NXT – December 11, 2013: The Bad Before The Big
NXT
Date: December 11, 2013
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, William Regal, Alex Riley
Last week’s show saw the main event angle continue as Adrian Neville beat Bo Dallas by countout. I could see this setting up a big time triple threat if Sami’s feud with Leo Kruger doesn’t last all that long. Other than that we’re likely to find out who Emma’s mystery partner is in her battle against the BFF’s. Let’s get to it.
Welcome Home.
Tag Titles: Hunico/Camacho vs. Ascension
Hunico and Camacho are challenging. Viktor and Camacho get things going and Rick rips Camacho’s shirt off to chop the skin off his chest. Camacho rolls through a backdrop into a rollup before avoiding a Viktor elbow drop to pound the champion down. Off to Hunico for a dropkick in the corner and a quickly broken chinlock but Viktor comes back with a knee to the face for two.
Back from a break with Konnor holding Hunico in a headlock on the mat. Regal brings up the point that every tag team to have faced Ascension have broken up, possibly because they know there’s no chance of taking the titles. Viktor comes in for a backbreaker before tagging out to Konnor for some hard stomping in the corner. Back to the chinlock for a bit before Viktor hits another backbreaker and puts on a chinlock of his own.
Hunico fights up and grabs a rollup but lifts Viktor up into a powerbomb instead of covering. The double tag brings in Camacho to run over Konnor and get a two count off a legdrop. Konnor clotheslines him down as Viktor pulls Hunico off the apron, injuring Hunico’s knee in the process. The Fall of Man to Camacho is enough to retain the titles at 8:40 shown of 12:10.
Rating: C. Not bad here but Hunico and Camacho were just quick challengers. There’s really no one left for Ascension to beat in NXT but they would die on the main roster. The skills are there, but can you imagine Cole trying to talk about these guys? They would be buried by the commentary so badly that they’d be lucky to get a win over Los Matadores.
Alexander Rusev vs. Kassius Ohno
Lana introduces Rusev who looks more and more awesome every time he’s out there. This is a result of Ohno beating Rusev’s time in the Beat the Clock Challenge a few weeks back. Rusev takes him into the corner to start and drops Ohno with a single right hand. He lifts Kassius up for a slam before driving knees into his ribs in midair.
Ohno gets slammed down for two and Alexander stays on the back and ribs. We hit the bearhug for a bit before another forearm to the back puts Ohno down. Ohno gets a forearm to the face to set up a small package for two. That’s the extent of his offense as Rusev runs him over and the Accolade ends Ohno at 3:05.
Rating: D. Total and complete squash here as Ohno leaves the company looking like a jobber. He never clicked in this company at all but at least his comments after leaving have been nothing but positive. Rusev has a spot waiting on him on the main roster once they finally make the call and he’ll take a lot of people apart.
Rusev won’t let go of the hold until Lana talks him out of it.
Natalya runs into a nervous Bayley. Apparently Natalya is going to be in Bayley’s corner which means it’s hug time.
We look back at Cesaro attacking Byron Saxton last week. Regal says if Cesaro has a problem with him, don’t take it out on anyone else.
Natalya/Bayley vs. BFF’s
Sasha and Bayley get things going with no Charlotte in sight. Bayley takes her down and slams Sasha’s face into the mat before it’s off to Natalya for a double suplex. Summer comes in and is immediately taken down with a drop toehold before it’s back to Bayley. Rae dives back to the corner for a tag to Sasha who is taken down just as quickly.
The BFF’s finally double team Bayley to take over with Summer choking her in the corner. Sasha slams her down for two but Bayley counters an Irish whip, allowing for the hot (?) tag to Natalya. A discus lariat to Banks looks to set up the Sharpshooter but Sasha makes the save. Back to Bayley who knocks Summer off the apron but walks into a double arm trap neckbreaker from Sasha (Bankrupt) for the pin at 3:30.
Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to go anywhere but the story still has somewhere to go until the showdown between Bayley and Charlotte. The BFF’s are better on the mic as Laycool II but they aren’t terrible in the ring at all, especially when they keep it in shorter matches like this one. Natalya could have been any main roster Diva for the sake of this match.
Summer can’t help from talking trash as she leaves like a good stuck up heel should.
Leo Kruger says he’s on a task to become a Real American and it means he has to hurt Sami Zayn to do it.
Scott Dawson vs. Mojo Rawley
This is Dawson’s return after an injury. Rawley takes him into the corner to start but gets punched backwards with ease. Dawson puts on a quick chinlock before driving elbows into Rawley’s head. Back up and Dawson misses a charge into the corner, setting up a Mojo splash in the corner and an Earthquake for the pin at 2:50. Mojo needs to be squashing people instead of getting beaten up until the last 45 seconds of a match.
Post match Dawson lays out Rawley. Again, this should not happen.
Next week is the 200th episode, featuring an open challenge from Ascension and Dallas defending against Neville in a lumberjack match. HHH will be here too, which means a big announcement.
Leo Kruger vs. Sami Zayn
Sami charges at Kruger but can’t hang in a fist fight. Kruger catches him in a wicked spinebuster for two and Zayn bails to the floor, only to get more of a beating on the outside. Leo throws Sami into the barricade and slams him down onto the concrete as this is one sided so far. Back in for a cravate from Kruger before Sami comes back with a dropkick. They head outside again with Sami hitting some HARD chops. They head back inside with Zayn getting two off a high cross body but Leo crotches him down to break up the tornado DDT. The Slice ends Sami at 4:11.
Rating: D+. Sami continues to lose every big match he has and it’s getting annoying. I know he’s awesome at being the guy that just keeps fighting but he needs to actually win something in the near future. A win over Kruger would be fine, especially if it’s in a long match which Sami is capable of pulling off. The fans are still with him but it’s only going to last so long.
Sami clotheslines him to the floor and hits a big flip dive to extend the feud.
Overall Rating: D+. This show didn’t do it for me. It’s a lot of squashes and short matches other than the tag titles and most of the matches are building up to another show. It wasn’t terrible as NXT isn’t capable of having a horrid show, but they need a good showing next week to make up for this one.
Results
Ascension b. Hunico/Camacho – Fall of Man to Camacho
Alexander Rusev b. Kassius Ohno – Accolade
BFF’s b. Bayley/Natalya – Bankrupt to Bayley
Mojo Rawley b. Scott Dawson – Earthquake
Leo Kruger b. Sami Zayn – Slice
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