WWE NXT Review - March 24, 2026

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Kendal Grey and WWE Women's Speed Champion Wren Sinclar def. Fatal Influence (Lainey Reid and Fallon Henley)

A case can be made for Grey, Sinclar, Sol Ruca, Zaria and any two members (probably Henley and Jacy Jane) being the "SmackDown Six" of NXT in recent months. I feel like every match they've had against each other has been damn good and this was no exception. It was a fun opener with Grey continuing to build momentum before she likely becomes number one contender to the NXT Women's Championship, but she has to beat Lola Vice next week first.

Zaria Confronted Sol Ruca

I thought this was a super strong segment with excellent mic work from both women. Yes, this storyline has dragged on for what feels like forever, but it feels like the biggest bout on the Stand & Deliver card by far (including everything else that's expected to be added). You can argue they were a bit too dramatic, but I didn't mind their approach at all, and although the segment went a little long, they did a fantastic job of recapping their history leading up to now and establishing their respective character motivations. I'm not convinced they'll headline Stand & Deliver, but they should.

Kelani Jordan def. Thea Hail

I like the new look for Hail, even if it didn't lead to her winning here. Jordan going over made more sense since she's currently feuding with Jaida Parker, but I guess Hail could have won in fluky fashion via a distraction from Parker. The match was perfectly fine while it lasted. We found out later that Parker and Jordan will go one-on-one on next week's episode in Madison Square Garden.

Johnny Gargano def. Shiloh Hill, Charlie Dempsey, Jackson Drake and Dion Lennox in an NXT North American Championship No. 1 Contender's Gauntlet Eliminator Match

Gargano was the surprise entrant of the match. He actually didn't do anything the entire match other than lay in the corner (the same way he's been laying on the box backstage on SmackDown as of late) and fall onto Hill for the finish. I was hoping we'd get babyface Johnny Wrestling, but apparently not, or at least not yet. The rest of the match was solid. Gargano will get his shot at the title at Stand & Deliver.

Los Americanos (Bravo Americano and Rayo Americano) def. The Culling (Shawn Spears and Niko Vance) in an NXT Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contender's Tournament Semifinal Match

Poor Eli Knight. First, he was supposed to team with Sean Legacy in this tag tournament, but Legacy got hurt. Then, Elio Lefleur was announced as his replacement, but he got hurt over the weekend at a live event, so Knight got bumped from the tourney all together with Los Americanos taking the spot. They're fan favorites in front of this crowd, so it worked with them facing The Culling. The match was decent. The finals of the tourney will take place next week with the winners I believe challenging for the tag titles next Saturday.

Tony D'Angelo def. Ricky Saints by Disqualification

It's been pretty clear for a few weeks where the NXT Championship picture was headed, so this was a logical match to do. The action was enjoyable and the disqualification finish was acceptable because you ideally want to protect both guys before they both vie for the NXT title at Stand & Deliver. Robert Stone subsequently made the Fatal 4-Way with them, Joe Hendry and Ethan Page official before also announcing a contract signing for next week.

Overall Show

It was interesting how the women took up the first hour of the show and the men took up the second hour. The women are consistently the best part of this show most weeks, but the stuff with the men felt more important than usual this week and it made for an above-average episode. The build for Stand & Deliver definitely feels rushed, but it benefits NXT TV in the meantime because everything serves a purpose and the episodes are more worthwhile as a result.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews