Kelani Jordan Shocks Kendal Grey to Win NXT Women's Title at Heatwave 2026

Kelani Jordan defeated Kendal Grey at Heatwave on Sunday to win her first NXT Women's Championship.

After months and even years of lobbying for a one-on-one opportunity at the NXT women's title, Jordan finally got it on Sunday in what was Grey's first title defense at a premium live event.

Grey became NXT women's champion for the first time in June when she beat Lola Vice at the Great American Bash.

In order to earn that title shot in the first place, Grey defeated Jordan in a No. 1 contender's match, allowing her to exact some revenge against Kelani for a loss back in May.

Coming out of Great American Bash, Grey had a successful title defense against Nattie, and also beat Vice in an NXT Underground match on NXT TV.

After that, Jordan threw her name into the mix for a chance at the NXT Women's Championship once again, and thanks to her desire to prove she was a fighting champion, Grey quickly agreed to give Jordan a title bout.

Grey told Jordan she could have her championship match whenever she wanted it, prompting the former women's North American champion and TNA Knockouts world champion to choose Heatwave.

Leading up to Heatwave, Jordan gained some major momentum when she teamed with another NXT Women's Championship hopeful in Kali Armstrong.

Jordan and Armstrong teamed up to beat Grey and Wren Sinclair on the Aug. 18 episode of NXT, allowing Kelani to enter Heatwave on a positive note.

Kelani continued her winning ways at Heatwave, beating Grey to become NXT women's champion for the first time in her career.