WWE NXT Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights From May 12

It is a new era in WWE NXT, highlighted by so many fresh faces, and many of those new stars promised to appear on the May 12 show.

Naraku vowed to make his in-ring debut as a message to NXT champion Tony D'Angelo.

Tatum Paxley and Lizzy Rain teamed up against Nikkita Lyons and Zaria. Kendal Grey hoped to find revenge against Kelani Jordan.

This was just the beginning of what this week had to offer. What would NXT deliver? Could more new acts define themselves with the brand?

Tatum Paxley and Lizzy Rain vs. Zaria and Nikkita Lyons

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Lizzy Rain

Last Time in Action: Lizzy Rain defeated Nikkita Lyons (NXT, April 28). Tatum Paxley defeated Blake Monroe in a Casket match to retain her Women's North American Championship, and Zaria defeated Sol Ruca in a Last Woman Standing match (NXT: Revenge - Week 2, April 21).

While Zaria tried to assert her dominance early, it was Paxley and Rain who clicked as a team and took over, clearing the ring into the first picture-in-picture break.

The heels slowed the pace down for a time by isolating Paxley. When Rain got the hot tag, she lit up Lyons and nearly picked up the win.

After Lyons ducked a 450 Splash from Paxley, Zaria walked out on her tag team partner and left her to take another Thunderstruck for a Rain victory.

While Rain just arrived in NXT, she is clearly already both a major priority and a fan favorite. Her infectious energy carried this match.

This was good action, particularly when Zaria was in control, but it did fall into a formulaic pattern where the match relied upon the hot tags to Rain then Paxley to light up the crowd.

It would have been nice to see Paxley and Rain try more cohesive double-team offense, especially since it seems like this could be a partnership that lasts.

Zaria was protected in the finish, but she did invalidate the point of her competing in the match in the first place. She had a chance to earn a title opportunity and chose instead to walk away.

Booking like this can quickly devolve into making the heel look dumb, which would be a shame as Zaria has played a smart manipulator since she fully turned heel.

A victory for Rain should get her a one-on-one title shot against Paxley, which will be a fun challenge for the new arrival, and it would not be shocking to see Rain capture the gold.

Result

Rain and Paxley def. Lyons and Zaria by pinfall.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments and Observations

Booker T did a good job selling fully why Zaria was in this match under protest as she did not want to be in tag matches anymore.

The start of Zaria v. Rain was a fantastic tease of their chemistry as they clunked heads and hit hard.

As the heels isolated Paxley, the crowd chanted "We want Lizzy" and went wild for her hot tag in just her second NXT match.

Zaria's confidence as a heel has added to her in-ring work. She finally truly works like a dominant monster.

Naraku vs. Lince Dorado

Last Time in Action: This was Naraku's WWE debut while this was Lince Dorado's first NXT match since February 3, 2021 when he lost alongside Gran Metalik to Legado del Fantasma in the men's Dusty Classic.

Dorado showed off his veteran experience with fast-moving lucha libre to keep Naraku on his toes, but the former Evil still sealed his first NXT win with Enter the Abyss (formerly called Everything is Evil, an STO).

Naraku made clear afterward to the camera that he is "pure evil."

This was a fairly basic showcase for Naraku. He gave Dorado more offense than he probably should have, but he picked up the win in the end.

His entrance presentation was more important this week than his in-ring work. He comes out as a serious threat immediately, bathed in purple smoke.

Hopefully, he can show off more against higher level competition in the near-future because this match did not make him come off as a serious threat yet in the ring.

Result

Naraku def. Dorado by pinfall.

Grade

C

Notable Moments and Observations

NXT needs to get the pronunciation of Naraku's name down quickly. The crowd followed the example of Mike Rome: Nah-rah-koo. Booker T kept saying Nah-roh-koo, and Vic Joseph kept emphasizing the second syllable over the third.

It was jarring to hear Booker mentioning a company such as Dragon Gate.

Jaida Parker interrupted Nattie's interview to question the veteran calling her soft.

BirthRight vs. EK Prosper, Sean Legacy and Tate Wilder

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BirthRight

Last Time in Action: Sean Legacy and EK Prosper defeated Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo and Uriah Connors (NXT, April 28). Charlie Dempsey alongside BirthRight lost to Hank and Tank, Prosper, Shiloh Hill and Wren Sinclair (NXT: Countdown to Stand & Deliver, April 4). This was Tate Wilder's NXT debut.

BirthRight controlled the action early in this contest until Wilder got the hot tag and started running over the group. He started to get too ambitious with his offense, though.

Dempsey nearly took the win with a Super Butterfly Suplex on Wilder. Wilder fired back and nearly picked up the win off a Frog Splash on Dempsey.

Wilder refused to tag out to Legacy or Prosper and missed a Moonsault. Stacks and Connors met Wilder's face with Running Knees for the victory.

An overdone finish hurt a good six-man sprint as Wilder had to emphasize that he was an adrenaline junkie who did not play well with others.

BirthRight looked great, and Wilder clearly established his NXT character, even if he looked dumb with how much he refused to tag in his teammates late.

The established team needed this win and should continue to cause problems for their competition.

Stacks and Connors have found their chemistry together. They are now clearly the primary tag team in BirthRight and should keep picking up victories.

Result

Stacks, Connors and Dempsey def. Wilder, Prosper and Legacy by pinfall.

Grade

B

Notable Moments and Observations

Wilder promised his partners backstage that he would show out before Dorian Van Dux wished them good luck and said he would be cleared next week.

Wilder has a catchy pop theme that should work well to get him over.

Backstage, Tatum Paxley offered Lizzy Rain a title shot next week. Shiloh Hill arrived only to be interrupted by Tristan Angels, who guaranteed he would make a statement in his debut next week.

Mason Rook Signs His NXT Contract

Robert Stone tried to sign Mason Rook to his NXT contract, but Tony D'Angelo arrived to tell the newcomer that he had made a mistake by attacking the champion twice.

Kam Hendrix tried to attack D'Angelo again, only to get knocked down. Security tried to calm tensions, but Rook Moonsaulted out of the ring into the officers.

He finally signed his contract as Stone reprimanded him before staring down the NXT champion.

It was good to truly hear from Rook for the first time, but something is not quite clicking yet with his presentation.

Rook doing a Moonsault at all is impressive, though he did not fully get the air to lay out security.

Stone yelled at Rook like he did something horrible, but he did not even attack the champion directly this week.

Wrestling has so many athletic big men, and WWE needs to present more of a character than a big guy who can fly.

He still has looked better than Hendrix, whose repeated, unpunished attacks on NXT champions are just growing ridiculous. He needs to show something else.

Grade

D

Notable Moments and Observations

The crowd continues to love the full Rook chant and supported him throughout the segment despite him playing the heel.

Rook brought up John Cena's social media endorsement, making that officially NXT canon.

Emily Agard spoke with OTM at a poolside BBQ, talking up Bronco Nima's support of his little brother and Lucien Price's artistic love.

Myles Borne told an annoyed Tavion Heights backstage that Borne and D'Angelo would face Hendrix and Rook next week.

Stone also had to deal with Naraku laughing in his face backstage and Tate Wilder asking for another match, which Stone gave him against Keanu Carver.

Jackson Drake (w/ Vanity Project) vs. Noam Dar

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The Vanity Project

Last Time in Action: Jackson Drake defeated Jasper Troy (NXT, May 5, 2026); Noam Dar defeated Lexis King to win the NXT Heritage Cup (NXT, April 22, 2025).

The Scottish Supernova started to build himself by booting The Vanity Project's leader out of the ring.

Brad Baylor, Ricky Smokes and Myka Lockwood did their best to keep Dar's attention divided so that Drake could build up his own momentum.

Dar caught Drake in an armbar for a near submission. Drake escaped outside, and while Dar fought off Baylor and Smokes, Lockwood grabbed his leg to set up a Running Knee and 450 Splash for the win.

As The Vanity Project celebrated, DarkState arrived to confront the NXT men's tag team champions.

Cutler James and Osiris Griffin announced Dion Lennox and Saquon Shugars would challenge Vanity Project next week for the tag titles, hoping this would get all of DarkState working together.

Dar and Drake delivered a fun if forgettable match that mainly continued to sell that Drake is one of NXT's highest priority stars.

It was good to see The Scottish Supernova back in action after a long injury hiatus. He is not the same man he was though, especially lacking a MetaFour behind him.

This first match clearly showed why Dar needs allies, and Romeo Moreno has the clearest path to back him up early on.

MetaFour was a fun stable in NXT for a time, and Dar's best role in NXT is as a facilitator to the future stars. NXT should surround him with multiple stars in the near-future.

DarkState vs. Vanity Project is an intriguing match on paper, particularly if it is setting up a full face turn for the struggling DarkState.

Shugars was the star of the post-match promo segment, highlighted by his charisma, and he seems ready for more opportunities.

Result

Drake def. Dar by pinfall.

Grade

B

Notable Moments and Observations

In the locker room, Moreno tried to hype up Dar before his match, but The Scottish Supernova clearly lacked his usual confidence.

Lockwood carried Drake on her shoulders in the new Vanity Project entrance.

Vic Joseph questioned why DarkState would interrupt Vanity Project, even though the group had clearly stated they wanted the tag titles back in past weeks.

The crowd immediately chose DarkState in this heel vs. heel feud.

Kelani Jordan vs. Kendal Grey (w/ Wren Sinclair)

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Kelani Jordan

Last Time in Action: Kelani Jordan defeated Wren Sinclair (NXT, April 28); Kendal Grey as well as Jacy Jayne lost to Lola Vice for the NXT Women's Championship (NXT: Stand & Deliver, April 4).

With Wren Sinclair on crutches in Grey's corner, Grey and Jordan exchanged athletic offense early in this contest.

Jordan was not ready for Grey to fire up, dropping the straps and throw around the former women's North American champion with suplexes.

Jordan finally found an opening with a Springboard Dropkick and Sit-Out Powerbomb for a near-fall. Grey caught Jordan mid-One of a Kind Moonsault with an Ankle Lock.

Jordan flipped her way free, only to get caught with an Armbar. When the former champion fought out, she walked into a powerslam for a near-fall.

While the action continued, Izzi Dame attacked Lola Vice backstage. The brawl spilled in the arena where Wren got knocked down, distracting Grey.

The distraction allowed Jordan to trip Grey followed by the One of a Kind Moonsault for the victory.

Afterward, Grey argued with Vice about Wren's injury until Dame laid out Vice with a Big Boot to the back of the head and stood tall with the NXT Women's Championship.

This was the best Jordan has looked in a long time and not just because she had a great dance partner. She looked fluid and confident with her offense throughout.

It never felt like Jordan was relying on building heat, just playing to the crowd's natural support of Grey throughout the match.

This allowed a few well-timed cheap shots to garner extra heat while the match had full crowd attention throughout.

While Grey and Jordan likely have even better in them, this was perfect for what was needed in the moment.

Jordan picked up a huge win over a top title contender. Vice and Grey built heat due to an inadvertent issue with Wren. Dame laid out Vice once again to stand tall.

The top women's championship scene was too limited in recent weeks, and now Vice has a plethora of challengers for the immediate future.

Vice can defeat Jordan and avenge her loss against Dame while Grey finds her "killer instinct" for an eventual rematch with Vice.

That is a strong path forward for what should be seen as the top championship in NXT.

Result

Jordan def. Grey by pinfall.

Grade

A

Notable Moments and Observations

Grey told Wren that she wanted her in her corner for the main event, and they would never fall apart like ZaRuca. Vice arrived to offer a title shot to Grey if she beat Jordan.

In a pre-tape, The Culling talked over next steps, and Izzi Dame told Niko Vance one-on-one to help her watch Vice closely tonight.

Right before the main event, Kali Armstrong promised to take over NXT's women's division. Grey reminded her that she already beat her in EVOLVE.

The crowd was completely into the action in this main event, more than anything else on the night.

Overall Show

The picture in NXT is growing clearer, and the action is getting far more focused with a fresh roster stepping up.

In particular, the women's division shined in the ring where Lola Vice and Tatum Paxley's title challengers were more clearly established.

The men's division is still floundering, particularly due to the accelerated push of Mason Rook and Kam Hendrix before fully establishing them.

This may change next week if Rook and Hendrix shine in their tag team match against Tony D'Angelo and Myles Borne.

This week also finally gave fans a clearer view of Tate Wilder and Naraku, who look to be natural risers up the card.

Not every story is working in NXT at present, but the roster looks much healthier than it did just a few weeks back. Hopefully, the stars that shine will continue to pass up those not ready for the spotlight.

Overall Grade: B-