NXT showcases new faces amid talent transition period

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State of the World Naraku vs Mason Rook is now a No. 1 Contenders Match for the NXT Title!! 🏆 It is SET IN STONE and goes down NEXT WEEK! pic.twitter.com/IP50Y7Z14q — WWE (@WWE) June 3, 2026 I like Tony D’Angelo. I really do. I probably like him more than anyone else on our staff. But while watching his main event match against Kam Hendrix, I found myself uninterested. Echoing some of Geno’s thoughts, there’s no one on the men’s side that jumps out at me as someone I need to pay attention to. At least right now. That’s not a great look for a developmental brand that, yes, is truly about developing, but traditionally carried rosters with diamonds in the rough. And the show felt exciting as a result of those gems. Now? NXT feels more experimental than focused. It’s always thrown stuff against the wall but it always felt of a piece. Think about Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams going through that haunted house. Or Hit Row’s rap concert. Or InDex’s marriage. Those moments could feel goofy or out of place if not for them perfectly fitting in with what the territory did that week. Or just representing payoffs to stories. NXT feels like it’s in a rut. I’m a broken record saying that but that’s what happens when vinyl gets dusty; the cracks show. Guys like Naraku and Mason Rook, who face each other next week, might be the next big things. As I said, this is still developmental and it seems like NXT has a longer leash to do just that with the main roster being so crowded. The talent can truly become elite with all the time in the world to make mistakes and hone their strengths. The problem, to Geno’s point, is the lack of standouts as captivating characters. That’s made even worse when the show around them doesn’t seem like it knows what it’s doing. B-Sides How does one get wrestle coach credentials? That was my first thought when Vic Joseph complained about Swipe Right helping Jackson Drake during the former Evolve champ’s match against Tate Wilder. The idea going into this match, at least as it relates to Tate, was his recklessness. EK Propser warned his boy that Jackson was nothing to play with and that he should play it smart to get the W. Now, one might argue that Tate going for a Hurricanrana on his opponent outside the ring is a reckless move. But in the context of the match, it felt perfectly within the flow and like the right thing to do. Tate’s unpredictability didn’t do him in; Myka Lockwood standing ringside did him in. It’s one thing to go for that move, it’s another for Myka to push Jackson out of the way at the last minute, catch Tate, then powerbomb him into the apron. It was academic from that point. The Culling is coming apart. At least that’s how it seems. I’ve wrongly predicted NXT groups breakups in the past so they won’t fool me again. That said, this one seems like the real deal. Last week’s miscommunication between Shawn Spears & Niko Vance bled over into a loss here against OTM. They didn’t lose as a result of both cats not knowing the gameplan, but mostly because OTM is completely in sync right now. Their sit-down interview last week showed the territory is giving them a bit of a push. Defeating The Culling isn’t a “huge” win considering Niko & Shawn aren’t exactly tearing up the division, but it’s a good first step. I’ve always liked Bronco Lima & Lucien Price in the ring but now they’re giving them some more depth. They tried this before with Scrypts (remember him?!) and the typical “from the streets” background. This one is a bit more than just them being tough guys from the hood who want to bring the hood mentality to NXT. Now the big test is what comes next. Kelani Jordan’s homage to “One Mic” during her segment with Lola Vice, Wren Sinclair, and Kendal Grey made me smile. It was subtle but I saw her game. What I didn’t like seeing was yet another variation of the same segment NXT loves: Champ hits the ring, champ grabs a mic, champ talks trash on said mic, and challengers hit the ring to state their case for a championship match. I know, I know. Wrestling shows are still, in fact, TV shows. And TV shows have tropes. But tropes have to invert expectations to make for compelling television and serve the people involved. This one does nothing for anyone involved. The two things that came out of it are a number one contender match next week between Kelani and Kendal, and Wren deciding not to accompany Wren to the ring for that match since she considers herself a liability. That seems like it’s setting up Kendal for the win. If there’s one thing I dig about NXT, it’s the way they acknowledge everything happening in WWE and how it relates to the wrestlers on their brand. Sol Ruca becoming the Intercontinental Championship didn’t happen in a vacuum; it affects Zaria’s quest for gold. That was a cool bit of storytelling told from the announce team. Maybe that’s the other reason she defeated Lizzy Rain. Lizzy is still new to the scene and can withstand an L. More to the point, Lizzy defeating a possessed Zaria, someone willing to do whatever it takes to win gold, would actually neuter Z. I’m conflicted on everything that happened after Zaria pinned Lizzy. Tatum Paxley coming to Lizzy’s aide after Zaria proceeded to go for the post match beatdown? No problem there. Tatum giving Zaria her title shot to save Lizzy? Cool. But Lizzy looked a little weak clinging to Tatum’s leg. I understand she was hurting and selling the exhaustion from the match and the F-5, but it just didn’t look right. Props to Saquan Sugars for showing his promising career in baseball. The man interrupted what was supposed to be Myles Borne & Tavion Heights vs. DarkState earlier in the show when he attacked his former crew during their entrance. That obviously pissed off the perpetually angry DarkState, who got their match later. I found it odd Saquan didn’t strike again. Instead, he menaced the crew with a baseball bat from the Crow’s Nest post match after they defeated the former NQCC members. If he was willing to hurt them before the match earlier, why not interfere during the actual match to give DarkState an L and motivate them even more? Nattie continues humbling Jaida Parker. I’m still intrigued. Especially with Nattie verbally dressing her down in front of so many of her peers and Jaida doing nothing when the girls laughed at her. Meh. NXT is still working out what it will be after it saw so many faces go to the main roster. We’re in June and it’s still unsure of its identity, and there’s no big captivating wrestler to build around. For now. Hopefully that changes with time. But whew, they need a lot of it. What say you, Cagesiders?

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NXT is in something of a transition period right now, having introduced some new faces after the main roster raided the top stars over the past couple years. It always felt like there were top level stars to be raided, but I’m starting to wonder if that’s changing. The roster as it stands right now looks strong in the women’s division, for sure, but the men’s side doesn’t look nearly as good as it did once before. Where is the next Trick Williams, or even Carmelo Hayes? Is there an Oba Femi on the roster right now? Then, while watching this week’s episode on CW, they aired this promo for a segment coming next week featuring Shiloh Hill and Tristan Angels: The Mr. NXT Pageant takes place NEXT WEEK! 💎@shiloh_wwe | @tristanangels03 pic.twitter.com/V8UwSantOA — WWE (@WWE) June 3, 2026 Granted, NXT is where they can try things out and fully lean into goofy ideas like this. They’ve made it work in the past too, so I don’t want to pre-judge here, but this just feels like a mid-card bunch of nonsense during a time when they need to find talent who look like they could actually turn into challengers for Roman Reigns, and Cody Rhodes. Am I supposed to think either of these two could ever stand across from CM Punk with a microphone in hand and look like they belong? It’s a slaughter right now. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong, the segment will be a big winner, and both will go on to a bright future. I just can’t see it right now. Anyone else feeling the same?