WWE NXT Review - January 13, 2026

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Ava Announced a Six-Man Ladder Match for the Vacant NXT Championship Before a Brawl Broke Out Among the NXT Roster

Yes, we're getting a Ladder match to determine the next NXT Champion on the February 3rd edition of NXT. Shocking, I know. Ricky Saints was the only one to get mic time aside from Ava, so hopefully that's a sign he'll be the one to claim the vacant title (especially since he never should have lost it in the first place). It's worth noting that Kenau Carver stood tall from the brawl that ensued, so he'll likely be one to watch going forward.

Lola Vice def. Kelani Jordan

Both of these women have a ton of potential, yet it feels like they've been spinning their wheels for a few months now. Realistically, they belong on the main roster at this point, but I wouldn't want to see them moved to either Raw or SmackDown if there's no plan in place for them. Nonetheless, they had a nice, well-worked match here. Vice indicated afterward that she's coming for Izzi Dame's NXT Women's North American Championship because she beat Dame recently.

WWE Speed Champion Jasper Troy def. Tavion Heights

The stupid Speed concept continues to limit matches that would be better with more time. Some bouts benefit from being shorter, whereas a match like this never really got out of first gear because it was so brief. This was fine albeit forgettable. I'm actually glad Heights lost because I'd prefer for him not to be bogged down by the Speed stuff. Troy is the right person to be holding it for now.

Jaida Parker Attacked Blake Monroe

There were reports about a week ago that Monroe was being considered for a call-up to the main roster, before it was reported that her call-up may not be imminent after all. In that case, I don't know why she couldn't have recaptured the NXT Women's North American title, but oh well. She cut a decent promo, but the bigger focus was on Parker's return. She's been away for months with an injury and this was a good way to reintroduce her.

TNA International Champion Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo def. Shiloh Hill

Although Lorenzo was my pick to retain, I did think Hill had a chance of winning, if only because he's been protected up to this point. I don't know why he had to suffer his first loss to Lorenzo of all people, but at least Lorenzo cheated to win. Plus, it would have been counterproductive for an NXT wrestler to drop a TNA title to another NXT wrestler. They had a quality contest. Hopefully it doesn't take Hill long to bounce back.

Tatum Paxley Interrupted NXT Women's North American Champion Izzi Dame

Dame's promo, though well delivered, was pretty generic. Everything she said made sense, but I simply do not find her compelling as champ whatsoever. This predictably led to Tatum Paxley interrupting and chasing her off. As expected, their program isn't over and their third match is bound to be for the NXT Women's North American title. If Paxley ends up with the belt, that's cool, but I'm ready for this rivalry to be wrapped up.

Joe Hendry def. Dion Lennox in a No Disqualification Match

Despite Hendry feuding with DarkState on and off for the last year, this still didn't feel like it needed a stipulation. That said, it did make the more more interesting. There was a ton of overbooking, but the action was enjoyable enough. Tony D'Angelo attacked both men before putting Hendry on top of Lennox for the win. He's making enemies out of everybody, but I still can't bring myself to give a crap about whatever this new character is that he's supposed to be doing. At the end of the day, it's Tony D'Angelo. He's been on this brand for almost five years and there's no been no development with him since Deadline. I do not care.

Overall Show

NXT TV will be carried by the NXT Championship Ladder match qualifiers in the coming weeks. Not because the matches will be amazing or anything like that, but because they'll have stakes. That's about it, though. NXT is in a dire state otherwise at the moment and they have a lot of work to do when it comes to rebuilding the brand and producing some storylines and characters that will be worth investing in.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews