{"id":161043,"date":"2026-05-07T06:30:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T10:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=161043"},"modified":"2026-05-07T01:25:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T05:25:56","slug":"why-the-vanity-project-shouldnt-be-overlooked-by-fans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/05\/07\/why-the-vanity-project-shouldnt-be-overlooked-by-fans\/","title":{"rendered":"Why The Vanity Project Shouldn’t Be Overlooked by NXT Fans"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Vanity Project started their WWE careers by debuting on Evolve a year ago. Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes formed the tag team Swipe Right, while Bryce Donovan, Jackson Drake, and Zayda Steel made up the rest of the group. Drake became the first Evolve Champion, holding the belt for 301 days before dropping it to Aaron Rourke. While Donovan and Steel left WWE, the three remaining members kept impressing everyone. <\/span><\/p>\n

They earned a full-time NXT call-up at the start of the year, and things have been going smoothly since then. Baylor and Smokes won the NXT Tag Team Championships on the February 24, 2026, episode of NXT, and successfully defended them<\/a> at Stand & Deliver against Los Americanos. On the May 5 NXT, Myka Lockwood made her presence known by bodyslamming<\/a> Jasper Troy to get Drake the victory, joining the group in the process. The past couple of months have definitely shown that they shouldn\u2019t be overlooked and should be taken extremely seriously.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Vanity Project Has Been Very Successful<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Since debuting last year on Evolve, the Vanity Project has made headlines for various reasons. One of those reasons is that they have all been champions. Drake held the Evolve Championship for nearly a year, with lots of defenses being made. <\/span><\/p>\n

He not only defended the title on Evolve programming, but also had some matches on the independent circuit for it. That showed that he was willing to put the title on the line against wrestlers outside the WWE ID program, showing a great deal of bravery in the process. <\/span><\/p>\n

Baylor and Smokes have also been impressive, so much so that they captured the NXT Tag Team Championships within weeks<\/a> of their official NXT debuts. In addition, Lockwood has shown a ton of potential on LFG, competing under her real name, Bayley Humphrey. She\u2019s used her power and strength many times to pick up key victories. The four of them are all strong and have backed up their claims with key championship wins.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They are Very Relatable to the Gen Z Demographic<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

The one thing that stands out to fans about the Vanity Project is that they all look young, which is because they are. With each of them in their early 20\u2019s, they\u2019re some of the youngest people in the locker room. They could\u2019ve had a variety of gimmicks placed upon them, like generic strong people or the newest members of Chase University. But the group got over with the crowd by being themselves. Gen Z is made up of the technology-obsessed, party people who want to have a good time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Vanity Project was portrayed as those party people in Evolve, and Drake met Lockwood last week after a dating prank involving Shiloh Hill. With Gen Z\u2019s oldest being born in 1998, most of them are around their age, making the group relatable to them. The Vanity Project is all about chasing after victories and women. With Lockwood in the group, Baylor, Drake, and Smokes have found both of those things in a short amount of time.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fans\u00a0Shouldn\u2019t\u00a0Dismiss the Group So Quickly<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Some fans enjoy the Vanity Project, as they see the members\u2019 youthfulness and success as signs of future stardom. But others see them as typical annoying\u00a0kids.\u00a0They think\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0just in NXT for\u00a0a good time\u00a0instead of wanting to make it to the main roster. That might be what\u00a0is\u00a0seen on the surface, but deep down, all of them are\u00a0very talented\u00a0wrestlers. Baylor, Drake, and Smokes\u00a0have all taken their championship runs extremely seriously, defending their belts multiple times.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"NXT
An NXT graphic featuring The Vanity Project. (Photo Credit: WWE)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They\u2019re\u00a0only in their early 20\u2019s, but they all have a huge amount of talent<\/a> that has been\u00a0showcased\u00a0over the past year. Lockwood\u00a0was picked up in a dating\u00a0prank, but\u00a0has quickly shown that she is powerful and will do whatever it takes to defend the men of the Vanity Project.\u00a0Her\u00a0bodyslam\u00a0to Troy shows that she is\u00a0very valuable\u00a0to them. The Vanity Project has shown that they are a strong group that\u00a0shouldn\u2019t\u00a0be dismissed easily by anybody.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n