Hall’s NXT Review – 7.14.26

NXT
Date: July 14, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

Heatwave is starting to come into view but we have a good enough while to go. The big story around the NXT Title seems to be a rematch between Naraku and champion Tony D’Angelo. Other than that, we have various people coming for various titles, as tends to be the case on a wrestling show. Let’s get to it.

Tag Team Titles: Vanity Project vs. Sean Legacy/Dorian Van Dux

The Project is defending. Legacy rolls Smokes up to start fast before armdragging Baylor into an armbar. Dux comes in for a nice dropkick and a belly to back suplex, setting up Legacy’s standing moonsault for two. Smokes gets chopped down in the corner and Baylor comes in off a blind tag, only to be sent outside. Legacy hits a huge dive and we take a break.

We come back with Legacy in trouble in the corner and Smoke grabbing a chinlock. Legacy fights out of a double belly to back suplex though and it’s a rolling tag to bring in Dux to clean house. Smokes trips Dux from the floor though and it’s a Codebreaker into a spear for two, with Legacy making the save.

Everyone is down for a minute until Dux crotches Smokes on top. A top rope splash and 450 combine to give Legacy two and the champs are sent outside for stereo dives. Jackson Drake is pulled in but Myra Lockwood low bridges Dux out to the floor. Legacy is sent into the steps and a top rope double stomp/reverse DDT combination retains the titles at 13:09.

Rating: B-. Dang it the Project is starting to get good at their thing and that was the case again here. They’re a team who look like they should be easily beaten but they are just good enough to get by. That’s a good place to be and it should be interesting to see which team is finally able to figure out the combination to finally beat them.

Tavion Heights and Myles Borne think they could take the Tag Team Titles but Kam Hendrix comes in to say he wants the North American Title. He’s hurt for now but showtime is coming soon.

Saquon Shuggars wants OTM to be his partners against Darkstate but they remember him being a bit evil so that’s a no. OTM goes over to talk to Birthright for going after them, but Birthright brings up Bronco Nima going to AAA on his own. Maybe there are some cracks in the OTM foundation.

Here is Tristan Angels for a chat. He’s not big on Shiloh Hill, who has a family tree involving wild animals but Angels is here with Hill’s missing tooth. Angels then stomps on said tooth, so here is Hill on the screen, saying that he can fix his smile, but Angels can’t fix the fact that the fog is coming. Hill shouts that a bunch and some fog appears to scare Angels.

Nattie and company think that Nikkita Lyons should replace the injured Layla Diggs in the Women’s North American Title match. Lizzy Rain and Izzy Dame want in as well so a lot of bickering ensues. Robert Stone is sick of it and makes a four way for the title tonight.

Tate Wilder vs. Naraku

Wilder gets an inset promo saying he likes this kind of a challenge. Wilder snaps off an armdrag to start but gets sent throat first into the middle rope. Naraku is sent outside though and we take a break. We come back with Naraku throwing him into an STF. That’s broken up so Naraku grabs a chinlock, only for Wilder to fight up for a Sling Blade. A Sling Blade backbreaker gets two on Naraku and a spinning high crossbody gets the same. Wilder goes up again but gets shoved down for a big crash. Back in and Into The Abyss finishes Wilder off at 8:56.

Rating: B-. Wilder was trying here but he was in over his head and got crushed in the end. Naraku got to shake off just about everything that Wilder threw at him and wound up winning, as the match should have been. There is a good chance that Naraku is coming up on a violent rematch with Tony D’Angelo for the NXT Title so a nice win like this is a good thing.

Post match D’Angelo comes in for the brawl, with security only having so much success.

Hank & Tank and EK Prosper turn Saquon Shuggars down as well.

Women’s North American Title: Izzy Dame vs. Nikkita Lyons vs. Lizzy Rain vs. Zaria

Only Zaria is defending. They fight for some early rollups for two each until Rain springboard elbows Zaria down. Zaria is back up with a spinning clothesline to Lyons and it’s time to pair off for stereo brawls. We take a break and come back with Lyons and Rain striking it out on the apron until Zaria and Dame clothesline each other.

Back in and Rain cleans house but Lyons gives her a sitout powerbomb for two. Dame is back up with a running dropkick to break up a fireman’s carry and get two on Zaria. Rain and Lyons are knocked outside and Zaria spears Dame for two. Cue Nattie and Karmen Petrovic but here is Jaida Parker to take Nattie out. Zaria spears Petrovic and a spear into the F5 finishes Lyons to retain the title at 12:46.

Rating: B-. This was a tricky one as they went from a singles match to a wild four way with pretty much no build. That’s not their fault in this case and they did what they could here. Zaria retains the match and while it’s annoying that Lyons took the fall, at least they did everything to get out of there given the screwy circumstances.

Wren Sinclair and Kendal Grey turn Saquon Shuggars down too, but Lola Vice comes in to say she’s not done with Grey.

Tony D’Angelo demands Robert Stone give him Naraku again and the match is set for next week. D’Angelo says he isn’t waiting and Stone chases after him.

Tavion Heights vs. Jackson Drake

The rest of the Vanity Project is here with Drake, who is backed into the ropes to start rather quickly. Heights grabs a headlock, which doesn’t work very well for him as Drake drives him into the corner. Back up and Heights suplexes him into the corner and we take a break.

We come back with Heights missing some charges into the corner and getting his leg taken out. The Figure Four goes on with Heights turning it over, sending Drake crawling to the rope for the break. A big backdrop sends Drake onto the Project so Brad Baylor gets up on the apron. That’s cut off so Heights tries the belly to belly, only to get reversed into a sunset flip to give Drake the pin at 10:37.

Rating: C+. It’s a good night for the Project and it’s nice to see Drake get a pretty big win without much cheating. He’s the most talented of the Project and someone who could go somewhere as a singles star so why not see what he can do? At the same time, Heights continues to lose and I have no idea where he’s supposed to go in this whole thing.

Reina Volcan is a force of nature and ready to wreck people.

Saquon Shuggars, Noam Dar/Romeo Moreno….and they actually say yes! Huh, I was expecting someone from the main roster showing up.

Kali Armstrong talks trash to Kendal Grey and promises to win. Armstrong runs into Jaida Parker, who isn’t impressed. Nattie and company jump Parker.

Shawn Spears saw potential in the Culling and he’s proud of Izzy Dame. He was proud of Niko Vance for taking a step forward, but then it was two steps back. Let’s find out just how much Vance learned.

Kelani Jordan vs. Lola Vice vs. Kali Armstrong

For a future Women’s Title shot. Armstrong is clotheslined to the floor to start, leaving Jordan to roll Vice up for two. Back in and Armstrong’s charge hits the post, leaving the other two to brawl on the mat. Armstrong breaks that up with some slams, with Vice being sent outside. Jordan neckbreakers Vice who DDTs Armstrong for two but Vice sends Jordan outside.

A guillotine choke has Armstrong in trouble but Jordan is back in for the save. Vice and Jordan brawl to the floor so Armstrong takes them both out with a big dive. We take a break and come back with Vice hitting the running hip attacks in the corner. Armstrong spinebusters Vice for two but Jordan kicks both of them in the face, followed by a double Eat Defeat.

Jordan gets pulled into a triangle choke with Armstrong making the save, setting up a string of rollups for two each. A frog splash breaks up Vice’s cross armbreaker for two but Armstrong powerslams Vice. The Kali Connection sends Vice outside so she and Jordan can trade rollups for two each. Back in and Vice spinning backfists Armstrong but gets dropped by Jordan. The 450 hits Armstrong, only for Vice to kick Jordan off and get the pin at 14:20.

Rating: B-. It was almost all action, but Vice is absolutely the right choice given how strongly her first match with Grey was received. If you already have a story that good, just run a rematch because the fans are going to want to see it. Jordan and Armstrong losing again is fine as Jordan will get her big title shot down the line and Armstrong is going to be a force just because of the incredible power and athleticism.

We run down next week’s card but it’s off to the parking lot.

Tony D’Angelo and Naraku are fighting in the parking lot so Robert Stone comes in to make their title match next week a street fight.

 

Results
Vanity Project b. Sean Legacy/Dorian Van Dux – Top rope double stomp/reverse DDT combination to Van Dux
Naraku b. Tate Wilder – Into The Abyss
Zaria b. Izzy Dame, Lizzy Rain and Nikkita Lyons – Spear to Lyons
Jackson Drake b. Tavion Heights – Sunset flip
Lola Vice b. Kelani Jordan and Kali Armstrong – 450 to Armstrong

 

 

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8.0

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

This was a show built around getting us ready for the pretty big TV show next week before we start the real build towards Heatwave. The good thing is that they made it work here, with pretty much everything clicking and the winners feeling like they got something out of their matches. I want to see where some of these things go next week and I’ll take that every single time.