WWE NXT in Orlando, Florida, USA, Live on the CW Network, May 12th, 2026 — The Episode Recap:
- robbyplaha
- May 13
- 5 min read
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida, USA.
Where to Watch: Live on the CW Network.
What to Watch This Week: WWE Friday Night SmackDown Live on the USA Network at 8 P.M. ET, 7 P.M. CT, 5 P.M PT.
The May 12th Episode of WWE NXT — The Official Match Results:
The Opening Match: Lizzy Rain & Tatum Paxley defeated Nikkita Lyons & Zaria in a Tag Team Match | via Pin-Fall — (09:24)
The 2nd Match: Naraku defeated Lince Dorado in a Singles Match | via Pin-Fall — (04:33)
The 3rd Match: The Birth Right (Channing Lorenzo, Charlie Dempsey & Uriah Connors) (with Arianna Grace & Lexis King) defeated EK Prosper, Sean Legacy & Tate Wilder in a Six-Man Tag Team Match | via Pin-Fall — (12:57)
The 4th Match: Jackson Drake (with Brad Baylor, Myka Lockwood & Ricky Smokes) defeated Noam Dar in a Singles Match | via Pin-Fall — (10:21)
The Main Event Match: Kelani Jordan defeated Kendal Grey (with Wren Sinclair) in a Singles Match | via Pin-Fall — (12:47)
My Official Thoughts on the May 12th Episode of WWE NXT:
My Official Thoughts: This was a strong episode, in-ring wise, as I enjoyed almost every match on this episode alone. The introduction of Mason Rooks as he signed his NXT contract was some strong stuff, and it immediately made him feel like a big deal. I just enjoyed the episode all around. It felt well-written, displayed some fun wrestling, and created even more chaos around the WWE NXT Title picture. The pacing was tight, the segments flowed naturally, and nothing overstayed its welcome. Overall, it came across as a very easy and entertaining watch that moved several storylines forward.
The May 12th Episode of WWE NXT — My Official Match Ratings:
The Opening Match: Lizzy Rain & Tatum Paxley vs. Nikkita Lyons & Zaria in a Tag Team Match | The Match Rating: ***.25 — This was a very fun opener with Lizzy Rain & Tatum Paxley tagging together. Nikkita Lyons, even though I'm not a fan of hers or really invested, she looked like she improved a lot since we last saw her have a serious run in NXT. Zaria used her heelish tactics, leaving Nikkita Lyons alone during the match, then walked off. But in the end, we saw Lizzy Rain & Tatum Paxley get the win together. Now, next week, Tatum Paxley will defend her WWE Women's NXT North American Title against Lizzy Rain in a very fun Title Defense for next week's episode.
The 2nd Match: Naraku vs. Lince Dorado in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: N/A — EVIL, who now goes by Naraku, is having his NXT Debut as he takes on Lince Dorado, in a kinda what you may call a squash match. He got to display some of his ability to the NXT Crowd as he picked up the win. Not really invested, as I've seen him in NJPW and wasn't a fan then, but I’m excited for Hiromu Takahashi, who’s rumored to be debuting in NXT very soon, as he's another Free Agent signing that WWE has acquired.
The 3rd Match: The Birth Right (Channing Lorenzo, Charlie Dempsey & Uriah Connors) (with Arianna Grace & Lexis King) vs. EK Prosper, Sean Legacy & Tate Wilder in a Six-Man Tag Team Match | The Match Rating: ***.75 — A very energetic match, featuring some of the talents I'm quite high on, including EK Prosper, Sean Legacy & Uriah Connors. This match was a lot of fun, it's so funny to see Tate Wilder trying to prove himself in this match just for him to screw up in the end as he suffered the pin-fall loss for his team as EK Prosper & Sean Legacy look on with a displeasing reaction. But The Birth Right is finally getting some steam as Charlie Dempsey & Uriah Connors looked very solid in this match, NXT’s new breed has been impressive.
The 4th Match: Jackson Drake (with Brad Baylor, Myka Lockwood & Ricky Smokes) vs. Noam Dar in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: ***.50 — Noam Dar has finally returned in action on NXT as he faced the cocky young heel in Jackson Drake with his Vanity Project Stable at ringside, this match I was like in my head, this could be really fun, and in my opinion, it was a very solid singles match. They both had some solid chemistry, and Noam Dar, being a veteran in NXT, is very smart, as he can help elevate talent. He did so in this match as Jackson Drake got the victory. Afterwards, DarkState confronted Vanity Project. Now, next week, an NXT Tag Team Title Match is slated for the May 19th Episode.
The Main Event Match: Kelani Jordan vs. Kendal Grey (with Wren Sinclair) in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: **** — A very good Main Event, as I feel like now Kelani Jordan is coming together as a heel. She was trying to find her footing as a heel, but now I feel like she gets it. This was a lot of fun, two women who'll be big pieces of the women's roster for decades to come, as they delivered a very fine Main Event Match, as Kelani Jordan gets the win. More chaos ensued as Lola Vice & Izzi Dame were going at it, which also caused Kendal Grey to confront Lola Vice as Izzi Dame hit her with a vicious big boot to hold the WWE NXT Women's Title to close out the episode.
The May 12th Episode of WWE NXT — My Match of the Night: Kelani Jordan vs. Kendal Grey (with Wren Sinclair) in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: **** — A strong main event, with Kelani Jordan finally hitting her stride as a heel. She and her opponent delivered a fun, high-quality match, solidifying both as key future players in the women’s division, with Jordan getting the win. Post-match chaos broke out as Lola Vice and Izzi Dame brawled, leading Kendal Grey to confront Lola before Izzi nailed her with a vicious big boot and posed with the WWE NXT Women’s Title to close the show.
The May 12th Episode of WWE NXT — My Official Episode Grade: 8/10 (B+) — This was a strong episode, in-ring wise, as I enjoyed almost every match on this episode, alone. The introduction of Mason Rooks as he signed his NXT Contract was some strong stuff. I just enjoyed the episode all around. It felt well-written display some fun wrestling, and more chaos around the WWE NXT Title.
Next Week WWE NXT May 19th Episode in Orlando, Florida, USA, Live on the CW Network — The Announced Appearances, Matches & Segments:
Tatum Paxley (c) vs. Lizzy Rain in a WWE NXT Women’s North American Title Match.
The Vanity Project (Brad Baylor & Ricky Smokes) (with Jackson Drake & Myka Lockwood) (c) vs. DarkState (Dion Lennox & Saquon Shugars) (with Cutler James & Osiris Griffin) in a WWE NXT Tag Team Title Match.
Myles Borne & Tony D’Angelo vs. Kam Hendrix & Mason Rook in a Tag Team Match.
Tristan Angels vs. ??? in a Singles Match.
Keanu Carver vs. Tate Wilder in a Singles Match.
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