On a previous episode of NXT, D'Angelo and Naraku met in a tense sit-down. D'Angelo signed their The Great American Bash contract during that segment, while Naraku said he wanted to sign in his own time. Elsewhere that same night, Vice and Grey teamed up to score a win against Zaria and Kelani Jordan thanks to assistance from Women's North American Champion Tatum Paxley. A miscommunication between Vice and Grey after the match led to Grey accidentally hitting Vice with Vice's NXT Women's Championship belt.

Aaron Rourke competed in his first-ever match on NXT, defending the EVOLVE Championship against Tristan Angels. Rourke retained the EVOLVE Championship against Angels on the May 27 episode of WWE EVOLVE. Angels has taken issue with Rourke voting for Shiloh Hill to become Mr. NXT during the Mr. NXT Pageant on the June 9 episode of NXT, when Rourke served as one of the judges.

Wren Sinclair is the current Women's Speed Champion, and her challenger for The Great American Bash is to be determined. The Culling's Izzi Dame was scheduled to go one-on-one with BirthRight's Arianna Grace in a Finals Match For The WWE Women's Speed Championship Number One Contenders Tournament. Dame emerged victorious against Thea Hail on the June 16 episode of NXT in a first-round match. Grace defeated Layla Diggs in the first round on that same night to secure their spots in the finals.

Tensions between DarkState and Saquon Shugars have been on the rise over the last several weeks since Shugars was kicked out of the group. Shugars is looking to seek out his retribution this coming Sunday at The Great American Bash when he collides with Dion Lennox in singles competition. The two former stablemates were scheduled to meet with one another tonight as of last Tuesday's show.

Additionally, Keanu Carver was set to go head-to-head with EK Prosper as of last Tuesday's show. Hank Walker and Tank Ledger were also scheduled to take on BirthRight's Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo and Uriah Connors following a backstage confrontation between the two parties last Tuesday. Fellow members of The Culling Shawn Spears and Niko Vance were set to take on Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux per last Tuesday's show.

Show Opens

The broadcast went live with a backstage segment featuring Robert Stone telling Tony D'Angelo to stay in line tonight when Naraku signs their The Great American Bash contract in the double contract signing set to make the NXT Championship and NXT Women's Championship matches official, with Lola Vice and Kendal Grey also scheduled for the segment. D'Angelo then saw Aaron Rourke pass by and wished him luck against Tristian Angels in his upcoming EVOLVE Championship defense.

Vic Joseph and Wade Barrett greeted audiences at home as Rourke and Angels, sporting a Mr. NXT sash, made their way to the ring.

Aaron Rourke vs. Tristan Angels for the EVOLVE Championship

The bell rang and Angels carefully positioned his Mr. NXT sash on the ring post. He locked up with Rourke, but Rourke delivered an open palm strike to Angels.

The lights flashed red, momentarily distracting Angels and allowing Rourke to clothesline Angels out of the ring. Angels tripped up Rourke on the ring apron to send him crashing into the floor, then sent him crashing into the middle turnbuckle shoulder first and sent him crashing into the bottom turnbuckle.

Angels ran over Rourke with a clothesline and pinned him, but Rourke kicked out and Angels fired off a stomp on his midsection. Angels then sent Rourke crashing into the ring post shoulder first and wore down his arm with a submission hold during the commercial break.

Angels caught Rourke with a boot to his face back from the break, but Rourke leveled Angels with a pair of clotheslines and a kick. Rourke landed a Fallaway Slam on Angels and kipped up, then grabbed the Mr. NXT sash as he teetered on the ropes. Angels knocked Rourke off the ropes and looked to grab his Mr. NXT sash, but someone under the ring grabbed it before Angels could and dragged Angels under the ring. Angels managed to break free from under the ring with his Mr. NXT sash in hand, but walked into a big boot from Rourke and followed it up with the Molly-Go-Round off the middle rope for the win.

Aaron Rourke retained the EVOLVE Championship.

Tony D'Angelo Confronts Naraku

Outside the WWE Performance Center, Tony D'Angelo confronted Naraku about signing their The Great American Bash contract. D'Angelo opened the contract, but a fireball hit him in the face when he did so. An ambulance pulled up, and D'Angelo was loaded onto a stretcher by Robert Stone and other officials.

Lola Vice is scheduled to defend her NXT Women's Championship against Kendal Grey of WrenQCC at The Great American Bash, with both champions set to be part of the double contract signing intended to make the NXT Championship and NXT Women's Championship matches official.

Saquon Shugars and Dion Lennox Meet With One Another

Back in the ring, Saquon Shugars was already waiting inside as Dion Lennox made his way out. Lennox asked Shugars why they were meeting and said he had already decided how The Great American Bash was going to go, but Shugars said all he wanted was to meet Lennox in the ring one-on-one.

Shugars said he knew he could not get caught lacking by DarkState once again after the group kicked him out, and said he took out Cutler James and Osiris Griffin intentionally to make sure their The Great American Bash match was just the two of them. Shugars said he got to thinking about whether he was the issue in DarkState and whether he let Lennox down, but said Lennox started acting as the leader of DarkState. He said NXT needed him in the positions that Lennox was given, then said he may be an independent wrestler but that is exactly what he is.

Lennox said between himself and Shugars, he is the real Superstar. He said he was put in the positions he was in because that is how it was meant to be, then said Shugars was never meant to be in DarkState and he would be left in the past after The Great American Bash.

Shugars said there is no DarkState without him and said he loved Lennox, James, and Griffin, then said he was the one to hold DarkState together and said James and Griffin are lost without him. He said Lennox cannot lace his boots or wrap his wrist tape, but Lennox said everything the fans love about Shugars is fake because DarkState saw the real, insecure side of Shugars. Lennox said Shugars would disappear moments before DarkState went to the ring and came to him for reassurance, and said Shugars was a distraction that DarkState had to babysit.

Lennox said dropping Shugars was a correction and said Shugars will hesitate at The Great American Bash, which is where he will expose him on Sunday.

I'll stamp Shugars' death warrant on Sunday.

Lennox then left the ring.

Hank Walker and Tank Ledger vs. BirthRight

BirthRight then made their way to the ring. Hank Walker, Tank Ledger, and Matt Mathews followed. Walker and Ledger had Matt Mathews in their corner, while BirthRight had Charlie Dempsey, Arianna Grace, and Lexis King at ringside.

Ledger and Uriah Connors began the action. The bell rang and the two locked up. Ledger sent Connors crashing into the mat with a pair of arm drags and tagged in Walker. Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo tagged in on his side, but Walker landed a chop on his chest. Ledger tagged in and sent Stacks crashing across the ring with Walker.

Ledger clotheslined Stacks out of the ring, but Connors lies through the middle rope to level Ledger on the outside. BirthRight got in Mathews' face on the outside, opening the door for Ledger and Walker to fly out of the ring and take out BirthRight on the outside.

Ledger dumped Connors back in the ring during the commercial break, but Walker tagged in and delivered a standing splash to Connors. Stacks pulled Walker out of the ring and sent him crashing into the ring apron face first as Connors distracted the referee, then tagged in and rocked Walker with an uppercut. Connors tagged back in and

Featured names

• Championship On
• Contract Signing
• Performance Center
• The Great American
• Kelani Jordan
• North American
• Champion Tatum
• Aaron Rourke
• Tristain Angels
• Wren Sinclair
• Speed Championship
• The Culling Shawn
• Arianna Grace
• Finals Match
• Contenders Tournament
• Saquon Shugars
• With Shugars
• Keanu Carver
• Uriah Connors
• The Culling Shawn
• Robert Stone
• Tristian Angels
• Wade Barrett
• Tristan Angels
• Fallaway Slam
• Cutler James
• Osiris Griffin
• Matt Mathews
• Charlie Dempsey
• Swanton Bomb
• More Welcome
• Championship The