NXT
Date: November 20, 2013
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, William Regal, Alex Riley

It’s the start of a new taping cycle tonight so we should be in for a much fresher show. The main story tonight is the return of Bo Dallas who has been on an international tour for the last few weeks. The question now is who challenges him for the NXT Title after he’s pretty much done everything he can with Sami Zayn. Let’s get to it.

Welcome Home. Appropriate theme for the week.

Here’s Bo to open things up with balloons and streamers falling. Bo is even wearing a party hat and has that goofy grin on his face. He says there’s no place like home and says that everyone who has been reading the Bo Dallas newsletter, they know everyone loves Bo. The fans chant what sounds like Pocahontas before breaking into the standard NO chant.

Bo wishes everyone could be here but he has a slide show for us. The slides show him posing in various places such as Montreal, Cambodia (where he sports entertained in front of a crowd of over 300,000 people), Lichtenstein (where he hugged a diseased man, healing him by 50%), Delaware and Portland. Then he went to Transylvania where they offered him cookies. Since all of the Bo-Lievers here are his friends, everyone here is getting a cookie! There are attendants actually passing them out until JBL interrupts.

The interim GM says the company is proud of Bo for being a wonderful international ambassador. Just like Randy Orton is with WWE, Bo is the face of NXT. This brings out Sami Zayn to a big pop and an Ole chant. Bo: “Hey Sami. Did you come to get a cookie?” Sami says no but he’s glad to see both JBL and Bo here in the same ring. Zayn just wants to be reinstated so he can take the NXT Title, but JBL disagrees with Ricky Bobby.

The fans chant cheeseball at JBL, so he threatens to suspend the entire audience. Sami is reinstated and Bo isn’t pleased. Zayn says he’ll start from the ground up, but next time he’s in the ring with Dallas, he’s taking the title. JBL announces a Beat the Clock challenge with the winner getting the next title shot with Zayn as one of the competitors. For those of you unfamiliar, a Beat the Clock challenge consists of a series of matches and whoever can win their match fastest wins.

Beat the Clock Challenge: Colin Cassady vs. Alexander Rusev

Rusev’s mysterious blonde is apparently his social media ambassador and named Lana. Rusev pounds away in the corner and headbutts Cassady down for a quick two. Some more headbutts get more near falls but Rusev missed a middle rope splash. Cassady comes back with some quick right hands but can’t slam him down. Instead it’s a high knee to the face for two but Cassady misses a charge into the corner and hits his head on the post.

The Accolade goes on but Cassady slips his arms off Rusev’s legs and gets to the ropes. Rusev picks Cassady up and drives knees into his back without moving Cassady, sort of like a standing backbreaker. A headbutt to the back of Cassady’s head sets up the Accolade for the submission to set the time at 5:33.

Rating: D+. Not much to see here but Cassady looked good in his first solo outing after Enzo’s injury. Rusev’s monster is great and works very well for him given how he looks. Back in the day he would have been headlining house shows against Hogan already but things have changed a bit, and that’s better for guys like him.

Adrian Neville says that it’s unfortunate Corey Graves has a concussion but that’s the chance you take in the ring. He knows a thing or two about speed and tonight we’ll see if Aiden English can keep up. There’s a new backstage interviewer named Devon Taylor and she’s no Renee Young.

Bayley is depressed about Charlotte turning on her last week. They were like Spongebob and Patrick or Tommy and Chucky. They used to pogo stick and do the robot together. She threatens to beat up Charlotte but apologizes for scaring Devon. Maybe she’d like to do the robot with Bayley?

Beat the Clock Challenge: Tyler Breeze vs. Kassius Ohno

Breeze’s nickname is now Prince Pretty. Tyler quickly stomps him down into the corner but Ohno gets two of his own off a backslide. Kassius hits one of the loudest chops I’ve ever heard but Breeze sends him out to the floor with a hard dropkick to the head. Regal wants to know why Breeze is trying to get him back into the ring when Tyler could easily win by countout here.

Ohno finally gets rolled back inside for two as the fans are split on who they like better. A clothesline gets another near fall for Breeze but Kassius ducks the Beauty Shot spinwheel kick as we’re running out of time. Ohno misses an elbow smash and they trade rollups for two each. Kassius grabs a rollup of of his own for the pin at 4:48, setting the new time.

Rating: C. Much more exciting match which is one of the perks of a Beat the Clock Challenge. On the other hand though, the rest of the matches are going to have a 4:48 time limit at the most which doesn’t give much time to set things up. Still though, Breeze is just nailing this character right now and it’s great.

Hunico/Camacho vs. John J. Hornigan/Chris Rothwell

Camacho hits a quick Samoan drop on I think Rothwell before Hunico pins him with a Swanton at 24 seconds. That’s quite the squash.

Hunico and Camacho are coming for Ascension.

Some older looking male backstage interviewer talks to Ohno who is fired up about his win. Lana comes in and yells at Ohno for screwing up Rusev’s title shot. Ohno calls her Natasha and says tell Boris that Rusev can have the first title shot.

Beat the Clock Challenge: Adrian Neville vs. Aiden English

Aiden sings about the 525,600 matches in WWE and measuring them in headlocks and takedowns. WHY IS THIS GUY NOT ON RAW??? Neville grabs a quick rollup for two and speeds things up with a legsweep for another two. English comes back with a suplex for two of his own before stomping away in the corner. Adrian fights back with some chops but gets taken down and punched in the face a lot.

Neville kicks away at the leg and hits a quick kick to the chest for two. We’ve got a minute left but Aiden rolls away before Neville can launch the Red Arrow. English loads up a superplex but gets shoved down, setting up the Red Arrow for the pin at 4:45, good for the lead by three seconds.

Rating: C-. This was the perfect kind of match for Neville who was flying around as fast as he could out there. It’s a very good sign for him that he can do more than just high spots which means he’s got a lot more potential than various other guys with a high flying finisher. English shouldn’t be losing clean this soon though.

Ascension accepts Hunico and Camacho’s challenge.

Beat the Clock Challenge: Sami Zayn vs. Leo Kruger

Bo comes out to watch from the stage. Sami gets an early two off a cross body and Kruger gets the same off a slam. Zayn pops up to the top for a high cross body for two as the fans are into this already. Leo puts him right back down and elbows Sami for two as the OLE chants begin. A cravate slows Sami down a bit longer but he fights up with some clotheslines and a dropkick another near fall. Kruger catches him in a spinebuster as we have 45 seconds left. Leo wastes a lot of time waiting for Sami to get up but takes his head off with the Slice for two but Sami counters a cover into a rollup for the pin as time expires.

Rating: C. Another fast paced match here with a very interesting ending. Sami’s eventual push to the title continues, though at this point I’m not sure if he’s going to actually get the belt or not. Kruger is looking more and more like a jobber to the stars around here as of late, which isn’t a good sign for him at all.

Post match here’s JBL to say there will not be controversy. Therefore, next week it’s Zayn vs. Neville since their times were identical. The winner gets a title shot the following week.

Overall Rating: B-. This is what I’m talking about by week to week booking. Notice how there’s a natural flow from one week to another and you’re given a reason to watch the next episode. On the main shows it’s just “tune in next week to see whatever happens next.” That’s very vague and not a reason to watch. Here on the other hand you’re given stories and multiple reasons to check out the next show. If you don’t like the #1 contenders match, there’s also the Divas and the tag title picture. That’s a really good way of running a show and keeps people coming back over and over. Good show this week.

Results

Alexander Rusev b. Colin Cassady – Accolade

Kassius Ohno b. Tyler Breeze – Rollup

Hunico/Camacho b. John J. Hornigan/Chris Rothwell – Swanton Bomb to Rothwell

Adrian Neville b. Aiden English – Red Arrow

Sami Zayn b. Leo Kruger – Rollup

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NXT
Date: November 13, 2013
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Tensai, William Regal

I’m pretty sure this is the last of the taping cycle, meaning we’ll get our bigger names back next week. That being said, the last few weeks haven’t been horrible at all and tonight’s main event is a 2/3 falls match between Adrian Neville and Corey Graves which has been a decent little feud. Let’s get to it.

Welcome Home.

Bayley/Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks/Summer Rae

Bayley offers Sasha a headband to start the match but Summer takes it away and throws it down. Charlotte comes in before there’s any contact to shoe Sasha down. Off to a hammerlock on Banks with some knees into the arms getting a two count. Bayley comes back in but gets driven into the corner for a tag off to Summer. A fireman’s carry takes Rae down but she pops back up and takes Bayley’s head off with a clothesline for two.

We take a break and come back with Sasha holding Bayley in a chinlock. Back to Summer for some choking on the ropes before putting on a full nelson with her legs. That’s rather awesome and painful looking at the same time. Bayley rolls away but gets dragged back to the corner for a tag to Banks. Charlotte really doesn’t seem interested in making a tag. Bayley grabs Sasha for a belly to back front slam and crawls over to Charlotte….who slaps her in the face. The flipping cutter allows Sasha to get the pin at 6:24 shown of 9:54.

Rating: C. This was much more about the story than the match and that’s just fine. This looks to be an actual second story in the Divas division which is unheard of in the current WWE version. Also, it says a lot that Charlotte has been wrestling for a few months now and would probably be better than about half the WWF Divas.

Aiden English is warming up his voice.

Camacho vs. Aiden English

Camacho still has a job??? English gets a huge pop and sings about how all of the fans adore him. Regal admits his man crush on English as Aiden takes him into the corner for some stomping. Camacho comes back with a slam for two but runs into an elbow in the corner. English begs off but gets caught in a belly to back suplex and a legdrop crushes the vocal chords. Not that it matters as English comes back with the Director’s Cut for the pin at 2:09.

English gives us an encore to the loudest pop of the night. Regal gives him a standing ovation and starts crying.

The blonde talks to Rusev in I’m assuming Bulgarian.

Danny Burch vs. Mason Ryan

Burch jumps him from behind to start and uppercuts Ryan into the corner. Mason comes back with a running clothesline and some headbutts but Burch punches him down again. Mason will have none of this selling though and the cobra clutch slam ends Burch at 2:35. Ryan just isn’t that good.

Bo Dallas is coming home next week. So the theme song has been about him all these months?

Corey Graves vs. Adrian Neville

2/3 falls here. Neville hits a quick dropkick for two but walks into an elbow to the jaw to put him down. A belly to back suplex gets a near fall on Neville but he comes back with some forearms of his own. Adrian gets two off a side roll before flipping forward twice and jumping to the apron. He kicks Graves in the head to put him down and the Red Arrow gives him the first fall at 2:11.

Graves gets to his feet but rolls to the floor for a breather. Adrian will have none of that and goes outside for some chops and a knee lift. Back inside and Neville loads up another Red Arrow but Corey rolls away before Adrian can jump. Graves shakes the ropes to send Adrian to the floor, possibly reinjuring the bad knee. Corey takes him back inside to pound on the knee and we take a break.

Back with Graves pounding on the chest for two before wrapping the bad leg around the post. Off to a half crab for a very long time until Adrian kicks him off. Graves chop blocks him down and puts on Lucky 13 for the second fall at 8:11 shown of 10:56 shown so far. Neville’s knee is barely functioning as he tries to pull himself up in the corner but he uses the good leg to stop a charging Graves.

Graves fires back with some shoulders in the corner but Neville escapes I think a spinebuster and hits a low kick to the head to send Graves to the floor. Back in and Neville chops away and pounds on Corey in the corner until the knee gives out. Corey loads up another chop block but Neville hits a low dropkick to the head for two in a nice counter. Neville tries the Red Arrow again but the knee gives out and he falls to the mat. Lucky 13 goes on again but he crawls to the ropes on his knuckles for the break. Graves loads up the hold again but gets small packaged for the third fall at 13:01 shown of 15:46.

Rating: B-. I liked the match but it never hit the level it was shooting for. That being said, it’s still a very solid match with a good story of Neville not quitting and winning when Graves went to the knee over and over again. I love how NXT has managed to make the 2/3 falls match a major gimmick match as it’s treated like a joke on Raw anymore.

Overall Rating: C+. Decent show here but it’ll be nice to have the big stars back. The problem here is that while the wrestling is good, the stories behind it aren’t all that strong. While wrestling is important, it’s almost always going to pale in comparison to the intrigue and stories being told in the feuds. Still though, good and entertaining show to close out the cycle.

Results

Summer Rae/Sasha Banks b. Charlotte/Bayley – Banks pinned Bayley after a flipping cutter from Charlotte

Aiden English b. Camacho – Director’s Cut

Mason Ryan b. Danny Burch – Cobra clutch slam

Adrian Neville b. Corey Graves – Small package

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NXT
Date: November 6, 2013
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Alex Riley, Renee Young

This is another one of those shows where you can’t really guess what’s coming. We get one of these episodes every taping cycle but they can be very entertaining most of the time. Last week wasn’t the best show for these guys but unlike everywhere else, I have full confidence that NXT can be fine again tonight. Let’s get to it.

Earlier today Sylvester LeFort asks the mysterious blonde what is wrong with Alexander Rusev. The girl speaks Russian and LeFort has no idea what she’s saying.

Welcome Home.

Sylvester LeFort vs. Alexander Rusev

The Russian blonde is now managing Rusev, who now comes out to what sounds like a national anthem. LeFort offers Rusev money to prevent an acute case of death, only to have Rusev clothesline him down and put on the Accolade for the submission at 13 seconds.

They actually clip the match on the replay.

Bayley is with Charlotte in the back and couldn’t be happier to have her headband fixed. Sasha and Summer come in with a brand new headband for her but Charlotte is skeptical. No match is made but I think you can connect the dots for yourself.

El Local vs. Leo Kruger

Local pounds away to start but walks into a quick spinebuster for two. Kruger pulls Local off the middle rope and the Slice sets up three straight snap suplexes. A double arm guillotine choke is enough to make Local tap at 2:10.

We recap the issues between Paige and Emma over the last few weeks. They argued backstage last week with Emma thinking there’s something wrong with Paige.

Troy McClain/Travis Tyler vs. Ascension

“LET’S GO THESE GUYS!” Non-title of course. Rick Victor starts with I believe Tyler and drives him into the Ascension corner for the tag off to O’Brien. Conor grabs a headlock and takes Tyler over six straight times before bringing Victor back in for a hard clothesline. There’s the double flapjack and the Fall of Man is good for the pin at 1:45.

Mojo Rawley vs. Ty Dillinger

Feeling out process to start as the male announcers grill Renee on which guy she’d want to hang out with. As usual though, it feels completely natural and is genuinely amusing. Ty drives Mojo into the corner and scores with a quick Russian legsweep. Rawley no sells a chop but is easily taken down into a chinlock. Ty rips at Mojo’s face for a bit but gets slammed down and rammed into the corner. A very high jumping Earthquake splash is enough to pin Dillinger at 3:20.

Rating: D. Again, Rawley isn’t anything special in the ring but his entrance and energy are more than enough to carry him for a good while. I’m not sure why they have him get beaten down from the start of the match and hit just a few moves, but it was enough to get Randy Savage a few WCW Titles so maybe Rawley will be fine.

Raw ReBound wastes five minutes of our time on the horrible final segment.

Bayley/Charlotte vs. Sasha/Summer and Graves vs. Neville in a 2/3 falls match next week.

Luke Harper vs. Kassius Ohno

The fans are way into Harper here. Ohno is now in basic black trunks instead of the bright colors he wore before he fell into a hole and got lost a few months back. Kassius pounds him into the corner to start but Harper comes back with even harder forearms to the face. They slug it out again with Harper putting Kassius down with a European uppercut of all things. Ohno is driven into the corner as this is one sided so far.

Kassius comes back with some kicks to the ribs but gets caught in a cravate. Another hard chop puts Ohno on the apron but Kassius comes back with a discus forearm to send Harper to the floor. A dive over the top takes Luke down and we take a break. Back with Harper hitting a BIG boot to send Ohno out to the floor. Ohno dives back in at nine so Luke drops a bunch of elbows for two. A quick rollup gets the same for Kassius but Luke nails him with another forearm.

There’s the Gator Roll from Harper who eventually stays in one place with the front facelock before kicking Ohno into the ropes again. Back up and Ohno scores with a running knee to the head to finally get the fans behind him. Ohno slugs away and scores with a running clothesline and a dropkick to the head.

A Buff Blockbuster (someone needs to bring that back as a finisher) gets two on Harper but he catches Kassius in a sitout Boss Man Slam for two. There’s a bit boot for two on Ohno but he comes back with the Roaring Elbow for a VERY close two. Harper ends him with the discus lariat a few seconds later for the pin at 13:00 shown of 16:30.

Rating: C+. They were trying and the striking was good but Ohno has fallen a long way in just a few months. Kassius looked better out there and got the fans into him, but Harper is a main roster star at this point and feuding with two former world champions. That discus lariat is a good example of a simple move getting over because it gets pins. It’s really that simple sometimes.

Overall Rating: C. Not a great show overall but it was a very quick 45 minutes. Rusev and Harper looked great and Ohno was his usual decent self. This was about the squashes which set up future matches so no real complaints there. The show needs the stars back but it’s certainly not falling apart in their absence.

Results

Alexander Rusev b. Sylvester LeFort – Accolade

Leo Kruger b. El Local – Double arm guillotine choke

Ascension b. Travis Tyler/Troy McClain – Fall of Man to Tyler

Mojo Rawley b. Ty Dillinger – Running seated senton

Luke Harper b. Kassius Ohno – Discus lariat

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NXT
Date: September 25, 2013
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, William Regal

It’s finally the start of a new set of tapings meaning things will start changing around here again. The main story tonight is a major announcement to be made by HHH. Let’s get to it. They’ve got a long way to go to top how fun last week’s show but maybe they can go in a different direction this time around. Let’s get to it.

Tyler Breeze came in to see Brad Maddox earlier but CJ Parker interrupted them both. Apparently there’s going to be a a tag team turmoil match tonight for a future title shot. Naturally Parker and Breeze get teamed together.

Welcome Home.

Tag Team Turmoil

You know the drill here I’m sure: two teams start and the winning team advances to face whomever the third team is, last team standing wins. We start with Colin Cassady/Enzo Amore vs. Breeze/Parker. Enzo insists that every other team in this match is S-A-W-F-T, or as the crowd says, SAWFT! The fans think Breeze is gorgeous.

Regal says that Amore and Cassady have been banned from all Disney parks and Walt Disney is spinning in his fridge over it. Parker and Amore get things going with CJ busting out an airplane spin. CJ hits a pair of knees in the corner but stops to look at Breeze, allowing Cassady to come in for the spinning sitout Rock Bottom for the elimination at 1:20. Well that was quick.

Sylvester LeFort introduces Scott Dawson and Alexander Rusev as the next team. Dawson has a bad limp and the team is apparently called the Fighting Legionaries. Cassady starts with Dawson and the size difference is remarkable. Dawson gets taken down to the mat in a surprise move but it’s off to Rusev for the power battle. A quick Samoan drop puts the legal Amore in and it’s back to Dawson who sends Enzo into the corner. Dawson hits a big spinebuster to crush Amore but Enzo grabs a small package for the pin at 4:17 total.

Rusev destroys Amore and heeeeeeeeere’s Ascension. O’Brian cranks on Cassady’s neck after the break before it’s off to Victor to pound away. Rick pounds away in multiple corners but charges into an elbow to the jaw to give Cassady a breather. Not that it matters as O’Brian comes back in for a bunch of shoulder blocks. Cassady gets a big boot for two and it’s hot tag to Amore, only to have him walk into the flapjack and whatever Ascension calls Total Elimination for the final pin at 8:13 shown of 11:43.

Rating: C. Lack of Tyler Breeze aside, this wasn’t too bad. The fans are completely behind Amore and Cassady as a face act but Ascension running them over at the end is the perfect call. There isn’t much of a division at this point, but with just an hour a week what more can you ask for?

Bayley vs. Sasha Banks

Renee Young is on commentary as her takeover of WWE television continues. Summer Rae and those legs of hers are with Sasha here. Bayley takes Sasha into the corner and hits a chop to her delight. Sasha comes back with rapid fire chops to almost scare Bayley out of her boots. Bayley gets dropped face first out of the corner for two as it’s all Banks so far. We hit the chinlock as Regal hits on Renee.

A snap suplex gets two on Bayley but she comes back with forearms in the corner. Sasha comes back with a HARD overhand chop followed by an armdrag out of the corner. Bayley sends her into the corner and grabs the Hugplex (I didn’t name it that) for two. Not that it matters as Sasha hooks a double arm neckbreaker (think Sandow’s Terminus) for the pin at 4:00.

Rating: D+. Not much to see here but the fans are totally into Bayley’s starstruck stuff. Sasha is just another evil Diva but she has a nice presence in the ring to make up for it. The match was more about character development for Banks but Bayley helped get things to work as well as they did.

Renee thinks Sasha is evil for breaking Bayley’s headband because you don’t mess with another girl’s hair products. Summer says Fandango will be here next week. She and Sasha run things around here since Paige and Emma have been run off. Cue Emma to chase both girls off.

Aiden English sings about walking to the ring (“And all the while you get to hear me sing”) as the brilliance of such a simple idea continues.

Aiden English vs. Bull Dempsey

English grabs a quick headlock (“THE DAY IS MINE!”) and kicks Dempsey in the head for two. A legdrop sets up the Side Effect, which may be called Take a Bow, for the pin at 1:40.

The fans get the encore they demand.

Summer Rae challenges Emma to find a partner to meet herself and Fandango in a mixed tag.

El Local vs. Sami Zayn

The place pops BIG for Zayn. Local is of course Ricardo Rodriguez under a mask. The Ole chants begin at the bell as they trade wristlocks. Zayn comes back with some armdrags and Local is in trouble. A nice hurricanrana gets two on Local but he comes back with a clothesline into a backbreaker (as in Sami’s back landed on Local’s knee on the way down from the clothesline) for two of his own. Local hooks a chinlock but Sami comes back with the leg lariat and the running boot to the face for the pin at 2:58. Squash for Zayn.

Post match here’s Bo Dallas to say that he’s finally healed after Zayn injured him at Summerslam Axxess. He’s ready to put the title on the line in the Bo Dallas Invitational with anyone being welcome to enter. If anyone can pin him, they’ll get a title shot in three weeks. Wait is the invitational for the title or a title shot a few weeks later? Zayn says he’ll be the first to sign up and they can do it right now. Dallas says hold on a second because Sami isn’t eligible to enter.

Kassius Ohno comes in to see Brad Maddox and wants to know why he isn’t on NXT. Maddox says Kassius is a D+/C- talent, so Kassius suggests that he interrupt every match from now on. Brad blames it on “them”, but is threatened into a match with a member of the Wyatt Family next week.

Here’s HHH for the big announcement. He talks about how awesome people like Leo Kruger, Sami Zayn, Bo Dallas, Adrian Neville and Corey Graves are because they’re the future of WWE. However, there have been some issues lately with the Rhodes family, primarily with Dusty Rhodes.

See, Dusty is the GM of NXT and that might not be what’s best for business anymore. Therefore, Dusty has been given some time off and we have a new interim GM: John Bradshaw Layfield. JBL comes out in full on EVIL rich guy mode, telling the fans that this isn’t sing-a-long with the wrestling god so shut your mouths. He welcomes us to his era to end the show.

Rating: B. Another solid show from the boys in Florida here. The JBL as GM idea is perfect as Bradshaw is about as perfect as you can get for a villain when he’s in full heel mode. That’s a good change for the show and JBL could still be a good adversary for a number of people in NXT. Good show this week as NXT keeps rolling along.

Results

Ascension won tag team turmoil last eliminating Colin Cassady/Enzo Amore

Sasha Banks b. Bayley – Neckbreaker

Aiden English b. Bull Dempsey – Side Effect

Sami Zayn b. El Local – Running boot to the face

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete Monday Nitro Reviews Volume I at Amazon for just $4 at:

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NXT
Date: September 4, 2013
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Alex Riley

Things are getting interesting again in NXT as we started a series of new stories last week. On top of the card we have Sami Zayn wanting the NXT Title but having to deal with the other Real American, Jack Swagger. Other than that we have Sylvester LeFort strengthening his stable with the addition of Alexander Rusev. It should be a fun show tonight so let’s get to it.

Welcome Home.

Bayley/Charlote vs. Alicia Fox/Aksana

Bayley starts with Aksana and the WWE chick wants a hug. The gullible Bayley goes for it and earns the kick to her ribs. Aksana crawls around on the mat before covering and drops an elbow for two. Off to Fox for that gorgeous northern lights suplex for two before it’s back to Aksana for some stomping in the corner. The heels continue to tag in and out quickly to work Bayley over until it’s off to a chinlock from Fox.

Aksana comes back in for more choking but walks into a belly to belly suplex, allowing for the double tag. Charlotte comes in with her gymnastic flipping, including rolling out of a slam from the top in a nice nod to her dad. Fox is put in a fireman’s carry but Bayley tags herself in, much to Charlotte’s annoyance. Alicia accidentally kicks Aksana to the floor, allowing Bayley to roll Fox up for the pin at 4:33.

Rating: C. This wasn’t too bad with Charlotte starting to get her style down. Bayley’s overzealous character could work well as she could drive everyone crazy enough that they’ll want to fight her. The fans like Bayley though so it might be a problem to make the other Divas not like her without turning them all heel.

Charlotte doesn’t seem too mad at Bayley.

Scott Dawson and Sylvester LeFort are in the back when Alexander Rusev’s snarling quiets them down. Tonight is about getting revenge on Mason Ryan so Rusev breaks a board with Mason’s name on it.

Rick Victor vs. Corey Graves

Graves has bad ribs due to the attack by Ascension last week. Victor has stolen Graves’ tag title belt so Graves has even more of a reason for revenge. Corey takes him down to start and sends Victor into the corner to pound away. A headbutt knocks Victor into the corner but he kicks away from Lucky 13. Instead Corey puts on a front facelock but gets rammed into the buckles, jarring those bad ribs.

Corey comes right back with right hands and a snap suplex for two. A cross body puts Rick down but it hurts the ribs again, giving Victor the opening he needed. They slug it out and Graves scores with a mule kick, only to be sent into the ropes hard enough to hurt the ribs again. We take a break and come back with Victor pounding Corey down in the corner. Every time I see Ascension pounding beating like that it puts me in mind of Demolition which is never a bad comparison to make.

A backbreaker gets two on Graves and it’s off to a knee in the back to stretch the ribs even more. O’Brien taunts Graves with the title belt but Victor stomps Corey in the ribs before he can start a comeback. Back to the chinlock with the knee in the back but Corey fights up and makes his comeback with as many right hands as he can throw.

A clothesline puts Victor down and Graves drops a fist to the back of Rick’s head. Conor O’Brien gets on the apron but Adrian Neville dropkicks him down and dives on Conor before he can interfere. Victor loads up Graves for a gutbuster but Graves rolls him into a small package for the pin at 9:51 shown of 13:21.

Rating: B-. The match was good but I’m not liking the booking. The champions have now beaten both challengers clean in back to back weeks, so why should I be interested in seeing them in a tag match? Also it goes against the dominance that Ascension has shown in their earlier matches, which almost defeats their purpose as a team.

Sasha Banks is doing her makeup when Summer Rae comes up to start trouble. Summer talks about Sasha’s match with Paige next week and suggests Paige thinks she’s too good to be a Diva like them. Summer says to use the inner rage and Sasha seems intrigued.

Paige doesn’t care what Summer Rae is doing but knows that Sasha Banks is good. She isn’t here to be a covergirl but rather to cover girls in the ring. Paige promises to give Sasha the fight of her life next week. This wasn’t a very good promo at all with Paige sounding nervous and not being sure what to say next.

Alexander Rusev vs. Mason Ryan

Alexander breaks another Mason board before the match. They lock up a few times to start with Ryan shoving him away both times, so Alexander kicks him in the face. Ryan gets in some right hands, only to have Alexander take him down with an impressive spinwheel kick. Some falling headbutts have Ryan in trouble and more headbutts to the chest get two for Rusev. Mason dodges a charge in the corner and comes back with right hands and a big boot but he has to deal with Scott Dawson and LeFort. The distraction allows Alexander to splash him in the corner and a camel clutch makes Mason tap out at 4:00.

Rating: D+. This was a squash for Rusev and the fact that it’s over Ryan makes it even better. Mason has never shown any potential but has consistently been pushed as a monster. Rusev actually looks good in the ring and would have been a top heel in the mid 80s against Hogan. I like what I’ve seen from him so far and I can dig the foreign monster heel idea.

Leo Kruger laughs a lot and looks down at Xavier Woods who is holding his neck.

Sami Zayn vs. Jack Swagger

They have a ton of time here assuming there’s nothing left on the show. Sami stomps him down into the corner but Jack scores with a clothesline. Zayn will have none of this being on defense stuff though and comes back with chops for two. A dropkick sends Swagger to the floor but he moves before Sami can dive. That’s fine with Zayn who catches himself before the dive and flips back into the ring to fire up the crowd even more.

Zeb Colter grabs Sami’s leg, finally allowing Jack to get in a hard clothesline to take over. We take a break and come back with Sami fighting out of a chinlock, only to walk into a belly to back suplex for two. Another suplex puts Sami down before another clothesline turns him inside out. Swagger puts on a double chicken wing for a bit, only to have Sami fight up and send him to the floor for the big flip dive.

Back in and a high cross body gets two on Swagger, as does a sunset flip. Swagger hits something like a running spinebuster to put Sami down again but Zayn escapes an Oklahoma stampede and gets two more off a blue thunder bomb. Jack goes for the ankle but has to settle for the gutwrench powerbomb for two instead. Now the Patriot Lock goes on for a good while but Sami makes it to the ropes for a YES chant.

Sami fights up AGAIN and sends Swagger into the corner for a jogging big boot. Zayn pounds him down before going up top where Swagger crotches him down, only to be caught in a sunset bomb for a VERY close two. The fans are losing their minds on these kickouts. This draws out Bo Dallas, whose distraction allows Swagger to put on the Patriot Lock for the submission at 13:14 shown of 15:44.

Rating: B+. Sami has yet another great match here by putting the fans on the edge of their seats for those kickouts. Thankfully the loss wasn’t clean as Zayn hasn’t won anything major since his debut if I remember correctly. Still though, very entertaining match here and hopefully it sets up Zayn vs. Dallas down the line.

Overall Rating: B. Can we have a bad episode of this so I don’t have to say the same good things about it every week? This was more good stuff from the Florida people as they continue to roll along. The Sami vs. Swagger match was really exciting stuff and they made sure to build more stories for later. These guys know how to run a weekly wrestling show and it keeps me wanting more.

Results

Bayley/Charlotte b. Alicia Fox/Aksana – Rollup to Fox

Corey Graves b. Rick Victor – Small Package

Alexander Rusev b. Mason Ryan – Camel Clutch

Jack Swagger b. Sami Zayn – Patriot Lock

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NXT
Date: August 21, 2013
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Alex Riley

Tonight is a show I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. The main event tonight is a 2/3 falls match between Antonio Cesaro and Sami Zayn to settle their score. This match has gotten rave reviews since it aired and I’ve been wondering if it lives up to its reputation. Other than that we might find out who is Dallas’ next challenger for the title. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Zayn vs. Cesaro. They’re making this feel like a huge match.

Divas Title: Bayley vs. AJ Lee

Bayley wants a hug to start but AJ slams her head first into the mat instead. AJ sends her into the corner and puts on a cravate to control Bayley. A hard elbow to the jaw gets two for the champ and AJ does the crazy eyes. Bayley comes back with a big hug to ram AJ into the corner a few times for two each. A knee drop gets two on AJ and the fans are split here. Bayley drops a top rope elbow for two more but she’s concerned about how how much she’s hurt AJ. The champion takes advantage with a shot to the ribs and a Shining Wizard to retain the belt at 4:25.

Rating: D+. This didn’t work too well for me. It felt like both girls were just doing their schtick instead of having a good match. We don’t know too much about Bayley other than she gets really star struck so it’s hard to care about her. Actually Bayley reminded me of Joseph Park here: someone who was just so excited to be here and didn’t care about winning.

Tyler Breeze is in the back with some good looking blonde and asks if she’d like a picture. She gets in the picture with him and he glares at her before having her take a solo picture. That same guy (CJ Parker I believe) photo bombs Breeze again but Breeze sees the picture this time and freaks out.

Ron Hicks/Michael Zacki vs. Ascension

O’Brian starts with Zacki and hits a string of headlock takeovers. Victor comes in for shots to the ribs and European uppercuts in the corner. The double hiptoss into the double powerbomb crushes Zacki and a modified High/Low (with a jumping back elbow instead of a spinwheel kick) gives Victor the pin at 1:38. Total squash.

Baron Corbin vs. CJ Parker

Parker’s Titantron is a tye dye ying yang and he’s from a commune. He takes Corbin into the corner and kind of dances out, only to be taken down by a hard shoulder block. Parker comes back with a running clothesline and two knees to the chest followed by a falling DDT (think Christian’s reverse DDT but from the front) for the pin on Corbin at 1:42.

Post match Parker says he’s found what he’s looking for. You might call him a hippie but he’s just living. He calls the photo bombing “video loving”, bringing out Tyler Breeze. Breeze yells at Parker but CJ says it’s just having a good time. Parker rubs Breeze’s face to send him running. I’m not really feeling Parker.

Alexander Rusev vs. Dolph Ziggler

Rusev is a very big man from Bulgaria who breaks a piece of wood with Ziggler’s name on it over his knee. Ziggler is WAY over with the crowd. Both guys are slow to start with Rusev trying basic power stuff and Ziggler easily countering everything thrown at him so he can strut a bit. Alexander throws him into the corner and Ziggler gets serious. He staggers Rusev with a dropkick but his cross body is caught in mid air. Alexander rams knees into Ziggler’s back and drops him on the floor for a breather.

Back in and a running shoulder to the ribs gets two on Dolph. Rusev puts on a quick body vice but misses a second running charge into the corner. Dolph hits a good looking dropkick for two but walks into a running knee to the ribs for the same result. Back up and Ziggler hits a quick Fameasser for two but Rusev comes back with a nice spinwheel kick (for a guy weighing over 300lbs) for another near fall. He misses a top rope splash though, allowing Ziggler to hit the Zig Zag for the pin at 6:14.

Rating: C+. I liked this more than I thought I would. Rusev has potential to him as he’s got a good look and moved very well for a guy his size. Ziggler did his job perfectly out there by making Rusev look far better than he would have otherwise. This was a very nice surprise as you would have expected a squash but got a solid match instead.

Next week we’ll get a special look at the NXT stars at Summerslam Axxess.

Sami Zayn vs. Antonio Cesaro

They have a lot of time to work with here and it’s 2/3 falls. Zayn debuted a few months ago and beat Cesaro in Sami’s second match of the night. Cesaro won the rematch so tonight’s the rubber match. Zayn dives over the top to take out Cesaro during his entrance before the bell. Back inside and Sami hits a spinwheel kick for the first fall six seconds after the bell. Cesaro is clotheslined to the floor and sent into the steps as we’re not even a minute into the match.

They slug it out on the floor before Zayn gets two off another spinwheel kick. Zayn pounds away in the corner but can’t get a sunset flip. Cesaro can’t hit a double stomp so Sami goes to the middle rope and jumps from there to the top for a high cross body for two. Cesaro throws him into the air to drop Sami face first on the buckle for two before pounding away at Sami’s head. We hit the standing chinlock for a bit before Cesaro blocks a kick to the ribs and pulls Sami up into a powerbomb for two.

Back to the chinlock but Zayn jawbreaks his way out. A hard clothesline and the running stomp to the chest gets two for Cesaro. Back up and Zayn fires off forearms to the chest but gets caught in a backdrop, allowing Cesaro to rain down right hands. Another double stomp sets up the gutwrench suplex but Sami counters into a sunset flip for two. A running hurricanrana gets the same but Cesaro comes back with a bridging capture suplex for two.

Back from a break with with Cesaro putting on the standing chinlock for the third time. Zayn gets two off a rollup and hits a quick dropkick to put Antonio down. He charges right back into the chinlock though and Cesaro spins him around before taking it to the mat. Zayn actually taps out at about 9:00 shown, making it one fall apiece.

Sami rolls to the apron but Antonio pulls him back in with a superplex from the apron. That’s SCARY strength but it’s only good for two. Zayn grabs a quick rollup for two but gets caught in the chinlock again. That’s rolled up for two followed by Cesaro charging into a boot in the corner. The fans think this is awesome and I can’t say I disagree. Sami gets a VERY close two off a sunset flip after crawling up Cesaro’s body.

Cesaro bails to the floor so Sami heads outside as well before getting a running charge and diving between the ropes into a tornado DDT on the floor. Cesaro dives back in at nine and Sami gets two. Zayn tries to climb the corner for another tornado DDT but Cesaro catches him in midair, lifts him into a gorilla press and drops him down into Swiss Death. Antonio immediately picks up Sami and puts him down with the Neutralizer for the pin and the third fall at 15:38 shown of 18:38.

Rating: A-. Yeah it’s great. The third fall picked WAY up after a solid second fall. I’m not sure I get the idea of having Zayn win the first fall in a few seconds but it was definitely a face way to start the match. Either way, both guys looked great here and the match worked incredibly well with Cesaro looking like a beast at the end. Why he’s in a jobber tag team and not being pushed as a top heel in WWE is beyond me. Check this match out if you have the chance.

Overall Rating: A-. Great show here with a solid match in Ziggler vs. Rusev and a great main event. The other matches were good enough and we got some solid storyline advancement here. It continues to amaze me how much better NXT works than Raw or Smackdown. Imagine that: wrestlers running a wrestling show makes it better than a show run by low rent Hollywood writers.

Results

AJ Lee b. Bayley – Shining Wizard

Ascension b. Ron Hicks/Michael Zacki – High/Low to Zacki

CJ Parker b. Baron Corbin – Falling DDT

Dolph Ziggler b. Alexander Rusev – Zig Zag

Antonio Cesaro b. Sami Zayn – Neutralizer

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