WWE NXT - 10/20/2026: 3 Things We Hated & 3 Things We Loved

Halloween Havoc inches closer, and another "WWE NXT" is in the books. Tuesday's show saw a shocking upset in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, as well as a heated exchange between Tony D'Angelo and WWE NXT Champion Grayson Waller. You can read all about it over on the WWE NXT -10/20/2026 Live Blog.

Now, the Wrestling Inc. Staff is here to talk about everything we liked, and everything we didn't, like we do for every show. It was the kind of show that made you wonder why you even watch NXT in the first place, but it also had a very good match between Hank, Tank, and The Creeds. So it was a mixed bag overall. If you felt differently, the comment section is open as always.

Here's everything we hated and everything we loved from the October 20 edition of "WWE NXT."

For the most part, I've been enjoying the matches that have come out of the 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. While I thought that the actual match pitting BirthRight against El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. and Galeno was pretty solid, I didn't exactly feel the same about the manner in which it was booked.

The problem with the booking here for me doesn't necessarily come in Zilla Fatu being the man to cost BirthRight or El Hijo de. Dr Wagner Jr. and Galeno advanced to the semifinals in the 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. It more so comes from the fact that "NXT" has been positioning BirthRight as a dominant faction on the brand others should be on the lookout for.

BirthRight has been talking a big game about wanting to be noticed, only to then immediately lose an important match and be left laid out by Zilla. Not only does it make BirthRight look bad as a stable, but it also makes it really hard to take them as a serious threat both by other wrestlers and as a viewer without giving them credible wins that will help to achieve that means to an end.

If "NXT" really wanted to have Zilla cost BirthRight to really get under their skin, then I can't see a reason not to at least have him wait until the semifinals or even the finals to do so and put BirthRight and El Hijo de. Dr Wagner Jr. and Galeno against different opponents in the quarterfinals. At least doing it that way would give BirthRight a little more credibility by getting them further in the 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and gives them that much more fuel in order to advance the ongoing storyline between BirthRight and Zilla by increasing the stakes.

Written by Olivia Quinlan

"NXT" fans got a taste of Chantel Monroe two weeks ago when she and 19 others competed in a battle royal to determine the number one contender for the NXT Women's Championship. Tonight, we got a second look, courtesy of a 30-second vignette.

After watching this vignette, we've now got a good idea of Chantel's character. She's confident (maybe even a little vain), glamorous, and diva-like. As a former Auburn gymnast, we know she's athletic, too.

"Open your ears, look at me, and pay attention because the reflection of perfection, Chantel Monroe, is gracing your screen," Chantel said while holding up a handheld mirror. "Can you tell I'm pure entertainment and love attention? So yeah, the NXT women's locker room better watch out, because when the show-stopping diva steps in the ring, it's not just a match, it's an experience."

At first glance, Chantel appears to be a cross between main roster stars Blake Monroe and Lash Legend. I have faith that she can set herself apart, though.

A prop, in her case a mirror, will instantly allow fans to link something tangible to her. In her short introductory video, we also saw that she's wrestled main roster talent Maxxine Dupri on "WWE Main Event," which means she already has decent in-ring experience under her belt.

Chantel physically appeared on "NXT" as well, specifically in a backstage segment with Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair. This is especially notable given that Grey is a former NXT Women's Champion and Sinclair is the current number one contender.

Next week, Chantel will mark her "NXT" singles debut against Lizzy Rain. Getting screen time alongside three big stars in the brand's women's division in the meantime, however, is a pretty good way to kick off her overall "NXT" career.

Written by Ella Jay

Over recent weeks, Izzi Dame has made it her mission to get beneath Zaria's skin, in what had looked to be a play at getting her North American title back. Earlier on during tonight's show she was confronted for her Mean Girl activity in the locker room by Layla Diggs, the forgotten number one contender to the title, and Dame even alluded to the idea that she was after the title as a match was set up between the pair of them.

For all intents and purposes, that match felt like a Number One Contendership match in all but name. It also happened to be a pretty fun one as well, with Diggs getting a prolonged spell against the former champion before ultimately falling to defeat. Then Zaria came down to the ring, acknowledged Dame's attempts to get beneath her skin, and challenged her to a title match at Halloween Havoc. Dame accepted, but then turned around and said, verbatim, "Don't worry about putting that on the line."

This is confusing for a number of reasons. Firstly, it's a title and one that Dame had been rather steadfast about wanting to get back, up until recently. Secondly, even if she did care purely for this supposed vendetta towards Zaria, why explicitly omit the title from the contest? If she wins a title match, she exposes Zaria as she has said she wants to, and she also takes the title from her. If she wins this match, she will have beaten Zaria, but then she still needs to fight for the title at a later date.

It doesn't exactly help things that this is the show with Booker T and his continual "Wrestling's about checks and championships" phrase. He's not wrong; it is. And it certainly undermines a title when a potential challenger gets their opportunity, just to turn it down like it's beneath them. It's been really hard to get a track on the why behind everything in this feud.

Even in kayfabe, what is this all in aid of? Why would Robert Stone make this match without the title on the line before the rightful number one contender gets her opportunity? Zooming out from that and considering that this is fictional and it's written for entertainment, what is the endgame here? What narrative purpose does Dame rejecting the title shot serve?

It feels like an obvious and rather lazy attempt to extend the storyline without actually giving any meat to the bones. And it hardly makes their contest a draw for Halloween Havoc.

Written by Max Everett

We'll be honest: we considered Julius Creed and Brutus Creed the favorites in the 2026 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Still, we aren't mad that their journey was cut short in the quarterfinals tonight.

The Creed Brothers took on fellow former NXT Tag Team Champions Hank Walker and Tank Ledger in the quarterfinals of the prestigious tournament, and surprisingly, Hank and Tank defeated them. It was a pleasant surprise, though, as Hank and Tank now have a solid case to win the entire thing.

By besting The Creed Brothers, Hank and Tank gained significant credibility in their Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic run. Julius and Brutus, of course, conquered the tournament in 2022. They also have multiple years of main roster experience, making them arguably the fiercest competitors in the 2026 tourney.

Hank and Tank, meanwhile, have noticeably lost steam on "NXT" this year, with only a few televised matches to their names. A victory over The Creed Brothers certainly shifts momentum back into their favor. We're now hoping that momentum carries them all the way to the finals, where, perhaps, they'll conquer the reigning NXT Tag Team Champions Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes as well.

We love a good comeback story, and right now, WWE has a juicy one sitting in front of them in "NXT." We encourage them to take it.

Written by Ella Jay

I wish I could say I cared at all about Dion Lennox and Cruz Montana's feud, but as the opening video about their back-and-forth over the last few weeks played to start the show tonight, I realized how much I just don't. That's not a knock on Montana, either, as I really like him and wish he would have been elevated to the NXT Championship picture immediately upon his arrival to the brand over the summer.

He was there for a bit, but now that's no longer the case. Instead, he's locked in this pretty terrible feud with Lennox, who I just can't get on board with no matter what WWE has him do. Their interactions have been pretty forgettable. I see what they're trying to accomplish, with Montana's previous history and the darker parts of his life story, establishing a character for him. Maybe I'm a part of the fanbase that's more familiar with him and his story through AEW and TNA, and I just don't feel like I need it all spelled out to me like this.

Or, rather, his backstory is being established in a pretty poor way. Lennox has basically been calling him out, mocking Montana's mother for being a drug dealer and Montana himself also being in recovery from alcohol addiction. As someone who's been a lifelong WWE fan, this is a story I've seen too many times, and it's cringe-worthy every single time it's been done. To make it worse, Lennox is also mocking the former TNA Champion for the fact that he had to work his way to WWE, and he's a former college athlete who waltzed into the PC. I'll never like a wrestler going after a wrestler for having more independent wrestling experience than him.

The match itself was fine in-ring-wise, but of course, this feud is going to continue, likely to Halloween Havoc, where I'll only be slightly alright with it if they're one of the "spin the wheel, make a deal" matches, after it was confirmed the wheel is coming back tonight.

Lennox ran his mouth about Montana's mother and daughter and made him snap, and Montana beat him down, sending him bouncing off the LED board, and the pair were counted out. Montana continued the beatdown, taking out security as he went, and after he hit Lennox with the stairs, he was "arrested" by officials to end the show. That only proves Lennox's point about driving Montana back to "the dark place," and it just felt pretty unnecessary. Hopefully, Montana gets a win at Halloween Havoc, but once again, that leaves Lennox directionless, and he hasn't exactly regained much momentum following his feud-ending loss to Saquon Shugars.

Written by Daisy Ruth

While I'm glad to see Kendal Grey back no matter what, I am especially glad to see her in the Performance Center following those God-awful pre-recorded therapy segments WWE had her do for a few weeks there, to help her vertigo, of all things. While she was taken out by NXT Women's Champion Kelani Jordan tonight, she's still hopefully done with that ridiculous story, or at least the badly acted therapy portion of it, now that her best friend, Wren Sinclair, is set to challenge Jordan for the title next weekend. I much rather see Grey be a part of this feud than sit on a couch.

Grey didn't do much tonight, other than be by Sinclair's side backstage, then be pulled out to the stage, beaten down and slightly bloodied, by Jordan during what was meant to be a contract signing for the champion and Sinclair ahead of Halloween Havoc. While simple, that still felt like a huge improvement over the last few weeks. Grey wasn't doing anything in these therapy segments, and at least now, she can be more of a motivating factor for Sinclair in her Halloween Havoc match.

It also meant that we didn't have to suffer through an actual contract signing segment. Jordan continued to show off her more vicious, heel side by seemingly attacking Grey backstage, leaving her there, before going out to taunt Sinclair, then dragging Grey to the stage. It wasn't a long segment, but it was effective, and left room for more to be done next week, likely a brawl on the go-home show.

The build to the NXT Women's Championship match has been a good one, with Sinclair's "suspension" after taking down Jordan, believing it was her to injure and take out Grey, then her return in disguise to become number one contender. I'm sure Sinclair will tell Grey to stay in the back for the premium live event match, but for now, I'm just glad to see their reunion and Grey back in a position that makes even the slightest bit of sense.

Written by Daisy Ruth