As Vanity Project retained the NXT Tag Team Championships tonight, their challengers imploded.

The second of two title matches pitted NXT Tag Team Champions Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes against DarkState’s Saquon Shugars and Dion Lennox, the latter of whom headed into the title opportunity with rising tension. That same tension later reached a boiling point in the title bout’s final moments.

Unaware that Shugars tagged himself into the match, Lennox dropped Smokes with a spinebuster, then covered him for a pinfall attempt. When the referee signaled that Lennox was no longer the legal competitor, Shugars flew down from the top rope for a legal near fall. Shugars and Lennox argued in the seconds following, allowing Baylor to knock Lennox off the apron and Smokes to surprise Shugars with a roll-up for the match-winning three count.

After the bell, Cutler James and Osiris Griffin unleashed a beatdown on Shugars, which Lennox later joined in on. Shugars’ excommunication from DarkState was further enforced when Griffin and James launched him into Lennox’s hands above the announce table. Lennox then swiftly slammed Shugars through the table, prompting WWE officials to rush down in worry.

Looking ahead, DarkState now seem intent on moving forward as a unit, but without Shugars. Meanwhile, Vanity Project will continue their reign with tag team gold, which began in February. So far, Smokes and Baylor have successfully defended the NXT Tag Team Championships against Los Americanos. Who will step up to the challenge them next has yet to be seen.

Tatum Paxley is still Women’s North American Champion after a successful defense over Lizzy Rain on “WWE NXT,” but both women were laid out by Zaria after the match, with the heel holding the title high. Paxley awarded Rain a shot at the gold last week, after they were successful in a tag team match against Zaria and Nikkita Lyons.

The women shook hands in the ring as a sign of respect before locking up, and the pair traded offense throughout the match. Paxley tried to dropkick Rain through the ropes, but Rain intercepted, then got back into the ring and nailed Paxley with a kick of her own.

The champion was in control of the match throughout a break, and hit a cross body to Rain’s midsection with the challenger was in the corner. Paxley locked in a Boston Crab on Rain, who was able to fight out of the hold. They hit cross bodies to one another coming off the ropes, and got into a slug fest when they were back on their feet.

Rain hit a step-up enzuigiri, followed by a flurry of offense, including chops in the corner. She tried to hit another kick through the ropes, but Paxley caught her with her own. Rain avoided the Cemetery Drive with a headbutt, and the women traded quick offense once again. Paxley was able to counter a bridge attempt by Rain into the Cemetery Drive to retain her title.

After the match, Zaria speared both women as they celebrated. She hit F5s to them both, then held the Women’s North American Championship aloft.

Izzi Dame will finally get her shot at the NXT Women’s Championship after a chaotic segment on tonight’s “WWE NXT” episode.

Former NXT Women’s North American Champion Kelani Jordan came out to the ring to air her grievances first, specifically about the fact that an NXT Women’s Title shot has so far eluded her in her WWE career. Despite that, Jordan insisted that she was still better than all the women on the current “NXT” roster and those that recently ascended to “WWE Raw” and “WWE SmackDown”

Cue Izzi Dame, who asserted that since she pinned the reigning champion Lola Vice last week in tag team competition, the next title shot should be hers. Upon her respective arrival, Vice seemingly agreed with Dame as she announced that she’d defend the NXT Women’s Championship against the Culling member next week.

Following that, Vice suggested that she might lay the title on the line against Jordan next. Before she could finish her sentence, however, Kendal Grey interjected, voicing her own desire for Vice’s gold. In a moment of foreshadowing, Grey then warned Jordan that she’d deal with bigger issues, just as Wren Sinclair struck the former gymnast from behind with a crutch. Vice continued the attack by nailing Dame in the face with a spinning back fist.

The segment concluded with Vice, Grey, and Sinclair standing in the ring, while Jordan and Dame lay on the outside floor. Vice later confirmed her upcoming NXT Women’s Championship defense against Dame in a backstage scene alongside Tatum Paxley, Dame’s former Culling stablemate.