WWE NXT Winners, Grades and Reaction Before Great American Bash 2026

Ahead of NXT's first-ever premium live event on The CW, the June 23 show delivered action and drama directed toward Great American Bash.

A promised Double Contract Signing became a chaotic mess of a night for general manager Robert Stone, who almost had to find a new opponent for Naraku instead of Tony D'Angelo.

Keanu Carver ran into a surprise loss at the hands of EK Prosper. The Culling faced a pair of losses before Niko Vance turned against Shawn Spears.

Who got the final word? Which stars set their course to success at GAB? Scroll down to check all the results, grades and reactions.

Evolve Men's Championship: Aaron Rourke (c) vs. Tristan Angels

Last Time in Action: Tristan Angels defeated Romero Moreno (NXT, May 19). This was Aaron Rourke's NXT debut.

This was supposed to be the NXT debut of Rourke, highlighting his talent on a larger stage, but much of the action focused on Angels.

He was dominant except when Shiloh Hill got involved, and it was clear down the stretch that Rourke would have lost if not for the interference.

The whole flow of the match struggled because of this dynamic and left both men looking less ready for top-level competition as a result.

Rourke has obvious athletic talent and could use a larger spotlight in the future, but it would not be surprising if he headed back to Evolve for a while after this match.

Angels has a match with Hill up next, which should be solid, though it does not come off a premium live event worthy contest right now.

Result

Rourke def. Angels by pinfall to retain the Evolve Men's Championship.

Grade

C-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Vic Joseph and Wade Barrett spent far too much time gassing up Evolve as the development to NXT in this contest rather than the action.
• Usually, messing with the lights indicates a supernatural effect, but this was clearly to sell Hill's tech savvy. His laugh though does sound supernatural.

Saquon Shugars and Dion Lennox Face-to-Face

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Saquon Shugars

If there was ever a doubt that Saquon Shugars has "it", this proved it. He was on fire throughout this segment with Dion Lennox.

However, Lennox also deserves serious credit for his confidence on the microphone, standing up to Shugars and delivering on his own.

This was the best sell of this feud so far by a wide margin and made this match feel bigger than it has any right to be.

This will be a massive opportunity for both men to show themselves as more than just members (or former members) of DarkState.

Shugars especially has so much hype behind him that a good performance could send him straight to the top of the card.

Grade

A

Notable Moments and Observations

• Both men delivered strong promos, but the NXT crowd was not as easy to work with as usual. Typically, the Performance Center crowds have favored cheering all of DarkState.
• It is still odd how Osiris Griffin and Cutler James chose to change DarkState, but Lennox is still acting as the leader.

BirthRight vs. Hank and Tank

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Hank Walker and Tank Ledger

Last Time in Action: Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo and Uriah Connors alongside Charlie Dempsey defeated EK Prosper, Sean Legacy and Tate Wilder (NXT, May 12); Hank Walker and Tank Ledger lost to DarkState (NXT, May 5).

Hank and Tank are a fun explosive tag team to watch that work at a pace that can absolutely translate to the main roster at any time.

Their upside on Raw or SmackDown is low, likely more a jobber to the stars like Alpha Academy, but the tag division could use the depth.

Stacks and Connors have potential higher upside but are still figuring it out, especially Connors.

As a whole though, these teams clicked through a competitive contest, only weighed down by the unnecessary use of Matt Mathews.

The comedian was just there to set up a spot of Charlie Dempsey falling onto the crotch of Lexis King.

It was an awkward juvenile scene that did not seem to be for any age group watching the show.

At least, it is likely this will be the end of Mathews' involvement in NXT.

Result

Hank and Tank def. Stack and Connors by pinfall.

Grade

B

Notable Moments and Observations

• A champion and former champion run into a comedian at ringside sounds like an odd punchline set up, and apparently the joke ends in a headbutt to the groin.
• This was not a good look for the ongoing struggles of BirthRight to build any real credibility. William Regal and Finlay may need to get more involved.

Lola Vice and Kendal Grey Sign the Contract for Their NXT Women's Championship Match

NXT promised a Double Contract Signing and instead relegated the NXT Women's Championship contract signing to a quick backstage sit down.

While the two sold the tension of their recent issues well, this presentation allowed the NXT Championship match to far outshine the women's match.

This is despite the likely fact that Lola Vice and Kendal Grey will deliver the best match of the night and should be the main event of Great American Bash.

It shows just another example of NXT missing that the strength of the brand is its talented women's roster.

Grey and Vice are best served telling their story in the ring. It is hard to pick a winner at this stage, but it would be surprising if Grey waits much longer for her big title win.

Grade

C

Notable Moments and Observations

• Vice spoke as the heel in this segment, talking down about Grey replacing her. This will likely continue into the match, given Grey's growing popularity.
• If Vice is going to sell herself at Shayna Baszler's level, she is going to need to hold the NXT Women's Championship for a whole year, which is unlikely.

Keanu Carver vs. EK Prosper

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Keanu Carver

Last Time in Action: Keanu Carver defeated Tate Wilder (NXT, May 19); EK Prosper alongside Sean Legacy and Wilder lost to BirthRight (NXT, May 12).

Is it too soon to call Carver NXT's new Oba Femi? He may not quite have the size, but he does have the power and menace while still finding that unmistakable charisma.

That played out well against EK Prosper, who he threw around with relative ease throughout this contest.

Prosper is certainly not ready to be NXT's new Je'Von Evans, but he certainly played the part in this contest, bouncing all around the ring.

While Carver should be in the NXT Championship conversation, this loss does not hurt him, serving more to give him a clear story he was lacking while he waits.

Carver has a ton of confidence but may need to find his own limits if he wants to make it all the way to the top.

Prosper is a good foil as the scrappy underdog that will keep annoying Carver on his path up the NXT card.

Result

Prosper def. Carver by pinfall.

Grade

A-

Notable Moments and Observations

• If Carver and Prosper are looking to fill the Oba and Je'Von roles in NXT, Saquon Shugars might just be looking to be the next Trick Williams.
• It was odd for Carver to lose the match then act like he won backstage by laying out Prosper since he has portrayed himself as a smart competitor so far.

Women's Speed Tournament Final: Izzi Dame vs. Arianna Grace

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Shawn Spears and Niko Vance

Last Time in Action: Arianna Grace defeated Laya Diggs, and Izzi Dame defeated Thea Hail in the Women's Speed Tournament semifinals (NXT, June 16).

It was a minor surprise that Grace defeated Dame in this match since NXT has tried to portray Dame as an NXT Women's Championship level competitor recently.

The worst part though was the distraction set-up from Spears. Calling for a high-five just before the finish made no sense.

Once again, Spears, the supposed veteran, was portrayed as the dumb rookie just hoping to hang out more with his friends.

Grace and Wren should deliver a solid sprint at GAB, even if they could use more time than just five minutes.

Either woman could carry the Women's Speed Championship forward, but Grace holding the gold with Lexis King despite neither working fast would be a clever gag for BirthRight.

Result

Grace def. Dame by pinfall to earn a Women's Speed Championship match against Wren Sinclair at Great American Bash.

Grade

C

Notable Moments and Observations

• NXT booked back-to-back roll-up finishes, a small but noticeable gaff from a company that usually tries to keep the show varied.
• The sight of both The Culling and BirthRight at ringside for a one-on-one three-minute match was amusing if overkill.

The Culling vs. Dorian Van Dux and Sean Legacy

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Shawn Spears and Niko Vance

Last Time in Action: Shawn Spears and Niko Vance lost to OTM (NXT, June 2); Dorian Van Dux and Sean Legacy went to a time-limit draw in a Men's Speed Tournament match (NXT, May 26).

While this was a decent tag team match mainly carried by the obvious chemistry of the athletic Dux and Legacy, the aftermath was the real story.

Niko could not stand for Spears costing The Culling two matches back-to-back and took out his mentor.

It was time for The Culling to break up with Spears, even if it is hard to see any strong direction for The Chairman going forward.

He was not only unnecessary to the group at this stage but seemingly holding it back.

While Vic Joseph sold this as a potential mistake by Niko rather than a full turn, it is hard to go back from a Chokeslam through the announce table.

DVD and Legacy have an obvious path forward in an understaffed tag team division and should go after Vanity Project, given the teams' history.

Result

DVD and Legacy def. Spears and Niko by pinfall.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments and Observations

• This was the second announce table break spot of the night, and if that is going to be a trend, NXT should have just broken the announce table every segment.
• Dame shook her head while Niko took down Spears, either considering Spears not worthy of her time or regretting this was the end of The Culling.

Tony D'Angelo Returns to Confirm NXT Championship Match with Naraku

After a night of chaos, focused on an injury to Tony D'Angelo, the champion and his devious challenger stand ready to fight at Great American Bash.

This should be a solid match at least, and it would not be a surprise if Naraku's cheap fireball sets him up to win the NXT Championship.

However, at this stage, a fireball alone does not feel sufficient to set up the fall of D'Angelo as NXT's guardian.

Great American Bash would be a perfect moment to debut any back-up Naraku may have, perhaps even forming a new House of Torture.

If that group does arrive, Naraku winning the title would make the most sense and set the stage for D'Angelo's final run in NXT.

The rest of this final segment was fine, clearly indicating Mason Rook is still after the NXT Championship and distracting him with The Vanity Project for the moment.

Jackson Drake vs. Rook would have made sense on the Great American Bash card but will likely be saved for next week's NXT.

Grade

B

Notable Moments and Observations

• Drake was right to question why he was not in the NXT Championship conversation over two men with barely any matches in NXT.
• However, he also just lost to Tavion Heights for a North American Championship opportunity last week.
• Robert Stone's general manager journey so far has been complete chaos. It does not seem like he has any control of his locker room.
• Naraku's sly smile as D'Angelo arrived should be used in various NXT promos for the future, especially if he wins the NXT Championship.

Final Word

Time is up to build Great American Bash, and NXT mostly succeeded in putting together a strong card.

While NXT is hyping this as a history-changing show, it is more or less just a better built TV episode airing on Sunday.

It will still be in the WWE Performance Center, and nothing on the card could not have happened on the weekly show.

This week's NXT was underwhelming in terms of in-ring action, but it is likely every match at GAB will outshine any match on this show.

That is where NXT is putting its full focus, and with the right twists and turns at Great American Bash, NXT could pull more fans into the product going forward.

That does not change the fact that this was a forgettable two hours for NXT.

Final Grade: C-