WWE NXT Review - May 5, 2026

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Kali Armstrong def. Jaida Parker

They're really wasting no time in pushing Armstrong as the next big thing in the women's division. It's not she's winning the NXT Women's Championship right away or anything, but I wouldn't be surprised if she was holding that title within a matter of months. They had a good match, and although I was surprised Parker lost clean, they seem to be telling a story with her based on her backstage interaction with Nattie later in the night.

Jackson Drake def. Jasper Troy

It looks like they're giving Mika Lockwood (the former Bayley Humphrey from WWE LFG) the Chyna role in The Vanity Project and I think she's the perfect fit for that right now. Troy hardly feels like a threat these days, so him losing doesn't mean much, but Lockwood slapping him was obviously impressive. The match was decent, but this was more about what we got at the end than anything else.

Zaria Attacked NXT Women's North American Champion Tatum Paxley, Lizzy Rain and Nikkita Lyons

It's cool to see so many names setting their sights on the NXT Women's North American Championship picture. Granted, Lyons does nothing for me and I thought her over-the-top promo was the worst part of this segment by far, but it made sense for her to be involved in order to set up the tag team match for next week. I liked how Zaria mentioned that she wants the Women's North American title picture because it was the title that came between her and Sol Ruca.

The Culling (Niko Vance and Izzi Dame) def. AAA World Mixed Tag Team Champions Mr. Iguana and NXT Women's Champion Lola Vice

It's been apparent for a few weeks that Dame would be next up for an opportunity at the NXT Women's Championship, so it was logical for her to pin Vice for the victory so she could get a bit of a credibility boost. They had some fun with the match and I thought Mr. Iguana played his role well. I don't think he'd work as a regular character on the show, but he's enjoyable in small doses.

DarkState (Osiris Griffin and Cutler James) def. Hank Walker and Tank Ledger

Griffin and James aren't usually the ones representing DarkState together in tag matches, but hey, at least it was something different. This was designed to get them back on track with a win and build to the group getting their rematch for the NXT Tag Team Championship. This was a well-worked bout. Walker and Ledger have been in NXT for what feels like forever, so it's possible they're putting other teams over before they head to the main roster.

NXT Champion Tony D'Angelo def. Tavion Heights (Non-Title)

It was encouraging to see Heights compete in the main event for a change. I've been singing his praises for a few years and he has the tools to be successful if he can stay healthy. I thought he had a solid showing here, even though I never truly bought into the idea that he was winning. The crowd popped huge for Mason Rook (the new name for the former Will Kroos) showing up afterward and attacking D'Angelo.

Overall Show

It's going to take time for all of these fresh faces to establish themselves, but the last two weeks have been a step in the right direction. The extended character profile for Keanu Carver was especially excellent. The main event scene is already in the process of being replenished and the women's division has no shortage of talent. The DarkState story isn't the only thing that isn't holding my interest at the moment, but the other stuff is progressing nicely and I applaud the effort to essentially start from scratch with the brand.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews