Published: Sep 23, 2026 by Sanchez Taylor | Last Updated: Sep 23, 2026 by Sanchez Taylor
Sanchez has over six years of pro-wrestling news writing experience, covering the biggest news stories in WWE, NXT, AEW, TNA Wrestling and more. He has personally interviewed a number of top stars, producing exclusive content with the likes of AEW's Swerve Strickland and WWE's Nick Aldis.
WWE
With Mason Rook set to challenge for the NXT Championship, there has been a lot of speculation about the recent signee’s WWE future.
Grayson Waller became NXT Champion at the August 30 Heatwave pay-per-view, defeating Cruz Montana, Zilla Fatu and now-former titleholder Tony D’Angelo to win the gold.
A #1 contender’s match took place on the following edition of NXT, with Tony D’Angelo, Saquon Shugars and Mason Rook battling it out for a shot at the developmental brand’s top title.
Mason Rook was ultimately victorious, pinning former NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo following Tristan Angels taking out Shugars to become the top contender for Grayson Waller’s gold.
With Waller set to defend his championship against Rook on the September 29 episode, the two stars met in the ring on the September 22 show to trade verbal shots on the mic.
There has been a lot of speculation about this upcoming NXT Championship match, and which star will walk out with the gold.
While this will be Grayson Waller’s first defense since winning the NXT Title, many have been wondering, will Mason Rook win the NXT Championship on next week’s show?
In favor of Mason Rook
With the likes of Naraku, Zilla Fatu and Cruz Montana joining the company, Mason Rook was one of many high-profile NXT signings made this year.
The British star was immediately thrown into the NXT Championship scene, attacking then-champ Tony D’Angelo during his debut on the April 28 episode.
While a number of top stars have established NXT as their home this year, Mason Rook was set apart from the crowd by John Cena, who gave numerous nods to the former “Will Kroos” on social media following Rook’s first WWE appearance.
Despite debuting in the NXT Championship scene, Rook has yet to challenge for the gold on WWE TV.
Many of Rook’s peers who debuted around the same time have wrestled for the NXT Title, with Naraku coming up short against Tony D’Angelo at the Great American Bash on June 28, and in a Street Fight on the July 21 episode.
With Grayson Waller’s NXT Championship win also seeing him prevail over Montana and Fatu, Mason Rook is the last of this year’s high-profile signings to have a televised match for the brand’s top prize.
Because of this, it would make sense to have Mason Rook stand tall with the gold, with every other potential challenger previously dispatched of.
Whenever a former main roster star wins a title in NXT, it’s usually to give the next title holder even more of a rub, as whoever defeats Grayson Waller won’t just be winning the NXT Title, they will also hold a win against a former main roster champion.
With Rook’s presentation in WWE NXT, and support from 17-time world champion John Cena, it’d make a lot of sense to have the British star reach the top of the NXT mountain next week.
In favor of Grayson Waller
It’s too early to count Grayson Waller out, however, with the Aussie’s NXT Championship reign only just beginning.
Grayson Waller made a huge impact with his NXT return on the July 28 episode, cutting an intriguing promo which blurred the lines between work and shoot and quickly went viral on social media.
Waller has had the opportunity to thrive as a singles competitor since returning to the developmental brand, with the star winning the NXT Championship just over a month after his comeback.
Following this explosive return, it’d feel a little anticlimactic if Waller lost the gold at the very first opportunity.
Grayson Waller also faced Mason Rook at the September 11 non-televised NXT live event in St Petersburg, Florida.
While WWE title changes at house shows are rare, WWE often used house show matches to test out rivalries, spots and beats ahead of matches on TV.
Even if the goal is to have Mason Rook hold the NXT Championship in the long run, we could see this become a long-term story, where Waller defeats Rook on September 29, leading to rematches in the future.
Ultimately, there are great reasons for either star to walk out of next week’s show with the NXT Championship, so we’ll have to wait and see which avenue WWE chooses.
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