WWE NXT Review - March 31, 2026

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

OTM and TNA World Champion Mike Santana def. DarkState (Saaquon Shugars, Osiris Griffin and Dion Lennox)

It's awesome Santana got to compete in Madison Square Garden in his native New York. Him teaming with OTM was also a natural fit. This was a fun opener and the crowd was into the action. Assuming this feud is over, OTM winning should put them in contention for the NXT Tag Team Championship coming out of Stand & Deliver. As for DarkState, Lennox said backstage afterward that he'd make an impact on Saturday, whatever that's supposed to mean.

Los Americanos (Bravo Americano and Rayo Americano) def. Birth Right (Uriah Connors and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo) in the Finals of the NXT Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contender's Tournament

Birth Right wasn't over with this crowd at all, but they loved Los Americanos. The gimmick does nothing for me these days, but there's no denying it's over in NXT and AAA. The match was well worked and I can't say I'm surprised Los Americanos won. If they're basically babyfaces on this brand, them facing The Vanity Project for the tag titles makes for a better dynamic than if Birth Right did.

Jaida Parker def. Kelani Jordan

For a feud that's been building for a few weeks, this didn't feel like a big blow-off, but that's obviously because the feud will continue based on Jordan attacking Parker backstage later on. That said, this was an enjoyable outing from these two. I get the sense that this program is designed to keep the both of them busy ahead of potential main roster call-ups coming out of WrestleMania 42.

NXT Champion Joe Hendry, Ethan Page, Ricky Saints and Tony D'Angelo Attacked Each Other During the NXT Championship Contract Signing

Contract signings in NXT almost always end in physicality and this one was no exception, but the mic work we got from all four prior to that was good. Everyone played their roles well and effectively hyped their NXT Championship Fatal 4-Way for Stand & Deliver. Are we looking at D'Angelo finally winning the title on Saturday night? That was my top takeaway from this segment.

Keanu Carver def. Jasper Troy (Josh Briggs Served as Special Guest Referee)

Officials are clearly high on Carver, so there was no way he was losing here (not to mention Troy has barely been protected since arriving in NXT), but I didn't mind that they protected Troy in defeat by having him lose because of Briggs. The match was fairly forgettable otherwise because it was so short, but hopefully they get more time for their Triple Threat on next week's show.

Blake Monroe Agreed to Face NXT Women's North American Champion Tatum Paxley at Stand & Deliver

It's a shame this rivalry had to be rushed on such short notice because it had the potential to be more. What we've gotten has been fine, including their exchange in this segment, but the bout should feel bigger than it does. Nonetheless, their promos were decent as both women know their characters so well. I'm curious how their match ends because Paxley just captured the title and Monroe has been losing more than she should be.

Kendal Grey def. AAA World Mixed Tag Team Champion Lola Vice in an NXT Women's Championship No. 1 Contender's Match

Waiting until four days before Stand & Deliver to crown a number one contender to the NXT Women's title? Yeah, that certainly sounds like something NXT would do. Worse yet, they didn't make the likely Triple Threat official by the time the show went off the air. It was implied, but not confirmed. Also, why wouldn't Grey have waited a literal extra second before tapping so she could've won? Talk about lazy booking. The match itself was entertaining. Grey is practically a prodigy and although I'm not a fan of Vice's promos or character work, she tends to deliver when the bell rings.

Overall Show

The advertising for this show was weird because at one point this was supposed to be the Roadblock edition of NXT. It even said so on my TV's cable listings as well as online where you could purchase tickets, yet it was never once referred to as Roadblock during the show. It was probably supposed to be Roadblock before Stand & Deliver got moved up to this weekend. Nonetheless, this was a solid go-home show for Stand & Deliver and the atmosphere in Madison Square Garden added to my enjoyment of it. It doesn't feel like Stand & Deliver season at all, but hopefully they can indeed "deliver" a strong show on Saturday night.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews