WWE NXT Great American Bash - 6/28/2026: 3 Things We Hated And 3 We Loved

As the United States of America nears its 250th birthday, WWE NXT presented its annual Great American Bash PLE. For the first time, The CW played host to a WWE PLE, and the show featured everything from a new women's champion to the retention of the men's world title. All those results and more can be found on the WWE NXT Great American Bash – 6/28/2026 Results Page.

It's now time for the Wrestling Inc. Staff to tell you what they loved, and what they hated. After all, Sunday was a busy day, full of Slammiversaries and Forbidden Doors, maybe you need a quick update on what was good at The Bash, and what very much wasn't. There were tremendous highs, like the main event, or the surprise appearance of Kevin Owens, and there was plenty to hate, which we'll get to right after the jump. If you want to keep the conversation going, the comments section will be open, as always.

Without further ado, the best and the worst of Sunday's patriotic show.

As the majority of us predicted, Myles Borne retained the NXT North American Championship at the Great American Bash. What we didn't foresee was the lack of an aftermath following his title match against his former tag partner, Tavion Heights.

Last week, Heights made it clear that he didn't need Borne's help in securing a singles title opportunity. On "WWE NXT," Heights then claimed that Borne "forgot" about their friendship once he found his own singles success. That's why Heights ultimately vowed to come into their NA Title clash with a "selfish" mindset.

When Borne later pinned him, though, Heights didn't snap; he actually kept things respectful by shaking Borne's hand. He didn't even interrupt Borne's post-match promo, which asserted that Borne would hold the NXT North American Championship for a long time, regardless of who challenged him for it.

With Heights visibly disappointed by his loss to Borne and his overall repeated failure in obtaining singles gold, I expected to finally reach his breaking point in that moment. Logically, it would make sense. Furthermore, it might give him an extra edge to finally be put into a position to carry it. By simply walking away and leaving Borne unscathed, I now question what his future looks like in "NXT."

Written by Ella Jay

I don't think it's any secret that I've been a huge fan of the storyline between Shiloh Hill and Tristan Angels over the last several weeks. As goofy as it may be, I've had an absolute blast seeing where it goes next every week, and it's consistently been a highlight on "NXT" programming tonight. For that reason, it shouldn't be much of a surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed their match at The Great American Bash.

From bell to bell, there wasn't any point in their match that I felt was lacking or lagging in any way, shape, or form. The two men put on a banger of a match to make for something that was even between them, well-paced, and hard-hitting. I also really liked the little unique touches they added to the match, such as the part where Angels answered a phone under the ring, only for Hill to sneak up behind him wearing a Jason Voorhees mask and then teleport behind Angels on the outside. I was also a fan of Hill delivering a spear to Angels off the ring steps and through the middle rope from the ring apron. It added that extra special fun touch to this match, and made it stand out to leave that much more of a lasting impression in my mind.

Written by Olivia Quinlan

One had hoped heading into the match between Saquon Shugars and Dion Lennox tonight that it would be an ending to the months-spanning story. Clean vengeance. Shugars is moving on to bigger and better things, while DarkState attempts to do the same. What else is there really to explore between these characters?

DarkState kicked him out, and Lennox said he couldn't wait to be done with him. Shugars eventually won the match, putting him on the path to that clean vengeance and a straightforward ending. But then Lennox, Osiris Griffin, and Cutler James attacked him. Their injuries on the night had been feigned. Why didn't they just help him win the match and not pretend to be injured?

Anyway, they set him up for Lennox to hit with his baseball bat. The angling of everything and the stalling on Lennox's behalf made it feel as though someone was coming out to save Shugars. No one came, he was hit with the bat, and it's very clear that things aren't going to be over. One does accept that, per the booking rulebook, this type of rivalry normally calls for a match with a little more something; a plunder match of some type, usually.

But that's still irksome. Especially when it feels as though the story between these characters has run its course. DarkState are far from the most compelling act on the brand, but it's not to say that they are bad. They could use better and different stories rather than being what they are presently. Shugars is a little more refreshing.

The concern is that running things back with DarkState stands to dull that flame. Everything has been explored, and Shugars either gets another win that does no favors for the group, or he loses ensuing a trilogy, and honestly, the idea of the story running that long is nauseating.

It would have been nice to see a clean break. They're so rare now.

Written by Max Everett

I'll just come out and say it: I miss Kevin Owens. I think the majority of Wrestling Inc. staff miss him, too. That's why it was a pleasant surprise to see him announced as a guest for the "NXT" Great American Bash tailgate party and watch party. It was even more exciting to see the former NXT and WWE Universal Champion in physical form on the GAB broadcast.

Owens first commented on the opening NXT Championship match between Tony D'Angelo and Naraku. In typical KO fashion, he then unleashed a moment of rage when the crowd responded to his support for Tristan Angels, whom he worked with on "WWE LFG," with a sea of boos. Whether he's a babyface or heel, it's hard not to chuckle when "raging" Kevin Owens comes out, even for a brief second. And on such a highly stressful night like tonight has been for us pro wrestling writers, I definitely needed a good laugh.

Owen's appearance also gives me hope that he will be back on WWE TV for good in the near future. Yes, he's served as a coach on season three of "WWE LFG," but across the more prominent programs of WWE's main roster and "NXT" of late, fans have rarely seen him. Due to his serious neck injury, he hasn't competed in the ring since the 2025 Elimination Chamber premium live event either.

Owens is a national treasure-level talent, so at this rate, I'll take any screen-time dose of him that I can get.

Written by Ella Jay

Now, for the most part, I didn't really have an issue with the NXT Championship match between Tony D'Angelo and Naraku. I thought that it was some solid action from two very solid performers, and I thought it was a good choice for the opening match on this show. My problem mainly came with the closing few moments of this match. There wasn't really any buildup or tension leading up to the end of this match, making it feel like it was incredibly abrupt and sudden. I honestly expected an ending that had a little more pizzazz, considering that "NXT" has positioned the storyline between D'Angelo and Narkau as something of a blood feud. It just came out of nowhere for me, and was a little underwhelming to watch as a viewer for that reason.

I also wish that this match had been given a tad bit more time on this show to play out. It felt short to me in comparison to other title matches, such as the ones for the Women's North American Championship or North American Championship, and I just felt like it could've used an extra couple of minutes to create some more tension and flesh out the ending a bit more. It may not have been a bad match, but it was certainly hampered by the manner in which it ended.

Written by Olivia Quinlan

The right move was made as Kendal Grey dethroned Lola Vice as NXT Women's Champion, crowning the top prospect in the women's division and who feels like a future WrestleMania headliner. Vice was a great champion and remains herself headed to the stars – many would argue that's already occurred – but that's also why this win was more important for Grey at this stage.

This match was the culmination of a story spanning months back to the lead-in to Stand & Deliver, the former Evolve Women's Champion entering the pursuit of Jacy Jayne's NXT Women's title as Vice sought to end her own years-long hunt. Grey had won the Iron Survivor in December and felt very much on the way to getting her moment, but Stand & Deliver felt like the time for Vice to engrave her name on the belt.

Even still, she never fell to Vice, pinning her even as she submitted to send them both to face Jayne. Vice won, as she should, but even then Grey was not beaten. This weekend saw that come full circle as Vice failed to beat her for a third time, and the third time proved to be the charm as Grey was crowned at the right moment for her.

Vice losing the title actually feels as though she is free to explore an ending to her story in the brand and to eventually – hopefully sooner rather than later – make her step up. Grey feels as though she can carry the brand forward perfectly. And if her first opponent is Kelani Jordan, as her cameo in the match suggested, then the NXT Women's title is in good hands for the foreseeable future.

Written by Max Everett