WWE NXT - 6/9/2026: 3 Things We Hated And 3 We Loved

"WWE NXT" is on the road to the Great American Bash. Two title matches were set on Tuesday, and another title changed hands, but you can read all about that on the 6/9/2026 "NXT" Results page.

For now, it's time to talk about the good and the bad from Tuesday's show. There was plenty to love, like the main event, or the hilarious Mr. NXT Pageant, and there was plenty to hate, like the muddled Darkstate storyline or the fact that Kendal Grey is seemingly the luckiest woman in the NXT's women's division. If you have anything to add to the conversation, I kindly direct you to the comments section.

Enough introductions, it's time to talk about what we hated, and what we very much didn't from the June 9th edition of WWE NXT.

Tonight, Naraku became the number one contender to Tony D'Angelo's NXT Championship, and the pair will square off at Great American Bash here at the end of the month. I just still think the men's top title picture is a mess for so many reasons. Naraku defeated Mason Rook to earn the spot, thanks in part to some distraction by Kam Hendrix, who D'Angelo defeated last week.

I initially thought there was no clear winner in this match tonight, as Rook is over with the Performance Center crowd and a good portion of the IWC, but his getting a title shot feels a little too soon. Naraku, however, had a storyline started, at least with D'Angelo, that he was going to "protect" the champion until he got his shot at the title. Well, that storyline really never got underway, and I thought it had the potential to be really interesting, especially with all the new guys gunning for Tony D.

The match itself, pitting Naraku against Rook, wasn't bad, but I guess I'm just not a fan of Naraku's in-ring style. It certainly doesn't match his overall aura. I gave him a chance, but I have to agree with what I've heard from others who watched him in NJPW, though, I will give him some more benefit of the doubt and hope maybe he can adapt to WWE's style. The match was fine. A bit plodding, for lack of a better term, in places, but the crowd was really into it, which certainly helped.

I realized about halfway into the bout that this wasn't ending without interference. Hendrix and Rook are currently beefing, and now it looks like we'll get at least one match between the pair while Rook stacks some wins before getting his actual shot at the NXT Championship. This also made me think that the NXT Championship match at Great American Bash probably isn't going to end clean, either, with Hendrix, Rook, and God knows who else at this point, getting involved so Naraku doesn't take a clean loss during his first shot at the gold.

It all just feels very messy, and hopefully I'm wrong. D'Angelo beats the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion clean, or the former EVIL unexpectedly takes the title off of him. Still, during this weird period of the NXT Championship scene where we're establishing new guys at the top right off the bat, I'm honestly not going to get my hopes up for anything.

Written by Daisy Ruth

Wren Sinclair has been hobbling around "WWE NXT" with an obvious injury for a while now. It's been a little frustrating, when wrestlers like Logan Paul are stripped of their titles almost the very second that an injury is confirmed.

Luckily, Sinclair has finally decided to address the elephant in the room, and said she wants a contender for her title. It's not clear if she'll be medically fit to compete by the time the women's speed tournament is over, but nonetheless, narrative momentum is narrative momentum. The Speed Titles have become a fun little addition to "WWE NXT," and while there's plenty of excitement in the Men's Division, the women have been sitting on their hands, waiting for Sinclair to either vacate or ask for a contender. She's done the latter, and she still might do the former, depending on how recovery goes, either way it's one more loose end tied up.

Written by Ross Berman.

Let me preface this by saying that Kendal Grey and Kelani Jordan put on a stellar performance tonight. We saw a great mix of technical wrestling, high-flying action, and athletic skill all in one match. The two even produced some exhilarating false finishes and reversals. The outcome, however, is the opposite of what I expected, and moreover, would have done given the implications.

Grey defeated Jordan with Shades of Grey to secure an NXT Women's Championship match against Lola Vice at the "NXT" Great American Bash. That means that for the second time in less than 90 days, Vice and Grey will battle in a bout involving the women's title. For Grey, it will also mark her third attempt overall at potentially capturing the title this year.

If WWE wanted Kendal Grey to reign as the NXT Women's Champion in 2026, I think she would've been by now. Instead, she's fallen short in two attempts, with her third likely to produce the same result. Now, of course, I could be wrong, but at this point, it doesn't seem that Vice has reached her full potential with the title, which further leads me to believe that she'll carry it at least through the summer.

If WWE wanted another viable opponent for Vice at GAB, Kelani Jordan is as good as any. She's probably the best option, to be honest. Jordan shares history with Vice in a recent heated feud. And while Vice brings the hard hits, Jordan balances it out with her aerial and athletic arsenal.

Shockingly, Jordan has never challenged for the NXT Women's Championship in a televised setting either. At this point, she's way past overdue for the opportunity.

Written by Ella Jay

I could not have predicted that the storyline between Shiloh Hill and Tristan Angels would end up becoming something I look forward to watching on "NXT" every single week, but here we are.

The Mr. NXT Pageant was admittedly very silly and goofy, but "NXT" isn't exactly known for doing serious stuff all the time, and I think it actually played really well to both men's strengths. It provided Hill and Angels with the opportunity to show off the great character work that they can do to the "NXT" Universe. Angels really played up his arrogant heel persona, while Hill showed why he's such a lovable and endearing personality on the "NXT" roster.

There were several incredible moments from both men that kept me entertained throughout the various portions of this episode to make for something that I absolutely adored. Whether it was Hill one-upping Angels in the talent portion by juggling on a unicycle, or Angels proving that he cannot in fact solve a Rubik's Cube in a matter of seconds like Hill could, and their outfits in the attire portion. The three judges and the energy of the live crowd also added that extra flourish to everything by bringing the high energy to make it feel like something special, and it ended on the perfect cliffhanger with Angels attacking Hill using his shillelagh and his chair. I'm sure that Tristan Angels would've loved to defeat Shiloh Hill to win the Mr. NXT Pageant on his birthday, but I think it's still safe to say that it was a rousing success and a stellar way for him to celebrate.

Written by Olivia Quinlan

I know it hasn't even been a month yet since DarkState kicked its most interesting member, Saquon Shugars, out of the faction, with the breakup occurring on the May 19 edition of "NXT," but for whatever reason, the storyline already feels like it's dragging. Maybe it's because I'm not used to Shawn Michaels booking at his best friend, Triple H's, glacial pace, or because everything else feels so much more fast-paced lately on "NXT" with all the new folks establishing themselves, but I am just not interested in this any longer, after wanting to see Shugars on his own for so long.

The week following the brutal attack on Shugars, the rest of DarkState cut a promo in the ring, but he was nowhere to be found until the very end of the show, when he was just seen sitting atop a production truck. Last week, he showed up to beat down Cutler James with a bat ahead of the faction's tag team match, and this week, he distracted Dion Lennox during his match by appearing on the tron, then showing up behind him with the bat when the match was over.

I got unhinged vibes from Shugars throughout his time with DarkState, and when he was kicked out of the faction, I expected all the crazy (complimentary) to be completely unleashed. Not saying chasing people around with baseball bats isn't unhinged, but I guess I expected more from him. Like, a lot more, from constant backstage attacks, to maybe even a response from Shugars in the ring, in front of fans, since he's so good on the microphone. Sure, there might be a lot going on in the world of "NXT" right now, but I think this should have been, and should still be, as it can be saved, a priority.

I guess maybe getting this feud over with, as I'm assuming it ends with Lennox and Shugars' match after Shugars beats all the other members, means that he will be closer to the NXT Championship, and that scene is already pretty crowded. But, he could be put into the North American Championship scene while the top title picture rights itself, which would be fine. Right now, it feels like it's going to take until Deadline until we see Shugars vs. Lennox, but if there's no plan for Shugars after this yet, it makes some kind of sense, even if I don't like it.

Written by Daisy Ruth

This week saw the almost two-year quest for gold come to an end for Zaria, dominating over Tatum Paxley to claim the Women's North American Championship in a really fun match.

Debuting around the time of star acquisitions Stephanie Vaquer and Giulia, the former going on to become a double champion with the NXT Women's and Women's North American titles and the latter winning the NXT Women's Championship, before both made it onto the main roster to win more titles, it's been something of a slower path for Zaria.

She immediately entered the title picture, but after falling short, fell into teaming with Sol Ruca and falling short with her in the Tag Team division. Ruca, meanwhile, became a double champion in her own right with the Women's North American and Women's Speed Championships.

That naturally led to Zaria turning on Ruca during their joint pursuit of the NXT Women's title earlier this year, with Zaria sending her former partner off to the main roster with the symbolic win in a Last Woman Standing match.

So now, with no one left to stand in the way of Zaria, she saw to it that she would seize her next opportunity with both hands. Immediately in the match, she overwhelmed Paxley, and it was clear that if the champion was going to survive, it would be by the skin of her vampiric teeth.

Paxley did survive much longer than the opening part of the match suggested, finding room with creative reversals and really working to turn Zaria's momentum and strength against her. That wouldn't be enough, sadly for Paxley, as it would be Zaria avoiding a moonsault to the floor to sign the now former champion's fate; Zaria followed up with a F5 to the floor, a spear back in the ring, and then another F5 for good measure.

Not only did she win the title, but she did so in a way that presents her for the machine she can be. The bout told a story of efficiency and an impatience that comes with falling short so many times before. And it was honestly just a fun way of closing this show.

Written by Max Everett