NXT Jan 27, 2026 Review: Odd Show, Women Carrying It, R-Double’s Epic Bailout
Watching WWE NXT last night with my buddy R-Double, which is always a blast. The dude will watch any kind of wrestling—good, bad, or straight-up filler—and usually sticks it out to the end no matter what. He’s like my personal litmus test for how bearable a show really is.
Well, with about a half hour left, even Richard had enough. He just goes, “Talk to you tomorrow,” and hangs up the call. No dramatic rant, no complaints—just straight-up done.
If the show can make him tap out early, you know it’s not hitting right.
And yeah, it was a weird one. For the first time in forever, I turned it off with time left too.
Barely any spotlight on the women, which made the imbalance super obvious: NXT’s women’s division is carrying the brand hard right now, while the men’s side feels kinda weak and directionless by comparison.
The women’s stuff has been elite for ages—depth, bangers, star power. Last night? Minimal ring time, mostly backstage bits (like Zaria on the phone upset about The Elegance Brand’s shade toward her and Sol Ruca).
Meanwhile, the guys got the bulk: multiple ladder qualifiers for the vacant NXT Title (Dion Lennox beating Myles Borne, Keanu Carver dominating, Jackson Drake advancing after Joe Hendry’s attack), a tag title defense setup vibes with DarkState vs. OTM chaos, and tons of brawls/promos.
It just didn’t pop the same way.
One bright spot was the video from The Elegance Brand (Ash by Elegance and crew, holding those TNA Knockouts Tag Titles). They mocked ZaRuca ahead of their title shot—slick production, good heel energy.
I liked the TNA crossover tease, but… why drop in on NXT video for a quick jab and then nothing? No escalation, no setup for next steps. Felt like a cool moment that fizzled. Still, it highlights how awesome NXT’s women are—they make even a remote video feel like it matters in the bigger picture.
Highlight of the night for me: Ricky Saints and Ethan Page orbiting the same stuff.
Saints on commentary/promo, climbing ladders, talking big; Page at ringside messing with Myles Borne during the qualifier. Individually, they’re not my favorites, but together?
The dynamic clicks hard. Those two feel made to share screen time—maybe as reluctant allies, rivals, or even a tag thing down the line.
Way more intriguing than a lot of the current men’s singles push.
It was a transitional episode with the ladder match next week (Feb 3) to crown a new champ. Heavy on men, light on women, some cool cross-brand teases, but the energy was off. R-Dubs early exit says it all.
