits a cross body, Lola counters. Tag to Kendal, a double stomp gets two. Some back & forth, a kick from Kendal leads to a tag to Zaria. Lola tags in for the champion vs. champion interaction. Zaria hits a back suplex, Kendal tags in and they hit a double superkick. Kendal kicks Zaria’s knee, but gets kicked in the corner. We go to Non-Stop NXT!

Zaria works Kendal over. Kelani tags in to keep up the offense. We go back full screen and Lola gets tagged in. Lola hits a lot of kicks to Kelani. Hip attack in the corner, another one, but Zaria is the legal person now and she takes Lola down so Kelani can hit a frog splash. Lola & Kelani trade submissions. Kendal throws Kelani, then hits a German before getting dropped with a Wasteland by Kelani. Zaria tags in and spears Lola. Kendal hits the Fujiwara armbar on Zaria! Zaria drops her with a powerbomb for two. Lola & Kelani take each other out with running kicks! Lola tags in, she & Zaria go at it, Lola with a guillotine choke, Kelaini gets ankle locked by Kendal. Both holds get broken up. Kelani asai moonsaults Kendal! Zaria has Lola lifted, but gets distracted by Tatum Paxley in the crowd! This leads to Lola backfisting Zaria for the three count.

Winners: Lola Vice & Kendal Grey (12:46 via pinfall)
Match Rating: ***
I think everybody in this match is ready for a call-up when it happens. Might be too soon for Kendal, but maybe not?

Tatum attacks Zaria on the floor and the referees come out to beak things up. Lola & Kendal look at each other, Kelani intervenes and manages to have Kendal hit Lola with the NXT Women’s Championship belt! I’m sure Lola won’t take that the wrong way. So long for now!

If you’d like to chime in with your own thoughts on tonight’s show, feel free to join your fellow 411 Maniacs down in the comment section! As the legendary Larry Csonka always said: Have fun and don’t be a dick. When I’m not here you can catch me on social media from time to time. To be honest, e-mail is a better option and you can reach me at [email protected].

6.5

The final score: review Average

The 411

The road to the Great American Bash is in full force. I appreciated the solid matches, and I also appreciated the fleshing out of certain characters. Narauku's evilness was further established. Mason Rook looked appropriate next to Lizzy Rain. The new version of NXT is finding its way.