WWE NXT Preview (Mar. 24, 2026): Absolute Egos

NXT airs on the CW tonight, and emanates once again from the Performance Center after last week’s show in Houston. Scheduled for this episode is a first-time ever matchup between two of Joe Hendry’s top contenders, a face-to-face between former BFF’s, and a gauntlet eliminator for a North American Title shot. Be sure to follow along here for complete coverage starting tonight at 8 PM ET!

Ricky, Meet Tony

With 12 days left until Stand & Deliver, the sharks are circling NXT Champion Joe Hendry. Last week, best frenemies Ricky Saints and Ethan Page took turns passively aggressively throwing each other under the bus, both with their sights set on the NXT Championship. The confrontation between the three abruptly took a turn when Tony D’Angelo popped up and left everyone on their backs. Tony, fresh off of getting a satisfying amount of revenge on DarkState, has Joe Hendry in his crosshairs and seems to be positioned for a shot at NXT’s top prize on their biggest show of the year.

Before we get there, Tony D will square off with Ricky Saints for the first time ever. The Absolute has his buddy Page to thank, as Ethan requested NXT GM Robert Stone sign the match on his friend’s behalf. Stone naturally obliged, and now the battle is set for this week. With Hendry and Page sure to be lurking, will Saints or D’Angelo pick up a huge win? Or are we more than likely heading towards a DQ finish that leads to a Fatal 4 Way in St. Louis?

ZaRuca Come Face-to-Face, Jacy Moves On

After months of tension, ZaRuca imploded last month after Zaria finally snapped on Sol Ruca, costing her the NXT Women’s Title in the process. Ruca would return the favor the following week when Zaria got her own shot at the championship, and the two former besties made it a trifecta when they couldn’t put their disdain for each other aside and lost to Jacy Jayne in a Triple Threat match in Houston. With both women seemingly heading to the back of the line in the NXT women’s division, they will meet face-to-face in the ring tonight.

Will airing their dirty laundry make both women feel better so they can move on, or are we headed towards a intensely personal showdown between them at Stand & Deliver?

The biggest beneficiary of ZaRuca’s demise has been Jacy Jayne, but the reigning champ is dealing with some drama of her own in Fatal Influence after Fallon lost the Women’s Speed Championship last week. With Fallon smarting after her loss, Jacy seemed grateful in a backstage conversation and even showed a little humility. With cracks starting to form in Fatal Influence, who is next to try to dethrone Jacy, and will her two comrades be there to continue supporting the champ?

Tag Team Division Heats Up, Tournament Continues

NXT’s newest faction of nepo-babies, Birth Right, got one step closer to tag team gold last week, when they defeated Hank and Tank in the first round of the #1 Contenders Tournament. Uriah Connors and Stacks represented the group and took advantage of a blind tag to advance. This week, the makeshift team of Elio LeFleur and Eli Knight will pair up to take on Shawn Spears and Niko Vance of The Culling. Knight was scheduled to team up with Sean Legacy in the tournament, but buff Orange Cassidy had to withdraw because of injury, and the French luchador and Men’s Speed Champion stepped up to take his place. Can Knight and LeFleur come up with a big victory, or will The Culling get back in the win column and join Birth Right in the next round of the tournament?

Two teams who are not in the tournament are OTM and DarkState. After weeks of backstage brawls, things ramped up significantly last week when the two teams proved that the NXT parking lot is still dangerous, even when it’s in Houston. A DarkState attack ended with Dion Lennox pouncing Lucien Price off of a loading dock. Will OTM be in any shape to appear on NXT this week, much less respond to DarkState?

Quick Hits

• NXT ended last week with Tatum Paxley celebrating her successful North American Title defense over Izzi Dame by being abducted by Blake Monroe, who popped open a trap door in the stage and pulled Tatum down. With Stand & Deliver looming, is The Glamour looking to recapture the only title she’s ever held in NXT? If so, does Tatum stand any chance of retaining?
• The women who ended Blake’s North American Title reign is in action this week, when Thea Hail takes on Kelani Jordan. After Tatum had just commended the Chase U grad for staying true to herself, Jordan intervened and suggested that Thea’s good-girl act was holding her back. Jaida stepped in to have Hail’s back, but Thea insisted on fighting her own battle and challenged Kelani to meet her in the ring this week. Will Thea continue to prove that she’s a grown ass woman, or will Jordan’s support her suggestion with evidence by prevailing?
• After urging Robert Stone to name a challenger for his North American Championship, Myles Borne will get his wish this week when a Gauntlet Eliminator determines who will get the first shot at the new champ. Which member of the NXT locker room will step up and perhaps set themselves up for a shot at gold at Stand & Deliver?
• Keanu Carver interrupted Booker T. Appreciation Night last week and took out several students from the 2-time Hall of Famer’s Reality of Wrestling school. Things could’ve gotten ugly if it wasn’t for LFG Season 1 winner Jasper Troy, who came to his former coach’s aid. Will these two monsters cross paths again this week and will Booker find himself in the middle of it?

All this and more on NXT on the CW tonight, just a week before NXT Deadline and less than two before Stand & Deliver. Let us know what you’re most excited for on tonight’s episode in the comments below. Plus, be sure to follow along with the live coverage here on Cageside tonight, starting at 8 PM Eastern!