WWE NXT Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights From Aug. 11

Airing live from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, the August 11 edition of WWE NXT included championship matches and potential feud-ending collisions.

Grayson Waller fought Cruz Montana in his official NXT debut to determine the No. 1 contender to Tony D'Angelo's NXT Championship. Saquon Shugars faced Dion Lennox one-on-one.

Zaria defended the Women's North American Championship against Wren Sinclair. Izzi Dame and Niko Vance looked to settle their issues with Shawn Spears and Lizzy Rain, though things did not work out as expected.

For the results from these matches and more, check out the grades, highlights and reaction to follow.

Izzi Dame and Niko Vance vs. Lizzy Rain and EK Prosper

Last Time in Action: Izzi Dame and Niko Vance defeated Lola Vice and Mr. Iguana (NXT, May 5). This was the first time that Lizzy Rain and EK Prosper had teamed up.

Lizzy could not find Spears as the match began, leaving her to fight alone. After overwhelming Izzi early with her aggressive strikes, Niko tagged in.

Prosper arrived to join Lizzy and help her fight this mixed tag match.

The two hit simultaneous Machine Gun Chops and Tornado DDTs to gain some confidence until Izzi sent Lizzy into the steps into the Picture-in-Picture break.

Lizzy continued to cause problems for Izzi while Niko had the power edge on Prosper.

Izzi nearly took the win after Lizzy tried Thunderstruck on Niko only to get tossed into an Izzi Powerbomb.

Lizzy finally got her Thunderstruck in on Niko to set up a Moonsault by Prosper for the win.

While NXT has heavily featured Lizzy so far, it may be going under the radar for those not fully watching NXT how good she is.

This was a great showcase of that talent as she out-wrestled everyone else in this match and set a different tone whenever she was in the action.

While her talent is undeniable, it was odd for her to win over the established team of Izzi and Niko with a last-minute partner.

This was a chance to further solidify The Culling as a threat. Instead, it made them look like jokes in a rivalry that should see them leading at this stage.

If the goal is to make something of Izzi and Niko, who still look too green for their years in NXT, they need to at least look dangerous.

No Spears appearing at all was also a surprise, though it does further play into The Chairman saying that no one should trust him.

Result

Prosper and Lizzy def. Niko and Izzi by pinfall.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments and Observations

• The show started with a recap from last week.
• WWE teased intergender wrestling multiple times in this match but played it safe, limiting those exchanges to a Crucifix Bomb and Thunderstruck late in the bout.
• Backstage after another break, Prosper explained that he stepped up to the opportunity. Kali Armstrong then stole the microphone and marched to the ring.

Kelani Jordan Gets Her First NXT Women's Championship Shot at Heatwave

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Kendal Grey, Kali Armstrong, and Kelani Jordan

Kali Armstrong headed to the ring to call out Kendal Grey, but Kelani Jordan interrupted to call her shot instead.

Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair arrived with a contract. Grey handed the contract to Lani, who agreed to fight the NXT women's champion at Heatwave.

Kali was not happy with that agreement, starting a brawl where Kali and Lani stood tall over Grey and Sinclair.

It is a wonder that for Lani's whole time in NXT this will be her first NXT Women's Championship opportunity.

She and Grey have proved their chemistry multiple times over, so that will likely be the match of the night at Heatwave.

While the booking is strong, this segment did fall into the overly familiar interruption trope of the NXT women's division, and Jordan often suffers in those spots on the mic.

Kali's inclusion was interesting as she is trying her best to take the fast track to the NXT main event scene. She and Lani could be an interesting tag team based on the ending of this segment.

Perhaps that team could be the answer to finally getting Jordan to the main roster since most of her peers have passed her by at this point.

Grade

C-

Notable Moments and Observations

• NXT showed medical checking on Grey, further taping up her ear.
• In the men's locker room, Myles Borne and Tavion Heights agreed to be fighting champions, ready to showcase the tag division.
• Backstage, Keanu Carver questioned Robert Stone's choice to give the next opportunity to either Grayson Waller or Cruz Montana. He calmed himself and promised big things to come.

Saquon Shugars vs. Dion Lennox (w/ Osiris Griffin and Cutler James)

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Saquon Shugars and Dion Lennox

Last Time in Action: Dion Lennox alongside Osiris Griffin and Cutler James defeated Saquon Shugars alongside Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno (NXT, July 21).

Shugars came into his match swinging, but James and Griffin quickly got involved, distracting Shugars.

While Shugars tried to use his bat against DarkState, Lennox ripped it away from him. As the referee was distracted with Lennox, James and Griffin tossed him onto the announce table.

Back in the ring, Lennox finished off Shugars with a Suplex Powerslam for the victory.

This was an oddly rushed match that did not accomplish much despite Lennox getting his win back against Shugars.

If anything, it further sold that NXT does not have enough faith in Lennox as the DarkState leader to be a real big-match performer.

Shugars will eventually find some more friends again, though this is not a match that looks good enough for a third act right now.

The hope is always that these two can use the Performance Center to refine their craft and deliver their best match when it matters most.

At this point, the best hope though is simply that this ends soon so that both men can move onto opponents they work better with.

Result

Lennox def. Shugars by pinfall.

Grade

D

Notable Moments and Observations

• DarkState has not done anything since breaking off from Shugars despite big promises.
• Afterward, in the trainer's room, Waller told Shugars to do something about what just happened. Shugars stumbled angrily out of the room.

• In Robert Stone's office, Stone talked with Rey Mysterio over the phone. They agreed to a AAA Cruiserweight Championship match in 2 weeks with a No. 1 contender match next week including EK Prosper and La Parka.

Women's North American Championship: Wren Sinclair vs. Zaria (c)

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Wren Sinclair and Zaria

Last Time in Action: Wren Sinclair and Zaria went to a time-limit draw for the Women's Speed Championship (NXT, August 4).

Wren Sinclair walked in a bit banged up and was quickly overwhelmed by the power of Zaria, who almost took the early win with a Pump Kick.

Sinclair fought back and took down Zaria on the floor with a baseball slide into the picture-in-picture break.

Every time the women's Speed champion tried to rally, though, the power of Zaria was too much for Sinclair to handle.

After a Spear, Dion Lennox and Saquon Shugars brawled out and through the ring before Zaria finished the job with an F5.

Unsurprisingly, this was significantly better than last week's Speed match, going far past the five-minute limit of that contest.

These two delivered hard-hitting offense throughout and maximized their minutes to deliver a contest that felt like two top stars colliding.

The ending was a downer though as there is never a reason for a separate men's angle to interrupt a women's match. Since NXT keeps the divisions separate, this just came off as NXT saying DarkState was more important.

Despite this presentation, Zaria's title reign is significantly better than anything DarkState has done in NXT. She deserved a clean finish for her latest defense.

It was not as if Sinclair was close to beating Zaria anyway, so this should still be the end of this rivalry. Other women should be looking to step up next.

Result

Zaria def. Sinclair by pinfall.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments and Observations

• Sinclair got in a kick on Cutler James on his way through the ring into a steel chair.
• In a phone-recorded video, Shiloh Hill explained that his injury was healing quicker than expected, and he was researching Naraku during his recovery.

Mason Rook vs. Kam Hendrix

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Mason Rook

Last Time in Action: Kam Hendrix lost to Myles Borne (NXT, July 28); Mason Rook lost to Jackson Drake (NXT, June 30).

Rook tossed Hendrix out of the ring early, but the explosive offense of Hendrix allowed him to quickly respond, especially with an impressive Rolling Clothesline.

Rook's own explosive offense though helped him fire back, tossing around Hendrix with ease.

However, Hendrix exposed the turnbuckle and sent Rook into it on a Corner Death Valley Driver attempt followed by a Showtime Kick to win.

While Rook's unique figure has led to internet discourse, he remains one of the most impressive pure athletes in NXT.

His stamina and explosiveness in the ring are unmatched by most on the roster, especially his current rival, Hendrix.

Time in LFG and over-pushing in NXT has not made Hendrix any better a wrestler or character worker. His shtick is annoying, and his in-ring work is stilted.

Even if the plan is to slowly build up Rook over time, this was not a loss Rook needed to take. Even just as a character, Hendrix could use some humbling given his early booking.

Result

Hendrix def. Rook by pinfall.

Grade

C

Notable Moments and Observations

• Booker T oddly said this was the biggest test of Hendrix's career when his first two singles matches were title matches. Vic Joseph at least called it out.
• Booker actually was over-the-top throughout this contest, repeatedly making odd statements about Hendrix's potential that Vic had to correct.
• In Robert Stone's office, Vanity Project talked their way into a major title opportunity. If Jackson Drake could beat Shiloh Hill next week, Myles Borne would defend both his titles against Vanity Project at Heatwave.

Lexis King (w/ BirthRight) vs. Lucien Price

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OTM and BirthRight

Last Time in Action: Lucien Price alongside Bronco Nima lost to Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo and Uriah Connors (NXT, July 28);

The first shot of the match was a loud chop from Price to King that cut open the chest of the men's Speed champion.

A distraction from Connors helped King deliver a strong knee and take over, targeting the left arm of the bigger man.

A Drive By set up King to attempt a Coronation, but Price fought it off and hit a Single-Arm Powerbomb for a definitive win.

Price was the star of this match throughout, dominating King throughout in a contest that ended fast enough to be a Speed Championship loss.

He was finding the camera throughout more confidently than NXT was catching his work, letting down some great dramatic beats that sold his power.

Still, at the end of the day, this was just a squash match disguised as something more. It was a good win for Price, but is it really going anywhere?

That remains to be seen.

Result

Price def. King by pinfall.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments and Observations

• Before heading out, Price asked Nima to stay in the back.
• Meanwhile, much like every BirthRight match, the whole stable had to be at ringside for this one.
• In Robert Stone's office, the general manager agreed to let Zaria and Wren Sinclair fight again at Heatwave in a title unification (likely ending the Women's Speed Championship).
• He also announced Wren-QCC vs. Kelani Jordan and Kali Armstrong for next week since Kendal Grey was cleared.
• In the women's locker room, Thea Hail and Jaida Parker talked about Thea's plan to face Nattie next week.
• In the NXT Lounge, Noam Dar talked up Romeo Moreno for a Cruiserweight Championship opportunity. Tristan Angels talked down Romeo as he was also in the qualifier next week.

No. 1 Contender for the NXT Championship: Grayson Waller vs. Cruz Montana

Last Time in Action: Grayson Waller lost to Je'Von Evans (WWE Main Event, July 6). This was technically the NXT debut of Cruz Montana, though he last competed in NXT on March 31 as Mike Santana.

Montana pushed Waller early with hard-hitting offense while playing to a welcoming crowd.

Waller tried to take a break on the outside, but Montana dived onto Waller, knocking them both into the announce table just before the final PIP break.

Right back from break, Montana caught Waller with a superplex. The former two-time TNA world champion hit Outlined in Chalk followed by a Death Valley Driver for a near-fall.

Waller ducked outside to avoid Spin the Block and returned to the ring with a Running Flatliner for a near-fall. Waller got another near-fall after a vicious stomp on the back of the head of Montana.

Waller went for the Rolling Stunner, but Montana reversed into Spin the Block.

Before Montana could get to the pin though, Zilla Fatu laid out Santana with a Samoan Drop followed by a Samoan Splash to Waller.

An anticlimactic end to a great match spoiled the work that Montana and Waller have done in the last few weeks to sell this contest.

After months of re-shuffling the top scene in NXT, the NXT Championship picture looked clear. Mason Rook and Naraku had stepped down. Montana and Waller had stepped up.

However, apparently Robert Stone once again delivered a "blockbuster" signing that immediately ruined his main event.

While Fatu has the name (the Bloodline connection), his credibility with an NXT audience is still not established. There was no reason to immediately shoot him up to the main event scene.

In particular, there was no reason NXT could not definitively establish the next man up for D'Angelo between Montana and Waller.

Instead, NXT wasted time setting up a likely multi-man match for D'Angelo at Heatwave that won't get anyone over.

This is just NXT placing hats on hats to keep getting people talking rather than developing any meaningful stories in the men's division.

Result

Montana vs. Waller goes to a no-contest.

Grade

B+ (for the match)/F (for the finish and aftermath)

Notable Moments and Observations

Before the main event, Vic Joseph announced the card for next week:

• No. 1 Contender for AAA Cruiserweight Championship: La Parka vs. Romeo Moreno vs. Tristan Angels vs. EK Prosper.
• Wren Sinclair and Kendal Grey vs. Kelani Jordan and Kali Armstrong.
• North American Championship and NXT Tag Team Championships Opportunity on the Line: Shiloh Hill vs. Jackson Drake
• Men's Speed Championship: Lexis King (c) vs. Lucien Price.

For the rest of the highlights:

• Tony D'Angelo joined commentary for the main event, only to be interrupted by Montana's entrance.
• In more Booker T nonsense, he tried to sell an incorrect pronunciation of Montana to Vic Joseph.
• D'Angelo used his time on commentary to talk up the hard work of the NXT roster. Booker disagreed.
• The crowd was inconsistent through the night but obviously behind Montana.

Final Word

Chaos reigned in NXT this week for a night that promised more than it delivered.

Key matches ended in controversy with plenty of awkward backstage segments where Robert Stone as general manager continues to make baffling choices.

If the goal is to create a consistent product, this was not the night for NXT as it felt like the brand was moving in multiple directions with each segment.

However, if the goal was to create conversation, this was certainly a memorable night. Memorable though does not mean good.

Perhaps the arrival of Zilla Fatu and the choice to invalidate the No. 1 contender main event will lead to a better NXT Championship match at Heatwave.

For now, it only looks like the goal was to make next week's show more important by delivering incomplete results on this episode.

Final Grade: D+