NXT – January 22, 2014: Run Neville Run

NXT
Date: January 22, 2014
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Tensai

The main story coming out of last week is the live NXT special on February 27 which really is the closest thing to a pay per view that NXT has ever had. There are no matches announced for it yet but I can’t imagine Dallas keeps the title coming out of that show. The question now is who challenges him on the special. Let’s get to it.

Welcome Home.

The announcers intro the show. We’ve got a Championship Celebration for Bo Dallas tonight.

Adrian Neville vs. Wesley Blake

Blake is a cowboy. The fans are WAY into Neville here. They fight over a wristlock to start until Neville spins around to escape. A headlock takes Blake to the mat and it’s off to an armbar as they’re still in first gear. Neville puts him down again with a springboard missile dropkick followed by a loud chop in the corner. Fans: ONE MORE TIME! Blake blocks it with a kick to the ribs and is immediately the most hated man in the arena. Neville comes back with kicks to the gut and head before the Red Arrow hits for the pin at 4:14.

Rating: C. Take a popular act and let him fly around for a few minutes. It’s worked as a way to open the show for years and it still works now. Blake was as generic of a heel as you could ask for but there’s something nice about seeing a 70s gimmick like EVIL cowboy being dragged out of mothballs.

The BFF’s brag about how awesome their lives are with Charlotte talking about riding in limos in jets. She doesn’t care about Bayley either because life is vicious and you have to drop the nobodies. Charlotte is good as a heel, as if she could be anything else.

Xavier Woods vs. Alexander Rusev

Woods tries to speed things up to start but Rusev shrugs off a dropkick and hits Woods in the head with a forearm. He rains down some heavy right hands before a double stomp gets two. Xavier fights back with a kick to the ribs and a second dropkick followed by a Shining Wizard for two. Rusev hits a jumping kick to the chest of all things and the Accolade gets the submission at 2:40. Woods still does nothing for me.

Rusev keeps the hold on but Sin Cara of all people makes the save.

CJ Parker vs. Antonio Cesaro

Cesaro throws him around to start as the fans just don’t care about Parker. CJ tries to speed things up but dives back first onto Cesaro’s knees and we hit the chinlock with a knee in the back. Parker fights back with some knees to the chest in the corner and a high cross body for two before loading up an airplane spin. Cesaro isn’t phased for some reason and does his own Swing before the Neutralizer gets the pin at 3:34.

Rating: D. People just do not care about Parker and it’s time to pull the plug. He’s generic in the ring and feels like he’s playing a character instead of being natural at it whatsoever. Still though, Cesaro looks good and him shrugging off the 1972 offense was a very nice touch. The match sucked though.

Post match Sami Zayn comes out on crutches and says that 2013 was the best year of his career. However he’s been thinking about one match in particular (fans: “MATCH OF THE YEAR!”) because it’s the one blemish on his record. Sami wants a rematch but Cesaro walks up the ramp and says no to his face.

Miz is in the back and calls Full Sail awesome. He’s feeling saucy tonight so maybe we should have a MizTV tonight. CJ Parker comes in and wants to know why the people keep booing him. Miz says he can see why and accuses Parker of disrespecting him. Parker says Miz is leaving a toxic footprint by spewing all that toxic waste before slapping Miz in the face. Hopefully this is the start of a turn for Parker.

Natalya vs. Summer Rae

Bayley and the BFF’s are seconds here and Renee Young is on commentary. Feeling out process to start with Natalya taking over using some technical stuff. She can’t get a backslide though but a snapmare allows her to step on a seated Rae’s back, sending Summer face first into the mat.

A running seated dropkick gets two but Summer goes after the legs and puts them in a modified Indian Deathlock, only to have Natalya reverse it into a hold of her own. Summer is sent to the floor for a second before Natalya brings her back in for some hard clotheslines and forearms. Summer’s spinwheel kick is caught and the Sharpshooter makes her tap at 2:54.

Colin Cassady and Enzo Amore (still in a wheelchair but complete with leopard print seat cover) say Enzo is making a full recovery with Enzo saying he’ll fly. Aiden English comes in and brags about beating Cassady over and over. Cassady points out the cheating so English offers to sing. Enzo runs over Aiden’s foot.

Time for Bo’s celebration for being a record setting 224 day long title reign. He broke the record nearly three months ago but why not have a celebration now? Bo thanks us for such a great ovation and says we’re here for an historic moment. He cherishes our cheers, especially when we say LET’S GO BO. Tonight the NXT officials are going to celebrate the longest reigning NXT Champion of all time, and that’s not Rollins or Langston.

Bo, with the best over the top grin ever, accepts the honor and thanks some friends in the audience: his third cousin Charles, his sister’s college roommate, and his fourth grade teacher. We get a banner raised which looks like it’s computer generated. Bo celebrates his here’s Adrian Neville to protest. He’s here to speak for everyone when he says shut up. The fans say Bo is a wanker as Adrian says he’s going to win the title.

Bo laughs by saying Adrian got a title match before by beating someone in 4:45. Dallas could easily beat Neville in less than 4:45. HHH pops up on screen and says that Bo is going to get a chance to make him a Bo-Liever. Right now, there’s going to be a match with a 4:45 time limit. If Bo can’t win, then Neville gets his rematch at the live show on February 27.

Bo Dallas vs. Adrian Neville

Dallas is in street clothes. Neville avoids a charge and points at the clock before hiptossing Bo down and out to the floor. Bo pulls him outside as well and we’re under four minutes. Adrian gets on the apron but Dallas pulls the ring skirt to take Neville down. The referee gets to nine and more time is burned off the clock. Dallas pounds away with three minutes left and gets two off a suplex.

Some elbows rock Neville in the corner and a slam gets two with two minutes to go. Dallas wastes a lot of time by driving some shoulders into Neville, only to have Adrian come back with kicks to the thigh and a forearm. A dropkick puts Dallas down with forty five seconds on the clock. The Red Arrow is loaded up but Bo rolls outside. Neville stands on the top rope and looks at the clock. Bo comes back in with fifteen seconds left but gets backdropped to the floor as time expires at 4:45.

Rating: D. This was an angle instead of a match. I’m glad Bo didn’t lose, but at the same time I’m not wild on having Neville get the title shot by just surviving a quick beating and then running away for a minute and a half. The match will be good when they get the time to actually wrestle.

Bo comes back in post match and misses a charge, setting up a Red Arrow to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. Not one of their better efforts tonight but at least they’ve set up some interesting stuff for the future. The good thing about NXT is that they can change things up next week and not have to deal with these guys again for another week. Hopefully they don’t spend the next month building up to the live show like WWE does every few weeks.

Results

Adrian Neville b. Wesley Blake – Red Arrow

Alexander Rusev b. Xavier Woods – Accolade

Antonio Cesaro b. CJ Parker – Neutralizer

Natalya b. Summer Rae – Sharpshooter

Adrian Neville vs. Bo Dallas went to a time limit draw

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