The John Report: WWE NXT 06/09/26 Review
This week’s WWE NXT features Tatum Paxley facing Zaria, Naraku battling Mason Rook, Kelani Jordan going up against Kendal Grey, and more.
The next WWE NXT PLE will be the Great American Bash, which will be on Sunday, June 28th, so it’s time to build a card. That’s why there are two number one contender’s matches on this week’s show.
For this review, I’ll go play-by-play for some matches and a summary-style review for others.
They were at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando for this week’s show. Follow me on Twitter @johnreport and check out my NXT TV review archive. Let’s get to it.
A video package aired showing recent highlights and hyping up this week’s show as we travel on the road to the Great American Bash.
It was Vic Joseph and Booker T on commentary as usual. Mike Rome was the ring announcer.
Fraxiom – Nathan Frazer & Axiom vs. Noam Dar & Romeo Moreno
Fraxiom are former NXT Tag Team Champions who are on SmackDown these days, but here they are back in NXT again, I think mainly because the tag team division in NXT is so thin right now.
Dar started with Axiom as they exchanged some moves and did some clever counter moves. Axiom connected with a dropkick. The 21-year-old Romeo tagged in, so Frazer tagged in even though Axiom wanted to stay in there. It’s because Frazer lost to Romeo in a Speed match. Dar was back in with a punch on Frazer for two. Frazer came back with a jumping kick. Romeo went into the ring illegally and was cleared from the ring quickly. Dar and Romeo sent both opponents out of the ring. Romeo hit a springboard cross body block onto both Fraxiom guys on the floor. Dar hit an impressive moonsault onto Fraxiom on the floor. They went on a break for some fans there, and I’ll take a break too.
The match continued with Frazer going for a springboard attack, but Dar hit a back elbow to knock Frazer down. Romeo tagged in with a running clothesline on Axiom. Dar was back, going for an armbar on Axiom, but Frazer broke it up with a Frog Splash off the top. Axiom and Frazer hit two suicide dives each. Axiom was legal with a missile dropkick/sweep kick combo for two because Romeo barely made the save. The fans chanted, “This is awesome” for them. Axiom hit a superkick on Dar. Axiom went for another kick, but Dar grabbed an Ankle Lock on Axiom, and Romeo put an Ankle Lock on Frazer, too. Axiom broke free and kicked Romeo by the turnbuckle. Frazer hit a superplex, and Romeo hit an inside cradle. Axiom hit a superkick on Frazer when Romeo avoided it. Romeo kicked Axiom out of the ring. Dar and Romeo hit a double team spinebuster on Frazer for two. The fans were chanting, “This is awesome,” and I agree. Fraxiom hit a double superkick to stop a leaping Romeo on the floor. Axiom hit a Spanish Fly on Dar, who wasn’t legal. Frazer put Moreno in the ring and Axiom got the tag and hit a Golden Ratio kick. Frazer hit the Phoenix Splash off the top and Axiom covered Romeo for the pinfall win after 14 minutes.
Winners by pinfall: Fraxiom – Nathan Frazer & Axiom
Analysis: ***3/4 Awesome match by four talented European wrestlers. There were a lot of nearfalls throughout the match, and in the last five minutes, the action really picked up, making it feel like a great match. I have reviewed so many Fraxiom matches over the years where they always deliver outstanding matches if they get the time, and they got it here. Credit to Dar and Romeo for not only keeping up but also showing they can be a terrific tag team, too. I wonder if Fraxiom winning means they’ll stay in NXT for a while since there’s nothing going on for them on SmackDown these days. I wouldn’t mind a Fraxiom run in NXT again.
After the match, Nathan Frazer told Noam Dar that he thinks he has found his new tag team partner in Romeo Moreno.
Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair spoke backstage about Grey’s match. Wren said she can’t be out there because of her injury. Wren said she’ll talk to GM Robert Stone about a Speed Title tournament. Lola Vice, the NXT Women’s Champion, walked in to tell Grey she didn’t mean to hit her last week. Grey said that’s the second time, and she’ll deal with Vice after she beats Kelani Jordan. Grey left.
The Naraku/Mason Rook match was next.
A commercial aired for SummerSlam on August 1 & 2.
(Commercial)
The Mr. NXT Pageant kicked off with Evolve Champion Aaron Rourke as a judge, Kit Wilson and comedian Matt Mathews. I don’t know who that is. Sarah Schreiber was hosting while Tristan Angels and Shiloh Hill showed off different looks in a fashion contest. I’m not recapping everything. The judges liked Tristan so far, but fans can vote as well with a QR Code.
Analysis: I understand it’s a silly thing not to be taken seriously, but I’m not a huge fan of the Mr. NXT Pageant so far. We’ll see how it goes as the show continues.
NXT Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Mason Rook vs. Naraku
Rook hit a clothesline and senton splash for two. Naraku barely connected with a body slam on the big man Rook, and Naraku kicked Rook out of the ring. They went on a break for nearly four minutes, and I’ll take a break too.
The match continued with Rook setting up Naraku on the top turnbuckle and Rook hit a powerslam off the middle turnbuckle for a two count. Naraku hit a clothesline, but Rook didn’t go down and then Rook got a hold of a charging Naraku leading to a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Naraku put Rook on his shoulders and hit a sitout slam for a two count. The fans were chanting, “This is awesome” for them. Naraku hit a suplex for two. Naraku jumped on Rook’s back for a sleeper attempt, but Rook got a hold of Naraku and hit a cannonball into the turnbuckle. Kam Hendrix showed up at ringside and Naraku countered a move into a pin attempt. Naraku hit an STO called Entering The Abyss for the pinfall win. It went about 10 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Naraku
Analysis: *** A solid match to put over Naraku in a cheap way thanks to Cam Hendrix distracting Mason Rook for some reason. If that becomes a feud then it could lead to Rook becoming a babyface. The veteran Naraku had a good showing throughout the match, and I’m not surprised that he won.
Naraku’s win means he’ll challenge Tony D’Angelo for the NXT Title at the Great American Bash.
Myles Borne, the NXT North American Champion, was backstage talking to Tavion Heights. Heights wanted to team up again, but Borne said he had to focus on his title. Jackson Drake walked up with his group, The Vanity Project, and argued with Heights. Heights suggested that whoever wins their match next week gets a shot at Borne’s NXT North American Title. Drake agreed to it.
Kendal Grey was shown walking backstage. Wren Sinclair wished her best friend Grey good luck.
(Commercial)
There was an NXT Spotlight video about Tate Wilder, who is a risk-taker and a thrill-seeker. Tate said life is about the risks you take. They showed Tate participating in sports that are high risk and showing his athletic moves in the ring too.
NXT Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Kendal Grey vs. Kelani Jordan
They had an outstanding match on May 12th that Jordan won. Grey got some takedowns early on, but Jordan broke free and hit a cross body block. Grey avoided a dropkick and hit a dropkick of her own for two. Jordan worked over Grey with chops. Jordan avoided a move and stomped on Grey’s ribs. Jordan sent Grey hard into the turnbuckle. Grey avoided a springboard attack by Jordan and Grey hit a hurricanrana. Grey hit a running uppercut. Jordan blocked Grey and sent her to the mat. Jordan did a necksnap across the top rope. Jordan clotheslined Grey over the top to the floor. Jordan hit a neckbreaker on the floor. They went on a break for some fans there and I’ll stick with the action since it’s a big match. Jordan sent Grey into the side of the ring apron. Jordan hit a leg drop. Jordan hit a springboard forearm, and another neckbreaker for a two count. Jordan grabbed a chinlock and hit a forearm to knock Grey down. Jordan choked Grey against the middle turnbuckle. Jordan grabbed a chinlock, let go and hit an elbow drop, followed by a leg drop.
The action went to the floor, where Grey tripped up Jordan on the apron. Grey and Jordan hit a double clothesline on the floor. They went back in the ring to exchange strikes. Grey hit Jordan with two elbows and an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Grey pulled the straps down, leading to two Exploder Suplexes. Jordan blocked a move and got a pin attempt with the feet on the ropes, but the referee, Jeremy Marcus, stopped the cheating. Jordan countered a move and applied a Crossface submission, but Grey countered it into a two count. Grey hit a German Suplex on Jordan for two. Grey jumped off the top with nothing, and Jordan stopped it with a superkick. Jordan jumped over the top rope into a Cutter. Jordan went up top with a Frog Splash for a two count. Jordan went for a move off the turnbuckle, but Grey jumped up with her and tried an armbar. Jordan countered it into a pin attempt for two. Jordan hit a dragon screw leg whip. Jordan pulled back on the legs with her knee for a submission. Grey got out of it. Jordan and Grey each got nearfalls for two. Grey went for an armbar again and Jordan sat on top for two. Grey hit the Shades of Grey slam into the mat for the pinfall win. It went about 14 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Kendal Grey
Analysis: **** Awesome match, just like their last match, but this time it was Kendal Grey getting the big win to earn a shot at the NXT Women’s Title. The match was full of counters with Jordan getting a lot of nearfalls in the match, while Grey kept fighting and finally hit her finisher to get the win. It was a 4-star match. I’m a little sad that Jordan isn’t getting the NXT Women’s Title match since she’s been on the brand for a while, yet they just don’t have her go after that title.
Kendal Grey winning means she will challenge Lola Vice for the NXT Women’s Title at the Great American Bash.
Analysis: I think Grey will be NXT Women’s Champion this year at some point, but I don’t know if it will be at GAB.
The Mr. NXT Pageant took place as Shiloh Hill fixed a Rubik’s Cube in under 1 minute. Hill did it easily. Hill did another talent with some sticks and a bouncing ball. Tristan Angels walked in to try to fix the Rubik’s Cube, but he couldn’t do it. Angels did some juggling after, but it wasn’t that interesting, especially because Hill juggled while using a unicycle. The judges said Hill won that round. It’s 1-1. Public speaking is the last part of it.
Analysis: Riveting action.
(Commercial)
Tony D’Angelo, the NXT Champion, was interviewed by Blake Howard. Tony said he never discredited Naraku for what he’s done in his career. Naraku approached Tony, handed it to him, and Tony opened the envelope to reveal a card. Tony looked at it and that was the end of the scene.
Jasper Troy vs. Dion Lennox (w/Osiris Griffin)
The big man, Troy, grabbed Dion by the throat and sent him over the top to the floor. I had to step away for a few minutes here and missed a bit of the action. Troy went for a move off the turnbuckle, but Griffin distracted him, and then Dion hit a powerslam-type move for the pinfall win.
Winner by pinfall: Dion Lennox
Analysis: ** It was just an average match with Dion Lennox getting the win after Troy was focused on Griffin on the floor.
Saquon Shugars appeared on the video wall with a message for Darkstate, but then he revealed it was a taped message. Shugars hit Griffin with a steel pipe and ran away before Dion could get him.
A clip was shown of Jaida Parker attacking Nattie at Nattie’s training ring, known as The Dungeon, so that feud is continuing.
(Commercial)
Mr. NXT Pageant Conclusion
Shiloh Hill and Tristan Angels were in the ring as Sarah Schreiber asked them why they should be Mr. NXT. Angels was in a suit, claiming he was humble, and he was born a humble sheep herder. Angels said he today was his 23rd birthday and said he tattooed Mr. NXT on his body. Angels trashed Hill to end his speech.
Hill talked about how he wanted to represent himself in this pageant. Hill said NXT is all about finding more about yourself. Hill said NXT, wrestling, and life as a whole are about figuring it out. Hill said that he is doing pretty well in NXT, so that’s why he should be Mr. NXT.
The judges spoke as comedian Matt Mathews praised Hill and gave his vote to him. Kit Wilson trashed Hill for being toxic, while adding that Tristan Angels is toxic. Wilson praised Tristan’s long blonde hair and English accent, so Wilson voted for Angels. The Evolve Champion Aaron Rourke loves how Shiloh Hill embraces the weird, and Tristan looks the part. Rourke said that the deciding vote is up to the fans. The fan vote stats appeared on the screen to show that Shiloh Hill was the winner. They didn’t show a percentage of votes or anything like that. Hill was presented with a Mr. NXT sash.
After the Pageant, Tristan Angels hit Shiloh Hill with a cane of some kind. Angels hit a knee attack as well. Angels attacked Hill with a steel chair to the back. Angels hit a knee drop into the chair. Angels posed with the Mr. NXT sash while Hill was down.
Analysis: It went the way that you would expect with the babyface Shiloh Hill winning the fan vote and becoming Mr. NXT. Of course, the heel Tristan Angels didn’t take it well, so that cheap attack should set up a match between them. I think both guys have a lot of potential, and Angels is so young. It’s easy to get excited about that guy’s future.
The NXT GM Robert Stone was backstage talking to Naraku, who said now he goes to war with Tony D’Angelo at Great American Bash. Naraku said he gave Tony a card that was an invitation to battle. Keanu Carver interrupted the conversation, Naraku left, and Carver said he wanted competition. Stone said he’ll figure it out for next week, and Carver said you better do that or Carver will decide who is next.
The Tatum Paxley/Zaria match was next in the main event as both women were shown walking backstage.
A commercial aired for the NXT Great American Bash.
(Commercial)
Here’s what is coming next week on NXT:
* Nattiie vs. Jaida Parker
* Jackson Drake vs. Tavion Heights in a #1 Contender’s Match for a shot at the NXT North American Title
* Face to face: Tony D’Angelo and Naraku
* Women’s Speed Tournament begins
Izzi Dame was shown watching on a TV backstage, wondering why she’s in the Women’s Speed tournament. Shawn Spears walked in saying he got Dame in the tournament so she can get a title. Spears said that Dame is against Thea Hail, who she has defeated in the past. Niko Vance and Dame liked the idea.
Zaria made her entrance for the main event as the announcers talked about how Zaria has yet to win a championship in NXT. The NXT Women’s North American Champion Tatum Paxley was up next and the fans loved her as usual. Ring announcer Mike Rome did the championship introductions in the ring.
NXT Women’s North American Championship: Tatum Paxley vs. Zaria
The match started quickly with Zaria hitting a Spear for a two count. Zaria sent Paxley out of the ring and sent Paxley into the barricade. Zaria rammed Paxley into the ring post and got a two count after that. Zaria picked up Paxley and tossed her across the ring. Zaria went for a charging attack, but Paxley moved and Zaria was on the apron. Paxley stomped on Zaria’s back to knock her down on the floor. Paxley hit a moonsault off the apron onto Zaria on the floor. The match went to a break for some fans, but I’m sticking with the action since it’s the main event. Zaria was back up to send Paxley into the ring apron. Back in the ring, Paxley pulled on Zaria’s arms in a submission, but Zaria powered out of that. Zaria hit a shoulder breaker. Zaria sent Paxley into the turnbuckle. Zaria grounded Paxley with an armbar. Paxley was back up with strikes.
It was Paxley getting some offense with a jumping DDT. Paxley hit two forearms and an enziguri kick to the head. Paxley hit a flipping leg drop to the head. Paxley hit a jumping kick to the head. Paxley followed up with a kick to the back of the neck for two. Paxley hit an elbow to the head and a German Suplex. Zaria went for another suplex, but Paxley landed on her feet and made some crazy faces. Paxley avoided a Spear and hit a double stomp to the back. Paxley went up top and went for a 450 Splash, but Zaria avoided it. Zaria hit a Spear for a two count. Zaria and Paxley exchanged strikes. Paxley hit a knee to the face, Zaria hit a forearm and Paxley hit a running forearm. Paxley connected with a superkick. Paxley went up top and Zaria jumped up with a forearm to the face. Paxley kicked Zaria, so Zaria was upside down against the turnbuckle. Paxley jumped off the top with a Coast to Coast dropkick across the ring for a two count because Zaria got her shoulder up. Paxley and Zaria were unable to hit finishers. Paxley hit a spinning kick to the head. Zaria charged, Paxley sent Zaria to the floor and Paxley went for a moonsault, but Zaria moved. Zaria hit an F5 on the floor. Back in the ring, Zaria hit a Spear. Zaria hit another F5 for the one…two…and three! Zaria is the new NXT Women’s North American Champion. It went about 11 minutes.
Winner by pinfall AND NEW NXT Women’s North American Champion: Zaria
Analysis: ***1/2 I thought it was a very good championship with Zaria hitting several big moves to put away Tatum Paxley and claim Zaria’s first title win. The key spot was Paxley going for that moonsault off the apron to the floor, it missed, and Zaria hit some big moves to capitalize on the mistake. Zaria using the F5 as a finisher is so fitting for her, and she does the Spear very well, also. It felt like the right time for a title change.
.@ZariaWWE_ has finally captured the NXT Women's North American Championship! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/B4Ldv4KwTF
— WWE (@WWE) June 10, 2026
Zaria posed with the NXT Women’s North American Title as her first title win in NXT. Zaria had a look of relief on her face. They replayed some key spots. Zaria continued to celebrate and even licked the championship. That was the end of the show.
Analysis: I’m happy for Zaria finally getting a title in NXT. She’s a good performer, and she deserves it. Absolutely.
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Three Stars of the Show
- Kendal Grey
- Zaria
- Fraxiom
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The Scoreboard
This week: 7.75 out of 10
Last week: 6.75
2026 Average: 7.09
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Final Thoughts on WWE NXT
It was one of the better NXT episodes this year, thanks to the matches being above average and better than usual. I didn’t care much for the Mr. NXT Pageant, but I understand that NXT likes to book silly segments sometimes.
I liked the show because there were matches with stakes. Two contenders’ matches and the title match as the main event. When you have matches like that where the wins and losses matter, the matches mean more than some random matches that are set up in a backstage setting. The Grey-Jordan match was great again, like last month. I’m glad Grey got the win this time. The opening tag team match was also a lot of fun.
Zaria beating Tatum Paxley to win the NXT Women’s North American Title in the main event was great to see. Paxley did well as the champion, but it’s time for Zaria to get a title, and I’m glad it happened for her.
The NXT Great American Bash takes place on Sunday, June 28th. Here’s the lineup so far.
* WWE NXT Championship: Tony D’Angelo (c) vs. Naraku
* WWE NXT Women’s Championship: Lola Vice (c) vs. Kendal Grey
There will be more matches added in the weeks ahead.
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Thanks for reading. My contact info is below.
John Canton
Email [email protected]
Twitter/X @johnreport