Mason Rook, Tony D’Angelo, and Saquon win main event tag match

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Story .@MasonRook_wwe, @TonyDangeloWWE and @SaquonOffWwe pick up the WIN! 👌 WHO will be the No. 1 Contender? pic.twitter.com/khMGJO2wLM — WWE (@WWE) September 9, 2026 Have you seen Scream? Since this is writing and not audio, nor is there anyway for me to hear your response even if this was, for the sake of argument and my sanity I’ll assume everyone reading this answered “yes.” So you’re familiar with the concept of “meta” in which the storytelling is fully aware of genre tropes and expectations. That’s NXT right now. And I don’t have a problem with it. It hit me during a moment I’ll get to later. Those few minutes crystalized for me the idea that NXT is a territory where everyone not only understands wrestling, but watches a lot of it. They’re well-versed in what’s supposed to happen, how it should happen, and audience expectations. That became more evident during the main event. Six men competed for a title shot at Halloween Havoc but with a slight twist. Grayson Waller’s six challengers wrestled in a six-man tag match, with the winning side gaining entry to a Fatal 4 Way at Halloween Havoc. While both teams prepared, one member told his partners they weren’t doing the “can they co-exist thing.” NXT put these cats in a match to test their co-existing skills only for one of them to state that’s not a part of the program. And of course the match featured multiple moments where both teams showed that working together is a lot harder than it sounds. The ending came when Tony D’Angelo put the finishing touches on EK Propser only for Mason Rook to blind tag Tony, use the former champ as a weapon, and put the finishing touches on EK himself. That didn’t happen because of any narrative in the match other than it had to. No matter who got the pin for their respective team, the winning team was promised a championship match. Neither Tony or Mason got anything extra for scoring the pin. Yet this sort of thing demands drama. It’s not unfamiliar territory for WWE. The Attitude Era did this also, but in a way that was less about characters poking fun at what they should do and more about them telling the audience truths about the business. NXT is working on that level yet, and it would be easier if they did. It’s compelling when someone like Mick Foley walks into the arena refusing to be the person “management” wants him to be so it looks like he’s going rogue. NXT is trying to make wrestlers pointing out tropes or echoing what the fans say just as compelling. Even Grayson as the champ is a part of this idea. He came back to NXT because he believed the men’s division is weak. He talked about the women running circles around the lads, echoing almost every fan with a social media account. The same guy who decried the men and gave us a peak behind the curtain now rules the roost. His reasoning is impetus for this match, and everything else that’s happened since he showed up. NXT is using Grayson to comment on itself while also hoping his presence improves the very thing he’s criticizing. It’s a high wire act. I’m not sure they can pull it off but I’m so curious if they can. B-Sides I never expected Jaida Parker to defeat Kelani Jordan. Besides the fact that Kelani’s competing in a pretty big match on Raw next week and Jaida isn’t, Kelani losing her first title defense is a bad look. For me, this was all about seeing Jaida in a big spot. Her last match with Nattie was all dressed up with nowhere to go: incongruent. This wasn’t her first dance with Kelani but it carried the biggest stakes. Upside? She looked better. A Jaida Parker match is a bit slower than how Kelani usually works, but it’s a testament to the champ that she can work pretty much any style on any occasion. Jaida looked more confident and reactive rather than unsure and in her head. The finish also saved her a tad. Jaida hurt her throat earlier in the match when Kelani countered her signature seated senton (Claire is the best). That put a big target in the wrong spot. When Jaida put the champ in her sights for a Hipnotic, Kelani dodged and tripped her throat first into the turnbuckle. It was academic from there with the One of a Kind split-legged moonsault. Good bounce back from Jaida if not a spectacular one. What was spectacular came after the match. Wren Sinclair jumped Kelani and beat her like she stole her money, her man, and her job. I’ve never seen that side of Wren. She was aggressive and vengeful. We got a pull apart brawl but also, sadly, Wren put her hands on a ref. Now we get to the inconsistency where sometimes putting hands on refs isa punishable offense and other times it’s fun spectacle. This time it was the former when “Robert,” as Wren called him, suspended her. I loved this part too because it showed such a different side to Wren. She wants get back for her best friend and is tired of Kelani talking trash about her. She’s more than a sidekick and this is how she shows it. I like this version of Wren a lot. Hopefully the suspension doesn’t last too long. The Creed Bros. weren’t losing their first match on NXT in two years. They looked good, as per usual. While it’s not as exciting for me as it was years ago, it still scratched an itch. And no, I don’t need any cream or balm. Noam Dar & Romeo Moreno looked great too! That made for a very competitive match where neither team looked dominant. The Creeds just took advantage of Noam being out of the ring at the right time. This was a flip of the coin match that doesn’t make the losing team look terrible but proves the winning team has some firepower. It also creates some tension in the tag ranks. NXT needs the Creeds hovering around that championship to give the other teams just one more thing to aim for: bragging rights. As Vanity Project noted, the super seniors are back and they’re hunting for freshman. I cackled because that means something very different in a school setting, but that doesn’t make it less true. Julius & Brutus have as much to prove as anyone else. They’re the big men on campus because they left NXT for the big show. Anyone who knocks them off will believe they have what it takes to compete on Raw or SmackDown. It provides a different story for the NXT men, which is usually one revolving around “opportunity.” That whole opportunity thing brings us to Tavion Heights. Now, Tavion lost his match against Jackson Drake. Once again, a new champion defended their title for the first time. And once again, that produced a predictable yet sensible outcome. It helped that they produced an excellent match. This was another very competitive match that needed to fit the narrative of Tavion being close but no cigar when it comes to celebrating a solo championship win. He took Tavion to the limit and only loss because he ran into Jackson’s knee, a last ditch effort from a spent champion. The match was prelude to what happened next… Welcome to what happened next! Myles Borne showed up in the audience. Why he didn’t come through the entrance, I’m not sure. But hey, whatever floats his boat. The big thing here is that Myles struck Tavion at Heatwave before Tavion could strike him. Or so he thought. Myles said he let paranoia get to him, which, yeah, makes total sense seeing as how Myles doesn’t just wrestle; he watches wrestling. He knows how these things work, which continues this idea of NXT relying on a lot of meta storytelling for the men’s division. Myles understands there’s work to do to heal this relationship. Tavion doesn’t seem willing to participate in said healing, which is also fair. Myles will try again next week so we’ll see what happens. This is either a part of a long “will they, won’t they” like we got with Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams, or it’s Myles suckering his former homeboy and laying the groundwork for a nefarious heel turn. I don’t mind the complexity here and it’s a lot different than the standard “opportunity” storyline NXT adores. Charlie Dempsey said it with his chest. The long and short of his promo: He’s tired of BirthRight looking like jokes, he’s tired of waiting his turn while former football players get all the breaks in the world, and they need Zilla Fatu for credibility. Young Charles did this on order from his dad, who demanded BrithRight step up and handle this Zilla situation immediately. We also got a “U-Manga” shoutout from his Lordship, which made me smile. Shockingly, Charlie demanding Zilla join their crew went nowhere fast with the big man. Even more shocking, Uriah Connors demands didn’t work either. This is a short way of saying the invitation devolved into a confrontation, which ended with Zilla flat on his back through an announce table. And they say college hazings are a thing of the past. I liked Charlie here because everything felt real. Wrestling is at its best when it taps into true emotion to carry a story. BirthRight is a joke. Charlie is dope and he does look clownish rolling around with this circus. This also puts us one step closer to “Nympho vs. Nepo: Power Graps.” I’ll be here all week, folks. This was a solid night for the CW brand. NXT is finally settling into a rhythm as we move into fall. Halloween Havoc is a big deal, one that demands their best foot forward. It’s early but it looks like they might do just that. What say you, Cagesiders? Does Grayson retain his championship with all his opponents going at one another?