Who Wins the Top Contender Triple Threat for the NXT Championship on September 15th, 2026?
The main event of the September 8th edition of NXT saw a Six-Man Tag Team Match where the winning team would face one another in a Triple Threat Match during the September 15th episode to determine who would be the top contender for the NXT Championship. One side featured former NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo, Mason Rook, and Saquon Shugars, while the other team had Cruz Montana, Keanu Carver, and EK Prosper. D’Angelo would line Prosper up for a Spear, and it appeared he was going to grab the pin for his team and win; instead, Rook tagged himself in the match and made sure it would be him who scored the pinfall. Now, D’Angelo, Rook, and Shugars will face one another next week to decide who will face Grayson Waller down the line for the NXT Championship.
D’Angelo, the only Grand Slam Champion in NXT, has called out Waller since losing his title at NXT Heatwave on August 30th. The former champ believes he’s earned the right to get his rightful one-on-one rematch. However, with so many superstars laying claim to the title, it’s been extremely difficult for D’Angelo’s hopes of a rematch to be slim to none. After Rook took the pin for himself, the former NXT Champion and Rook argued with Shugars trying to hold the two men back. None of that will matter come next week as one of three men will be the top contender.
Rook picked up his first win in NXT months after his debut during the September 1st episode of NXT against Kam Hendrix. Since Waller came back to NXT and called the men’s locker room “soft”, Rook has been extremely vocal about how he and the rest of the guys feel about the current NXT Champion’s comments. When the big man grabbed the pin instead of letting D’Angelo score the win shows he’s hungry to win and willing to do whatever it takes. With two wins in back-to-back weeks, could Rook become the next contender for NXT’s biggest title?
Shugars finally put his former stable in DarkState behind him when he defeated leader Dion Lennox in a Weaponized Steel Cage Match on the August 25th episode. Now, ‘The Sugar Man’ has set his sights on winning the NXT Championship, something Lennox hasn’t been able to do thus far. In a Triple Threat Match, anything could happen, so we could see this former feud combust again; however, Shugars shouldn’t have to worry about DarkState anymore. We’ll see if this Triple Threat has any interference, or anyone looking to take out ‘The Sugar Man.
If anyone could interfere, it could be Lennox, Waller, or even Montana. Lennox to stop Shugars, Waller to ruin Rook’s chances, or Montana coming to feud with D’Angelo. We also cannot forget Carver. After losing the match, Carver is going to be extremely angry and could go on a tear to get what he wants.
If NXT creative wanted to run a regular rematch between D’Angelo and Waller, they would have done so already. I believe that after taking the pinfall and winning his second consecutive match on the brand, Rook will somehow win a third and become the top contender for the NXT Championship. With the interactions Rook and the current champion have had thus far, it only seems fitting that these two will meet in the squared circle. It is just a matter of when and where this battle for the NXT Championship could be.
