NXT
Date: August 7, 2013
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Alex Riley

Tonight is a big night on NXT as we have a double main event. Dean Ambrose is defending his US Title against Adrian Neville and Bo Dallas is defending the NXT Title against Leo Kruger. Tonight sounds like it’s going to be focusing on in ring action instead of storytelling which should make for a good show. Let’s get to it.

The opening video talks about what we’re getting tonight. There’s also a dance off between Emma and Summer Rae.

Before the first match we’re told that Tyler Breeze IS IN THE BUILDING! WOO!

US Title: Adrian Neville vs. Dean Ambrose

Neville is an NXT Tag Team Champion but for the sake of clarity only Ambrose will be referred to as champion. Dean shoves him into the corner to start but Neville shoves him right back. Adrian fires off kicks in the corner but Dean rubs forearms across his face to escape. A headscissors puts the champion down for a second but he pops up, flips forward across the ring and comes out of the corner with a cross body for two.

Neville hooks an armbar but Dean smacks him in the face to escape. Adrian comes back with a quick slam and loads up the Red Arrow but Dean gets away before it launches. Out to the floor they go and Ambrose clotheslines him down as we take a break. Back with Dean dropping an elbow for two and ramming a knee to the ribs. A running dropkick to the chest gets two for the champion and it’s off to a surfboard hold.

Dean chops away and sends him across the ring in a hard whip. A belly to belly suplex gets two and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Adrian hits a hard forearm before avoiding a charge in the corner. A high cross body gets two and a quick running hurricanrana sends Dean to the outside. Neville hits a BIG corkscrew dive to take Dean out and there’s the Red Arrow but Shield runs in for the DQ at 8:20 shown of 10:05.

Rating: C+. Nice match here with Neville getting to look good but not win the title. It’s a very simple idea that doesn’t change anything officially but gives Neville a rub which is what stars can do in NXT. It’s a good sign that Neville can wrestle a full match with more than just the high spots as the inability to do so has sunk a lot of other wrestlers.

Post match the Shield beats Neville down but Corey Graves and Xavier Woods make the save.

Enzo Amore and Colin Cassidy come up to Scott Dawson and Sylvester Lefort to offer encouragement before Dawson’s match with Mason Ryan. Lefort and Dawson leave and the same guy who was making faces behind Breeze last week does a fist pump behind Amore and Cassidy.

Time for the dance contest and you should already know what’s coming here. It’s exactly what you would expect: Summer does classically trained dance moves, Emma responds with stuff like the Running Man and the Chicken Dance and gets YES chants. They keep this one fast paced though with the music never stopping and several back and forth dances. Summer says stop the music and is told she got served.

She wants her real music and does the Fandango, instantly winning over the crowd. Emma says play her music, takes off the t-shirt she was wearing to reveal her usual attire and does her dance to win the contest. Apparently this makes Emma #1 contender. Summer attacks her after losing as you would expect. This ran longer than I would have expected at about six minutes, but it was much more entertaining than most WWE dance offs. They kept this moving fast enough that it never got stupid which is where WWE falls off. Also it doesn’t hurt that Emma and Summer look like they do as opposed to say, Vickie.

Leo Kruger promo, talking about being laughed at as a kid. Tonight when he wins the NXT Title, people will be laughing at Bo Dallas instead.

Danny Burch vs. Tyler Breeze

Breeze comes to the ring like he’s walking a runway and with camera shots straight out of Zoolander. The fans think the entrance was awesome. The bell rings twice for some reason and Burch comes out swinging. Breeze ducks most of the shots and hits a quick enziguri. After taking some pictures of himself it’s the spinwheel kick for the pin at 42 seconds. Breeze is so over the top that he’s awesome.

Breeze lays on Burch to take another picture.

Bo Dallas finally starts acting like a heel by patronizing Renee Young, saying Cesaro has a bright future. Also the loss last week is on Sami Zayn for not being in there as a champion. Dallas claims to be a former tag team champion and doesn’t remember filling in for an injury. We get a few bars of Don’t Stop Bo-lieveing and he walks off. THIS is the kind of character he needs to be, not whatever he’s been doing for a few weeks now.

Graves/Neville/Woods vs. Shield and Mason Ryan vs. Scott Dawson next week.

Tyler Breeze has LEFT the building.

NXT Title: Bo Dallas vs. Leo Kruger

Dallas can go up about 85 levels on the heel scale if he records Don’t Stop Bo-lieving as his entrance music. Kruger goes straight to the floor to start but suckers Bo into an attack in the corner. The fans are entirely behind Kruger here as you would expect in a Bo Dallas match. Bo comes back with some dropkicks and a cross body followed by a northern lights suplex for two. We hit an armbar on Kruger as the fans chant boring. Kruger fights him off and sends Bo to the floor for a baseball slide as we take a break.

Back with Leo whipping Bo hard into the corner for two. A snap suplex gets the same and Kruger drives in elbows to the head. Dallas breaks up a superplex attempt and scores with a middle rope clothesline. Fans: “YOU STILL SUCK!” Some clotheslines put Leo down but a tornado bulldog is only good for two. A reverse DDT gets two more and Bo pounds on Leo in the corner, basically turning heel mid match.

Kruger starts Hulking Up and fires off right hands of his own followed by a spinebuster for no cover. The Slice connects for two and Kruger puts on the GC3 but Bo FINALLY makes a rope. Kruger pounds away but his top rope splash hits knees. Dallas wraps his leg around Leo’s head and cranks on the arm in a kneeling submission hold, drawing the tap out at 8:36 shown of 11:14.

Rating: B-. It’s a really good sign that Bo is turning heel as the fans were hating his face push. Turning him into a condescending self obsessed jerk is a great way to make him a heel, as long as they stick with it this time. Kruger looked good and has potential as a good guy, but the voice isn’t going to do him any favors.

Overall Rating: B. This show can be summarized in one word: fun. Nothing was too serious here, the matches were good, Tyler Breeze is so over the top that it’s hard to not chuckle at him, the dance off was amusing and Dallas FINALLY showed signs of being a heel. It’s so nice to be able to just enjoy a wrestling show that doesn’t make you feel like the world is forever changed off a single match. This was a very fun show that flew by, as NXT continues to be awesome.

Results

Adrian Neville b. Dean Ambrose via DQ when Shield interfered

Tyler Breeze b. Danny Burch – Spinwheel Kick

Bo Dallas b. Leo Kruger – Kneeling Elbow Submission

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NXT
Date: July 31, 2013
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tony Dawson, William Regal

This is an odd show for NXT as there isn’t anything planned coming into this episode. Last week saw Paige become the first Women’s Champion in a good match and Sheamus defeating Luke Harper in a stand alone match. That doesn’t leave much to build on this week but I’m sure NXT will pull something off. Let’s get to it.

Welcome Home.

We open with Enzo Amore and Colin Cassidy running their mouths. Colin brags about being undefeated as a team and not being soft (“S-a-w-f-t!”). Enzo says he sees NXT as a dance floor and they’re going to dance all over it. Cue Tons of Funk to chase them off in an obvious cameo. Cassidy and Amore talk trash from the floor but here’s Mason Ryan to chase them into the ring. Tons of Funk beat up the annoying ones and we have a referee but no bell. Ryan comes in and plants Amore with a cobra clutch slam before dancing with the fat guys to the only pop of his career.

Dusty is in the back with Emma and Paige when Summer Rae comes in to complain. She wants the title right now but Paige offers to break Summer’s teeth. Emma says she beat Summer fair and that Summer’s dancing sucks. Dusty calls the idea ridiculous but he likes it so the idea is on.

Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks

Sasha hooks a headlock to start but Charlotte rolls away. A dropkick puts Charlotte down for two and it’s off to an armbar. Charlotte fights up and backflips out of the corner before wrapping up Sasha’s legs for a sweet rollup, getting two. A chop (of course) staggers Banks but she easily takes Charlotte down and puts on a camel clutch. Back up and a running knee in the corner has Charlotte in trouble but she comes back with a clothesline. That front flip into a facejam/cutter (like Cena’s Throwback) is good for the pin at 3:19.

Rating: C-. Charlotte isn’t polished yet but it’s clear she’s got a good foundation to start with. I liked this better than her last match as she looked a lot more confident out there this week. It was a good idea to have Sasha control most of the match and just let Charlotte do her gymnastics stuff. Charlotte has a good future it would seem.

Tyler Breeze looks at himself a lot and talks about being breathtaking, magnificent and gorgeous. Someone with long hair is behind him making faces, getting a good reaction from the crowd.

Wyatt Family promo, set to Mary Had a Little Lamb.

Mickey Keegan/Aiden English vs. Wyatt Family

The Family has their full Raw intro now. The fans are going NUTS for the Wyatts which is strange to hear. Luke and Erick clean house and the discus lariat sets up the splash from Rowan for the pin on English at 26 seconds.

Post match bray talks about how there are men that try and fail but then there are men who change the landscape of this world. He’s the second kind of man and now he wants to know what the people around here are like. Today is the day that Bray Wyatt has decided to change the world.

Today is the day when pigs fly because Wyatt has told Mr. Fear that he is a liar. Go and tell all the world leaders because Bray Wyatt is coming to bring down the machine. Today the Wyatts say goodbye to NXT for now, but if you need to find Bray Wyatt, follow the buzzards. He throws in a little Time Is On My Side and drops the mic to chants of THANK YOU BRAY. This was WAY more intense than anything Wyatt has done and it worked very well.

Adrian Neville comes in to say he’s got Corey Graves’ back tonight in case the Wyatt Family interferes. Graves says if the Wyatt Family thinks they’ve seen a war, maybe the new champions should show them what war is.

Corey Graves vs. Scott Dawson

Graves misses a charge into the corner to start but the fans are entirely behind him. Dawson hits an elbow to the jaw for two and he does it again for the same result. Graves comes back with a kick to the jaw and a chop block to set up Lucky 13 for the tap at 2:00. This was nothing.

Post match Corey celebrates with Neville but here’s the Shield to interrupt. Rollins says Graves remembers the Shield for laying him out last time they were here. Graves and Neville are almost like Reigns and Rollins….but not quite. Ambrose says Neville is carrying around a belt because he slid into Kassius’ Ohno’s spot.

That makes him a thief, and that is an injustice. He offers Adrian a shot at greatness in a match but Neville wants the US Title on the line and to do it RIGHT NOW. Dean says Adrian isn’t talking to some NXT chump but rather the US Champion. The title match is on for next week, and Neville says justice is served next week.

Leo Kruger/Antonio Cesaro vs. Bo Dallas/Sami Zayn

Kruger vs. Dallas for the title next week. Something I’ve touched on tonight has been the crowd who will cheer everyone from the bayou religious cult to the paramilitary group to the white supremacist. Bo Dallas comes out and is BOOED OUT OF THE BUILDING. A loud No More Bo chant breaks out as Zayn and Kruger get things going. There’s an Ole chant and Zayn sends Leo across the ring out of a wristlock. Zayn jumps over Kruger in the corner and three straight armdrags set up an armbar on Leo.

Bo tags himself in and you can feel the crowd die. Off to Cesaro as the fans chant WE THE PEOPLE. Dallas snaps off some armdrags of his own but he takes too much time to tag, allowing Cesaro to kick him in the ribs to take over. A big boot puts Zayn on the floor but Dallas dropkicks Antonio down. Zayn gets the tag and Cesaro runs to the corner to tag Kruger who runs Sami over with a right hand.

We take a break and come back with Kruger getting two off a snap suplex to Zayn. Cesaro comes in with a European uppercut for two before putting on the standing chinlock. Back to Kruger who gets two off a headbutt and a double stomp. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Sami fights up and gets two off a sunset flip. Cesaro comes back in before the hot tag can be made and gets two of his own off a powerbomb.

Off to a regular chinlock from Antonio but Sami fights up and kicks him in the face to escape. Bo gets the tag and is booed out of the arena again which I don’t remember hearing on a hot tag before. Everything breaks down and it’s Kruger vs. Dallas in the ring. Bo hits a quick powerslam to send Kruger to the floor but back inside the Slice (running clothesline) is enough to put Dallas down for the pin (and an ERUPTION) at 10:40 shown of 13:10.

Rating: C+. The match was a basic tag team formula to set up the title match next week. The interesting thing again though was the reaction to Dallas. I haven’t seen consistent hatred for a guy like this since probably X-Pac. No matter what the guy does he gets booed out of the building but is still pushed as a face. There aren’t any shades of gray with his character. He’s a face through and through and for the life of me I don’t know why.

Overall Rating: B. Another good show this week for all the same reasons: a lot of stories were covered and those matches were the most important thing on the show at the time. It’s a good sign that this show can come up with a good hour of TV while having nothing set up in advance. Can you imagine Raw trying to be spontaneous like this? Good show this week like almost always, with NXT being the highlight of my wrestling week.

Results

Charlotte b. Sasha Banks – Front flip facejam

Wyatt Family b. Mickey Keegan/Aiden English – Splash to English

Corey Graves b. Scott Dawson – Lucky 13

Leo Kruger/Antonio Cesaro b. Sami Zayn/Bo Dallas – Slice to Dallas

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NXT
Date: July 24, 2013
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Brad Maddox, Tom Phillips

The main event this week is Paige vs. Emma for the inaugural Women’s Title. Other than that we have new tag team champions in the form of Neville and Graves. They took the titles from the Wyatt Family tonight, meaning we need to find out what’s next for Bray and company. Let’s get to it.

The opening video recaps Emma beating Summer Rae to set up tonight’s final.

Emma and Paige both say they’ll win.

Welcome Home.

NXT Women’s Title: Emma vs. Paige

The fans are split down the middle here as both girls feel each other out. Paige takes her down with a shoulder block but charges into a boot in the corner. A sunset flip gets two for Emma and she cranks on Paige’s arm. Paige comes back with a heabutt but can’t hook a backslide. Emma walks the backslide over to the ropes and spins into the Dilemma (Tarantula) as we take a break.

Back with Paige holding a chinlock and sending Emma throat first into the ropes for two. Paige is working as a very slight heel here. A PerfectPlex gets two on Emma and Paige stomps her down into the corner for two. Emma takes her down by the hair and hits a corner cross body for two. Paige gets two off a sunset flip but Emma comes right back with a chinlock before riding her with a reverse waistlock.

Paige gets to her feet and drives Emma into the corner for some rapid fire elbows to the face. She takes Emma down by the leg and puts on a kneeling Texas Cloverleaf with her knee in Emma’s back. Emma is in big trouble but she somehow wiggles out and kicks Paige away. A very quick small package gets two on Paige, sending the fans into heart attack territory.

Emma tries a leg lock but Paige gets to the ropes before it’s on. Paige fires off headbutts and goes up top but gets caught in a superplex to put both girls down. The fans rightly say this is awesome. Emma finally covers but Paige gets her foot on the rope. Back up and Paige hits a few kicks to the ribs and the Paige Turner for the pin and the title at 11:13 shown of 14:43.

Rating: B. This was excellent stuff and probably the best female match I’ve seen in WWE in years. Emma came to play here and more than kept up with Paige. Paige looked like she survived the match rather than won it which makes for more entertaining matches most of the time. They had me believing it was over on both that cloverleaf and the small package that followed and the fans bought it too. Outstanding match here.

The other Divas from the tournament come out to celebrate. HHH himself comes out to raise Paige’s hand. This should have closed the show.

Colter and Cesaro video on the topic of Sami Zayn. Zeb thinks Sami isn’t a real American and is in this country illegally. Colter’s background check can’t find any evidence that Zayn has ever existed. There’s reason to believe that Zayn wore a mask at one point, which is the sign of a criminal. Colter promises to have Sami deported and Cesaro says he’s going to make Zayn’s life a nightmare in and out of the ring. This was solid heel stuff.

Tyler Breeze vs. Angelo Dawkins

Breeze is a combination of Fandango, the Narcissist Lex Luger and Rick Martel but with bleach blonde hair. He keeps taking pictures of himself with his phone before the bell, ticking off Dash. The bell rings but Breeze needs to take some more pictures. Dawkins charges at him but gets pounded down with ease. Breeze kicks him in the ribs but stops for more pictures. He puts the camera down and hits a great spinwheel kick to the face for the pin at 1:18. Breeze is fun but I don’t see him having much of a shelf life.

Ascension promo with Rick Victor now on the team.

Ascension vs. Mickey Keegan/Aiden English

They’re still going with the name Rick Victor which doesn’t quite fit the Gothic Matrix look. O’Brien runs English over to start but it’s quickly off to Victor top uppercut and chop Aiden in the corner. Ascension keeps up the quick tags with Victor coming in for a running boot to the chest for two. A double hiptoss into a double powerbomb puts Aiden down and a High/Low (back elbow from Victor and a chop block from O’Brien) is enough for the pin at 1:56. Keegan never got into the match.

Luke Harper vs. Sheamus

They fight onto the ropes to start and Sheamus grabs a quick headlock. Harper actually runs him over with a shoulder and Sheamus isn’t sure what to do. Sheamus comes back with a shoulder of his own to send Harper to the outside before dropping some knees back inside for two. A running ax handle to the face puts Harper down again as Wyatt gets out of his chair to shout. Sheamus sends Harper to the apron for the forearms but Rowan gets some as well when trying a save.

Harper FINALLY gets in a shot to Sheamus’ back due to the distraction and we take a break. Back with Harper in control and standing on Sheamus’ head. We hit the chinlock as Bray is looking much calmer now. The goat mask hanging from the back of the rocking chair is a creepy image. Sheamus gets back up and hits a tilt-a-whirl powerslam to give himself a breather.

They slug it out and Harper hits a modified Boss Man Slam for two. Harper misses a middle rope splash and gets caught in the rolling senton for two. The Brogue Kick misses and the discus lariat gets two for Harper. Sheamus sends Luke into Erick and hits White Noise followed by the Brogue Kick for the pin at 9:45 shown of 12:15.

Rating: C-. Basic power brawl here and a way to make Harper look good. That’s the cool thing about bringing someone like Sheamus in for a set of TV tapings: you can run a short term story like this but it takes so long to air the whole thing that you forget it was taped in one night. Decent match here.

Bray politely claps for Sheamus to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. As usual with NXT we hit on a lot of stuff here tonight. The big problem here is the order of action tonight. Sheamus is definitely a big deal on the show, but there was no reason to not have the girls close things out here. HHH coming out to congratulate the new champion would have been a great way to end the show but instead we get Sheamus winning a match everyone knew he would win. Odd choice but it’s still a good show.

Results

Paige b. Emma – Paige Turner

Tyler Breeze b. Angelo Dawkins – Spinwheel kick

Ascension b. Mickey Keegan/Aiden English – High/Low to English

Sheamus b. Luke Harper – Brogue Kick

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my book on the History of Starrcade from Amazon for just $4 at:

NXT
Date: July 17, 2013
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: William Regal, Tony Dawson

This should be a big week for NXT as we have the tag title match with Graves/Neville challenging the Wyatt Family along with Ric Flair’s daughter’s in ring debut. We’ll also be getting ready for Emma vs. Paige next week which should be a good match. NXT has been on a roll as of late and hopefully things keep up tonight. Let’s get to it.

Welcome Home.

Leo Kruger vs. Sami Zayn vs. Antonio Cesaro

The winner gets a title shot against Bo Dallas at some point in the future. Cesaro has the We The People flag. Zayn and Cesaro are ready to go at it before the bell as Kruger watches from the corner. Sami fires off forearms to both of them but gets caught in the corner by Cesaro’s knees. Kruger suplexes Zayn down as Cesaro takes a breather. Antonio pulls Kruger to the floor and Zayn flip dives onto both of them as we take a break.

Back with the fans chanting Ole as Zayn fires off forearms to Antonio’s head. Sami tries a high cross but gets caught in a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Kruger makes the save and the fans chant WE THE PEOPLE. Leo loads up a capture suplex on Zayn but Cesaro German suplexes Zayn at the same time, sending Sami flying across the ring. Cesaro puts Sami in the standing chinlock but Kruger breaks up the Neutralizer. Leo loads up a northern lights suplex on Zayn but Sami blocks it into a DDT on Kruger and a Downward Spiral on Cesaro at the same time.

All three guys are down until Sami fires off right hands to both guys. A rollup gets two on Kruger and a standing hurricanrana gets two on Cesaro. The fans are losing their minds on these near falls. Kruger is sent tot he floor so Cesaro can Neutralize Zayn, only to have Leo throw Cesaro to the floor and steal the pin on Sami at 7:00 shown of 10:30.

Rating: B. Give this five more minutes and it’s one of the better triple threats you’ll ever seen. This was almost nonstop action with the fans being WAY into the entire thing. Zayn is something special and Cesaro has a reputation from his time on the main roster, so Kruger winning was a surprise. Sami will have his day eventually though.

Scott Dawson vs. Bo Dallas

Non-title here. LeFort says Dawson will have gold soon which makes me think Garrett Dylan is gone from the team. Feeling out process to start with Bo hitting some quick dropkicks. Dawson comes back with a forearm to the face and a legdrop to take over. A quick chinlock slows the match down even more as Regal talks about various old school people Dawson reminds him of. Dallas comes back with a knee lift followed by a bulldog and the belly to belly for the pin at 2:38.

Dallas does his pose for the pyro but Kruger hits the ring to lay out the champion. Dallas’ character continues to be oddly booked as the fans do not like him at all (they chant THANK YOU KRUGER after he lays Dallas out) but he’s treated like any regular good guy.

Here’s Ric Flair to introduce his daughter. The fans go insane for his entrance which is always a good sight to see. Flair talks about all the great times he’s had in Orlando and puts over NXT as a great place to learn the craft. He introduces his daughter Charlotte who has a background in gymnastics and is very flexible. She’s also very muscular.

Bayley vs. Charlotte

They trade wristlocks to start with Charlotte getting a freaky looking twisting rollup for two. It started like a regular rollup but she spun around and wound up laying on Bayley’s legs. Bayley comes back with a backslide for two of her own and Flair takes his jacket off. A snap suplex gets two on Charlotte but she flips over the corner ala her dad, only to land on her feet on the apron. Back in and a front flip into a facejam (think Cena’s Throwback but much more elegant) is good for the pin on Bayley at 2:47. Charlotte looked ok but very green at times. The gymnastics stuff looked good though.

Sheamus is in the back and has a match next week against an unknown opponent. The Wyatt Family jumps him and says follow the buzzards. I could get behind Sheamus vs. the Wyatts.

Tyler Breeze (formerly Mike Dalton) is a model and debuting next week. We will experience gorgeous.

The Women’s Title match is next week.

Tag Titles: Wyatt Family vs. Corey Graves/Adrian Neville

After some big match intros (last week all three Wyatts were announced at 501lbs combined. Here Rowan and Harper combine to be 581) we start with Harper vs. Graves. Graves wisely speeds things up to take Harper to the floor with right hands. Neville comes in and is grabbed by the face with Harper pulling him into the corner. Off to Rowan who catches Adrian in a cross body but Graves dropkicks his partner in the back to take Rowan down. Graves comes in and avoids a charge to send Rowan into the corner.

Off to Harper who is taken down by a dragon screw leg whip followed by a springboard missile dropkick to Rowan. Everything breaks down and Harper kicks Graves’ head off for two. We take a break and come back with Rowan cranking on Corey’s neck. Back to Luke for some chops that make me cringe. Harper and Graves slug it out with Harper getting the better of it. Rowan gets the tag and puts Graves in a quickly broken bearhug. Regal threatens to punch Dawson in the jaw if he keeps interrupting him.

Harper comes back in for some elbow drops and a crossface chickenwing. Graves fights out and tries a sunset flip but Luke busts out a dropkick (good one too) to put him back down. Rowan puts on an abdominal stretch with a stomach claw to make this really old school. Graves fights out but walks into a side slam for two from Harper.

Bray is getting nervous that his boys can’t put the challengers away. Graves ducks a charging Harper and FINALLY makes the hot tag to Neville. He sends both Wyatts to the floor and hits a HUGE top rope Asai Moonsault to take both guys down. Back in and a middle rope Phoenix Splash (moonsault into a 450) gets two on Rowan but Bray makes the save. Cue Sheamus to take out Wyatt as Graves takes out Rowan’s leg. Neville hits the Red Arrow for the pin and the titles at 10:45 shown of 14:15.

Rating: B. Really solid tag team formula stuff here with Sheamus evening the odds so the challengers could pull off the upset. The Wyatts had to lose eventually and this was as good of an option as there is at the moment. The crowd totally bought into the hot tag at the end, showing yet again that the old ideas still work like a charm when done right.

Sheamus celebrates with the new champions for a bit before leaving them alone to end the show.

Overall Rating: A. My goodness this show keeps getting better and better. We had two very good matches tonight plus a Flair appearance and storyline development. What more could you possibly ask for from a 45 minute show? I don’t have anything else to say about this other than start watching NXT regularly if you don’t already. It’s so far and away better than any main wrestling show right now that it’s unreal.

Results

Leo Kruger b. Sami Zayn and Antonio Cesaro – Kruger pinned Zayn after a Neutralizer from Cesaro

Bo Dallas b. Scott Dawson – Belly to Belly suplex

Charlotte b. Bayley – Front flip facejam

Adrian Neville/Corey Graves b. Wyatt Family – Red Arrow to Rowan

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my book on the History of Starrcade from Amazon for just $4 at:

NXT
Date: July 10, 2013
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Brad Maddox, Tom Phillips

Last week’s show ended with the start of a very interesting four way feud over the NXT Title with champion Bo Dallas seeing challenges from Antonio Cesaro, Leo Kruger and Sami Zayn. This could make for some very exciting television but odds are that story will be saved for a later date. Tonight the focus is likely on the Wyatt Family vs. Graves/Neville which should be entertaining in its own right. Let’s get to it.

Theme song opens us up.

NXT Women’s Title Tournament Semi-Finals: Emma vs. Summer Rae

The winner gets Paige for the title in two weeks. Rae gets a quick two off a face plant and a snap suplex gets the same. The fans are WAY behind Emma here as Rae wrenches back on her arm with her feet in Emma’s face. Emma comes back with some rollups but gets caught in a chinlock. Back up and Summer misses a charge in the corner, giving Emma a two count via a sunset flip. A running cross body to a seated Summer gets two but Rae comes back with a sunset flip, only to have Emma roll forward into a cradle for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C-. There wasn’t a lot of action in this but the ending picked up a lot. Emma’s popularity continues to rise which goes to show you how goofy gimmicks can still get over. It’s also a pleasant surprise to not get the seemingly obvious matchup of Paige vs. Summer for the title.

Summer beats Emma down post match but Paige makes the save.

Bayley is in the back with Dusty Rhodes. He wants to know why she hugged Alicia Fox after losing to her in the tournament. Bayley gets very excited and nervous because Ric Flair and his daughter walk in. Flair’s daughter is debuting next week and Bayley volunteers to ber her first opponent. Bayley gets one WOO for the road.

Leo Kruger vs. Sami Zayn

Feeling out process to start with Kruger bailing to the ropes. Zayn armdrags out of a wristlock and the fans chant Ole. Maddox: “But he’s from Montreal.” Some more armdrags put Leo down and Zayn rains down punches in the corner, only to be caught in an atomic drop. Sami comes back with a forearm to send Leo to the floor but his dive is blocked by a shot to the head as we take a break.

Back with Kruger pounding Sami down in the corner before getting two off a snap suplex. Leo works the arm with a hammerlock and knee drops followed by a spinebuster for two. Zayn comes back with some dropkicks for two and a high cross body gets the same. Sami charges into a knee in the corner and Kruger sends him shoulder first into the post. A Fujiwara Armbar has Zayn in deep trouble but he gets his feet in the ropes. Zayn comes back again with a blue thunder bomb for two but gets caught going up. A superplex sets up a DDT on the arm followed by the GC3 for the submission from Zayn at 10:42 shown of 14:12.

Rating: B. This was good old fashioned back and forth action and it still works well. There’s something so sweet about a basic good vs. evil dynamic and it’s very difficult to screw it up. Both of these guys have talent and will wind up on the main roster someday soon. Nice match here and the fans love Zayn.

Neville, Graves and Regal are ready for their six man later tonight against the Wyatts. Regal takes the time to hit on Renee Young and says he’s been fighting from the day he was born and broke the doctor’s fingers for slapping him. If the Wyatt Family knows what’s good for them, they’ll take their beating and stay down. It’s Graves/Neville vs. the Family for the titles next week.

Mason Ryan vs. Colin Cassady/Enzo Amore

Enzo runs his mouth about how Ryan has a problem with this handicap match. “See, 1+1=3.14. Time to eat your pie.” No tags are required here but Ryan throws them around anyway. Cassady finally gets in a boot to the face to slow Mason down but he picks Colin up anyway, only to be chop blocked by Enzo, giving Cassady the pin at 1:35. So they’re doing the Rhodes Scholars vs. Sheamus feud but with less talented people?

Dusty says next week it’s Kruger vs. Zayn vs. Cesaro for the #1 contendership.

Corey Graves/William Regal/Adrian Neville vs. Wyatt Family

Bray wants to know why Graves and Neville keep fighting because he’s the wolf raised by lambs and time belongs to him. All three Family members are a combined weight of 581lbs? I want to see the NXT scales. Neville starts by dropkicking Rowan and driving him into the corner for the tag off to Regal. William pounds away before it’s off to Graves who is taken down by a back elbow. Tag off to Harper but Graves scores a quick dropkick and hooks a figure four neck lock over the ropes.

Regal comes in to get some cheap shots behind the referee’s back before distracting the referee so Neville can do the same. Nice touch. We take a break and come back with Neville backflipping over Harper in the corner and dropkicking the knee out for two. Wyatt comes in to run over Adrian and stand on his chest to keep him down. Back to Harper who slams Adrian down by the hair and brings Rowan back in for a hard slam. A pumphandle backbreaker gets two and Erick stands on Adrian’s head for a bit.

Back to Bray who misses the corner splash but counters a crucifix into a Samoan drop for two. Luke comes back in to slam Adrian down again before putting on a chinlock. Neville knees his way out of a vertical suplex and dives over to tag Regal. William cleans house and hits the Knee Trembler on Harper but Rowan makes the save. Graves sends Erick to the floor and Neville dives on both guys. Harper takes Regal down and Bray comes in for Sister Abigail to knock Regal out for the pin at 10:50 shown of 13:40.

Rating: B-. This was the six man formula played to the letter and it worked perfectly. Regal coming in there works very well as he’s respected enough that a win over him means something so everybody looks great. It also keeps the challengers looking strong before their upcoming title shot.

Overall Rating: A-. This is one of the best shows I can remember in a very long time. In an hour we had a decent Divas match, a title match set up, a very good singles match, an amusing heel promo from one of the best heel characters I can remember in a long time (sidebar: I mean Amore. The guy is so universally unlikeable that he’s perfect as a heel), and a very good six man tag. For an hour long show, that’s remarkable. Great show here and NXT’s best in awhile.

Results

Emma b. Summer Rae – Cradle

Leo Kruger b. Sami Zayn – GC3

Enzo Amore/Colin Cassady b. Mason Ryan – Chop Block to Ryan

Wyatt Family b. William Regal/Corey Graves/Adrian Neville – Sister Abigail to Regal

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my book on the History of Starrcade from Amazon for just $4 at:

NXT
Date: July 5, 2011
Location: Tucson Arena, Tucson, Arizona
Commentators: Todd Grisham, William Regal

We’re at episode 18 here and I’m truly starting to wonder something. I’ll be at the Smackdown/NXT tapings on August 2 and I’m honestly not sure if the new season will have started yet. This is already the longest season of the show so far and now all of a sudden we have three finalists instead of two. This could go on for awhile. Let’s get to it.

We recap the eliminations this season and the return of Derrick Bateman and his pro Daniel Bryan from last week. I still don’t get how this is fair or really needed.

Striker and Maryse bring out the rookies and pros. We go over the Redemption Points with Bateman of course in third place. Time for the Talk the Talk Challenge with the topic of why should you win. Young talks about how unfair it is to put Bateman back in after Young has spent 17 weeks working to get here and now without a pro.

Titus says he’s dominated the competition all over and actually makes it rain redemption points. That was kind of funny. Bateman says O’Neil said his football team is better than the local one. Bateman says he and Bryan are the best things to happen to the internet since kitten videos. He gets booed loudly and Titus wins, further proving that these Redemption Points are totally pointless.

We get a quick recap of Yoshi freaking over the broken action figure last week. Can’t say they’re repeating stuff with that one.

Yoshi Tatsu vs. Tyson Kidd

Well it was great last week so I can’t complain on a rematch. Grisham says it was five stars. The show is on the internet so that fits perfectly. Yoshi fires off some kicks (actually called Kawada kicks by Regal) and we go to the floor for a bit. Back inside Tyson hammers him down in the corner but can’t get a rollup. They head to the apron and Kidd blocks a suplex.

Kiss manages to kick him off the apron back first into the post. We take a break to talk about That’s What I Am which really shouldn’t stun me. Back with Kidd working on the back until Tatsu reverses a suplex into a cross body for two. Kidd hits a suplex and locks on a double chickenwing on the mat. Yoshi fights up and chops away including a kick to put Kidd down.

Tatsu goes up so Kidd tries the Kurt Angle run up for a (vertical in this case) suplex but gets dropped. Spinwheel kick catches Kidd in the hands so badly that Regal has to say it didn’t really hit. That gets two and Kidd dropkicks the shin. That sets up a Moss Covered Three Handled Family Credenza for the pin at 9:09. For those of you unfamiliar with the general insanity of Perry Saturn, it’s a fisherman’s suplex but instead of bridging back you spin the guy around like a neckbreaker.

Rating: C+. Well it wasn’t bad but to say the other match was better is a huge understatement. Too much resting going on here and nowhere near enough near falls to make this one work. Not bad, but given what they did last week it was going to be pretty hard to top it here. Still good though.

Profile on Derrick Bateman, who really shouldn’t have been eliminated last season, especially not while Johnny “so bland that white paint on growing grass calls you bland” Curtis was around.

Horny is still trying to give Maryse flowers. They happen to be dead and include Twizzlers and banana peels. She says that should get him a kiss but she hits him with the flowers instead. Titus can’t console him.

Titus O’Neil/Darren Young vs. Daniel Bryan/Derrick Bateman

According to Todd, Bateman was supposed to be part of this season but tore his MCL. Bateman and Young start us off with Bateman sending him to the floor. Off to Bryan for a little Nexus on Nexus violence. DB and DB work on Young’s arm but he’s able to fight off Bateman and bring in Titus.

That doesn’t last long and neither guy really gets anything going. Back to Young for a chinlock. Grisham says Regal could make a burning orphanage sound funny. When I woke up today, I didn’t think I’d hear that line. Titus slams Bateman down as the beating continues.

Young doesn’t do as well, allowing the hot tag to Bryan. He hits a running dropkick in the corner to Young, followed by a suplex and swan dive headbutt. Bryan backflips out of a suplex and staggers into the corner, tagging Bateman which I’m not sure was intentional. Bryan takes out O’Neil and Bateman grabs a headlock and drives Young’s head into the mat like a Skull Crushing Finale for the pin at 6:22.

Rating: C. Just a tag match here and not a very interesting one at all. The Bateman finisher was pretty weak an dit’s pretty clear that they’re going to have Bateman vs. O’Neil in the final two, assuming there is a final two. Nothing special here, but then again Bateman never was anything special in the ring.

The last 13 minutes of the show are used to completely reair the Vince/Cena closing segment from last night, which was good but I don’t want to see it all over again just 24 hours later.

Overall Rating: D+. Didn’t like this one at all as the whole show felt like filler. No mention of another elimination so based on the track record of this show so far, that means we’ll be here at least two more weeks. I was only half kidding earlier when I mentioned August 2 but it’s looking more and more possible. Didn’t like this as both matches were pretty bland and ¼ of the show is a segment from Raw. Nothing to see here at all.

Results

Titus O’Neil won the Talk the Talk Challenge

Tyson Kidd b. Yoshi Tatsu – Fisherman’s neckbreaker

Derrick Bateman/Daniel Bryan b. Darren Young/Titus O’Neil – Headlock into a facejam to Young

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my book on the History of Starrcade from Amazon for just $4 at:

NXT
Date: July 3, 2013
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tony Dawson, William Regal

It’s another big week on NXT as the Wyatt Family now has William Regal to deal with in addition to Graves and Ohno. On the singles side we have Leo Kruger looking like the first challenger for Bo Dallas, which is an odd choice as Dallas seems to be ready for a heel turn but he’s facing a heel in Leo. Let’s get to it.

Here’s Bo Dallas in the back for an interview. Renee asks him about Leo Kruger coming out and holding up the title after Dallas’ match last week. Dallas says the Bo-lievers (Renee: “Bo-lievers?” Dallas: “Yes the Bo-lievers.”) will be behind him against anyone. He brags about meeting Bret Hart at Wrestlemania and having a match at Wrestlemania Axxess, which he earned just like when he beat Big E. Langston.

Antonio Cesaro comes in and says Dallas hasn’t earned anything. Tonight he’ll take Dallas’ title in the name of We The People. Dallas introduces Cesaro to Renee, calling him the most insignificant US Champion in WWE history. Dallas was acting much more heelish here and it helped him a lot.

NXT Women’s Title Tournament Semi-Finals: Alicia Fox vs. Paige

Fox takes it to the mat in a headscissors with her long legs but Paige counters into a headlock. Fox pulls her down by the hair and immediately bails to the floor. Back in and Paige fires off rapid fire elbows in the corner but Fox sweeps her legs out and gets two off a northern lights suplex. Off to a chinlock with a knee in Paige’s back but she escapes with a jawbreaker. Paige throws her around by the hair and hits a knee to the face, only to walk into a dropkick for two. Not that it matters though as Paige kicks her in the ribs and hits the Paige Turner to send her to the finals at 4:44.

Rating: C-. This was much better for Paige than the match against Snuka a few weeks back as Paige looked competitive against a former Divas Champion. Fox is good in a role like this as she’s been around for awhile and is a name in the division (granted not a huge one) so a win like this makes Paige look better. You can only dominate the other NXT girls for so long before it stops meaning anything.

Andy Baker vs. Conor O’Brien

O’Brien now has Rick Victor with him as Kenneth Cameron’s replacement. Conor runs Baker over and shouts YOU’RE DEAD. Baker tries to fight back with some shots to the ribs but a flapjack and a legdrop from O’Brien are enough for the pin at 1:00.

Kassius Ohno was injured by the Wyatt Family last week and can’t compete for the tag titles. Corey Graves and Adrian Neville ask William Regal to join them.

Scott Dawson vs. Xavier Woods

The fans chant for Woods but Dawson kicks him in the ribs to take over. Woods comes back with a quick dropkick for a one count and it’s off to an armbar on Dawson. Scott backdrops him over the top, sending Woods face first into the apron. The fans are all over Dawson as he elbows Xavier in the face and drops a leg for two. We hit the chinlock for a few seconds but Woods fights up, hits the Honor Roll (front flip clothesline) and Lost in the Woods is good for the pin at 4:11.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t much to see but I’m glad Dawson isn’t on a winning streak anymore. Woods continues to be so high energy that it’s hard not to notice him. His antics are funny enough and having a nostalgia character is a good way to get your foot in the door. The match didn’t have long enough to go anywhere but it was hard hitting and energetic enough to not suck.

Bray Wyatt talks about people judging him for the way he looks. He’s a wolf and sheep’s clothing and if you knew what was behind his eyes, you would know why people are scared of him.

Enzo Amore vs. Mason Ryan

Enzo continues to be incredibly annoying and therefore a great new heel. He has 7’0 Colin Cassady with him…..and the match is over in 12 seconds with a single right hand from Ryan. Best part of the match is a line from Regal: “Is Amore the love child of DDP?”

Amore wants Ryan to fight Cassady RIGHT NOW.

Mason Ryan vs. Colin Cassady

Ryan throws him around and ends Cassady in 33 seconds with a cobra clutch slam.

NXT Title: Bo Dallas vs. Antonio Cesaro

The fans don’t care for Cesaro but they can’t stand Dallas. Cesaro is even cheered a bit during the big match intros. There’s a WE THE PEOPLE chant as Cesaro and Dallas feel each other out. Dawson: “What does it mean if Cesaro can beat Dallas tonight?” Regal: “That he’ll be the champion.” Cesaro cranks on the arm and the fans are have a “Let’s go Bo” and “No more Bo” dueling chant going between the women and men.

A shoulder block gets two for Cesaro as Dawson has to explain who Tim Tebow is to Regal. Cesaro sends Dallas to the floor as we take a break. Back with Cesaro holding a chinlock as Leo Kruger is standing on the ramp. A kick to the back keeps Dallas down and the fans ask Cesaro to do it again. He loads the kick up but drops down into another chinlock to tease the people.

Dallas fights up again and pounds away in the corner before getting two off a bulldog. Cesaro’s slam is countered into a reverse DDT for two more but the corner climbing bulldog is blocked. Cesaro puts him on the top for a gutwrench superplex for a very close two. A middle rope knee drop gets two on the champion and it’s off to the swinging chinlock.

Dallas rolls the chinlock over into a cradle for two but Cesaro comes back with a fallaway slam for two more. Cesaro goes up top but Dallas runs the corner for a butterfly superplex to put both guys down again. Antonio is sent into Kruger to knock Leo off the apron, allowing Dallas to hit the belly to belly to retain at 10:15 shown of 12:45.

Rating: C+. Very interesting crowd reactions aside, this match really took off in the last three minutes or so. Kruger interfering sets up some interesting dynamics down the line and gives Dallas an extra challenger to face. They’ll need to move forward with that heel turn soon, because the fans were cheering for the protege of a white supremacist over the young face champion.

Post match Kruger lays out Dallas but Cesaro knocks Kruger to the floor. Cesaro pounds on Dallas until Kruger gets back in for a staredown. They double team Dallas until Sami Zayn comes in for the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show had a lot of filler, but the main event was solid and it sets up a very interesting four way feud for the title. Zayn is fitting right into this show and WWE sending big names down to Florida can only help things out. This was a good sign for the future and was an entertaining hour of wrestling.

Results

Paige b. Alicia Fox – Paige Turner

Conor O’Brien b. Andy Baker – Legdrop

Xavier Woods b. Scott Dawson – Lost in the Woods

Mason Ryan b. Enzo Amore – Right Hand

Mason Ryan b. Colin Cassady – Cobra Clutch

Bo Dallas b. Antonio Cesaro – Belly to belly suplex

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews,  pick up my book on the History of Starrcade from Amazon for just $4 at:

NXT
Date: June 28, 2011
Location: US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: William Regal, Todd Grisham

It’s another elimination week to get us down to the final two which will hopefully end soon after that. The final three are Darren Young, Conor O’Brian and Titus O’Neil. It seems like the competition is Titus’ to lose here but you never know with this show. That being said, I’d probably bet on O’Brian to win it because we all want to see him for another four months down the road right? Let’s get to it.

Here’s Darren Young who now has no pro as Chavo has left. Young says that Chavo quit because he couldn’t handle the fact that his rookie was better. Young points out how he’s faced Cena and main evented Summerslam this year which is something Chavo has never done. True actually.

O’Brian comes out to say that after tonight, Young is done. He promises utter destruction.

Darren Young vs. Conor O’Brian

They fight over a tieup to start and head to the floor. Hot crowd tonight too. Back inside and Conor takes over with a clothesline. A shoulder by O’Brian gets two. Young hits a neckbreaker on the apron and both guys are down as we take a break. Back with O’Brian escaping a cravate but getting thrown down for two. Off to a neck crank by Young which doesn’t last long.

Kozlov isn’t here tonight either apparently as he’s in Australia with the Raw roster. Chinlock doesn’t work long and O’Brian hits a slingshot to send Young into the corner. Young hits the ropes and gets his head kicked off by a big boot. That looked good. Regal brings up the point that these guys know each other way too well. Young hits Three Amigos to the biggest heat he’s gotten since he had a big yellow N on his chest. A Frog Splash ends this a few seconds later at 8:45.

Rating: C+. Not bad here and that big kick was the biggest part of the whole thing. The lack of pros actually helped a lot here as it was just a competition rather than about the pros, which is the point of the show. O’Brian is still dull but if he can get even a single move going for him it’s an improvement.

Tatsu is at his shrine with his action figure again and Kidd comes up and breaks it. They have a match later but Yoshi jumps him and attacks him until he’s pulled off.

Tyson Kidd vs. Yoshi Tatsu

TYSON’S HAIR IS GONE! He cut that little thing off his head and it’s due to Bret pulling on it apparently. Yoshi is all ticked off and hammers away to start, sending Kidd to the floor. HARD chops in the corner and Kidd is in trouble. Kidd comes back, hitting what looked like a forearm off the middle rope. On the floor he hits a dropkick to send Yoshi into the steps as we take a break.

Back and we’re in a chinlock by Kidd. He works the arm and gets two off a hammerlock suplex. Big kick into the arm has Yoshi in agony. Fujiwara Armbar goes on which is becoming a very popular move anymore. Yoshi starts his comeback with his variety of kicks. Big kick gets a close two as the fans are into this again. They go up and Kidd is shoved off. He manages a dropkick to crotch Yoshi though and a top rope rana gets two. I would have bet on that being the ending. Rollup gets two for Yoshi. Another big kick finally ends Kidd at 9:20. Abrupt ending but rather good.

Rating: B. For NXT, this was AWESOME. They were allowed to go out there and beat the heck out of each other. Those kicks and 2 counts were great and I really didn’t know who was going to win there at the end. Sick high kick to put Kidd down at the end also made this a very good match and one of the best NXT matches I’ve seen in a long time.

JTG is getting ready and here’s Horny in a trashcan which he’s able to walk in somehow. O’Neil comes up to stop an attack because he’s only trying to steal the gold jewelry because he’s a leprechaun. They get in an argument over what it’s made of. I give up.

Titus O’Neil vs. JTG

Maryse is on commentary here for no reason other than “she feels like it”. O’Neil throws him around as Regal and Maryse argue a bit. Horny has a note for Maryse and it’s in English apparently. It’s an old school style of do you love me? Circle one. We hear about the required height to date Maryse as JTG takes over a bit. Maryse is taking pictures as O’Neil fights back. JTG is sent to the floor and almost runs into Horny. He gets on the apron and poses at JTG. Back in the ring the Clash of the Titus ends this at 3:20.

Rating: C. Just a quick match here as Titus continues to be so far and away better than everyone else in this season it’s unreal. Nothing of note here as JTG is still a jobber, no matter which way he’s leaning on the face/heel spectrum. Maryse was far more of the focus here than the match and I can’t say I blame them here.

Maryse rips up the letter post match.

Raw Rebound eats up some time. They only talk about the main event and the Punk promo though. That’s still awesome stuff, but it makes me think Cena wins clean at the PPV. Just parts of it here though instead of whole thing due to time. Most of the controversial stuff here is gone.

Grisham says that Punk has been suspended indefinitely and Vince might be on Raw.

Time for the elimination and thankfully O’Brian is gone. He asks Hunter (HHH I presume) for a chance to play the game.

But wait we’re not done yet because someone else is going to the finals. Derrick Bateman is back and Bryan is his pro again. What in the world? Why are they adding someone else NOW? Do they really want to extend this even further? I’m going to be at the show on August 2. There better be a new season by then.

Overall Rating: B. All things considered, this was the best episode of NXT in months. There were good matches and the crowd was red hot all night. O’Brian finally being gone is the right choice because you could make a case for Young or O’Neil winning the whole thing. Bateman being added is uh….puzzling. At least he was funny during his time here so it’s not too bad. Good show this week that flew by in a good way.

Results

Darren Young b. Conor O’Brian – Frog Splash

Yoshi Tatsu b. Tyson Kidd – High Kick

Titus O’Neil b. JTG – Clash of the Titus

Conor O’Brian was eliminated in 3^rd place.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book on the History of the WWE Championship from Amazon for just $4 at:

NXT
Date: June 26, 2013
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: William Regal, Tom Phillips

The focus shifts back to the titles tonight as Bo Dallas and Big E. Langston both return to the NXT Arena after their title match two weeks ago. We also have Dawson’Dylan vs. Ohno/Graves for a future title shot against the Wyatt Family. This is a pretty stacked show by NXT standards so let’s get to it.

Big E. Langston vs. Aiden English

Langston slams him down twice and the Big Ending finishes English in 42 seconds.

Another Big Ending is good for the five count. Langston goes to leave but comes back in and hits a third Big Ending for a second five count.

Emma is blowing bubbles in the back and says her plan for the match tonight is to win. She says Renee can’t have her bubbles but can hold them while Emma has her match.

NXT Women’s Title Tournament First Round: Emma vs. Aksana

Aksana takes her to the mat to start and gets two off a backbreaker. Emma avoids a charge in the corner and slides into a sunset flip for two. Aksana works on the arm but the match turns into a catfight with neither being able to take over. Off to a headscissors on Emma before Aksana takes her into the corner for some gyrating. Emma kicks her to the mat and hooks a bridging Indian deathlock called the Dilemma for the tap out at 3:38.

Rating: D. Aksana looks great in her outfits but the girl is a disaster in the ring. Thankfully they don’t treat her like anything serious and she’s just there to fill in a spot when needed. Emma continues to be entertaining by being so goofy that it’s hard not to chuckle at her. She’s getting better and better in the ring as well.

Emma brings some kids in the ring to dance with her.

Leo Kruger is hard to understand. Everything changes next.

Dante Dash vs. Leo Kruger

Dash takes him to the corner to start as we hear about Kruger being a mercenary. Leo pulls him down to the mat and drives some knees into Dash’s shoulder to take over. Back up and Kruger bends Dash’s arm over the shoulder before sending him into the post. The shoulder goes into the post again and a big clothesline puts Dash down. Kruger’s GC3 (seated arm/triceps pull) gets the submission at 2:46. Squash.

The Ascension will rise. Again.

Mickey Keegan vs. Bo Dallas

Dallas takes him down with an armdrag for two as the crowd is SILENT. A pair of atomic drops and a dropkick put Keegan down again and some forearms set up a climbing the corner bulldog. Dallas hits the belly to belly for the pin at 1:47. The fans do not care at all.

Post match Leo Kruger comes in and lays out Keegan before reaching for the title.

Kassius Ohno/Corey Graves vs. Scott Dawson/Garrett Dylan

The winners get a shot at the Wyatt Family at some point to be announced. Ohno starts with Dawson with Kassius cranking on the arm. Off to Graves for more arm cranking before Ohno takes him down with a headlock. Graves comes back in to work on the arm as Phillips inaccurately says the Wyatt Family is undefeated as a tag team. Dawson finally escapes and takes Graves down to bring in Dylan for a neckbreaker for two.

We take a break and come back with Graves still in trouble as Dawson and Dylan continue to cut the ring in half. Dylan hooks a chinlock before a clothesline gets two for Dawson. A jawbreaker gets Graves out of trouble and it’s back to Ohno to clean the lower half of the house. A kind of spinning release suplex gets two for Kassius but Dylan makes a blind tag and the trailer boys hit Southern Pride for two. Now it’s Ohno in trouble with Dawson getting two off another clothesline.

Dylan comes in to crank on the neck as Regal actually acknowledges a YOU CAN’T WRESTLE chant. Ohno fights up but can’t make the tag after sunset flipping Dylan. An elbow to the jaw is enough for the tag to Graves and the fans aren’t all that interested. A knee to the face gets two for Graves as everything breaks down. Corey ties Garrett’s legs up in the ropes to pound away even more before getting two off a fireman’s carry into a backbreaker. Dawson and Ohno go to the floor as Graves takes out Dylan’s leg and the Lucky 13 leg lock gets the submission at 9:34 shown of 13:04.

Rating: C-. The match wasn’t terrible but like the live crowd I couldn’t get into it. Given the story going on with the Wyatt Family the ending was never in doubt whatsoever which makes the match less interesting to sit through. Add in the fact that Dawson and Dylan are a black hole of charisma and this was long and not very interesting.

Post match the Wyatt Family hits the ring to beat down their #1 contenders but Adrian Neville comes out for the save. He loads up the Red Arrow but Dawson and Dylan break it up. William Regal of all people runs in for the save but the heels have too much of a numbers advantage. Bray splashes Regal in the corner and the Family’s music plays to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was one of those shows that builds for later instead of being entertaining in its own right. A ticked off and serious Langston is interesting as is Kruger going after the title, but Dallas seemingly as a face and Dawson/Dylan in general do nothing for me or the live crowd it seems. The post main event stuff helped as the Wyatt Family are far more interesting heels than the trailer boys.

Results

Big E. Langston b. Aiden English – Big Ending

Emma b. Aksana – Dilemma

Leo Kruger b. Dante Dash – GC3

Bo Dallas b. Mickey Keegan – Belly to belly suplex

Corey Graves/Kassius Ohno b. Scott Dawson/Garrett Dylan – Lucky 13 to Dylan

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book on the History of Starrcade from Amazon for just $4 at:

NXT
Date: June 20, 2012
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, William Regal

It’s FINALLY a new season of this shindig and things are really shaken up. We’re permanently in Florida now with FCW and NXT merging and I can’t say I’m complaining a bit. These will now be up on Thursdays instead of Wednesdays as they only air internationally at the moment, so I have to wait for the videos to surface online. I don’t know what to expect from this so let’s get to it.

The opening video is about how each generation has its own stars that define their era. NXT is about those that strive to make their own history. Cool video and this looks great so far.

Regal welcomes us to the show in a voiceover. I really like the arena as there’s a small Titantron which looks like it belongs in a more intimate setting.

Here’s JR to welcome us to the show. He brings out Dusty Rhodes who apparently is the new General Manager of NXT. The main event is McGillicutty vs. Kidd and Dusty is very excited about it. You can say a lot about Dusty Rhodes and a lot of it is critical, but you can NEVER say he comes off as bored or dull. The guy always sounds like he cares about what he’s talking about and that makes a ton of difference.

Video on Bo Dallas which I believe we saw last week. His dad is Mike Rotunda, more famous as IRS. He talks about smiling all the time and being ready to go at any time.

We get the Vince Hospital clip from Raw.

Bo Dallas vs. Rick Victor

Regal and JR are on commentary so I can’t complain there. The crowd sounds fired up already and I’m really digging this so far. It looks different from the regular WWE setup whih is a nice change of pace. Dallas controls with some armdrags to start but Victor chops away in the corner. Snap powerslam puts Victor down and a spear gets the pin for Dallas at 2:17. I didn’t see enough of Dallas here to tell what I thought of him but it wasn’t bad.

Dallas says you just saw his game plan being executed and that this is just the beginning. He talks about his smile some more. Dallas is only 22 and looks even younger than that, but that’s the point of being in the minors like this. He has potential at least.

Video on Seth Rollins who talks about being the change we’ve been waiting for. He debuts next week.

Video on Antonio Cesaro and how awesome he is. He’s The Future and will also debut next week.

Damien Sandow vs. Jason Jordan

The announcer messes up Sandow’s hometown, calling it Palto Alo. Sandow does his usual schtick, talking about how this is an unworthy opponent. Therefore, he won’t be wrestling tonight. No match.

Video on The Ascension, which is a stable I’ve heard a lot of good things about. They’re standing on a rooftop and say they will rise. There are only two here instead of the three that I believe they usually have.

Raw ReBound is about John vs. John.

The Ascension vs. Mike Dalton/CJ Parker

Ascension is Conor O’Brien and Kenneth Cameron. Their entrance is pretty awesome with music that sounds like something out of a thriller movie’s trailer and blue lighting. They actually look intimidating and above all else, they look DIFFERENT. That’s been missing so badly on this show as everyone is just out there in trunks wrestling. Cameron and Parker start things off and the Ascension controls early. Off to O’Brien who stomps away on Parker in the corner. Ascension hits rapid fire elbows followed by a jawbreaker from Cameron into a flapjack by O’Brien for the pin at 1:11. I like what I see again. The finisher is called The Downcast.

Video on Bray Wyatt, more commonly known as Husky Harris. He’s in a small town in the south and says that it’s time for parents to quit lying to their children because monsters like him are real. I’ve heard rave reviews about this character and I think I can see why.

Derrick Bateman is looking for Johnny Curtis in the bathroom where Curtis is brushing his teeth. They leave the room together and Bateman looks annoyed. Apparently they’re the main event next week. Curtis washes his hands on Bateman’s shirt. These two still annoy me.

Tyson Kidd vs. Michael McGillicutty

Kidd works over the arm to start as the fans chant USA. McGillicutty runs Kidd over and counters an O’Connor Roll, only to have Kidd fire off kicks. Michael bails to the floor for a breather before locking up in a test of strength. Kidd climbs the ropes to escape and hooks the armbar again. Kidd throws him over the top and face first into the apron. That’s followed by a suicide dive and we take a break.

Back with Tyson stomping McGillicutty down in the corner and hitting a leg lariat for two. McGillicutty sends him to the apron and hits a knee lift, followed by an elevated neckbreaker for two. We hit the chinlock but Kidd gets back up quickly. Kidd hooks a sunset flip but McGillicutty hits a clothesline to the back of the head for two. McGillicutty puts him in the Tree of Woe and chokes away.

Kidd gets put in the Tree of Woe again but his baseball slide misses, giving us his pop’s signature crotch shot into the post. Kidd speeds up and fires off a bunch of kicks including a dropkick to the side of the head for two. McGillicutty counters a springboard clothesline with a dropkick for two.

Kidd comes back with a moonsault press for two. The fans are really getting into this. Dungeon Lock doesn’t work and McGillicutty hits a Saito Suplex for two. McGillicutty puts on a half crab which is supposed to be called a Sharpshooter. The Perfectplex is countered into a small package for two. Kidd grabs the Dungeon Lock for the tap at 14:07.

Rating: B. These two continue to have some excellent chemistry together. Their styles mesh just right and they have yet to fail to have a good match. Kidd is in that weird spot where he’s not going to be able to be a full time guy on the main rosters but he’s great for something like this. McGillicutty is about the same but he’s not quite as good. Together though they’re a solid combination.

Overall Rating: B. For a debut episode, they nailed this one pretty well. Based on this episode, it’s a great upgrade over what I spent a year watching. It’s nice to see some fresh faces and above all else, this show had an energy to it. I want to see more of this and that’s the most important thing for the first episode of a show like this. Good stuff and I’m excited about this show.

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