WWE NXT Review - February 17, 2026

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Kelani Jordan def. AAA World Mixed Tag Team Champion Lola Vice

This has been a nice midcard feud in the women's division to keep the two of them busy. Granted, they'll both have to be called up to the main roster eventually and that time should be sooner rather than later, but at least they're not completely directionless in the meantime. This was a good match from them and I had no issue with Jordan submitting Vice since Vice had an out with the injured hand.

Ricky Saints Interrupted NXT Champion Joe Hendry

Hendry and Saints are both talented talkers, so it was no surprise that this was a solid segment with quality mic work. They kept it simple and effectively set up their one-on-one championship clash coming out at Vengeance Day next month. If and when Saints fails to regain the gold, he should be main roster bound, provided they have a plan in place for him because I'm not sure what more he can do in NXT.

Tony D'Angelo def. Cutler James

This was a logical match to do as part of D'Angelo's feud with DarkState, but I can't say it interested me in any way. D'Angelo running through the faction is boring and James is the most generic guy in the group. There wasn't anything necessarily wrong with this, but it didn't stand out, either. The best thing I can say about it is that it served its purpose and didn't overstay its welcome.

The Vanity Project (Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes) def. The Culling (Shawn Spears and Niko Vance), OTM, and Hank Walker & Tank Ledger in an NXT Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contender's Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Match

I maintain that NXT's tag team division lacks depth, but I at least appreciate that they're trying to get something going by having all of these teams vie for a title shot. This was a well-worked four-way as they kept the pace consistent throughout. I love that Vanity Project went over as they're the freshest faces of the bunch, even though them against DarkState will have a heel vs. heel dynamic.

Zaria Saved Sol Ruca from Fatal Influence

I've given Jacy Jane plenty of flack during her two reigns as NXT Women's Champion over the last year, but she's absolutely improved not only in the ring but on the mic as well. That was evident here as I thought she cut what may have been her strongest promo ever. Ruca's promo was also excellent and Zaria played her role well by pretending to turn on Ruca only to save her. That said, I have no doubt she turns on Ruca when she challenges for the NXT Women's Championship next week. It's time.

Elio Lefleur vs. Eli Knight in the Finals of the WWE Speed Championship No. 1 Contender's Tournament Ended in a Time-Limit Draw

I've been wondering what would happen if one of these Speed matches ended in a time-limit draw. Well, now we know. Doing a Triple Threat with these two and Jasper Troy next week for the strap makes sense. As you'd expect, this was a fun sprint for as long as it lasted. Lefleur and Knight fit this style way more than Troy does, so hopefully one of them takes the title from Troy.

NXT North American Champion Ethan Page def. Shiloh Hill

Hill's teeth gimmick is definitely goofy and will have a short shelf life, but otherwise, he's got potential and has shown signs of promise in the ring and as a character. I hated how this was riddled with interference from The Vanity Project and how it hurt the match, but I understand it was designed to protect Hill in defeat. Myles Borne feels like the one to dethrone Page based on what went down afterward.

Overall Show

Wait, so there's a Roadblock edition of NXT at the end of March, but they're doing Vengeance Day in a little over two weeks? That's not nearly enough time to build up a worthy card, especially since they're doing a few big matches next week instead. Weird. This was a successful setup show, though, with multiple moving parts and most stuff feeling important.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews