NXT The Great American Bash 2026 Review
- Linus O'Howell
- 3 hours ago
- 5 min read
NXT Championship: Tony D’Angelo VS Naraku
NXT The Great American Bash 2026 kicked off in a big way, with Tony D’Angelo putting his NXT Championship on the line against Naraku! Due to the fireball attack earlier in the week, Tony D was wrestling this match with one eye covered up completely, meaning it felt like he should be easy pickings for Naraku! This event actually took place on the CW; a really cool thing for a lot of reasons, but something I hadn’t considered was the fact that it meant that adverts were played! That really affected this match, with us coming back to the action, only for the match to end just a couple of minutes later! Unbelievably, that ending saw D’Angelo drop Naraku with his finisher to get the win, and I just can’t understand this decision! Firstly, Naraku should be winning this match anyway, and that’s before we get to the fact that half of Tony’s face was bandaged up! Crazy decision!
Grade: C
NXT Women’s North American Championship: Zaria VS Tatum Paxley
Tatum Paxley was looking to become Champion again when she challenged Zaria in a rematch for the NXT Women’s North American Championship! I felt like this was probably one of the two best matches on this show; we’ve seen Tatum Paxley’s quality on multiple occasions, but it finally feels like we’re getting to see Zaria at her best (or at least close to it, anyway)! Zaria kicking out of back-to-back Cemetery Drives was impressive, especially given the fact that one of those took place on the outside of the ring, whilst Paxley then surprised me when she managed to kick out of a Z5! Personally, I would’ve saved a spot like that for a bigger occasion, but at least it added some extra jeopardy! Especially given the fact that just moments later, Zaria delivered another Z5 to retain her Women’s North American Title! What’s next for both women, I wonder?!
Grade: B
Shiloh Hill VS Tristan Angels
After Kevin Owens got excited at the NXT Tailgate and Watch Party, Shiloh Hill and Tristan Angels’ rivalry continued at The Great American Bash! This has definitely been my favourite feud heading into this show; I think both men have done an excellent job, and I thought that this was a pretty decent match! Wade Barrett was absolutely hysterical on commentary; he’s brilliant on NXT, and there was one moment in this match that was particularly bizarre, with Angels being choked out by Hill underneath the ring! There was also a phone ringing, echoing the words “The Fog is Coming”, and I have absolutely no idea what that means! What I do know is that Shiloh Hill was the one who scored the win here, with it being unclear as to whether this feud is set to continue or not!
Grade: B-
NXT Women’s Speed Championship: Wren Sinclair VS Arianna Grace
It was time for fast-paced action as Wren Sinclair put her NXT Women’s Speed Championship on the line against Arianna Grace! I like both of these women; I find them both to be quite charismatic, but 5 minutes is not enough time for them to deliver a strong enough contest for a Premium Live Event! Wren focused heavily on the submission game, whilst Arianna kept getting help from the rest of BirthRight! However, despite interference by Charlie Dempsey, Wren Sinclair was still able to score the win after forcing Grace to tap out, and all this did was make me question why this match was on this show to begin with!
Grade: C
Dion Lennox VS Saquon Shugars
After being kicked out of DarkState, Saquon Shugars was out for revenge as he went one-on-one with Dion Lennox! Over recent weeks, Saquon has done a good job of leaving Dion isolated by taking out the rest of DarkState, although he clearly didn’t do a good enough job, as Osiris Griffin and Cutler James appeared at ringside midway through this match! Despite this, Saquon was able to cause a bit of an upset, pinning Dion to my surprise, although it didn’t exactly end well for Shugars as DarkState left him laying to close the segment! I’m honestly surprised that Saquon Shugars won this match, but given the post-match attack, this feud looks set to continue for a while yet!
Grade: C+
NXT North American Championship: Myles Borne VS Tavion Heights
The penultimate match of the night saw former No Quarter Catch Crew brothers collide as Myles Borne and Tavion Heights scrapped for the right to be called NXT North American Champion! This was a good match; both guys are really talented, and I felt like they did a good job of keeping the momentum going throughout! Myles is clearly a performer that NXT has a lot of belief and hope in, hence why he’s been positioned as one of the brand's main Babyfaces, but I do feel like Tavion deserves more recognition; that guy is talented, too! Eventually, a Borne Again was enough for Myles Borne to successfully retain his NXT North American Title, and I would have to assume that eventually, Heights will turn on his former partner!
Grade: B-
NXT Women’s Championship: Lola Vice VS Kendal Grey
And in the Main Event of NXT The Great American Bash 2026, Lola Vice and Kendal Grey went at it for the NXT Women’s Championship! Alongside Zaria-Tatum Paxley, I feel like this was the match of the night, only further highlighting the strength of the NXT Women’s Division! Lola is all about delivering powerful strikes, whilst Kendal’s aim is to out-wrestle everyone! That allowed for this match to flow quite well, with both women getting their moments to shine! However, having said all of that, Grey’s back-elbow strike is absolutely incredible, with her wrecking Vice with it after Lola delivered a back fist of her own, leading to both women covering one another! Thankfully, they kicked out! However, in the end, it was Kendal Grey who was able to successfully deliver her finisher, nailing Lola Vice with a super Shades of Grey to become the brand-new NXT Women’s Champion! Kendal Grey has improved an awful lot since her original NXT debut a few years ago, with her run in Evolve really elevating her as one of the most exciting up-and-coming performers in the game! Grey will have a great run as Champion! As for Lola Vice, I would like to see her move on from NXT now; she’s got nothing left to prove, but I doubt that will happen! Just like Kendal, Lola has improved a lot!
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