SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NXT TV REPORT
APRIL 7, 2026
ORLANDO, FL AT THE WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON THE CW
REPORT BY DAVID MILLER, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
Correspondent: Sarah Schreiber
[HOUR ONE]
-Vic Joseph welcomed everyone to the show before a video highlight package of this past Saturday’s Stand & Deliver aired.
-New NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo made his ring entrance as the crowd chanted, “You deserve it!” Tony said he was just a kid when he got to NXT. He said now he’s the man, and he’s finally become NXT Champion. He claimed that no man walking can take it from him. Joe Hendry appeared; sans smile. Hendry congratulated him but speculated that things would have turned out differently if Ethan Page and Ricky Saints hadn’t been involved. Page took exception to that remark as he came out and blamed Saints, who then came out and blamed Page. The lights went out, and DarkState came down through the crowd. Despite a slew of security personnel arriving, a brawl broke out among the eight men before they oddly cut to a split-screen commercial break. [c]
-A wild free-for-all continued on the left screen while we were treated to the same boring commercials on the right. Great time for a commercial break, NXT. Finally, back to full screen, Hendry, D’Angelo, Page, and Saints had been escorted to the back, where they demanded satisfaction from Interim GM Robert Stone. He told the four men to go get their gear on because they have an 8-man tag team match at the top of the hour tonight against DarkState. They stormed off as Sol Ruca made her way past them on her way to the ring.
(1) SOL RUCA vs. IZZI DAME (w/The Culling)
Dame started the match aggressively, but Ruca used her superior agility to get the upper hand. Dame showed she was no slouch by grabbing Ruca’s leg mid-leapfrog to yank her hard to the mat. Ruca nailed an X Factor that sent Dame rolling to the floor. Ruca hit a springboard twisting plancha to Dame on the floor, then slapped hands with the fans before they cut to a commercial break. [c]
Back from the break, Ruca was still in control, but Dame used her power game to counteract her opponent’s agility. They slugged it out mid-ring with hard forearms and chops, with Ruca coming out on top. Ruca landed a dropkick off the top turnbuckle for a two-count. Dame countered another Ruca leap from the top with a codebreaker. Ruca speared Dame, who again rolled to the outside. Niko Vance pulled Dame out of the way of a Ruca moonsault to the floor, then watched as Zaria appeared from nowhere and speared Ruca out of her shoes while the referee was distracted by Shawn Spears. Dame rolled her back into the ring and hit a lackluster sit-out powerbomb for the win.
WINNER: Izzi Dame at 10:36
(Miller’s Take: Like we didn’t see that ending coming from a mile and a half away. Dame picked up a much-needed win, and the Zaruca drama continued, so the match accomplished its goal perfectly well. Dame is a good talent and needs something she can sink her teeth into. Ruca and Zaria can ride this feud out for a long time thanks to the painfully slow build to their eventual breakup.)
-The Vanity Project casually sauntered into Robert Stone’s office, who protested because he was waiting for Blake Monroe. Of course, they knew that, which was precisely the reason they were there. When Monroe walked in, they kissed her butt and presented her with a custom North American title belt, which she fawned over while Drake, Baylor, and Smokes stepped over each other to eagerly tell Monroe what parts of the design their own ideas were. An incredulous Stone told her she couldn’t simply declare herself the champion. Stone told her if she wanted to work her way back into contention, she could pick any member of The Vanity Project to be her partner in a mixed tag team match against Tatum Paxley and Shiloh Hill. Monroe chose an elated Drake.
-Keanu Carver made his ring entrance before the commercial break. [c]
-Elio LeFleur chatted with the newly renamed E.K. Prosper (ugh) and Dorian Van Dux, who debuted on Evolve last week, about the Speed tournament while Sean Legacy texted in the background.
(2) KEANU CARVER vs. JASPER TROY vs. JOSH BRIGGS – Triple Threat Match
Somebody resurrect Clara Peller and let her know the beef is right in the middle of a wrestling ring at the Performance Center in Orlando. The three men started throwing ham hocks before the bell. Carver sold for an unreasonable long time on the outside until he snatched Troy out of the ring and posted him. Briggs begged off as the mean-spirited Carver stood over him menacingly. Troy came back in the ring and turned his attention to Carver but wound up eating a big double-team move from Briggs and Carver.
Troy took his turn selling on the outside while Carver dismantled Briggs in the ring. He scooted out to the floor to thump on Troy for a bit before returning to the ring to tend to Briggs some more. The action spilled out to the floor with all three men, which was the production truck’s cue to cut to a commercial break. Imagine that. [c]
As they returned to the match, all three were in the ring. Briggs barely kicked out of a pin by Carver, who hit a spinebuster on Troy for another two-count. He turned his attention to Briggs again until Troy fired up and got the best of Carver, then hit a black hole slam on Briggs. He chokeslammed Carver, then covered Briggs for two. As he climbed the ropes, Briggs sent him tumbling precariously to the floor. Carver and Briggs butted heads like a couple of angry goats until Troy made it back into the ring. As he went for a chokeslam on Briggs, Carver pounced him over the top rope and to the floor. He pounced Briggs and delivered a jackhammer variation for the final pin.
WINNER: Keanu Carver at 13:17
(Miller’s Take: Nothing to get too excited about here. This was a paint-by-numbers triple threat match, which Carver unsurprisingly won. It established him as a solid, powerful heel. He needs to move away from any feud with the still green as a gourd Jasper Troy and move on to something more meaningful, like a challenge to Myles Borne.)
-North American Champion Tatum Paxley and Shiloh Hill were seated next to each other in the back. She asked Hill if he saw The Vanity Project gift her with her own title. Hill admitted it was super weird, then pointed out that sometimes in the animal kingdom, critters like to hold shiny objects, then asked her if she tried giving Monroe some tinfoil. Paxley admitted she hadn’t tried that yet, then told him she thought he only knew about raccoons. He said they were just his specialty, but he knows about all kinds of animals. The straight faces on both of them as they had this conversation was pure gold. They turned their attention to their upcoming tag match. Hill said Jackson Drake’s face is so punchable. Paxley agreed and they shared a cackle as Ricky Saints walked by in a foul mood. He made fun of them and said everyone thinks they’re weird. Hill denied that claim, then suggested Saints worry more about DarkState, seeing how they already beat that ass once tonight. Hill and Paxley continued to yuck it up while a disgusted Saints moved on.
-Joe Hendry made his ring entrance as they cut to a better-timed split-screen commercial break. [c]
-During the Liberty Biberty break, Ethan Page, Ricky Saints, and Tony D’Angelo made their ring entrances separately, followed by DarkState together.
(3) JOE HENDRY & ETHAN PAGE & RICKY SAINTS & TONY D’ANGELO vs. DARKSTATE (Saquon Shugars & Osiris Griffin & Cutler James & Dion Lennox) – 8-Man Tag Team Match
D’Angelo lunged for Lennox before the bell, but the new champ quickly fell victim to the quadruple teaming tactics of DarkState. Tony D reached out to tag Hendry, but Page stole it and took the tag himself. Page took over on Shugars, then tagged his buddy in.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
Check out the latest episode of “PWT Talks NXT” with Kelly Wells and Nate Lindberg, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “pwtorch” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
[HOUR TWO]
Saints was overwhelmed quickly, and leaped for a hot tag to Hendry, who held James in a vertical suplex position for around twenty seconds before finally dropping him. Saints tagged in and strutted across the top rope while holding the arm of James before dropping on him. Saints and Page briefly showed off some teamwork of their own after looking like they were going to bicker with each other more. No floor spot before the split-screen commercial break this time. [c]
While Burger King and company blared on the majority of the screen, Hendry was being dominated by DarkState on the vast minority of the screen. Back to full-screen, Hendry was throwing forearms at Shugars before crawling toward his corner. While D’Angelo was occupied with DarkState, neither Page nor Saints offered to tag Hendry. The former champ kept trying to fight back but was consistently overwhelmed. Griffin hit a Vader Bomb for a two-count that was surprisingly broken up by Saints and Page. Lennox cracked Hendry’s jaw with a hard right hand while the referee was trying to deal with the overabundance of competitors in the ring.
As Lennox stood on the floor being happy with himself, Myles Borne jumped over the barricade and attacked him, much to the dismay of his teammates. Hendry reached for the tag to either Page or Saints, but D’Angelo yanked them both off the apron, jumped up, and took the hot tag. He delivered German suplexes to each opponent. A big floor spot happened where everyone got thrown out, then Hendry did his nifty side dive over the top, knocking everyone down like human bowling pins. This left D’Angelo in the ring with Shugars. D’Angelo nailed him with a spear and a Dead to Rights slam, but then got kicked in the head by Page, who went on to deliver a Twisted Grin to steal the pin on Shugars.
WINNERS: Joe Hendry & Ethan Page & Ricky Saints & Tony D’Angelo at 15:13.
(Miller’s Take: I found this interesting. I’ve seen heel and face partners before, but never two faces and two heels who are heelish towards one another as partners. They didn’t rush the match, gave it time to breathe, and told a really good story with Page and Saints being all about scrapping with DarkState when it was convenient for them, but less invested when it wasn’t. Page’s pin-stealing antics continue as he proves himself to be slightly slicker than his lil’ buddy Ricky. DarkState performed well and looked stronger in losing with their jefe, Lennox, getting chased out of the arena and maybe the city of Orlando by Myles Borne. Hendry showed great perseverance and D’Angelo displayed his explosive power.)
-After the match, Page stood mid-ring while pointing at his cheek when they got one of those great shots where the wrestler that was just wronged suddenly pops up behind the unsuspecting perpetrator. In this case, the wronged party was the wrestler who had the pin stolen from him, Tony D. He spun Page around and nailed Dead to Rights before posing with his championship belt.
-The Progressive NXT Spotlight was on Miss Parker, who talked about being sick of people like Kelani Jordan thinking they can sneak one on her and not have consequences. She said Jaida Parker was her walking reality check. She referenced what looked like security camera footage from the Performance Center on April 6 that showed a scuffle between Parker and Jordan that got broken up by trainers and trainees, followed by social media footage of her knocking on the window of a terrified Jordan’s car.
-All 14 members of BirthRight made their way to the ring before the commercial break. [c]
(4) LEXIS KING (w/BirthRight) vs. CHAZZ “STARBOY” HALL – Speed Tournament Match
The self-proclaimed “Denim Dragon” made his impressive debut on Evolve last week, so I was quite surprised to see him show up on NXT the very next week. The match began after a brief video introduction from the Starboy. Joseph mentioned that Hall would be challenging the Evolve champion tomorrow night on Tubi. Hall showed the NXT faithful why you should never judge a book by it’s cover, even if that cover is made out of tie dyed overjorts. He befuddled King with innovative aerial offense, including a stunning standing twisting moonsault for a two-count at the 1-minute mark of this first round tournament match to determine the recently vacated Speed title.
King opened the second minute by catching Hall with an elbow, then climbing the turnbuckle. A great camera shot showed King perched on top and looking comically confused as he observed an incoming Hall, flipping and twisting into the corner with a pele kick that sent him tumbling to the floor. Starboy followed that up with a cartwheel moonsault over the top rope and to the floor on King. Back in the ring, Hall attempted a shooting star press but got a mouthful of King’s feet upon impact. King quickly followed through with a Coronation for the win.
WINNER: Lexis King at 2:06 to advance.
(Miller’s Take: This quirky-looking kid with his shaggy hair and overjorts is going to win over the fans quickly with his youthful, boyish charm and incredible ability. He goes on tomorrow night to challenge Evolve Champion Aaron Rourke but tonight was not his night. King, especially as the leader of BirthRight, really needed this win.)
-In the back, North American champ Myles Borne told Robert Stone he was just returning the favor tonight, to which Stone replied he can’t just interfere in matches. A stone-faced Tony D’Angelo walked up and Borne excused himself. Tony D said he wanted Ethan Page next week. Stone said he would make it happen. As D’Angelo turned to leave, he locked eyes with Keanu Carver, who was standing a few feet away. I suggested earlier a title challenge to Borne, but it looks as if Carver may have his sights set a bit higher.
-Tatum Paxley and Shiloh Hill made their ring entrance ahead of the next commercial break. They seem to have genuine fun together. [c]
-A plug for the upcoming Shawn Michaels documentary was shown. Looks interesting.
(5) TATUM PAXLEY & SHILOH HILL vs. BLAKE MONROE & JACKSON DRAKE (w/Brad Baylor & Ricky Smokes) – Mixed Tag Team Match
Paxley and Monroe compared title belts, then played tug of war with them before Paxley let go, sending Monroe flying backwards. The referee called for the bell as Monroe charged in and ate the mat via a Paxley leg trip. Paxley reversed a suplex before the men tagged in. Drake hit a series of blistering chops, but Hill hung Drake across the top rope with a gut wrench suplex. An on-the-run Drake crawled over to his corner for a tag, which Monroe refused. Hill tagged in Paxley, who dragged Monroe through the ropes by her hair. She dispatched of Monroe, who fell into the waiting arms of Brad Baylor as Drake was sprawled out at his feet. WWE math dictates that a floor spot equals a commercial break. [c]
When they returned, Drake fought his way out of the grasp of Hill, then used a distraction from Baylor and Smokes to take the advantage. He got a two-count on Hill after a kick to the face that sent Hill’s partial flying out of his mouth. Monroe tried to stop Hill from making the tag but got a deer in the headlights look when she failed. Paxley came in and delivered dropkicks to both opponents. She climbed the top turnbuckle and kicked Baylor off when he jumped up on the apron. Hill dove over the top rope onto Baylor and Smokes to take them out while Paxley leaped from the top. Monroe rolled out of the way of a 450 splash and went for a Glamour Shot. Paxley reversed it into a Cemetery Driver position but released the hold to kick Drake in the head. The temporary distraction led to Monroe catching her with a headbutt followed by a Glamour Shot for the win.
WINNERS: Blake Monroe & Jackson Drake at 11:16.
(Miller’s Take: There was a lot of fun interaction between both genders, with Paxley and Hill consistently getting the upper hand on their opponents until the inevitable distraction from Baylor and Smokes paid off in their favor. Paxley and Hill, as I noted at the beginning of the match, have great chemistry together. Likewise, Monroe seems a natural fit with The Vanity Project, in both name and attitude. It’s so much fun watching trio drool over Monroe like pubescent teenagers trying to impress the school hottie. The heel win practically ensures a welcome continuation of this rivalry.)
-Sarah Schreiber interviewed Robert Stone in his office. He announced that next week would be the first week of a two-part special, NXT Revenge, with Week 1 including an NXT Championship match between Tony D’Angelo and Ethan Page and Week 2 including a last woman standing match between Sol Ruca and Zaria. He also announced a Joe Hendry concert, the debut of former Evolve Champion Kali Armstrong, and the crowning of a new Speed champion.
-Double champion Lola Vice was shown walking towards the ring entrance to address the fans before they cut to the final commercial break of the evening. [c]
-A video package introducing first-ever Evolve Champion Kali Armstrong aired. She spoke of her upbringing from poverty to her introduction into the wrestling scene.
-Vic Joseph ran down the card for Week 1 of NXT Revenge next week.
-AAA Mixed Tag Team and new NXT Women’s Champion Lola Vice made her ring entrance to address the crowd. A “you deserve it” chant broke out as she spoke. She said she was the biggest signing of the year in 2022, but she got humbled. She said she had to earn her place in this division and she wasn’t ready. She added that she earned her stripes down in AAA and took Vice worldwide. She said she’s no longer the girl that came from MMA, but now she’s a WWE superstar.
-As expected, Fatal Influence interrupted her. Jacy Jayne said she’s been in this position before, and it just opens the door for her to be a record-breaking three-time NXT Women’s champion. Lainey Reid sang Jayne’s praises as the crowd did their best to drown her out with boos. Jayne told the crowd to shut up as they continued to heckle her. As she tried screaming over an increasingly loud chorus of boos, Robert Stone interrupted the proceedings. He told Jayne she would have her title rematch next week. After Vice told Jayne she would knock her out again, Henley and Reid attacked her from behind. Vice cleared the ring of Henley and Reid, then swung a back fist at Jayne that she wisely ducked. A beaten Fatal Influence retreated as the show went off the air.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Not too bad of a follow-up to Stand & Deliver. The show seemed to flow well, with action seeming to dominate. We’re seeing a few new faces with Dorian Van Dux and Chazz “Starboy” Hall, who debuted this week after debuting on Evolve last week, and Kali Armstrong deservedly moving up the WWE ladder. A potential matchup between Carver and D’Angelo was hinted at. As much as I like the interaction between The Vanity Project and Blake Monroe, I think seeing them with Fatal Influence would be a hoot. I would welcome a continuation of the Evolve feud between Kali Armstrong and Kendal Grey, which seems a no-brainer. Let’s see what this Revenge special brings us next week.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.