The February 24, 2026 episode of WWE NXT wasn’t just another Tuesday in Orlando—it was a statement night. Headlined by a major tag team title change as The Vanity Project dethroned DarkState to win the NXT Tag Team Championship, the show doubled as a snapshot of where the black-and-gold-descended brand is heading in 2026: louder characters, faster pacing, and a tag division suddenly turned upside down.

WWE NXT February 24, 2026 graphic featuring key superstars

Why This NXT Episode Mattered

In an era where NXT balances being WWE’s developmental system and a legitimate third brand, episodes like this one do the heavy lifting. A tag title switch on TV instantly raises the stakes for weekly programming, and the way the match was presented—and who walked out with the gold—says a lot about WWE’s priorities for the future.


The Vanity Project vs. DarkState: A Tag Team Championship Turning Point

Two professional wrestlers locking up in a ring under bright arena lights
High-energy tag team action has become NXT’s calling card, and the Feb. 24 main event leaned hard into that identity. (Representative image)

The centerpiece of the night was the NXT Tag Team Championship clash: The Vanity Project (Brad Baylor & Ricky Smokes) challenging DarkState (Osiris Griffin & Saquon Shugars). Billed as a “historic” defense, the match was less about a random upset and more about a clear vote of confidence in a rising act that’s been quietly gathering momentum.

In classic NXT fashion, the bout blended high-impact sequences with character-driven storytelling. DarkState leaned into their aura as dominant, hard-hitting champions, while The Vanity Project played opportunistic heels with just enough swagger to make you begrudgingly admire their timing. The finish—The Vanity Project capitalizing on a brief miscommunication within DarkState—hit the right balance: it protected the outgoing champs without turning the new titleholders into flukes.

“Tag team wrestling is where you find out who can tell a story without ever losing the crowd. NXT, at its best, treats those belts like a main-event prize.”

— A common refrain among NXT producers and agents over the past few years

Functionally, this result resets the division. DarkState had become the measuring stick; now the chase flips. Expect a wave of teams—both established NXT acts and possible main-roster visitors—to use The Vanity Project’s reign as a narrative springboard throughout WrestleMania season and beyond.

From a review standpoint, the match delivered where it needed to: the crowd investment was high, the pacing felt big-league, and the title change carried legitimate weight. If there’s a critique, it’s that the build could have used one more promo-heavy week to crystalize the personal animosity. Even so, as a television main event designed to hook viewers and reshape the division, it worked.

Rating for the Tag Title Match: 4/5 – Strong TV main event with meaningful consequences.


Factions, Gold, and Momentum: What The Vanity Project’s Win Signals

Wrestling entrance with bright lights and a performer posing on the stage
Factions draped in championship gold have become a familiar visual in modern WWE, and NXT is leaning into that power dynamic. (Representative image)

The broader story isn’t just that Baylor and Smokes won; it’s that The Vanity Project as a faction continues to accumulate power. In WWE’s current ecosystem—where groups like The Judgment Day and The Bloodline define entire eras—NXT mirroring that structure makes strategic sense. A faction holding multiple belts gives creative a central axis to orbit around for months.

Vanity Project’s presentation leans into the classic wrestling archetype of the image-obsessed, success-first collective. It’s a trope that stretches from Evolution to MJF’s various alliances in AEW, but NXT’s spin brings a performance-center sheen: social-media-friendly swagger, camera-ready gear, and a willingness to blur the line between influencer culture and old-school wrestling arrogance.

Historically, NXT has used dominant stables as talent factories. The Undisputed ERA made multiple stars at once; SAnitY and Imperium did similar work in different stylistic lanes. The Vanity Project hoisting tag gold now places them in that lineage, with the expectation that at least one member eventually graduates to the main roster as a ready-made TV character.

Creatively, the opportunity now is to let challengers define themselves in opposition to Vanity Project’s ethos. Workhorse teams, underdog duos, and even uneasy alliances can all be framed as “anti-vanity,” giving NXT a thematic throughline without sacrificing match variety.


DarkState’s Loss: Setback or Launchpad?

Tag team wrestler leaning on the ropes after a hard-fought match
Losing championship gold in NXT often marks a transition point—either toward a rematch arc or a move up the card. (Representative image)

For Osiris Griffin and Saquon Shugars, dropping the belts doesn’t necessarily spell doom. NXT’s track record suggests that a high-profile loss can be a pivot, not a burial. The subtle miscommunication spot in the finish hints at two potential routes: a redemption story as they claw their way back, or a slow-burn rift that eventually splinters the team.

One of NXT’s enduring strengths is its willingness to let defeats shape characters. Think of how DIY’s collapse in 2017 or Sami Zayn’s near-miss against Neville rewired those performers. If NXT chooses to mirror that history, DarkState could use this loss to deepen their act—either by evolving their in-ring style or by doubling down on the darker, more brooding aspects of their persona.

“In NXT, the night you lose your title is almost as important as the night you win it. That’s when we find out who you really are.”

— Common sentiment among NXT alumni interviewed over the years

In the short term, expect DarkState to be framed as the former standard-bearers—the team everyone else must beat to prove they belong in the title picture. That’s a valuable spot on the card, and if handled well, it can sustain them until the next major reboot of the division.


Presentation, Production, and the Modern NXT Identity

TV production crew filming a live event in an arena setting
NXT’s television product blends main-roster production polish with a slightly edgier, developmental energy. (Representative image)

Beyond in-ring results, the Feb. 24 episode underscored how NXT has settled into its post–black-and-gold identity. The color palette remains brighter, the camera cuts more frenetic, and the pacing tuned for streaming-era attention spans. But episodes like this, anchored by a substantial main event, show that the brand hasn’t abandoned its reputation for high-quality wrestling—it’s just packaged in a more network-friendly shell.

The tag title bout benefited from thoughtful production choices: tight crowd shots during near-falls, commentary emphasizing the historical stakes, and replays that highlighted key turning points rather than just big moves. It’s not the grittier Full Sail era, but the ethos of wrestling-first storytelling is still baked in when the episode builds to a match of this magnitude.

From an industry perspective, NXT’s current look and feel are aimed squarely at a younger audience who might discover the brand via Peacock clips or social media more than linear TV. Title changes like this are engineered to be instantly shareable moments, complete with clean camera angles and a crowd reaction you can loop endlessly on your feed.


Strengths and Weaknesses of the February 24, 2026 NXT Episode

Wrestling ring and audience with dramatic lighting at a live event
Weekly wrestling TV lives or dies on balance: big matches, coherent stories, and a sense that you can’t miss what happens next. (Representative image)

What Worked

  • Meaningful stakes: A tag title change on TV gives the episode instant replay value and significance.
  • Faction storytelling: The Vanity Project’s win reinforces NXT’s focus on faction-based narratives that mirror the main roster.
  • Tag division refresh: Moving the belts revitalizes potential matchups and opens doors for fresh rivalries.
  • Production polish: The main event was framed with clear commentary and strong visual storytelling.

What Fell Short

  • Build time: The feud could have benefited from an additional week or two of promo segments and character-focused vignettes to boost emotional investment.
  • Crowd clarity: At times, the live crowd’s reactions didn’t perfectly match the intended heel–face dynamics, a recurring challenge when acts are still being defined.
  • Spotlight balance: Centering so heavily on the tag main event risks overshadowing undercard stories that also need weekly oxygen.

Overall, the episode felt like a net positive for NXT’s ongoing narrative. It may not go down in history alongside era-defining TakeOvers, but as a piece of weekly television designed to develop stars and keep fans engaged, it largely nailed the assignment.


NXT in the 2026 Wrestling Landscape

In 2026, professional wrestling exists in a dense content ecosystem: WWE’s main roster shows, AEW’s expanding slate, international promotions, and a never-ending churn of clips across TikTok, YouTube, and beyond. Within that traffic jam, NXT’s lane is clear: polish future stars while delivering TV that doesn’t feel disposable.

Episodes like this, where a title change doubles as a subtle mission statement, help NXT maintain that identity. The emphasis on tag wrestling echoes the brand’s earlier years, while the flashy production and personality-driven acts keep it aligned with WWE’s broader entertainment strategy.

From a cultural standpoint, NXT remains the place where WWE experiments—whether with faction aesthetics, entrance music trends, or weaving real-world online culture into on-screen personas. The Vanity Project’s ascension on February 24 reflects that ethos: it’s glossy, a little self-aware, and deliberately tuned for the modern viewer’s scrolling habits.


Final Verdict and What Comes Next for the NXT Tag Division

The February 24, 2026 edition of WWE NXT will be remembered first and foremost as the night The Vanity Project added the NXT Tag Team Championship to their resume, signaling a fresh phase for the brand’s tag division and underscoring NXT’s commitment to faction-centric storytelling.

As a complete show, it was a strong episode of weekly wrestling television anchored by a consequential main event. The storytelling wasn’t flawless, but the combination of a meaningful title change, well-produced action, and clear forward momentum makes it an easy recommendation for fans who follow the NXT ecosystem or simply enjoy well-constructed tag wrestling.

Looking ahead, the key questions are straightforward—and compelling:

  1. Can The Vanity Project anchor the division as credible, must-see champions?
  2. Will DarkState regroup as hungry contenders or splinter into a more personal feud?
  3. Which up-and-coming team will seize this reset moment to break into the title scene?

If NXT capitalizes on those threads, Feb. 24 won’t just be “the night the belts changed hands”—it’ll be the prologue to a richer, more layered stretch of tag team storytelling on Tuesday nights.