SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
NXT TV REPORT
JUNE 16, 2026
ORLANDO, FL AT THE WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON THE CW
REPORT BY DAVID MILLER, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Corey Graves
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
[HOUR ONE]
-Vic Joseph introduced the show as Jaida Parker and Nattie were shown entering the building, then a highlight package from last week aired.
-New Women’s North American Champion Zaria made her ring entrance while Joseph introduced Corey Graves as his announce partner. Our ears thank you, Corey. She talked about being overlooked and no longer in the shadows before being interrupted by Kelani Jordan, who said she had come out to congratulate her and offer some advice. That advice was to enjoy all this, because the same people who are cheering “you deserve it” will turn on her before the week is up, and she’ll soon be overlooked, just like she was.
-Kendal Grey walked out after Jordan mentioned her name and reasserted her #1 contendership, which prompted NXT Women’s Champion Lola Vice to come out. As the four women bickered, GM Robert Stone came out. Vice cut him off and correctly assumed he was going to make a match with her, and Kendal vs. Kelani and Zaria. Stone said that’s why they have the best women’s division in wrestling. Joseph called it a Teddy Long moment. I call it a typical Tuesday night.
-Tavion Heights and The Vanity Project were shown prepping for their upcoming segment before they cut to a commercial break. [c]
(1) TAVION HEIGHTS vs. JACKSON DRAKE (w/The Vanity Project) – NXT North American Championship #1 Condender’s Match
Heights put Drake down hard after grappling with him in the opening seconds, then showed off his power by tossing Drake over his head effortlessly. He cinched in an armbar and swung him around in an apparent attempt to separate Drake’s arm from his torso. Drake eventually escaped but was still thrown around by Heights. Ricky Smokes jumped up on the apron to eat a knuckle sandwich from Heights, but the distraction allowed Drake to catch his breath and retaliate. Outside the ring, he drove Heights into the steps before they cut to an early commercial break because, well, floor spot. [c]
Back from the break, Heights and Drake took each other out with simultaneous cross bodies, but Heights recovered quickly to gain a near fall. Drake finally mounted an offense with a handstand cutter, followed by a standing shooting star press for a two-count. He then flew through the ropes with a suicide dive to the outside. Drake took too much time going to the top, which allowed Heights to follow him up and deliver another big overhead throw. Heights hit a 450 splash for a two-count. He delivered another overhead throw to Drake, which sent him over the top rope and onto tag champs Baylor and Smokes.
Myka Lockwood jumped onto the ring apron to distract the referee while Baylor and Smokes tried to enter the ring, but North American Champion Myles Borne ran to ringside and nailed them with a double clothesline. Heights briefly asked Borne what he was doing before turning his attention back to Drake, whom he threw over his head one last time to secure the pin.
WINNER: Tavion Heights at 11:07 to become the #1 Contender to the NXT North American Championship.
(Miller’s Take: Heights dominated this match. Drake didn’t even really get in a respectable amount of offense. Borne thwarted some offbeat shenanigans by The Vanity Project to ensure that his “friend” and former stablemate would be his challenger at The Great American Bash.)
-After the match, Borne raised Tavion’s hand in victory, but he yanked his arm away and told Borne he didn’t need his help.
-Footage was shown of GM Stone in the back with Evolve Champion Aaron Rourke, Hank & Tank, and comedian Matt Mathews, who was one of the judges for last week’s Mr. NXT Pageant. They were talking about the temper tantrum Tristan Angels threw last week after losing when BirthRight barged in. Speed Champion Lexis King predicted Arianna Grace would become the new Women’s Speed Champion. Mathews called King a Temu Bret Michaels. Hank & Tank challenged BirthRight to a match, but nothing was made official. [c]
(2) THEA HAIL vs. IZZI DAME (w/The Culling) – Women’s Speed Tournament Match
Hail immediately landed a crucifix takedown at the bell for a cover, but Dame kicked out. After some quick back-and-forth action, Dame rolled out of the ring. With two minutes left, Hail rolled out with her and applied a Kimura lock, but Dame drove her back into the ring apron. She rolled Hail into the ring, but Hail went right back on the offensive by stomping on her hand, then executing a running neckbreaker for a two-count. Hail again tried to lock in a Kimura but failed with one minute remaining. She nailed Dame with a headbutt but missed the springboard senton that earned her the North American title. Dame hit a running knee that resulted in a three-count.
WINNER: Izzi Dame at 2:39 to advance.
(Miller’s Take: I could have seen this going either way, with Shawn Spears possibly botching the finish to rob Dame of her title shot, but they’re probably saving that for when she ultimately faces Wren Sinclair for the belt. My problem with the Speed matches remains the same: Wrestlers don’t get paid by the hour, so why not try to win every match this quickly if you can?)
-After the match, Graves pointed out how elated Spears was that things worked out. Dame and Niko Vance were less enthusiastic.
-In the women’s locker room, Wren Sinclair and Kendal Grey spoke of bringing all the gold to the WrenQCC when Lola Vice interrupted and told Grey not to get ahead of herself and that she needed to be ready for tonight.
-NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo was shown walking through what looked like a park at night with the belt slung over his shoulder like it was a completely normal thing to do. He found himself looking at a menacing-looking structure of Oriental architecture and paused before they cut to a commercial break. [c]
-Back from the break, Tony D. was shown sitting at a table with Naraku, who had the contract for their title match on the table. D’Angelo told him he didn’t buy his nice guy act because he did his research and discovered that Naraku, although a celebrated champion in Japan, didn’t do it on his own, but ran with a pack that wreaked havoc on the traditions of Japanese wrestling. Naraku asked D’Angelo not to judge him for his past. D’Angelo opened the contract and noted that Naraku hadn’t signed it. Naraku said he would sign it next week. D’Angelo signed it and walked off. Naraku removed his sunglasses and said that evil was coming, then laughed.
-The NXT Progressive Focus was on the meltdown of Jaida Parker after a losing streak, followed by her confrontation with Nattie.
-Nattie was shown making her way down the hallway, then Jaida Parker made her ring entrance before the next commercial break. [c]
-GM Robert Stone was shown telling someone on the phone about The Great American Bash tailgate when Keanu Carver burst in, followed by E.K. Prosper. Stone told them they were wrestling each other next week. Carver scoffed at the idea of wrestling Prosper, who stood up for himself and demanded not to be disrespected. Carver told him he had a death wish, then left.
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]
(3) JAIDA PARKER vs. NATTIE
Nattie antagonized Parker from the start with her mannerisms, seemingly trying to push her. She took a walk around the ring before slipping back in and slapping Miss Parker hard, which Parker reciprocated immediately. It wasn’t a shoot, but it sure looked like it. Parker escaped an anklelock and showed Nattie that she had some skill, applying a Rings of Saturn that Nattie fought to get out of. She again smacked Parker hard across the face. Jaida slapped the taste out of Nattie’s mouth. They took the fight to the floor because it was time for a commercial break. [c]
I took a big gulp of hot coffee, which I chased with iced tea, so I really didn’t pay attention to what was happening on either split-screen. Back to full-screen, Nattie reversed an abdominal stretch, but Parker armdragged her way out of it. On the floor, Nattie decked Parker with a right fist. She threw her back in the ring, then posed for the crowd. Back in the ring, she applied a rear chinlock with a legscissors. Parker got up and applied an STF that popped the crowd. Nattie struggled to reach the ropes, and Parker yanked on her until the referee counted to four. Nattie answered that with a surfboard that stretched Parker. She began working over the knee, but Parker suplexed her. She fired up and took Nattie down with a series of moves, ending with her middle rope hip attack. After high stepping, she landed a vicious Hipnotic, but Nattie kicked out.
The two women traded submissions before Parker hit a Hipnotic on Nattie that knocked her to the floor. Nattie quickly took control when Parker followed her out. She roughed her up before pitching her back in the ring, then applied the sharpshooter, which Parker struggled to get out of. She inched her way to the ropes, but Nattie pulled her back to the center of the ring and leaned back deeply with it, forcing Parker to tap.
WINNER: Nattie by submission at 15:10.
(Miller’s Take: This was an exceptional match that far exceeded my expectations, which were already pretty high. These two women made me believe that they did not like each other. Nattie’s moves were applied with malice and contempt. Parker looked like she was out to prove something, and that attitude showed in this match. Far be it from me to play armchair booker, but I could see this heading toward a mentorship after Miss Parker was humbled tonight. We shall see.)
-In the back, Mason Rook was chatting up Lizzy Rain when Tristan Angels interrupted them. He put himself over as Mr. England and Mr. NXT. Evolve Champion Aaron Rourke walked up and put Angels in his place. Angels reminded them that Hill was not medically cleared, and if not able to fulfill his duties as Mr. NXT, then the runner-up (Angels) shall be declared Mr. NXT, and he thinks that warrants a title match. Rourke told him it was a good thing he didn’t get paid for thinking. Angels challenged Rourke for his Evolve title. Rourke reminded Angels that he judged the swimwear competition, and Angels came up a little “short”. Angels was highly offended by the slight to his manhood and left in a huff. Rook and Rain told Rourke to kick his ass for them.
-Arianna Grace, flanked by BirthRight, made her ring entrance before they cut to a commercial break. [c]
(4) ARIANNA GRACE (w/BirthRight) vs. LAYLA DIGGS – Women’s Speed Tournament Match
The rolls and reversals began immediately, as tends to be the case with these matches. It got a bit sloppy as they took the fight to the floor with two minutes left. Diggs hit a shining wizard for a close two-count. Grace delivered a suplex and flying forearm for a near fall. Diggs mounted an impressive comeback with one minute remaining. Stacks jumped to the apron to grab Layla’s leg as she attempted a moonsault, but she kicked him off, repositioned herself, and performed a top rope moonsault to the floor to take out all of BirthRight with 23 seconds left. Grace saw the moonsault but played dead when Diggs slid back into the ring and caught her with a small package for the pin.
WINNER: Arianna Grace at 2:44 to advance.
(Miller’s Take: Of course, Grace was going to take this, but it gave us a brief glimpse of what Evolve has been seeing with Layla Diggs. She is phenomenally athletic and, with seasoning, I can easily see her on the main roster in a couple of years.)
-In the back, Noam Dar admitted to Romeo Moreno, Dorian Van Dux, and Sean Legacy that being part of a tag team wasn’t on his radar, but Nathan Frazer was right; he found his partner in Moreno. Legacy said the same thing about DVD. Van Dux noticed The Culling in the background and suggested to Legacy that they ask Stone for a match against them.
-A video package of Tate Wilder aired. He espoused the virtues of taking risks and showed his pinky finger, which is permanently crooked as a result of a botched backflip. He lamented the fact that he was winless in NXT but said he was going to keep on taking risks and chasing the reward. [c]
-Joseph and Graves plugged The Great American Bash Tailgate & Watch Party live outside the Performance Center at 6 pm on June 28th, along with D’Angelo vs. Naraku, Vice vs. Grey, Borne vs. Heights, and Shugars vs. Lennox.
-Saquon Shugars was the subject of NXT Chronicle. He talked about growing up in southeast Washington, D.C., where he said he saw things no kid or adult should ever have to see. His Grandma Nikki told him not to trust anybody, which is why he never ran with anybody and had to hustle his way out of the city and into this sport. He said he knows how to move, and you won’t catch him lacking, using DarkState as an example.
In his own words, he said he played Sandlot on Cutler’s dome, and Griffin can’t walk, let alone wrestle. He claimed the other three members of DarkState left their sport and came to his, where they needed his help. He said he left his back door open for the first time in his life, and they were on top of the world, but that was the biggest mistake he ever made. He said he’ll never go back to where he came from, but he needs to go back there mentally. He ended the segment by telling Lennox that he wanted to have a chat with him. Great segment that defined who Saquon Shugars is.
-Dion Lennox was shown watching the segment on a monitor. He said, “Okay Quon, we’ll see who made a mistake. I’ll see you next week.”
-Kelani Jordan and Zaria made their ring entrances before the next commercial break. [c]
-Joseph and Graves ran down next week’s card, including an Evolve title defense by Aaron Rourke against Tristan Angels, Hank & Tank vs. BirthRight, and a double contract signing for the men’s and women’s NXT Championships at The Great American Bash.
(5) KELANI JORDAN & ZARIA vs. KENDAL GREY & LOLA VICE
Vice squared off with Jordan at the start of the match with some fast-paces reversals and pin attempts. Grey tagged in and kept the pace up with her speed and agility. Zaria took it down a notch with her power advantage over Vice. Grey tagged back in and was quickly ejected from the ring by Zaria. Kelani took a shot at Grey on the floor while the referee wasn’t looking, which seemed like a perfect time for a split-screen commercial break. [c]
The Simpsons meet Monopoly, Tide, Grainger, Consumer Cellular, and other stuff I don’t give a raccoon rump about were advertised on the large screen on the right while the ladies continued battling in silence on the left. When they returned to full-screen, Vice took the hot tag from Grey and unleashed a series of kicks on Jordan before nearly taking her head off with a hip attack in the corner. Zaria thumped on Vice, which allowed Jordan to take control. Grey soon took a hot tag and flopped Jordan around the ring with some German suplexes. Grey attempted a belly-to-back suplex, but Jordan landed on her feet and rushed over to tag Zaria, who nailed Grey with a spear.
Grey reversed an F5 attempt into a Fujiwara armbar, which Zaria struggled to escape. She finally lifted Grey into a powerbomb. Vice and Jordan joined the fray and took each other out with a double pump kick. After the women recovered, Vice tagged herself in but missed a back fist. Zaria attempted a powerbomb, which Vice sloppily slipped out of to apply a guillotine choke. As Vice leaned back with it, Jordan got caught in a Grey anklelock. Jordan rolled out of it, which sent Grey sprawling to the floor.
Jordan landed an Asai moonsault to Grey on the floor, but Vice leaped from the apron to take out Jordan. Zaria speared Vice on the floor and then hoisted her over her shoulders but dropped her when she noticed Tatum Paxley standing behind the barrier. She took a swing at Paxley, who ducked. Zaria turned around to eat a kick from Vice, who rolled Zaria back into the ring and knocked her out with a back fist for the pin.
WINNERS: Kendal Grey & Lola Vice at 12:48.
(Miller’s Take: This was really good, and I’m so glad they didn’t go with the standard operating procedure of having warring teammates not get along, causing them to lose. None of these women needs to be eating a pin right now, so it was a lose-lose situation that they probably shouldn’t have been put in to begin with. That being said, at least it was a second-tier champion who was pinned by the top champion. Of course, Zaria has the excuse of being distracted by Tatum Paxley, who popped up from behind the barricade like some evil jack-in-the-box. Great athleticism was shown off by all involved, but this is one case in which there really shouldn’t have been a clean finish.)
-After the match, Zaria and Paxley brawled to the back. In the ring, Jordan snatched the title belt out of Vice’s hands. When Grey tried to yank it away from her, Jordan let go, and Grey smacked Vice in the face with the belt. Jordan looked pleased with herself as Grey apologized profusely to a fallen Vice.
FINAL THOUGHTS: This was a good build for the upcoming Bash. Matches are starting to fall into place as the table continues to be set. I’m happy to see the Evolve championship get a little exposure on NXT next week. Aaron Rourke is a great Evolve champion with loads of charisma and in-ring skill. Layla Diggs is also a hot prospect who I’m happy to see getting a little exposure on Tuesday nights. Parker vs. Nattie felt like a good old-fashioned fight and was the highlight match of the whole show. The Saquon Shugars segment was exactly what he needed to let us understand who he is and why we should care. I’m a little apprehensive about the final shot of Kelani Jordan inserting herself between Grey and Vice, because we all know how much WWE loves triple-threat matches. I could enjoy watching Jordan wrestle a broomstick, but I’d really like to see a straightforward one-on-one title defense. See you next week!
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