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26) – NXT Championship Qualifying Matches Continue

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By Laci Schlatz | Last updated Jan 22, 2026 1:26 AM ET

We are only two weeks away from crowning a new NXT Champion. Since Oba Femi vacated the championship at NXT’s New Year’s Evil, the men’s roster has all been fighting to earn that opportunity. Ricky Saints, Sean Legacy, and Shiloh Hill have all qualified for the championship ladder match. After next Tuesday’s episode of NXT, we will officially know all six competitors in the match.

We can also expect to see more answers about what happened last week. Jaida Parker and Blake Monroe exchanged heated words with one another. Will this lead to a match between them?

Tony D’Angelo left the NXT arena in handcuffs after his attack on Sean Legacy and Eli Knight. Earlier in the night, he attacked Shiloh Hill and Josh Briggs, who can stop Tony D’Angelo? What’s next for D’Angelo, and what message is he trying to send?

Here is what we know is confirmed for the January 27th episode of WWE’s NXT.

Who will Challenge for the NXT Championship?

On February 3rd, a massive six-man ladder match will take place for the Men’s NXT Championship. Ricky Saints, Shiloh Hill, and Sean Legacy have already qualified for this match, but who will be the final three competitors?

The Evolve Champion, Jackson Drake, will challenge fan favorite, Joe Hendry. It will be an interesting bout, as Hendry has a few more years of wrestling experience than Drake, and they both seem to have different wrestling styles. Both men have been wrestling for years, but are fairly new to NXT. Who will take advantage of this opportunity?

Andre Chase will also be taking on Keanu Carver. Carver has had a nasty attitude lately as he has been featured on NXT. He was asked to do a sit-down interview with Blake Howard regarding the upcoming ladder match, and he refused to answer any questions. Will this attitude of his get him the NXT Championship?

“I’m not answering none of your dumb*** questions!”

And this is why @KeanuCarverWWE didn’t want to do a sit-down interview… pic.twitter.com/7FAFs5NPrG

— WWE (@WWE) January 21, 2026

The last qualifying match is Myles Borne vs Dion Lennox. Borne seems to have a chip on his shoulder and its the rest of the NXT roster doubting him. Borne ran into Ethan Page and Ricky Saints backstage last week on NXT and both men don’t think Borne can rise to the occasion when given an opportunity. Will he prove them wrong?

Will we get New NXT Tag Team Champions?

This upcoming week, OTM will be challenging Dark State for the NXT Tag Team Championships. They earned this championship match through helping Joe Hendry with his issues that he was having with Dark State.

Hendry wanted to fight Dion Lennox, but you can’t get one person from Dark State without getting them all. That’s where OTM came in, to help even out the odds, leaving OTM one step closer to a championship opportunity. Next week they will finally receive that opportunity, now will they be able to take advantage of it? Who do you want to see leave holding the NXT Tag Team Championships?

Match Card and Preview:

NXT Championship Ladder Match Qualifiers:
- Jackson Drake vs. Joe Hendry
- Andre Chase vs. Keanu Carver
- Myles Borne vs. Dion Lennox
NXT Tag Team Championship: Dark State (c) vs. OTM

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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