WWE NXT Review - July 28, 2026

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Grayson Waller Spoke His Mind

Well, this came out of nowhere, and it was quite the pleasant surprise to say the least. Waller hasn't been seen on WWE TV to my knowledge since he got quickly squashed by Oba Femi back in May (that was right after The New Day left the company), so while going back to NXT arguably puts him on the chopping block (assuming he's still on a main roster salary), it's better than him sitting in catering with zero television exposure. Granted, he got a little too meta during this "pipe bomb" promo for my taste, but on the whole, it was excellently delivered and got my attention. Hopefully this career resurgence pans out for him.

Lizzy Rain def. Izzi Dame

It was the battle of women with similar names. I've made it quite clear in my reviews that although she's made great strides in the ring, Dame is still rather dull as a character, so I was happy to see Rain go over as she's a far more exciting prospect at the moment. This was a nice bout between the two. Shawn Spears counteracting Niko Vance at ringside lays the groundwork for a future mixed tag team match if they want to go there.

NXT North American Champion Myles Borne def. Kam Hendrix

It was established beforehand that if Borne successfully defended his title here, he and Tavion Heights would be able to challenge The Vanity Project for the NXT Tag Team Championship next week. Borne vs. Hendrix was solid albeit predictable. Heights prevented Mason Rook from interfering, and afterward, Vanity Project stood tall over Borne and Heights. This was pretty simple stuff.

BirthRight (Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo and Uriah Connors) def. OTM

They're finally acknowledging that Bronco Nima has been over in AAA lately without Lucien Price, which was what led to them not being on the same page here. If they break up and Nima sticks with that group over in AAA, Price is done for. Meanwhile, BirthRight can never seem to get anything going for themselves, but they were able to pick up a win here in what was a decent match.

Shiloh Hill def. Tristan Angels

I have no idea what the point was of these two running it back if Hill was going to beat Angels yet again and if there wasn't going to be a stipulation. Don't get me wrong, this was a quality contest from them, but I'm not a fan of Angels losing yet again. Hill decisively winning twice in a row should put the rivalry to rest and now both guys can move on to other opponents.

Tensions Boiled Over Between Cruz Montana, NXT Champion Tony D'Angelo and Grayson Waller

I know all the focus was on Waller's promo at the start of the show, but take nothing away from Montana (I wish he could have stayed Mike Santana but oh well), whose first official promo as an NXT star was strong. D'Angelo was very good on the mic as well. Waller attacking both men hints at the NXT Championship match at Heatwave being a Triple Threat, but time will tell.

Overall Show

Waller's return took what would have been an average edition of NXT and made it must-see. The best parts of this episode were the beginning and the end, but everything in the middle was serviceable and moved things along. It's encouraging that NXT's men's division is being bolstered heading into Heatwave. Now the rest of the card needs to fall into place, but they still have over a month until the event.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews