WWE NXT The Great American Bash Review - June 28, 2026

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NXT Champion Tony D'Angelo def. Naraku

D'Angelo had an out to lose with the "injured" eye coming into this contest, so the outcome didn't feel overly predictable. D'Angelo winning decisively was one thing, but the finish felt underwhelming. The match ended in roughly 10 minutes and there wasn't nothing special about it whatsoever. What we got was good, but they never hit that next gear, and that could just be a case of of neither guy never really getting to that level all that often.

NXT Women's North American Champion Zaria def. Tatum Paxley

Although I assumed Zaria was retaining the title (it would have been ridiculous for her to lose it so soon after winning it), I will admit that they got me on some of those nearfalls. They went a bit too crazy with the finishers, but otherwise, this was a really entertaining encounter on par with their previous outing. Paxley got into it with Kelani Jordan later on in the show, so she isn't done in NXT just yet.

Shiloh Hill def. Tristian Angels

I appreciate that these two made the premium live event (if you can even call it that with the absurd amount of commercials) and they've been feuding for a while, but I would have been content with this being relegated to NXT TV. It was a fairly average match and the shenanigans under the ring halfway through were just stupid. Hill winning to blow off their rivalry made sense, but I hope they continue to push Angels as well because he also has potential.

WWE Women's Speed Champion Wren Sinclair def. Arianna Grace

I believe this was the only match on the show to not be interrupted by a commercial break, which isn't surprising since it lasted less than five minutes. Nonetheless, Sinclair and Grace had a perfectly passable bout. Sinclair is known more for her character work than she is her matches, but I'm glad she's getting this opportunity to showcase her skills on her own for a change. The history that she has with Grace's Birth Right stablemate Charlie Dempsey added to this match, if only slightly.

Saquon Shugars def. Dion Lennox

You can throw this into the same category as Hill vs. Angels in that I understand why it would make the card, but their issue with each other doesn't feel personal enough at this point, so their match fell flat. It wasn't terribly wrestled or anything like that (other than the awkwardly-executed finish), but the DarkState drama is lame and neither guy had a standout showing. DarkState laid out Shugars afterward, so the feud is bound to continue. Oh, joy.

NXT North American Champion Myles Borne def. Tavion Heights

This had a simple story in that Borne and Heights have an established alliance from their time in No Quarter Catch Crew. I'm shocked Heights hasn't turned on Borne yet (or vice versa), but perhaps that's still to come. This received an ample amount of time and thankfully so. They had a quality contest, and although we already know what Borne is capable of, this was Heights' chance to impress and I thought he did just that.

Kendal Grey def. AAA World Mixed Tag Team Champion Lola Vice to Win the NXT Women's Championship

Grey and Vice worked damn hard and had the best bout of the night. Grey's in-ring ability is obviously above average and Vice is rather talented herself, so they clicked nicely as opponents. This was the moment Grey's push has been building to and it culminated in terrific fashion, while Vice is now open to move up to the main roster. Grey should the centerpiece of the women's division for as long as NXT is able to keep her.

Overall Show

Bless anyone who tuned into this live because it definitely did not need to be three hours long. This was the first NXT premium live event to air in its entirety on The CW now that WWE's deal with Peacock is done, and it resulted in way more commercials than necessary (including during the matches) and the occasional cut-in to the analysts outside (at least fwe got to hear from Kevin Owens). It felt more like a glorified edition of NXT TV than a true PLE, but that's just me. It was an adequate event on the whole with some decent action, but by no means did it feel must-see outside of the title change at the end.

SEE MORE: NXT Reviews, NXT PLE Reviews