NXT rolls into The CW tonight with a stacked card headlined by Tony D’Angelo’s NXT Championship defense against NARAKU—a matchup that’ll determine whether D’Angelo is genuinely elite or just riding a wave. The undercard is loaded with title matches that could reshape the brand’s entire landscape heading into SummerSlam season.
NXT Championship: Tony D’Angelo (c) vs. Naraku
D’Angelo’s been a fascinating experiment—charismatic midcard guy suddenly handed the top prize—but Naraku represents the kind of credible test that either validates the push or exposes it. The betting odds favor D’Angelo, but Naraku’s been cooking as a challenger with legitimate momentum behind him.
WAW Pick: Tony D’Angelo — He retains cleanly in a solid fifteen-minute main event that proves he can hang with the workrate guys.
NXT Women’s Championship: Lola Vice (c) vs. [Challenger TBC]
Vice has been a steady hand as champion, but NXT’s women’s division is starving for a defining moment—someone needs to take the belt and run with it toward a SummerSlam-level program.
WAW Pick: Lola Vice — She holds onto the title, but expects a near-fall sequence that makes the challenger look credible enough for a rematch.
NXT North American Championship: Myles Borne (c) vs. [Challenger TBC]
Borne’s carrying the strongest betting line of any title match on the card, which means this should be a protective defense—NXT isn’t ready to pull the trigger on a new NA champ.
WAW Pick: Myles Borne — He retains with authority, furthering whatever push Triple H has cooking for him post-SummerSlam.
AAA Latin American Championship: El Hijo del Vikingo vs. [NXT Challenger TBC]
An interbrand title shot on NXT television is a statement of intent about Vikingo’s profile, and NXT isn’t bringing him in to job—this is a showcase match with a built-in rematch clause waiting in Mexico City.
WAW Pick: El Hijo del Vikingo — He retains and solidifies NXT’s relationship with AAA heading into the fall season.
WAW Surprise Prediction: One of the title matches ends via ref stoppage or injury finish, setting up a rematch clause that extends someone’s reign longer than expected.
