NXT previews Heatwave with key matches and title implications tonight

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NXT will emanate from the Performance Center in Orlando tonight, just 5 days before their big summer PLE, Heatwave. A champion from AAA will be on the show for a title defense, plus former stablemates settle their score for good in a Weaponized Steel Cage Match. Be sure to tune in to the action on the CW starting at 8 PM ET, and follow along with all the action right here on Cageside! Final stop on the road to Heatwave Less than a week before taking their show on the road for the Heatwave premium live event in Edinburg, Texas, WWE’s developmental brand has one more stop at the Performance Center in Orlando for tonight’s NXT. With the card for Sunday night likely set and 5 championship matches already locked in, tonight’s in-ring action will mostly focus on advancing other ongoing Tuesday night stories. To build the excitement level for Heatwave, though, all of NXT’s top champions and their contenders will likely be making appearances on tonight’s show. Tony D’Angelo won the NXT Championship back at Stand & Deliver by winning a Fatal 4-Way. In the weeks that followed, all three men that Tony beat in that match migrated up to the main roster, leaving the cupboard bare in NXT’s men’s division. Four months later, D’Angelo is still the champ but finds himself defending in another Fatal 4-Way, this time taking on three men who have only made their presence felt on NXT in the last few weeks. Former TNA World Champion Cruz Montana crossed the line, Grayson Waller left Raw catering behind, and Zilla Fatu became the latest member of the Bloodline to make their debut. All three of them set their sights immediately on the richest prize in NXT. After Fatu interrupted a #1 contender’s match two weeks ago, he was added to the existing triple threat match last week thanks to contractual obligations, turning the match into the Fatal 4-Way. Will these four combustible elements cross paths in the Performance Center tonight? .@Zillafatu is about to be a problem at #NXTHeatwave… 😮‍💨 Don't miss #NXTHeatwave on Sunday, August 30th on @TheCW at 3 ET/12 PT! pic.twitter.com/DiyCBUXgKk — WWE NXT (@WWENXT) August 24, 2026 In the women’s division, Kendal Grey will renew acquaintances with Kelani Jordan at Heatwave, as Kelani looks to finally get over the hump and become NXT Women’s Champion. This will serve as a rubber match between these two uber-talented ladies, with Kelani winning their first confrontation back in May and Kendal winning the rematch in June to become the #1 contender for Lola Vice’s NXT Women’s Title. Now, Jordan and Grey are set to go head-to-head with the richest prize in NXT on the line. Can Kendal make it two in a row against a woman who has quickly become one of her fiercest rivals? Or will former TNA Knockouts and NXT North American Champion Kelani Jordan finally make it to the top of the Tuesday night food chain? Two other title matches this Sunday will feature members of the Vanity Project squaring off with members of the recently reunited NQCC. North American Champion Myles Borne became a double champion a few weeks back when he and friend-turned-enemy-turned-friend Tavion Heights defeated Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes to become the new NXT Tag Team Champions. With the Swipe Right boys looking to get their gold back and Jackson Drake hoping to get into the title mix himself, Drake found himself in a match against Shiloh Hill last week, where he could earn title shots for the whole Vanity Project at Heatwave. Jackson would go on to win that match thanks to the return of Naraku, and now two title matches have been made official for this Sunday. Myles Borne will defend his North American Title against Jackson Drake and also team up with Heights to defend the NXT Tag Team Titles against Smokes and Baylor. Will Borne leave Texas on Sunday with two titles? Or will the Vanity Project put an end to this short-lived NQCC reunion? Plus, will we find out tonight what order those matches will take place in? And will these two sides cross paths tonight before their title matches at Heatwave? Zaria and Kali collide with Heatwave implications .@kelani_wwe was NOT in the mood to celebrate 😬 pic.twitter.com/X5HzfESObS — WWE NXT (@WWENXT) August 21, 2026 The one match currently being advertised for tonight’s show with Heatwave implications is a massive collision between Zaria and Kali Armstrong. Zaria will compete against Wren Sinclair on Sunday to unify the North American and Speed Championships, but that match could turn into a Triple Threat match depending on how tonight goes. After pinning Wren Sinclair in tag team action last week, Kali Armstrong has a fairly legitimate case to find herself in title contention. She would come face-to-face with Zaria later in the night and say as much. With both women agreeing to lock horns tonight, GM Stone added the stipulation that if Kali beats Zaria, she’ll be added to the unification match at Heatwave. After missing out on an opportunity to face Kendal Grey for NXT’s top prize in the women’s division, will the former Evolve Women’s Champion, Kali Armstrong, earn a huge opportunity at Heatwave? Or will the reigning champ prevail, ensuring that she only has to worry about Wren Sinclair on Sunday? Plus, will Wren be around and look to get involved with her Heatwave fate seemingly out of her hands? EK Prosper challenges for AAA gold Since returning earlier this summer, Eli Knight EK Prosper has been stacking up wins. Last week, he came up with his biggest one to date, earning himself a AAA Cruiserweight Championship match against Rey Fenix. Prosper outlasted Tristan Angels, Romeo Moreno, and AAA’s La Parka last week and is now just one win away from earning his first championship in WWE. Prosper’s path to prosperity will not be an easy one though. Looking across the ring from him will be Rey Fenix, who has been on a roll of his own lately. After defeating Laredo Kid for the Cruiserweight Title back in May, Fenix has already successfully defended his title 7 times on SmackDown and in AAA, and last night, moved one step closer to facing Roman Reigns for the World Title with his win over Dragon Lee. Something’s gotta give on NXT tonight. Will the 24-year-old Prosper pick up the biggest win of his young career? Or will Fenix keep his momentum going heading into a big 6-man tag in AAA on Saturday and the Roman Reigns Invitational Final against his brother Penta next Monday? Quick Hits Former DarkState teammates Dion Lennox and Saquon Shugars look to settle their rivalry once and for all tonight when they are locked inside a Weaponized Steel Cage together. In what feels like a surefire blow-off match, which man will do more to survive what’s sure to be a brutal contest? Plus, will the steel cage be enough to make sure the other members of DarkState don’t get involved? A group of upstarts led by Sean Legacy looks to get one up on the NXT’s resident faction of nepo-babies when Legacy and his partner Dorian Van Dux team up with Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno to take on Birth Right in 8-man tag team action. Will the babyface team looking for a big win earn it at the expense of Lexis King’s crew? Or will Birth Right finally find a way to make themselves look like a threat and pick up a victory tonight? Nattie defeated Thea Hail last week, and then her cronies, Nikkita and Karmen, made Jaida Parker watch as she locked in another Sharpshooter for good measure. Will Thea and Jaida need to find a third in order to finally put Nattie’s crew behind them? Or will Miss Hail and Miss Parker continue trying to overcome that damn numbers game? Naraku returned to NXT last week, spraying the poison mist at Shiloh Hill, costing him his match with Jackson Drake. Will Naraku shed any light on why he targeted Shiloh last week? Or will the LFG Season 2 winner find a way to exact some revenge on the former IWGP Champion? All this and more on the CW tonight on the NXT Heatwave go-home show! Let us know what you’re most excited for on tonight’s show in the comments below, and be sure to follow along with the live coverage here on Cageside tonight, starting at 8 PM Eastern!