Welcome back to another edition of NXT, where the April 29 episode leaned fully into the reality of post-WrestleMania season: departures create vacancies, and vacancies create opportunity. With several familiar names now moving up to the main roster, NXT spent this week doing exactly what it needed to do, introducing new energy while quietly resetting a few pieces in the women’s division.
Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair opened the night backstage talking about how much NXT has already changed. Kelani Jordan stepped in with no patience for sentimentality, complaining that despite everything shifting around her, she still has not received an NXT Women’s Championship opportunity. Jordan then took aim at both Sinclair and Grey, brushing them off while insisting Grey turning on Sinclair feels inevitable anyway. It was one of those conversations where nobody leaves happier than they arrived, and naturally it set up Jordan vs. Sinclair for later in the night.
Elsewhere, Tatum Paxley and Shiloh Hill delivered one of the more visually strange segments of the episode, standing outside in what looked very much like a graveyard. Paxley reflected on ending Blake Monroe’s run before Monroe’s move to SmackDown, explaining that something takes over when championship stakes are involved because survival mode kicks in. Hill noted Paxley’s tendency to become deeply attached to people and things, while Paxley encouraged Hill ahead of his match with Ricky Saints, assuring him he was going to kill it. Then Paxley casually laid down beside an empty grave, which felt perfectly on brand for her and somehow still slightly unsettling.
Lola Vice Calls Her Shot, and The Culling Answers
NXT Women’s Champion Lola Vice entered the night ready to address Izzi Dame directly. After telling Stone she intended to call Dame out, Vice headed to the ring and did exactly that, criticizing Dame for relying too heavily on outside help and questioning what she could actually accomplish on her own.
Before Dame could respond directly, Shawn Spears appeared on screen to remind everyone that if Vice plans on holding onto the championship, she needs to think one step ahead because The Culling already does.
That warning immediately became literal.
Izzi Dame and Niko Vance appeared behind Vice, creating the setup for an ambush until Mr. Iguana emerged from under the ring to even things out. Vice and Iguana cleared the ring together and celebrated as AAA Mixed Tag Team Champions, which was efficient enough to tell you where this is probably headed next: mixed tag first, singles title match after.
It was brief, but it did its job. Lola keeps momentum, Dame stays visible, and Mr. Iguana remains funny(ish).
Nikkita Lyons vs. Lizzy Rain
Rain started well, landing an elbow smash off the middle turnbuckle, but Nikkita Lyons quickly answered by catching her and planting her with a spinning slam. Lyons controlled a good stretch of the match with repeated strikes, a split-legged leg drop, turnbuckle offense, and chest kicks that kept Rain under pressure.
Rain eventually shifted momentum with a roundhouse kick to the head, followed by two clotheslines and a Cutter. Chops connected as the crowd got behind her with “Make it Rain” chants, which felt earned rather than forced. Lyons responded with a spin kick and a sit-out slam for two, then missed a Vader Bomb when Rain avoided impact.
That miss changed everything. Rain hit a running uppercut, followed by a stepped-up roundhouse kick to the head called Thunderstruck to secure the finish after five minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Lizzy Rain
A very solid debut. Rain already feels memorable, which is exactly what you want upon first impression. The crowd reacted to her quickly, her heavy metal identity came through clearly, and Thunderstruck looked like a finisher people can latch onto. Lyons got more offense than expected, which made the match slightly more balanced than a pure showcase, but that may have helped Rain more than hurt her. She still left feeling like the person viewers were supposed to remember, which is the whole point.
The women’s locker room also got some attention, with Jaida Parker and Thea Hail discussing roster turnover before Kali Armstrong entered the picture and immediately clashed with Parker. Other women had to physically step in before it escalated further, which usually means NXT has already penciled in the follow-up somewhere backstage.
Kelani Jordan vs. Wren Sinclair
Kelani Jordan and Wren Sinclair opened with quick counters and pin attempts before Sinclair grounded things with leg-based submissions.
Jordan answered with a dropkick and kept the pace moving, while Sinclair found openings with a shoulder tackle and facebuster for two. Sinclair later knocked Jordan outside and added another dropkick before the match paused for commercial.
Back from break, Jordan had shifted strategy and began targeting Sinclair’s left knee. Sinclair still managed to rally with chops, clotheslines, and a double underhook suplex out of the corner for a near fall. A roll-up nearly ended it before Jordan returned to the knee again, hit a Cutter entering the ring, then climbed up top.
Sinclair had the awareness to get her knees up against the Frog Splash attempt and later locked in Final Wrench, but the knee damage prevented her from fully capitalizing. Jordan stayed patient, landed an Angle Slam, then finished with One of a Kind, her split-legged moonsault, after about eleven minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Kelani Jordan
Kelani still feels like someone who could already function on the main roster. This was a strong match built around Sinclair’s knee selling and Jordan’s increasingly sharp edge. Jordan has become a versatile worker. It also feels very likely Jordan and Kendal Grey are now moving toward each other, because NXT rarely drops that many breadcrumbs accidentally.
which naturally means she remains in NXT where patience apparently still outranks urgency.
Zaria Signals Her Next Chapter
A video package followed featuring Zaria discussing her history with Sol Ruca. Zaria reflected on defeating Ruca in their final meeting and made it clear that with Ruca gone, compromise is over. Her message was simple: she intends to scorch whoever is left standing in her path.
NXT needed this episode to feel like a reset without feeling empty, and for the most part it succeeded. Lizzy Rain instantly gave the night a fresh point of interest, Lola Vice and Izzi Dame continue to move toward something worthwhile, and the women’s division already has several small collisions forming in the background.
Leave your comments below!