WWE NXT Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights From Aug. 4

Although NXT has Heatwave coming up at the end of the month, Tuesday's episode at the WWE Performance Center boasted a fairly loaded lineup on paper.

Kendal Grey vs. Lola Vice headlined for the NXT Women's Championship. Their rematch from The Great American Bash took place in the NXT Underground, an environment Vice is extremely familiar with and undefeated in.

Zaria also had the chance to add another championship to her collection when she challenged Wren Sinclair for the WWE Women's Speed title. A successful defense for Sinclair would earn her a shot at Zaria's NXT Women's North American Championship.

In the men's division, NXT tag team champions The Vanity Project had their hands full with the former No Quarter Catch Crew duo of Myles Borne and Tavion Heights where the gold was up for grabs.

Here are the complete results, grades and reaction for the Aug. 4 edition of WWE NXT as it aired live on The CW.

Jaida Parker and Thea Hail vs. Nikkita Lyons and Karmen Petrovic

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Last Time in Action: Jaida Parker beat Nattie (NXT, July 21); Thea Hail lost to Indi Hartwell (TNA Impact, July 30); Nikkita Lyons lost a Fatal 4-Way match to Zaria (NXT, July14); Karmen Petrovic lost to Parker (NXT, June 30).

This was Nikkita Lyons and Karmen Petrovic's chance to prove themselves to the women who cost Nattie a recent win against Jaida Parker.

They dominated on offense for the first half, especially after Parker missed her Hipnotic finisher on the outside and crashed into the steel steps, but a hot tag from Hail to Parker got the babyfaces back into it.

Despite enduring a Hart Attack from Lyons and Petrovic, Parker was able to survive thanks to an assist from Hail. After Parker took care of Petrovic, a leap off the ropes onto Lyons secured Hail the win for her team.

Post-match, the heels attempted to outnumber the babyfaces but were unsuccessful. It's nice to see Hail get something going again after floundering for the better part of the past few months.

Result

Jaida Parker and Thea Hail defeated Nikkita Lyons and Karmen Petrovic.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments and Observations

• We'll see if this alliance between Parker and Hail sticks, but they already have quality chemistry as partners. A betrayal feels inevitable, but this should be stretched out for as long as possible.
• The Nattie vs. Parker program keeps going, but why would Parker want a rematch with Nattie after already beating her one-on-one? It feels like Nattie has more to gain from another round with Parker than Parker does.
• Lyons and Petrovic play their roles well as Nattie's lackeys, but they need to rack up some wins eventually if they're going to be taken seriously.

Tony D'Angelo, Grayson Waller and Cruz Montana Exchange Words

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Tony D'Angelo was out to address Grayson Waller, whose controversial comments on last week's NXT had been the talk of the wrestling world heading into SummerSlam weekend.

He said Waller not only disrespected NXT as a whole but also, specifically, the NXT Championship.

He told Waller, who popped up on the podium in the distance, that he was the only one from their WarGames team in December 2021 to not amount to much success and not hold any singles gold in NXT or on the main roster.

Waller responded by reiterating that everyone has been talking about him for the past week, not D'Angelo, but he was interrupted by Cruz Montana, who declared that he is exactly who he says he is and noted that Waller has spent years trying to get people to notice him while Montana has had people relying on him and holding him accountable.

D'Angelo cut the chat short and established that Waller and Montana will have to fight each other with a shot at the NXT title at Heatwave hanging in the balance.

Grade

B

Notable Moments and Observations

• This was basically an extended version of the segment that closed NXT last week, as well as an improvement. All three guys got a chance to shine on the mic and state their case for why they should be champion.
• Waller can't completely lean into the "worked shoot" style with every promo he cuts, but it was fine here. Whatever momentum he has at the moment won't matter if he can't start winning some matches and actually be able to challenge for the championship.
• Montana is such a natural fit for NXT and it's smart to put him in the top title mix from the get-go. He doesn't need to win the gold anytime soon, but at least the seeds are being planted for an eventual match with D'Angelo.

WWE Women's Speed Championship: Wren Sinclair vs. Zaria

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Last Time in Action: Wren Sinclair def. Arianna Grace to retain the WWE Women's Speed Championship (The Great American Bash, June 28); Zaria retained her NXT Women's North American Championship in a Fatal 4-Way match (NXT, July 14).

With it being a title match, this had a five-minute time limit instead of the typical three. The stipulation was that Wren Sinclair would earn herself a shot at the NXT Women's North American Championship if she retained her title here.

Sinclair and Zaria packed plenty of action into the five minutes, so it was competitive throughout. An impressive facebuster from Sinclair nearly got her the three-count, but a Spear from Zaria sent them both spiraling through the ropes to the outside of the ring.

They traded finishers in the closing seconds of the match, but the clock ran out before either of them could capitalize.

Result

Wren Sinclair vs. Zaria ended in a five-minute time-limit draw; Sinclair retained the WWE Women's Speed Championship.

Grade

C

Notable Moments and Observations

• These Speed matches are always difficult to accurately grade or judge because they're so short. To their credit, they made the most of the time they had, but there wasn't anything out of the ordinary for it to truly stand out.
• You had to know exactly how this was going to go as soon as the stipulation was announced. Sinclair pinning Zaria would have been silly, so going with a time-limit draw was the best way to protect both women and keep the title on Sinclair.
• Their next match over the NXT Women's North American Championship should be better seeing as how it will be longer. Zaria should go over decisively at that point, but realistically, both women should be busy with other contenders right now.

NXT Tag Team Championship: The Vanity Project vs. Myles Borne and Tavion Heights

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Last Time in Action: The Vanity Project defeated Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux to retain the NXT Tag Team Championship (NXT, July 14); Myles Borne defeated Kam Hendrix to retain the NXT North American Championship (NXT, July 28); Tavion Heights lost to Jackson Drake (NXT, July 14).

Myles Borne and Tavion Heights have had so many reunions since the dissolution of No Quarter Catch Crew that they're practically a full-fledged team at this point. That said, they work well enough together as partners that it's hardly an issue that they continue to join forces.

Vanity Project evaded everything as always, but Heights and Borne weathered the storm. They even hit an awesome-looking double-team maneuver on Vanity Project down the stretch.

Jackson Drake and Myka Lockwood, who were in Vanity Project's corner, were ejected after making their presence felt at ringside, leading to Heights hitting Ricky Smokes with the Height of Glory to clinch the NXT Tag Team Championship for the first time.

Result

Myles Borne and Tavion Heights defeated The Vanity Project to win the NXT Tag Team Championship.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments and Observations

Vanity Project can consistently be counted on for a fun match. Borne and Heights are excellent in their own right, so this turned out to be an enjoyable affair with a great pace.

The tag titles changing hands is genuinely surprising seeing as how Borne and Heights aren't a regular tandem, especially with Heights still the NXT North American champion. It seemed more likely that one of them would turn on the other after they lost, but this was a better outcome to switch things up for a bit.

For whatever it's worth, Lockwood once again locked eyes with Keanu Carver backstage afterward, so that seems to be leading somewhere. Lockwood hasn't been with Vanity Project very long but she could be aligning with Carver sooner rather than later, which would be an interesting pairing.

Keanu Carver vs. EK Prosper

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Last Time in Action: Keanu Carver defeated Hank Walker (NXT, July 21); EK Prosper defeated Carver (NXT, June 30).

EK Prosper previously beat Keanu Carver twice in clean fashion, so this was a must-win situation for Carver. The losses seemed to humble Carver, who has been exhibiting more babyface tendencies since then.

These two have had great chemistry throughout their mini rivalry. Prosper left the commentators in awe with a standing moonsault off the second rope, and after taking their fight to the announce table, Prosper delivered another incredible moonsault to Carver.

Prosper then hit a huge swanton-style blockbuster to Carver, who subsequently caught Prosper in the air and smashed him with a suplex. From Carver's powerful powerbomb to Prosper's shining wizard, it was a flurry of exciting offense before Carver countered one last moonsault from Prosper into a small package for the victory.

Result

Keanu Carver defeated EK Prosper.

Grade

A-

Notable Moments and Observations

• This was more like it! Their last two matches were a treat, but this was easily the best of the bunch. It was all action and there was never a dull moment.
• Carver needed to avenge those losses to Prosper at some point, but now the key is ensuring Prosper doesn't get lost in the shuffle, assuming they've settled their score and they can move on.
• Carver embracing being a babyface may not be a bad thing. Him dominating the roster as a heel hasn't exactly been exciting, so perhaps this will work out for him in the long run. It's more a matter of the fans getting behind him and it's too soon to say if that's going to happen.

NXT Underground Match for NXT Women's Championship: Kendal Grey vs. Lola Vice

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Last Time in Action: Kendal Grey defeated Nattie to retain the NXT Women's Championship (NXT, July 7); Lola Vice defeated Kali Armstrong and Kelani Jordan in a Triple Threat to become number one contender (NXT, July 14).

Lola Vice was undefeated in the NXT Underground coming into this contest. She and Kendal Grey were evenly matched early on, complete with Vice specializing in strikes and Grey utilizing her amateur wrestling background.

Right before the commercial break, Vice sent Grey face first into the steel steps, leading to Grey requiring medical attention for her bleeding ear. That became the story of the bout from that point forward with Grey selling her head and bouncing right around out the ring courtesy of a backfist from Vice.

When an errant backfist from Vice took down the referee, Vice choked out Grey with one of her signature sleepers. Wren Sinclair then revived Grey with multiple slaps to the face. Grey locked in a lethal armbar on Vice to score the submission win and retain the title.

Result

Kendal Grey defeated Lola Vice in an NXT Underground match to retain the NXT Women's Championship.

Grade

A-

Notable Moments and Observations

• These NXT Underground matches are a breath of fresh air because of how different they are from everything on the show and even on WWE's main roster. These were the perfect two people for this sort of stipulation and they excelled.
• They utilized their environment effectively by going to the outside and using the Superstars surrounding the ring to keep the fight contained to the squared circle.
• Vice's post-match show of respect toward Grey was a nice touch. Vice being main roster bound has been NXT's worst kept secret for months, so this served as a strong sendoff for her if she is on her way out of NXT.

Overall Show

This was another edition of NXT TV that felt like a mini premium live event, largely thanks to the storyline advancement in the NXT Championship picture and the above-average NXT Underground main event.

The NXT Tag Team Championship changing hands was a pleasant surprise and came after a really good matchup. Myles Borne and Tavion Heights are headed toward another battle over the NXT North American Championship but should have an entertaining run as tag champs for the foreseeable future.

Throw in an energetic sprint between Keanu Carver and EK Prosper and you have one of the better all-around episodes of NXT in recent memory. Everything else was at least adequate and moved things along as Heatwave rapidly approaches.

Cruz Montana and Grayson Waller will be welcome additions to the NXT roster (specifically the main event scene), though the men's division could benefit from a bit more depth and focus.

Final Grade

B+

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.