{"id":221691,"date":"2026-08-30T14:20:51","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T19:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=221691"},"modified":"2026-08-31T13:13:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T18:13:17","slug":"nxt-feud-tracker-brandlers-analysis-of-the-latest-developments-with-zaria-kendal-grey-lennox-vs-shugars-heat-wave-ramifications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/08\/30\/nxt-feud-tracker-brandlers-analysis-of-the-latest-developments-with-zaria-kendal-grey-lennox-vs-shugars-heat-wave-ramifications\/","title":{"rendered":"NXT FEUD TRACKER: Brandler&#8217;s analysis of the latest developments with Zaria, Kendal Grey, Lennox vs. Shugars, Heat Wave ramifications"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-717067383\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><div>\n<p>This edition of NXT television cemented the storylines for the entire NXT Heatwave card which is on Sunday, Aug. 30 at 3 p.m. The show also presented an AAA title match and Steel Cage Match.\u00a0 The outcomes of these matches gave some direction about future storylines.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>NXT WOMEN\u2019S NORTH AMERICAN TITLE<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Champion: Zaria<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2022Zaria vs Kali Armstrong<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If Armstrong wins, the unification match becomes a triple threat match.\u00a0 Two very strong women fought a high impact match.\u00a0 They took turns leading and coming back with heavy moves.\u00a0 Late in the match, Kali went for her finisher, only to get speared by Zaria.\u00a0 Zaria went to finish the match with an F5, only for Kali to hit a Victory Roll for the pin.\u00a0 There will now be a Triple Threat Match for the NXT North American Title is at Heatwave<\/p>\n<p><b>Brandler\u2019s Bit<\/b>: Once we knew Kali was going to fight Zaria with the triple threat stipulation, the outcome of this match was pretty predictable. These two women had a great match.\u00a0 Kali has made great improvement in the last month.\u00a0 Wren Sinclair, the current Speed champion, will be wrestling in her home state of Texas.\u00a0 Will she have a \u201chome field advantage\u201d?<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>NXT WOMEN\u2019S TITLE\/\/NXT MEN\u2019S HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The NXT Heatwave Summit<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Women\u2019s Champion: Kendal Grey<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Men\u2019s Champion: Tony D\u2019Angelo<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>All the main event men and women appeared in the summit.\u00a0 The women &#8211; Kendal Gray, Wren Sinclair, Kelani Jordan, Zaria, and Kali Armstrong &#8211; stated why they are going to win their respective matches.\u00a0 Grayson Waller followed by Tony D, Cruz Montana, and Zilla Fatu came out after.\u00a0 Each cut short promos.\u00a0 Montana said, \u201cAll of you came to talk, I came to throw hands.\u201d \u00a0This led to the predictable fight between the women contenders and the men contenders as the show went off the air.<\/p>\n<p><b>Brandler\u2019s Bit<\/b>: The NXT Summit was a different idea for the promotion.\u00a0 Instead of having everyone fight with each other in two or more segments, having a summit was more efficient.\u00a0 The predictable fight at the end was reminiscent of old time wrestling in the Crockett NWA or Mid-South Wrestling, where the announcer would yell \u201cwe\u2019re out of time, we\u2019ve got to go\u2026\u2026..\u201d as the screen would fade to black.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2146367913\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Zilla Fatu has gotten a great deal of television time including Raw on Monday night and Tuesday night on NXT.\u00a0 Why give him so much attention if there is not going to be a title change?<\/p>\n<p>I wonder how the NXT women are feeling about Grayson Waller\u2019s promo\u2026 \u201cLadies, great to look at, hard to listen to\u2026You girls used to be the highlight of the show until Grayson Waller decided to come back\u2026..\u201d \u00a0There is heel heat and there are condescending comments.<\/p>\n<p><em>ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Check out the latest episode of &#8220;PWT Talks NXT&#8221; with Kelly Wells and Nate Lindberg, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/episode\/pwt-talks-nxt-wells-lindberg-discuss-final-hype-for-heatwave-delusional-heels-going-bowling-keanu-carver-s-expanding-weapons-more--74702083\">CLICK HERE<\/a> to stream (or search \u201cpwtorch\u201d on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PWT Talks NXT - Wells &amp; Lindberg discuss final hype for Heatwave, delusional heels going bowling, Keanu Carver\u2019s expanding weapons, more\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=74702083&amp;theme=light&amp;playlist=false&amp;playlist-continuous=false&amp;chapters-image=true&amp;episode_image_position=right&amp;hide-logo=false&amp;hide-likes=false&amp;hide-comments=false&amp;hide-sharing=false&amp;hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>MID-CARD MATCHES<\/h3>\n<p><strong>\u2022AAA Cruiserweight Champion Rey Fenix vs.\u00a0 EK Prosper<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rey Fenix has wrestled in more than 1,000 matches in his 20-year career.\u00a0 Prosper has just over 200 in his eight-year career.\u00a0 This match highlighted the experience difference.\u00a0 Fenix had many offensive moods, in addition to hitting all of his signature moves.\u00a0 He made the less experienced Prosper look great in the match.\u00a0 In the end, Fenix hit his cutter (which has yet to be named).\u00a0 Prosper fired back and went for his moonsault.\u00a0 Prosper missed.\u00a0 Fenix hit the Mexican Muscle Buster (MMB) for the win and successful title defense.<\/p>\n<p><b>Brandler\u2019s Bit<\/b>: Fenix is so smooth and such a seasoned pro.\u00a0 In a good way, we may overdose on Fenix. \u00a0 This week, he was on Raw, then NXT.\u00a0 On Sunday, he is in the AAA six-man match at \u201cOla de Calor\u201d(Heatwave) with Penta and Dragon Lee.\u00a0 He is back on Raw on Monday in the \u201cRoman Invitational\u201d against his brother Penta.\u00a0 He is finally getting a well-deserved spot on a major stage.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2022Dion Lennox vs. Saquon Shugars in a Weaponized Cage Match.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The blow off to the Dark State feud occurred.\u00a0 It was a predictable weapons match with lots of chairshots, kendo sticks, and an uncooperative table.\u00a0 We learned in the match that Saquon has a surgically repaired knee which flared up in the match.\u00a0 Shugars won with a high cross body from the top of the cage.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1831598780\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><b>Brandler\u2019s Bit<\/b>: The good news: the feud is over and there were no run-ins from the other Dark State members.\u00a0 The bad news: how can you identify Shugars knee injury on commentary and not have Lennox exploit this weakness in Saquon? The commentary and booking of the match were incredibly inconsistent. (By the way, a \u201cweaponized\u201d cage match is redundant in WWE. When was the last time you saw a Cage Match or Hell in the Cell match WITHOUT weapons?\u00a0 The ECW named \u201cWeapon Filled Cage Match\u201d would be much more accurate.) \u00a0Shugars hopefully moves onward and upward on the card.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2022Sean Legacy &amp; Noam Dar &amp; Romeo Morena &amp; Dorian Van Dux vs. Birthright (Lexis King &amp; Uriah Connors &amp; Stacks Lorenzo, &amp; Charlie Dempsey)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The four men on the baby face team are the up and comers in the tag team division.\u00a0 The Birthright team is one unit. They are always together in singles or tag team matches. This was an incredibly athletic match with multiple dives over the ropes and multiple near falls. Dempsey won with a belly to back suplex with a bridge.<\/p>\n<p><b>Brandler\u2019s Bit<\/b>: Connors is the most underrated member of the NXT roster.\u00a0 The son of Findley gets \u201cit\u201d.\u00a0 He underplays his talent as to not to stand out in this group.\u00a0 He has charisma and could somewhere down the line, be a great babyface.\u00a0 Dempsey is multi-talented as a wrestler; not so much as an entertainer.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2022Keanu Carver vs Kam Hendrix<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This match was thrown together at the last minute by General Manager Robert Stone.\u00a0 This is the new Keanu Carver\u2014a wrestler, not a brawler, not a hot head.\u00a0 Late in the match, Mason Rook appeared and distracted Kam.\u00a0 Carver took advantage and hit a \u201cPerfect Plex\u201d for the win.<\/p>\n<p><b>Brandler\u2019s Bit:<\/b> Rook and Kam are due for a layered feud.\u00a0 That would be good for both of them. The booking of Carver continues to be confusing.\u00a0 He switches personalities week to week.\u00a0 Last week, he won with a \u201csmall package\u201d; this week the \u201cPerfect Plex\u201d.\u00a0 Who had those moves on their Carver bingo card for the summer months? Nattie and Jaida Parker had a short back and forth confrontation to set up their \u201cSubmissions Match\u201d on Sunday.\u00a0 This will be a great opportunity for Jaida to win.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>THIS WEEK ON NXT<\/h3>\n<p>The only announced match is Shiloh Hill looking for revenge against Nakaru.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PWT Talks NXT - PWTorch NXT Post-Show (8\/25) w\/Lindberg &amp; Wells\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UCvfx-t9LnA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-2911535118\"><div id=\"pwtor-91324909\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>This edition of NXT television cemented the storylines for the entire NXT Heatwave card which is on Sunday, Aug. 30 at 3 p.m. The show also presented an AAA title match and Steel Cage Match.\u00a0 <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/08\/30\/nxt-feud-tracker-brandlers-analysis-of-the-latest-developments-with-zaria-kendal-grey-lennox-vs-shugars-heat-wave-ramifications\/\" title=\"NXT FEUD TRACKER: Brandler&#8217;s analysis of the latest developments with Zaria, Kendal Grey, Lennox vs. Shugars, Heat Wave ramifications\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":221692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,6447,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-221691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-feud-tracker","category-specialists"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-31-at-12.27.15-PM.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=221691"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221691\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":221693,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221691\/revisions\/221693"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/221692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}