WWE NXT Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights of Waller Title Match and Full Show

The September 29 edition of WWE NXT promised major title action as well as more Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic matches.

Emily Agard broke the news that Mason Rook would not be competing for the NXT Championship, but Grayson Waller would still defend the gold in the main event.

Zaria defended the Women's North American Championship against Thea Hail. In the continuing first round of the Dusty Classic, Fraxiom faced DarkState while BirthRight fought AAA's Mini Vikingo and Chazz "Starboy" Hall.

Check out all the results, highlights and live grades for a big night of NXT television on The CW.

Women's North American Championship: Zaria (c) vs. Thea Hail

Last Time in Action: Zaria alongside La Catalina defeated Zaria alongside Kelani Jordan (NXT, September 22).

Zaria charged at Hail to start the match, but the challenger started to find opening to stretch at the left arm of the champion.

The champion fired back with a forearm smash and clothesline on the floor to send the match to the first Picture-in-Picture break.

Back from break, Zaria blasted Hail with a Headbutt, but the challenger fired back by tossing the champion over the top rope followed by a tope suicida.

Hail followed with a Crossbody and Exploder Suplex. Zaria caught her, but Hail turned it into a Sunset Flip for a near-fall.

The challenger hit a Meteora into the ropes followed by the World's Littlest Slam and a Springboard Senton attempt. Zaria caught her into a German Suplex, only for Hail to quickly transition into a Kimura.

The champion powered her way free followed by a Spear and F5 to seal the victory.

Typically, Zaria matches build steadily, but this had a noticeably abrupt ending despite a strong stretch for much of the match.

The dynamic of Hail's arm work clashing with the overwhelming power of Zaria worked well to sell that the underdog had a chance to steal it.

However, the final few moves fell flat as they awkwardly transitioned from one signature move to the next to set up a bland finish.

Despite decent time for the action and multiple matches recently that made Hail look like a threat to Zaria, this came off as an extended squash.

Hail was treated as a speed bump for Zaria, who will now turn her full attention to Izzi Dame.

Who knows where Hail goes from here especially since it looks like her only friend in NXT, Jaida Parker, got the call-up to Raw.

Zaria def. Hail by pinfall to retain the Women's North American Championship.

NXT paid tribute to the late former NXT champion Neville.

The show started with Robert Stone telling Grayson Waller that anyone on the roster could challenge him for the NXT Championship tonight.

Stone's tone when discussing Mason Rook's injury did not sound good. Hopefully his injury is not too serious.

Hail needs a more defined character, but her dance is easy to replicate motion that could get over with bigger audiences if she is used well.

Myles Borne Tells the Fans to "Go to Hell"

Myles Borne said he was inspired by "All Ego" Ethan Page to finally realize his own potential, turning his back on everyone that did not truly know him.

He told the fans he was no longer "the underdog". He is "The Favorite". He was done being the better man surrounded by hypocrites.

He ended his speech by looking directly into the camera and telling everyone to "go to hell".

NXT is typically good about testing the talent both as faces and heels, and this next stage of Borne's career will be a massive test.

He has to show that he can be one of the top heels in NXT. He has the in-ring talent for it, but can he sell the promo work?

This was not the best first impression. While he got solid heat, he did not present any strong reason for turning, mainly stating that he was influenced by his Page feud that ended back in May.

Getting heat can also make it harder to hear him speak, which makes it harder still for him to sell his points.

NXT has massively pushed Borne in the past, so he will likely get plenty of chances to make the most of this shot.

The "What?" chants are still not gone for good, unfortunately. Those chants are especially bad when directed at a deaf man.

It is always awkward when heels tried to get lines over like "social justice warrior crap".

Backstage, Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno spoke with The Wagner Brothers and Fraxiom. The Vanity Project arrived to declare their plan to face The Wagner Brothers in the final.

Emily Agard interviewed Grayson Waller, who promised he was not afraid of anyone in NXT answering the challenge later.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic: BirthRight vs. Mini Vikingo and Chazz "Starboy" Hall

Last Time in Action: Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo and Uriah Connors alongside Lexis King defeated EK Prosper, Sean Legacy and Zilla Fatu (NXT, September 22). Chazz "Starboy" Hall lost to Lexis King in his NXT debut (NXT, April 7). This was the televised debut of Mini Vikingo in NXT.

The pace of the match was too fast early for BirthRight until they caught Starboy and Mini Vikingo diving outside and sent them into the steel, sending the match to commercial break.

Stacks and Connors isolated Hall for a while, but Mini Vikingo would not be stopped once he got the hot tag. He was flying around both men and kept the pace with a Starboy tag in.

BirthRight almost put away Hall with a Connors Stunner into a Stacks Elbow Drop, but Mini Vikingo broke up the pin with a springboard.

Mini Vikingo took out Connors on the floor with a springboard corkscrew then Hall hit a Tornado DDT to set up a Mini Vikingo 630 Senton on Stacks to win.

BirthRight tried to beat down the winners afterward, but Zilla Fatu arrive to send them all packing. He then declared he was going to answering Waller's NXT Championship open challenge.

Mini Vikingo and Starboy are electric high-fliers, so it was clear immediately that they needed to advance in this tournament.

Both men shined in each moment of this contest. While Stacks and Connors were outmatched by their athleticism, they played their roles well as strong bases to wild stunts.

This is not the typical WWE match as neither Starboy or Mini Vikingo shined in terms of character work or psychology.

It was simply all action, and for this moment, that was enough. The underdogs pulled off the upset and should be fun to watch as long as they stick together.

Mini Vikingo and Hall def. Stacks and Connors by pinfall to advance in the Dusty Classic.

Lizzy Rain asked Robert Stone about the next shot at Kelani Jordan. Mini Vikingo and Hall arrived, and Stone encouraged them to deliver for Rey Mysterio, who chose them for this tournament.

While Worlds Collide has not aired yet, Starboy referenced Mini Vikingo's No. 1 contender match win on the show during the backstage segment.

Charlie Dempsey at ringside was in a neck brace, which Zilla took credit for later.

In an NXT Chronicle, Cruz Montana talked about his history. He showed his pride for his mother and thanked his father for being there for him when he could.

Kelani Jordan Finds Out Her Next Challenger Will Be Determined in 20-Woman Multi-Brand Battle Royal

Kelani Jordan made clear that she was not handing out any title opportunities since she never got a handout.

Robert Stone interrupted to announce that next week The Standout would find out her next challenger in a 20-woman multi-brand battle royal.

Reina Volcan attacked Lani from behind and promised to victory in the battle royal.

Breaking the usual interruption trend in NXT, this was a decent promo spot for The Standout, who clearly established her mentality as champion.

The battle royal could be a fun way to make a fresh challenger for Lani at Halloween Havoc.

While Wren Sinclair and Kendal Grey are the biggest threats to The Standout as champion, this is the time to deliver a fresh match.

Especially with the multi-brand promise, this win could go to a returning Giulia, Women's ID champion Laynie Luck or a TNA star like Knockouts champion Xia Brookside.

When Lani made clear she was not afraid of anyone, the crowd chanted for the suspended Wren.

Stone advised that the battle royal would include women from NXT, Raw, SmackDown, AAA, EVOLVE and TNA (an increasingly rare mention in NXT).

Izzi Dame decorated Zaria's locker room with old pictures of her old school theater work. This is already not working as a story hook.

Saquon Shugars interrupted Naraku with Robert Stone. Stone announced Naraku vs. Shiloh Hill next week and Shugars vs. Tristan Angels in two weeks.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic: Fraxiom vs. DarkState

Last Time in Action: Fraxiom defeated Aero Star and Laredo Kid (Main Event, September 24); DarkState defeated Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux (NXT, September 15).

Fraxiom started strong, hitting hard and fast against their bigger opponents. However, DarkState recovered and sent the match to commercial break after a Backbreaker to Axiom.

Cutler and Griffin kept Axiom isolated through the break, but Axiom fought to tag in Frazer, who turned the tide.

Fraxiom hit a Double Missile Dropkick for a near-fall that Cutler broke up. Cutler helped turned the tide and set up Axiom for their finisher.

Frazer Dropkicked Axiom free to set up an Axiom Spanish Fly into a Phoenix Splash from Frazer to take the victory.

This was a fun tag team contest that was carried by Fraxiom. While the size of DarkState guided the story of the action, it looked like Griffin and Cutler were always following.

Because Frazer and Axiom were so clearly in control, this was about the closest NXT has gotten to making DarkState look like enhancement talent.

The result is absolutely for the best. Fraxiom vs. Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno in round two is money for NXT and could genuinely main event a future episode.

It also allows one of NXT's rising teams to get their win back and possibly set the stage to win the whole tournament.

Frazer and Axiom def. Cutler and Griffin by pinfall to advance in the Dusty Classic.

This was a rare Fraxiom match without a climactic miscommunication between Frazer and Axiom.

In an NXT Spotlight, Kendal Grey continued to talk with a counselor, talking about how wrestling was her whole life. She was not interested in hobbies or romance.

NXT Championship: Grayson Waller (c) vs. EK Prosper

Last Time in Action: EK Prosper alongside Sean Legacy and Zilla Fatu lost to BirthRight (NXT, September 22); Grayson Waller defeated Tony D'Angelo, Zilla and Cruz Montana to become the new NXT champion (NXT Heatwave, August 30).

After many declared their right to the title shot, Waller advised the first man in the ring got the shot. The locker room poured out, pushing through one another.

Zilla and Montana got close, but DarkState and BirthRight struck. EK Prosper slipped behind everyone and surprised the NXT champion when the bell rang.

He sent the champion reeling with his high-octane offense and stood tall in the ring into a commercial break.

Back from break, Prosper went for a turnbuckle-bounce Moonsault but fell onto the champion's knees, allowing him to turn the tide.

Waller focused on the throat of the challenger, including Headlocks, to affect the breathing of the high flier. It culminated in throwing him throat-first onto the metal of the top turnbuckle into the final PIP break.

Waller was back on the Headlock from the break. Prosper tried to fire back with strikes, but Waller kept answering, even crotching the challenger on the top rope.

Prosper connected on a Springboard Headscissors from Prosper followed by a Tornado DDT into a Michinoku Driver for the near-fall.

Waller Stomped Prosper into the mat for his own near-fall. The champion tried to use the announce table against Prosper, but the challenger sent him through it with a Springboard Moonsault.

Prosper hit a Diving Leg Lariat for another near-fall. The champion then caught the challenger trying to dive outside with a Forearm Smash followed by two Grayson Waller Effects for the victory.

While an open challenge allows anyone a shot at the gold, Prosper was not the most exciting option to challenge Waller in this spot.

Prosper is still in development mode and does not have the character work down yet to fight for the top prize in NXT.

Saquon Shugars and Shiloh Hill would have been nice one-off challengers with better build behind them.

However, it is hard to fault what Prosper brought in a big spot. He and Waller delivered a dramatic back-and-forth bout that more time than expected.

Prosper has never looked better, flying around with fire to test what how quick the champion could react.

The result was always going to be Waller on top, but the champion made a point to sell Prosper as an impressive threat.

NXT needs to capitalize on this performance and start selling Prosper as more than the nice guy that helps people. He needs a direction to match his in-ring fire.

Waller def. Prosper by pinfall to retain the NXT Championship.

Booker T told Vic Joseph to give Waller props for making an open challenge for his title, but this was not the champion's choice. Vic did not correct him.

Prosper's sell on Waller's Stomp out of the corner was wildly over-the-top, standing himself up on his head.

Waller admitted afterward to the camera that he was impressed, but Prosper did not have enough.

The show ended with a frustrated Zilla ranting about losing his shot and promising to make Lexis King pay for it. This did not land as a coda to the show.

When NXT falls too much into the same formula, it leads to flat shows no matter what action is on the card.

This is why it is nice to see these shows where NXT gets more creative in building dynamics over the course of the show and sells future episodes.

The promise of the NXT Championship open challenge allowed many stars to sell why they still want to be champion, even those that got sidetracked in recent weeks.

Kelani Jordan got to speak on her own without overloading the segment, and NXT set an interesting battle royal for next week.

Zaria vs. Thea Hail as well as both Dusty Classic matches were good, even though the finishes could be better.

The only real downside at the moment has been NXT's awkward overselling of Zilla Fatu, who would gain more natural support with a more natural push.