SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NXT TV RESULTS
FEBRUARY 24, 2026
WINTER PARK, FLA. AT THE CAPITOL WRESTLING CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON CW NETWORK
REPORT BY KELLY WELLS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
NXT Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
Backstage Correspondent(s): Kelly Kincaid, Blake Howard
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST
-Robert Stone, standing on the perch, teed up the show by mentioning it’s a night of four championships. He hyped all the championship matches on the night – which could potentially be all the matches on the show, period – and finally mentioned that we’re opening with the tag team championship.
(1) THE VANITY PROJECT (Ricky Smokes & Brad Baylor) (w/Jackson Drake) vs. DARKSTATE (Osiris Griffin & Saquon Shugars) (c) (w/Dion Lennox & Cutler James) – NXT Tag Team Championship match
Griffin & Smokes to open. Smokes made a big production of hyping himself up, just to charge into Griffin and get himself flattened. Baylor entered and the two tried to block at the same time, and that didn’t work either. Baylor laid in a kick but got slammed right away, and a fresh Smokes got slammed on top of Baylor. Smokes got charged to the champions’ corner and Shugars tagged in and hit a legdrop from the top, assisted by Griffin, who tagged in and got a two count.
Baylor and Smokes made another tag and tried to cut down Griffin in a pincer attack, but it didn’t last long, and Shugars tagged in and laid out Baylor with a neckbreaker/big boot (from Griffin) combo for two. Shugars dumped Baylor and hit him with a dropkick through the ropes. Smokes finally got in some shots and chops, then tagged Baylor. Baylor worked an arm on the mat and tried to keep Shugars from tagging. Jacy Jayne was shown getting ready for her championship defense, flanked by her Fatal Influence mates. DarkState charged both challengers out of the ring and were in complete control as the match went to split-screen. Of note, there have been two “DarkState” chants and Vanity Project have been booed during their brief flurries, so in this battle of heels and heels, the live crowd has definitely chosen the champions. [c]
Vanity Project was in control upon return, but Shugars fought his way out of a tandem suplex. He ended up getting hit with a dropkick shortly after for two. Smokes snapped on a headlock and Shugars was essentially face in peril despite not being a face (additionally, they were in the stereotypical heel corner). He made the hot tag and Griffin took total control and destroyed everyone. Baylor got hit with a top-rope team move and was in trouble, but Drake draped his leg on the rope and it was good to break. As Drake was getting tossed out and everyone was focused on that, Tony D’Angelo showed up and chokeslammed Shugars on the apron and rolled him in, then tossed a near-lifeless Baylor on top of him for the pin. New champs.
WINNERS: The Vanity Project at 11:51.
(Wells’s Analysis: Weird for DarkState to lose in a heel-heel match, but Vanity Project are such fun heels and should be especially fun as champions as they get increasingly nefarious to keep their championships. This was the dominant showing for DarkState that it should have been on the way to the angle, and I’m not sure why I didn’t expect D’Angelo from the moment this was booked)
-Sarah Schreiber talked to Myles Borne about how he got his championship match tonight. He said he took that match last week. He gave a very fiery promo about letting nobody tell him what he can and cannot do. He said tonight he’ll no longer be the deaf guy, he’ll be Myles Borne – new North American Champion. Very strong promo.
-Keanu Carver made his entrance ahead of the next match. [c]
(2) SEAN LEGACY vs. KEANU CARVER
This match was set up before, so I should have remembered there would be at least one non-title match. Legacy hit a dropkick but Carver shrugged it off. Legacy dumped Carver and hit him with a quick dropkick, but he tried a tope suicida and Carver caught him with a hard right. Back inside, and Carver just shoved Legacy over the top to the announce table side. Carver hung up Legacy on the apron, then rolled him inside and put the boots to him.
Legacy got in one boot, but a right from Carver leveled him. Huge backbreaker from Carver. He press-slammed Legacy, though he really just tossed him across the ring. There was a “Keanu” chant, as you’re going to get sometimes when a guy is just a complete killer in there. Action went outside yet again and Carver sized up Legacy to try to put him through the perch, but Legacy superkicked him. Back inside, 450 splash from Legacy got a two count. Springboard dropkick by Legacy. Legacy tried sliced bread but Carver caught him with a side slam. Pounce by Carver. He hit his finisher.
WINNER: Keanu Carver at 4:13.
(Wells’s Analysis: Very satisfying big vs. small match with Legacy trying everything he could think of to get into it, but Carver was just too much for him. Both men are on the way to becoming what they really need to be)
-Kendal Grey & Wren Sinclair talked in the locker room. Grey mentioned getting Wren ready for Nikkita soon. She was back one time and off TV three weeks running; I thought they finally recognized Nikkita Lyons is dead weight. Kelani Jordan showed up and talked trash to them, but Lola Vice charged into the room and tried to get into it with her as a gaggle of women tried to break it up.
-Jasper Troy entered ahead of his Speed Championship defense. [c]
(2) ELIO LEFLEUR vs. ELI KNIGHT vs. JASPER TROY (c) – Triple threat match for the Speed Championship
Eli Knight had made his entrance upon return, and his music was still playing. LeFleur got a full televised entrance. Booker T said Robert Stone made a bad call by putting Troy in this position, because LeFleur & Knight didn’t get the job done. He’s heeling, but not wrong given the facts. Troy powered Knight out to the floor and then press-slammed LeFleur out on top of Knight. Back inside, the underdog babyfaces got in some shots. Knight tried to charge out at Troy, but Troy caught him. LeFleur charged and was supposed to be caught, probably, but Troy ended up just holding him aside. The faces put Troy into the steps and entered.
Knight hit a moonsault for two. LeFleur hit a twisting neckbreaker from the top, then went up and hit a moonsault on Knight to the outside. Troy, now recovered, charged LeFleur to the apron, then dropped Knight on top of him. Troy took LeFleur inside and leveled him with a clothesline to the back. LeFleur tried to leap at Troy, who caught and slammed him. Massive chokeslam by Troy on LeFleur, but it only got two; given their size and the impact, this maybe should have been a finisher. Knight took control by striking Troy repeatedly and putting him on the outside. Knight hit a big move on LeFleur for two. Knight went up, but Troy shoved him to the floor. Troy started crawling up, but Knight kicked him and LeFleur hit a powerbomb on Troy. LeFleur hit a 450 splash on Troy and got a long two.
Two minutes remained. The faces fought up a corner, but Troy grabbed LeFleur. They countered several times but LeFleur hit…some kind of headscissor slam? Knight flew in with a moonsault on Troy, but his momentum kept him moving, and LeFleur covered…and got the three. New champ.
WINNER: Elio LeFleur at 5:50.
(Wells’s Analysis: A second straight satisfying big-small affair, though this time, an underdog took down the major threat. Troy’s run seemed to just be getting started, but I can also see him being ready for a little more at this point after a strong few outings. LeFleur now somewhat establishes himself with a (yes, minor) championship and Knight could be interesting depending on how they have him respond to having his win stolen)
-Vic promoted a championship spotlight up next. [c]
-Ethan Page celebrated with The Vanity Project, and Ricky Saints showed up and talked about how the room could be a clean sweep of champions. He passive-aggressively mentioned Page’s leg before saying he’d be the longest-reigning champion ever.
-Joe Hendry narrated his early life and career in a previously recorded segment along with real-life shots of him going way back to his youth. He talked about the musical parodies he got into early, and then writing his own theme song. He said he hit a wall, but then he dyed his hair, bulked up, and signed with TNA. He said now all he needed was everyone else to believe in him. I assume this is part one of a two-parter?
-Sol Ruca, with Zaria, started walking through the back ahead of her title shot. Huh – if they’re going to split, you’d think it would be the main event. Now I don’t know what to believe. [c]
-NXT Origins: Damian Priest. He talked about what helped create the Damian Priest character. He talked about the mental weight that comes with carrying a belt on your shoulder. Not sure if this is a new recurring segment or what.
-DarkState lost their minds through the back. Lola Vice stormed past them, heading to Rob Stone’s dressing room. She was dressed in a leather thing that was…wow. She said she wanted Kelani Jordan in an Underground Match at Vengeance Day, and Stone made it happen.
[HOUR TWO]
(4) SOL RUCA (w/Zaria) vs. JACY JAYNE (w/Fallon Henley & Lainey Reid) (c) – NXT Women’s Championship match
Zaria laid it on thick on the way to the ring, even holding the ropes open for Ruca. I still think it would be the best story option if they just put it behind them and recognize they’re better off together. Mike Rome handled formal ring introductions. Before the bell, Zaria laid out Ruca with a spear, then hit her with an F-5. The bell sounded and Jacy hit the Rolling Encore.
WINNER: Jacy Jayne at 0:04.
Zaria kept mauling Ruca outside. A good percentage of the audience was chanting “Zaria,” which may or may not have been the reason that the show went to commercial without warning. [c]
(Wells’s Analysis: I really like that they pulled the trigger as a match was about to start, rather than go through a perfunctory 15-minute match just to get where they’re going. With this, Zaria just utterly robbed Ruca of her title shot, and establishes herself as a heel potentially in a very important spot. Follow-up will be everything as there’s a lot of work to do after such a long time stashing Zaria’s monster potential in a tag team, though I agreed with the team idea for both women for as long as it lasted)
-Tatum Paxley sat among the audience, talking about trying to be perfect for everyone, but she finally listened to the crowd, who want her for her, and for the first time, she feels real love. She said when she beats Izzi Dame and takes the NXT Women’s North American Championship, it won’t just be hers, it’ll be all of theirs.
Izzi showed up in a different part of the audience and said Paxley would never be enough. They were held apart as the lights went out and Blake Monroe made her entrance.
(5) THEA HAIL vs. BLAKE MONROE – Speed Tournament match
Hail started quickly and hit a Thesz press. After some reversals, Monroe got a two. Backslide by Hail got two. Full body slam by Hail. She hit a back kick for a long two. Snap mare by Hail, and Monroe bailed. Hail reached out and ripped at her hair. The ref backed up Hail, and Jaida Parker, outside, ran in and hit Hipnotic on Monroe. She rolled Monroe inside. Hail hit her finisher.
WINNER: Thea Hail at 1:07.
Next week, Wren Sinclair faces Nikkita Lyons in another first round match.
-More Joe Hendry, so part two continues right here. He talked about noticing that his theme song went viral on TikTok, and his massive live reaction in NXT. He talked about the Rumble and WrestleMania, but said he knew “all roads lead to NXT.” He said he’s the NXT Champion, and he believes in Joe Hendry. A younger version of Hendry said in a video “You never know where the next WWE superstar will come from.” [c]
(6) KALE DIXON (w/Andre Chase) vs. URIAH CONNORS (w/Lexis King & Stacks & Arianna Grace)
Neither guy had a televised entrance and the match just started right when the show came back, so they still don’t think much of these guys yet, apparently. Dixon took out Connors on the outside, and shoved Stacks and Lexis King aside and stormed through. Back inside, Connors took down Dixon and covered for two. Backstage, Charlie Dempsey watched on the monitor while Tavion Heights looked on. The two exchanged some rights and Connors hit a backslide for two. Dixon tried a slam but Connors reversed to a stunner, then hit another for a long two. Dixon hit a top rope twisting slam for a long two. Connors tried to suck up to Dixon a little to sucker him in, but Dixon didn’t go for it. Dixon tried a moonsault but Connors got up the feet. Connors hit a running knee.
WINNER: Uriah Connors at 4:28.
(Wells’s Analysis: So the Speed Title match is currently the fifth-shortest match on this week’s show. Decent work to get this minor breakup out of the way so the new faction can focus on their own thing. You have to wonder what there could possibly be in the cards for Dixon and Andre Chase)
-Finally, they looked back at the Zaria moment and replayed the post-match beating. Backstage, Fatal Influence walked together, and Zaria showed up and said she did her a favor, and now Jacy owes her. Lainey Reid said it doesn’t work like that. Jacy said the bell rang, and she won the match. Zaria said she wants a title match next week or she’ll do to her what she did to Sol. Jayne backed up. [c]
-Vanity Project & Ricky Saints continued celebrating in the locker room. Saints asked the others if they saw the biography of Joe Hendry with a disgusted look on his face. He said next week he’s having his own Ricky Saints Experience, and they’re invited. Smokes got super psyched. Saints said he had to go get excited.
Hank & Tank showed up, followed by Shiloh Hill. They were all greasy, and Hill was holding Brad Baylor’s steering wheel. He said they robbed him of the North American Championship, so they took apart his car. The two sides brawled.
-In a promoted segment, the struggle of Myles Borne was featured, and it turned into a hype segment where both sides of the main event got in their words.
-With the booming bass that accompanies such shots, Ethan Page walked through the back ahead of the main event and then made his entrance. On a show loaded with short matches, it was still 23 minutes to the hour as Page made his entrance. He hit his pointing taunt and the show went to commercial. [c]
-Next week, a six-man will commence with Hank, Tank & Shiloh Hill vs. The Vanity Project. Also, “An Absolute Experience” with Ricky Saints.
(7) MYLES BORNE vs. ETHAN PAGE (c) – NXT North American Championship match
Mike Rome handled formal intros. The match will actually begin about 15 to the hour, so it’ll be a normal main event after all. Page demanded that Rome refer to him as the greatest North American Champion, and Rome acquiesced.
Borne had new(?) gear with flames on it. There’s a good sign for him. He dominated early with European uppercuts in the corner. Page leapfrogged Borne and sold the injured leg. Borne yanked the leg to work the injury, then dropped his knee on it. Borne stomped on the foot. Booker T said Borne should’ve been arrested last week, and Vic laughed. I get why he laughed, but in a real world…yeah, he’d be arrested. Page got in some rights and tried to kick his leg a bit to bring feeling back. Borne took down Page with a leglock and Page kicked up at him. Page used his good leg to charge Borne to the outside. A dueling chant was probably 55% Page, which is pretty disappointing given all they’ve done to get Borne to this point, as well as the emotional segments. Outside, Page hit Ego’s Edge on the announce table and the match went to split-screen. [c]
Borne got into it with some forearms that took Page down repeatedly. Fisherman suplex by Borne got two. Out of the corner, Borne countered a spot and dropped an elbow on Page for two. Page charged Borne to a corner but Page reversed and hit a powerslam for two. Page tried to pick up Borne for a piledriver but Borne reversed for two. Page hit Ego’s Edge for a very long two. Page laid in some chops in a corner, and the two went to an exchanged. Page threw a big right that put Borne down in a corner. Page set up Borne on the turnbuckle and they fought for position there. Page hit a superplex and slowly rolled over for a long two. It was three to the hour.
They went to an exchange again, and Page went for the throat. He tried to jaw, but Borne hit a dropkick. The two hit impact moves and Borne hit Borne Again, but he couldn’t crawl to a cover. The Vanity Project showed up and brained Borne with the belt, but it was only good for a long two. Hank, Tank and Shiloh fought them off. Ricky Saints showed up, but Joe Hendry fought him off. In the ring, Borne fought off the Twisted Grin, shoved Page into an exposed turnbuckle, and hit Borne Again for the pin and the title.
WINNER: Myles Borne at 13:40.
Borne celebrated with his mom, who…is a fine-looking woman.
(Wells’s Analysis: A large part of me thinks they should’ve shot the moon with Shiloh Hill for this title change, but Borne has had such a long road to a championship since winning that 25-man battle royal out of nowhere last May, and he really did earn this moment. To their credit, the crowd was almost unanimously receptive to the title change, despite many of them cheering for Page during the match. The match itself was competent but far from flashy or perhaps even memorable; the moments leading up to the end, though, were great and provided a lot of believable false finishes given how late in the show it was. They threaded the needle)
FINAL THOUGHTS: An extremely busy show tonight, with seven matches – which is rare for any week, but more so lately, and especially strange given that there were four title matches (and three title changes) on the same night, with only Jacy Jayne defending successfully – though she could be without a title next week also. We might get some Zaria-Sol follow-up, but I wouldn’t write off the possibility that Ruca will just be called up and the history will be dropped for now, and Zaria could defeat Jayne to make way for her own callup, which could also be imminent given her spot in the Rumble. There’s a ton to talk about, so I’ll head out here so I can get PWT Talks NXT started with Nate Lindberg. Cheers.
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