Who Will Hold the NXT Championship After Heatwave 2026?
On the August 11th episode of NXT, Grayson Waller and the newly signed Cruz Montana had a top contenders match to determine who would face NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo at Heatwave. In the midst of this highly anticipated matchup, Zilla Fatu would appear and attack both men, sparking over 21 million views across WWE’s social media platforms. The son of ‘The Samoan Bulldozer’ Umaga signed his NXT contract during the main event of the August 18th edition of NXT. Earlier in the show, general manager Robert Stone announced the NXT Championship match would be a Triple Threat between D’Angelo, Waller, and Montana. However, after Fatu signed his NXT contract, Stone turned the Triple Threat into a Fatal Four-way, adding his most recent signing into the mix.
Just as D’Angelo won the NXT Championship from Joe Hendry at Stand & Deliver, ‘The Don of NXT’ must defend his title against three other men, giving him a mere 25% chance of retaining his championship. The NXT Champion will have to watch his back, as he does not need to be factored into the decision to crown a new champ. While D’Angelo has had enough time in the ring with Waller, Montana and Fatu are a different story. ‘The Don of NXT’ has little time to prepare for three different opponents, yet he’s beaten Naraku at the Great American Bash this year with just one eye, so we could see him possibly retain.
After cutting one of the best promos of the year, Waller is striving for the one thing he didn’t achieve the first time he was in NXT, and that’s the NXT Championship. ‘The Aussie Icon’ called the NXT men’s locker room soft and believes he should be the one reigning supreme on Tuesday nights. He’s talked trash about D’Angelo’s family and has gone toe to toe with Montana on the mic; Waller is ready to make another viral moment. Waller hasn’t been given the opportunities he’s hoped for over the past few years, and now may be the time to make his NXT Championship dream come to fruition.
Signing to NXT on July 21st, Montana has already claimed his stake to become the next NXT Champion. He’s made appearances on NXT before under his TNA ring name Mike Santana. He’s a former two-time TNA Champion and four-time TNA Tag Team Champion. The loud and proud Boricua from the Bronx, New York, can take the next steps of his career at Heatwave if he overcomes the odds in his way.
Fatu becomes the biggest wildcard in this matchup. Since making waves last week, NXT and the son of ‘The Samoan Bulldozer’ are all that’s been talked about. In his first official match with the brand, Fatu could become champion, which would be crazy to witness after the build seemed to be with D’Angelo, Waller, and Montana. If NXT’s most recent signee becomes champion, the men’s locker room will go up in flames with the other three men looking to vie for the title, but also someone like Keanu Carver, who’s been waiting to get his championship moment and opportunity.
No disqualifications or count-outs, nor should anyone be interfering in this match; this should be a straight-up barn burner. D’Angelo has had a great championship run, yet his title is well in jeopardy. Fatu certainly looks to be the favorite to win, yet you have to look at all four men in this match because everyone has staked that claim to be the next NXT Champion. This may be the most highly anticipated match on the card, thanks to the sheer animosity between the four competitors and the question of who will come out on top. My guess would be Fatu becoming the next champion or D’Angelo retaining.
