WWE NXT Kicks Off As Former World Champion Gets Taken Out
Tonight’s episode of WWE NXT was off with a bang as it started with a former World Champion being taken out on the show, throwing the planned show up in the air.
With Oba Femi relinquishing the NXT Championship, General Manager Ava announced a huge six-man ladder match for next week’s episode that will decide the new champion of the brand.
Ricky Saints, Shiloh Hill, and Sean Legacy have qualified for the match so far, and the rest of the field is scheduled to be filled tonight with three more qualifying matches.
Joe Hendry was taken out on WWE NXT
The night was supposed to begin with the qualification match between Joe Hendry and the WWE Evolve Champion, Jackson Drake. However, before the match could begin, Joe Hendry was supposedly taken out by the Vanity Project.
Hendry’s music hit the arena, and fans waited for the former TNA World Champion to enter, but were instead greeted by a visual of Hendry lying on the ground with the Vanity Project surrounding him as Jackson Drake was seen with a chair in hand.
Woah, wait a second! 😲
Did The Vanity Project just take out @joehendry?! pic.twitter.com/rDwKSUUZhq
— WWE (@WWE) January 28, 2026
While it seemed that the Vanity Project was behind the attack on Hendry, it could easily have been Tony D’Angelo, who had attacked Hendry in the past and was seen eyeing the NXT Championship after it was vacated.
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