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.

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

Now that Wrestlemania is actually over, people might actually read these again.

Superstars
Date: April 7, 2011
Location: Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia, Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Scott Stanford, Josh Matthews, Jack Korpela, Matt Striker

It’s the first show after Wrestlamania so I think you know what the main topic is going to be from the commentators. Rock cost Cena the title, meaning Miz is still WWE Champion. Not that any of them is going to appear here or anything of course. As usual this is going to be a low of lower card guys having longer matches than they would otherwise. Let’s get to it.

Drew McIntyre vs. JTG

JTG takes him into the corner to start so Drew SMACKS him in the jaw. They trade more right hands with JTG taking over for a bit. Drew drapes him ribs first over the top rope and things slow down a bit. Drew cranks things up with an armbar but JTG fights up and hits a big boot for no cover. A crucifix gets two and there’s a DDT for the same on McIntyre. Drew comes back with a big boot of his own and the Future Shock DDT gets the pin.

Rating: D+. JTG tried but at the end of the day, the guy just isn’t that good. Drew continues to bore everyone in sight which has a lot to do with why his pushed stopped cold. Well that and his wife Tiffany beating him up but you get the idea. Nothing to see here as it was just a quick match to open the show with probably the biggest name we’ll see here tonight in McIntyre.

Recap of the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. Shawn was the headliner.

Yoshi Tatsu vs. Tyson Kidd

Kidd is a heel here and takes Tatsu down with a test of strength grip before cranking on the left arm a bit. Yoshi gets back up and flips out of Tyson’s grip before firing off some kicks to the torso and a few armdrags into an armbar. Back up and Tyson pounds away on Tatsu, only to be dropkicked out to the floor as we take a break. Back with Kidd holding a cravate but getting caught in a crucifix for two.

A hard kick to Tatsu’s face gets two for Tyson and it’s back to the cravate. Back up and Yoshi fires off a spinwheel kick but both guys are down. Yoshi hits some more hard kicks for two but as he goes up top for a big old kick, Kidd pops up and takes him down with a hurricanrana for two. Yoshi avoids a springboard dive and a high kick to Kidd’s head gets the pin.

Rating: C. I wasn’t a big fan of all the kicks from both guys but that’s what you get from smaller guys in modern WWE. The match wasn’t bad for Superstars but it would take awhile before Kidd hit his stride. Yoshi was a guy who used to show so much potential and then it just stopped dead.

We see Cena challenging Rock to a match at Wrestlemania 28, a year in advance. The match worked to put it mildly. For no apparent reason, the Corre ran out to interrupt the ending. This never went anywhere at all but we do get about three minutes of Rock and Cena beating up Slater.

Santino Marella vs. Ted DiBiase

They fight for control on the mat until Santino offers a handshake. DiBiase cranks on a hammerlock for a bit before punching Santino in the face and make it a brawl as we take a break. Back with DiBiase holding a chinlock followed by a dropkick. The following clothesline gets two and Marella’s sunset flip is broken up with a right hand to the head. Back to el chinlock followed by some pounding away in the corner, only to have Santino avoid a charge. Things speed up but Santino’s headbutt hits knees. Dream Street (DiBiase’s finisher) is broken up and the Cobra gets the pin for Santino.

Rating: D. Erg DiBiase was boring here. He did nothing but basic punches and chinlock which isn’t enough to hold my interest for a five minute match. The whole being the son of the Million Dollar Man didn’t do him any favors either. This was just a quick match for the sake of saying there was a main event on this show.

Overall Rating: D+. I remember why I don’t watch this show all that often. When it’s good it can be very good for a fan who doesn’t want most of the stories, but on the other hand there are times where this show is very boring, much like it was here. Nothing on here was any good and it’s difficult to remember what the matches even were already. It would get better though.

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

Superstars
Date: March 29, 2012
Location: Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Scott Stanford, Matt Striker

It’s the go home show for Wrestlemania here as we’re just three days away from one of the biggest shows ever. Since this is Superstars there’s almost no telling what the matches are going to be. You know unless you looked up the card or something like that. Anyway this is usually a pretty entertaining show but odds are it’s going to be nothing but Mania hype, which is completely understandable. Let’s get to it.

Alex Riley vs. Heath Slater

This is when Slater was still just a One Man Band instead of part of Three. The announcers immediately start talking about Mania and how it’s Once In A Lifetime….until next year of course. Slater sends him into the corner but Riley comes back with some right hands. A big running clothesline gets two on Heath but Slater kicks out the leg to take over.

It’s chinlock time and Slater hits a kind of STO to stop an escape attempt. Back to the chinlock followed by a neckbreaker for two for Heath. Slater misses a charge in the corner and there’s Riley’s big spinebuster. The A-Bomb (falling DDT out of the corner) only gets two and Slater immediately hits his jumping sleeper drop for the pin.

Rating: C-. I’m a fan of Riley but this match wasn’t their best work. There wasn’t a good flow to the match and they felt like they were just going from move to move with nothing in between. I still don’t get what happened to Riley. He was getting a push and was regularly beating Miz but then he just disappeared. I’ve heard of some backstage issues, but with the talent he has it could be overlooked to a degree.

Wrestlemania ad.

Wrestlemania Magazine ad.

We recap Punk vs. Jericho which is over who is the real Best in the World. Punk had been saying it for months but Jericho returned. He had been saying it for years and then brought in Punk’s family history of substance abuse.

Video on the End of An Era, which was the tagline for Undertaker vs. HHH in the Cell. I’m still not sure what era ended as both are scheduled for matches at this year’s Mania. We get nice history packages of both guys here. It’s set to Memory Remains by Metallica.

We recap the setup for the Divas tag with Maria Menounos.

Trailer for Edge’s movie Bending the Rules.

Tensai is coming. Now if only he would go.

We get a video on what Rock vs. Cena means to both Rock and Cena. This is from the Once in a Lifetime special. I remember watching this and getting more fired up for a match than I ever have before. I HAD to see it.

Justin Gabriel vs. Tyson Kidd

The high fliers take it to the mat to start and it’s a standoff. Apparently this is over a disagreement over who is the better high flier. They speed things up with both guys hitting some leg trips until Kidd is sent to the floor. Justin follows, only to get caught in a Russian legsweep to send him into the barricade. Apparently Kidd is a heel here.

Back inside and Gabriel catches him in an STO for two. Justin misses a spinwheel kick but counters a rana into a powerbomb for two. A top rope Lionsault misses Kidd but he can’t hook the Sharpshooter either. Another attempt at a rana by Kidd is countered and it’s a rollup by Gabriel for the pin.

Rating: C. Given the nature of this show, did you really expect the last match to be anything of note? This was here to set up a match on Wrestlemania as the pair would team up and somehow get a tag title shot despite never having teamed together before this point. You know, because that’s how tag wrestling works anymore.

Kidd and Gabriel shake hands post match. See what I mean?

Overall Rating: C. That’s for commercial, because that’s what this show was. Not that I’m complaining mind you because everyone should know what you’re getting into during Wrestlemania week. That being said, not a single mention of Sheamus vs. Bryan here. Bryan wasn’t seen at all and Sheamus was only used for a soundbyte in the Rock vs. Cena video. Not that I’m surprised or anything, but man alive it’s A WORLD TITLE MATCH. Come on people. The show wasn’t bad though and I want to watch Wrestlemania again so points for that one.

Here’s Wrestlemania if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2012/04/01/wrestlemania-xxviii-one-of-the-best-shows-of-all-time/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

NXT
Date: January 16, 2013
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: William Regal, Tony Dawson

We’re officially in the Langston Era here and if my memory is right, this was filmed recently which means we’re actually going to be closer to being caught up with the current WWE product. It’s hard to say what to expect here but the word seems to be that something big is going to be announced soon. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of last week’s main event and the title change.

Welcome Home.

Adrian Neville vs. Sakamoto

Neville is formerly known as Pac. Interestingly enough a guy on the forums that I run used to backyard wrestle with him. Sakamoto is in way better shape than you would expect him to be given the robe he always wore. Neville is apparently an amazing high flier and he spins out of a wristlock and grabs a headlock to start. A headscissors puts Sakamoto down and Adrian flips back to his feet. The fans dig him so far.

Sakamoto gets a boot up in the corner and hooks a chinlock to take over for a little bit. Make that a decent bit as the chinlock continues. Adrian suplexes out of the hold and flips forward a few more times before hitting an enziguri to stagger Sakamoto. Neville goes up and hits a HUGE corkscrew shooting star for the pin at 3:25.

Rating: C-. The ending was great but until then, Neville didn’t really show off a ton of flying otherwise. It’s a very flashy looking move and the rest of his stuff looked fine so I can’t say it’s a bad debut or anything. Sakamoto has some potential in him too now that he’s away form the black hole known as Tensai. The match was pretty dull until the ending though.

Leo Kruger vs. Trent Barreta

Ohno sits in on commentary. This is as a result of Trent getting beaten up and injured by Kruger a month ago. Trent takes over with a fast clothesline and a knee drop for two. A bridging northern lights suplex gets two for Barreta and it’s off to a headlock. That goes nowhere as Kruger fights up and hits a hard knee to the ribs to take over. Trent gets draped ribs first over the top rope for two as we take a break.

Back with Kruger working over the ribs with a knee drop and a half crab. A gutbuster gets two for Leo as Kassius and Regal continue to argue. Regal threatens Ohno so Kassius acts as if nothing has ever been wrong between them. Kruger misses a charge in the corner so Trent comes back with chops and a clothesline. The running jumping elbow in the corner puts Leo down again and a missile dropkick gets two for Trent.

The tornado DDT is countered into another half crab with a knee in the back but Trent finally makes a rope. An enziguri sends Kruger down to the floor, followed by a BIG flip dive from Trent to take him down again. Kassius runs down and decks Trent though, allowing for Kruger to hit the Kruger End back inside for the pin at 7:53 shown of 11:23.

Rating: C+. Why Barreta is released while Ohno gets to keep a job is beyond me. Trent continues to be as smooth as ever in the ring and Kruger is starting to get things working well too. I’d assume we were supposed to get a tag match out of this but with Barreta being released that isn’t very likely.

A second referee informs the first one of Ohno’s interference and the decision is reversed.

Here’s the NEW NXT Champion Big E. Langston with something to say. He welcomes us to the Era of Five but here’s Camacho to interrupt him. Hasn’t Langston already beaten this guy? A referee comes out and we get a match which I think is non-title.

Camacho vs. Big E. Langston

Camacho pounds away in the corner to start but Langston no sells it and clotheslines Camacho down. The Big Ending finishes Camacho in 1:15.

Langston does his usual stuff post match. This takes longer than the match itself.

Damien Sandow/Antonio Cesaro vs. Justin Gabriel/Tyson Kidd

Before the match, Sandow says that the people here will learn to appreciate him. Sandow and Kidd start things off but it’s quickly off to Justin. Damien gets his arm cranked on a bit so it’s off to Cesaro. Gabriel dropkicks him to the floor and we take a break. Back with Justin getting two off a sunset flip on Sandow. He cranks on Damien’s arm and messes with his hair to really get on Sandow’s nerves.

Off to Cesaro for a hard headlock for a few seconds before Gabriel fights back with chops and right hands. Cesaro elbows him down before it’s back to Sandow for some knee drops. The Wind-Up Elbow gets two and it’s back to Antonio. Off to a front facelock before Justin fights up and backdrops Cesaro to the floor. That’s about the extent of his offense though as Cesaro comes back in with the gutwrench suplex for two.

Back to the chinlock but Gabriel escapes for the third time, with this one being followed by a hot tag to Tyson. Everything breaks down as Sandow comes in again with Damien getting two off a rollup. Back to Gabriel as Kidd dives onto Cesaro. A Lionsault and the springboard elbow to Sandow get the clean pin at 8:00 shown of 11:30.

Rating: C+. Basic tag match here with the smaller guys getting to hang with the more established guys with no real problems at all. Unfortunately Kidd is gone for the next eight months or so due to destroying his knee. Cesaro again gets to look strong here by not getting pinned, which is a nice touch from WWE.

Overall Rating: B-. Another good show tonight as we transition to the next stretch of shows. Langston gets to close out an old issue he had while at the same time getting to look dominant over a WWE guy. This wasn’t a blow away show or anything and unfortunately two guys here aren’t going to be around for a very long time anymore after this show. Good show here with no time wasted, which is the standard procedure on NXT.

Results

Adrian Neville b. Sakamoto – Corkscrew Shooting Star Press

Trent Barreta b. Leo Kruger via disqualification when Kassius Ohno interfered

Big E. Langston b. Camacho – Big Ending

Tyson Kidd/Justin Gabriel b. Antonio Cesaro/Damien Sandow – Springboard Elbow Drop to Sandow

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

NXT
Date: December 5, 2012
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tony Dawson, William Regal

This might be the week where Mahal finally gets the title shot that he earned weeks ago. It’ll be nice if they’ve finally caught up with Raw and he’s in the Band rather than being his usual self. Other than that hopefully we’ll have a better show than last week, which was probably the worst show they’ve had in this season. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Michael McGillicutty vs. Antonio Cesaro

Heel vs. heel? Or was there a McGillicutty face turn that I completely missed? This is non-title I believe. They head to the mat to start and Dawson talks about how McGillicutty wants to complete the first father/son pair to hold the US Title. I’m pretty sure Dusty and Dustin already did that but. Anyway, Cesaro chops away and goes to the stomach to take over. Apparently we’re just ignoring Dustin as we hear about Dusty winning the US Title as well.

The fans are firmly behind McGillicutty with a pair of chants for him. Cesaro turns that to a big gasp instead with a double stomp to the ribs. There’s a body vice to stay on the ribs but McGillicutty comes back with a sunset flip for two. Cesaro gets the same off a clothesline, followed by the gutwrench suplex for two more. Back to the body vice but Michael GOES OFF on Cesaro, pounding him into the corner and hitting a clothesline to take over. Cesaro comes back with a classic thumb to the eye and the European Uppercut to set up the Neutralizer for the pin at 6:00.

Rating: C-. The match was pretty dull, but McGillicutty showed a lot of fire here. That comeback with punches into the corner was a cool moment and it’s clear that McGillicutty could be an excellent face. Well, if you change his name to the one he should have had for like three years now.

Axl Keegan vs. Bo Dallas

This is Keegan’s debut. Dallas takes the bigger guy to the mat to start but goes face first into the middle buckle. A slam gets two for Keegan and it’s off to the neck crank. Dallas makes his comeback with a bunch of forearms and clotheslines followed by the spear for the pin at 2:47. Dallas still does nothing for me.

Dallas says he’s lost a bit lately but he gives the pain the respect it deserves. He issues an open challenge to anyone in the WWE to come and face him, no matter how big a name they are.

The Raw ReBound is the end of the show with the lie detector segment and Ryback standing tall.

Corey Graves vs. Yoshi Tatsu

Graves jumps Tatsu in the aisle and has a big advantage to start. He goes for Yoshi’s leg and beats on that for awhile, kicking it in the corner and bending it around the ropes. There’s a leg crank as the fans think Corey is awesome. Yoshi fights up and hits some backdrops followed by his kicks but Graves stops him dead with a knee crusher. Graves hooks that reverse figure four of his, apparently called the 13^th Step for the pin at 2:59. Just a squash.

Gavid Reid vs. Roman Reigns

Oh come on. We’re supposed to care about a guy named GAVID? Reigns stomps him down in the corner and shouts a lot. Reigns puts on a cravate and asks the fans what his name is. A clothesline puts Reid down and that belly to back slam gets the pin at 2:09.

Reigns yells at ring announcer Byron Saxton and tells him to get out.

Tyson Kidd says he’s ready for Leo Kruger and says if that’s what he has to go through to get to the NXT Title, so be it. Kassius Ohno comes in to make fun of Kidd, so Kidd quotes Albert Einstein. Ok then.

Rollins vs. Mahal is next week.

Tyson Kidd vs. Leo Kruger

Kruger stares in the corner while the fans chant for Kidd. We quickly hit the mat but Kruger makes the rope. Kidd speeds around and has Kruger frustrated very quickly. Off to a headlock on the mat by Tyson as we take a break. Back with Kruger holding a full nelson but Kidd fights out. A cross body misses Leo though and Kidd crashes to the floor. Back in and Leo stomps away very slowly, which is appropriate for him.

Kruger keeps pounding away and hooks the full nelson again which even Regal calls an unusual move. Tyson tries to stomp on the foot to escape but Leo pounds him down with ease. Here come the kicks from Kidd for the real comeback including one from the apron. A springboard elbow hits Kruger’s knee, which again hurts Kidd more than Kruger. Kruger pounds away some more and goes up, only to be armdragged off the top. After a kick to the face from the apron, the Dungeon Lock gets the tap out from Kruger at 9:05 shown of 12:35.

Rating: C+. Is Kidd capable of having a bad match if he gets more than five minutes? The match was nothing great, but Kidd looks so smooth out there every time he’s in the ring. Decent main event here, as I continue to wonder how much I like Kruger’s character. I like the facials he gives, but I’m not sure how far a human big game hunter can go.

Post match Kassius Ohno comes in for the double beatdown until William Regal of all people comes out and pulls Kidd away.

Overall Rating: C+. This was an episode where we got to see a lot of people, mostly in squash matches. NXT is still a place where that can work, as most of the matches were short and therefore still got to see a lot of people. That’s good when you just have an hour a week. Not a great show or anything, but it was an entertaining hour of TV and I want to see more of it, which is a good thing.

Results

Antonio Cesaro b. Michael McGillicutty – Neutralizer

Bo Dallas b. Axl Keegan – Spear

Corey Graves b. Yoshi Tatsu – 13^th Step

Roman Reigns b. Gavid Reid – Spinning Belly to Back Slam

Tyson Kidd b. Leo Kruger – Dungeon Lock

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

NXT
Date: October 31, 2012
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: William Regal, Tony Luftman

It’s Halloween and we’re coming off a pretty good show last week. I’m hoping to see more of that Bronson guy as his debut last week impressed me. Other than that I’m hoping we don’t see more of Slater vs. Rollins as the match last week wasn’t anything interesting. We should be getting close to the time when Bray Wyatt comes back too. Let’s get to it.

Usos vs. Johnny Curtis/Michael McGillicutty

There’s a different ring announcer this week who doesn’t sound very confident in her abilities. I don’t know why the Usos can’t get on the main shows. They’ve got experience and a decent enough gimmick, so why can’t they get a spot? Curtis seems to want to pose instead of get ready and McGillicutty is getting annoyed at him before the bell. McGillicutty and Jey start things off with Jey no selling a smash into the buckle. It’s nice to see some stereotypes being followed in modern times.

Off to Curtis who starts dancing. Jey punches him in the face and brings in Jimmy to work on the arm. McGillicutty breaks up an O’Connor Roll before yelling at Curtis some more about messing around. Off to Curtis for a double clothesline to the back of Jimmy’s head which gets two. It might have been three if Johnny wasn’t gyrating while covering. Back to McGillicutty who whips Jimmy into the corner but misses a splash. There’s the hot tag to Jey who cleans house and hits a Bubba Bomb on Michael, followed by a Samoan Drop. Jimmy finishes McGillicutty with a Superfly Splash at 4:17.

Rating: C-. I like three of the people in this match and I like that they’re trying something with Curtis, but the guy just isn’t that good or interesting at all. I’ve heard they’re giving him a new gimmick on the main shows which at least shows that they’re trying, but I’m not a fan of the guy at all.

As the Usos are celebrating, Ascension appears near the top of the arena for a staredown.

Xavier Woods vs. Leo Kruger

You might remember Woods as Consequences Creed from TNA. Apparently he and Regal are both big fans of funk music and they trade 8-tracks. Woods takes over with a headlock but Kruger counters with a backbreaker. Kruger pounds on the back for a bit and gets two off a suplex.

Off to a bearhug and Woods is in trouble. Woods starts pounding out of it so Kruger belly to belly suplexes him down. Xavier finally escapes and gets in some shots to the head followed by a clothesline (the new commentator calls it an explosive athletic move. He doesn’t know many move names but he’s good at the delivery). Woods misses a missile dropkick and Kruger hits that spinning face first mat slam of his for the pin at 4:00.

Rating: D+. This was just a step above a squash which is ok. One of the major advantages NXT has over WWE at this point is that they can throw out new guys like Woods all the time who know what they’re doing and can do jobs like this one. It’s much better than how WWE has big names facing big names all the time and one has to lose or we get a screwy finish. They’ve got something decent with Kruger but he needs to do something instead of constantly squashing people.

Video on Big E. Langston.

Langston is in the arena and Saxton asks him about the five count. Langston talks about how much he loves the number five. He has five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot. People also have a high and low five…..and here’s Vickie. Dang I was wanting to see where he was going with that. No seriously, how much further could he go with that?

Anyway Vickie says she’s here to recruit and someone has caught her eye. She offers her services to Vickie. Fans: “JUST SAY NO!” Langston says he has what she needs and throws powder on her. This was bizarre, primarily due to Langston’s voice. He has an odd speaking pattern where he sounds like he’s trailing off and then gets a burst of energy before going back down again.

Here’s Jinder Mahal with something to say. He says he’s the modern day maharajah but doesn’t have his crown jewel. Being a champion is his birthright and it’s also his right to have a rematch with Seth Rollins. Mahal demands Dusty Rhodes come out and present him with his rematch.

Instead he gets Justin Gabriel who says that Jinder should get in the back of the line. Mahal says that Justin lost in the first round, so Justin polls the audience. After the fans pick Gabriel, here’s Drew McIntyre who says it’s reality check time. He says it should be his shot because he’s the only person that has a victory over Seth Rollins. Now here’s Bo Dallas who says all of these guys have had their shot at Rollins, so it’s time to give someone new a chance. Dusty comes out and says it’ll be a fourway next week with the winner getting the shot.

Roman Reigns vs. CJ Parker

Reigns used to be Leakee in FCW. He’s a member of the Anoa’i family and is the son of Sika and the brother of Rosey. The announcers pound in the fact that Reigns has the IT factor and that we’ll be talking about this debut for years to come. Reigns catches Parker’s crossbody and pounds on the arm and shoulder. A DDT on the arm puts Parker down and Reigns cranks away on it some more. Parker fires away some elbows to escape but a side kick misses and Reigns slugs him down again.

A belly to back suplex by Reigns is countered into a cross body by Parker for two. Parker hits some knees in the corner but gets caught by a flying forearm. Reigns kind of roars and hits a belly to back slam for the pin at 3:43. Think Cena’s Protoplex (the spinning slam he sets up the Shuffle with) but instead of spinning the other guy around, Reigns drives the down with his hand.

Rating: D+. The commentary is over the top but Reigns looked fine here. He’s got a good look and a good physique and his in ring abilities were fine. The match was just a squash though with Parker getting in a few shots here and there. Much like everyone else, it’s too early to say what Reigns has without giving him a more serious challenge.

US Title: Tyson Kidd vs. Antonio Cesaro

Cesaro is defending. They immediately head to the mat with Cesaro holding a front facelock to control. He switches over to a test of strength grip but Kidd bridges off the mat. Cesaro jumps on him to break the bridge, but Kidd bridges up with Cesaro on top of him. Kidd grabs a rollup for two and what looks like a heel hook for a bit but Cesaro makes the rope.

Tyson grabs another pair of rollups for two each and they trade near falls in a very good pinfall reversal sequence, ending with Kidd holding an armbar as we take a break. Back with Cesaro putting on a bearhug as Kidd is in trouble. Kidd fights out of it and backdrops his way out of the Neutralizer before hitting a low dropkick to put the champ down. Kidd starts firing off kicks before hitting a slingshot reverse rollup for two.

Cesaro sends him back to the apron where Kidd hits an enziguri and a slingshot rana for two. A legdrop to the back of Cesaro’s head puts the champion on the floor. Kidd hits a kick from the apron and a springboard elbow back inside for two more. Tyson tries for the Sharpshooter but Cesaro kicks him away. The uppercut hits Kidd and the Neutralizer gets the pin at 7:10 shown of 10:40.

Rating: B-. This is what guys like Cesaro and Kidd, as in guys not trained by FCW, are great at: having flashy matches that aren’t like the same style that you so often get in WWE anymore. Cesaro is definitely a great overall package and Kidd has more than enough skill to get over his size limitations. Good match here and I’d like to see more of Kidd on WWE TV.

Cesaro celebrates and JR plugs the fourway next week to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. NXT is starting to click again as they’re back to having solid wrestling throughout the show and pretty much no time being wasted. We’re also moving towards the next challenger for the title which is treated as a big deal, which it should be. NXT continues to be a solid wrestling show and pretty easily the best one going today.

Results

Usos b. Michael McGillicutty/Johnny Curtis – Superfly Splash to McGillicutty

Leo Kruger b. Xavier Woods – Spinning Face First Mat Slam

Roman Reigns b. CJ Parker – Belly to Back Mat Slam

Antonio Cesaro b. Tyson Kidd – Neutralizer

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

Main Event
Date: October 3, 2012
Location: BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Michael Cole, The Miz

This is the debut of a new show because seven and a half hours of free TV a week wasn’t enough apparently. The main event tonight is Punk vs. Sheamus in a champion vs. champion match which could main event a PPV, but instead we’re getting it on Ion Television at 8pm on a Wednesday night because that’s how WWE works. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is just about the exact same thing any opening video is. The theme song sounds like something from Shinedown.

Miz and Cole are in the ring to open things up. Cole talks about the champion vs. champion match which is just thrown together and there’s no reason for them to fight other than they’re champions. They talk about Punk a bit and here’s a video on Punk, likely from his DVD. There are some clips from what looks like IWA-Mid South. This is definitely from the DVD as it talks about his beginnings. We get some OVW and ECW clips as well. We move on to Punk rising up the WWE ladder and I don’t get why we’re seeing this. If this was some big major show it would be one thing, but this is on ION Television, not NBC.

Punk is in the back warming up when Striker has a question for him. He’s going to win tonight and maybe that’ll be enough for him to get some respect.

Sheamus makes fun of Punk for wanting respect and is going to give that to Punk by kicking him in the face.

Here’s a video on Sheamus so he doesn’t get jealous.

Sheamus vs. CM Punk

Non-title of course. We get big-match intros at least. Punk grabs a headlock and shouts spots in Sheamus’ ear as is his custom. Sheamus puts on one of his own as it looks like we’re in for a long match. Punk takes him to the corner but Sheamus kicks Punk away. The Smackdown Champion (Sheamus) pulls himself to the top but gets shoved to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Sheamus guillotining Punk on the top rope and stomping away in the corner, only to get pulled face first into the middle buckle. Punk drops a knee for no cover. That spot between Sheamus’ eyes seems to be bleeding. Punk goes after the shoulder and hits a neckbreaker for two. Sheamus gets back up and starts speeding things up with a high knee followed by a powerslam for two.

Sheamus sets for the ten forearms in the ropes but Punk blocks the first one and hits a high kick for two as we take another break. Back with Sheamus holding his arm on the floor. The arm seems to be fine though as he snaps off a forearm and hits a slingshot shoulder for two. Sheamus loads up the Brogue Kick but Punk hides in the corner. The buckle pad is pulled off as Punk is pulled out and there are the ten forearms to the chest.

White Noise gets two and the fans are getting into this. Heyman seems to be praying or muttering to himself at ringside. Sheamus loads up the Cloverleaf but Punk punches his way out of it. There’s a running knee in the corner followed by the Savage Elbow for two. The GTS is countered and Sheaamus gets the Cloverleaf on in the middle of the ring.

Punk manages to get to a rope and Heyman is panicking even more. They both come out of the corner and Punk charges into the Irish Curse. Sheamus charges again but Punk drop toeholds him into the exposed buckle and rolls Sheamus up with the tights for the pin at 12:18 shown of approximately 18:18.

Rating: B. Good match here and the fact that there was as close to a clean pin as there was is amazing. Sheamus hadn’t lost a singles match since like July but at least it was to another main event guy. For a first match on a new show this was excellent and it was a very good match all around anyway.

Post match Sheamus says he gets why Punk doesn’t get respect. He promises a Brogue Kick for Punk in the future.

Miz and Cole talk for a good while.

After a break, Punk and Heyman are incensed at being accused of winning through means not entirely on the level. Heyman wants to know what Punk has to do to earn Josh’s respect and Josh of course says it’s to go inside the Cell with Cena.

The main event for next week is Show vs. Orton so Show says that it’ll be Orton’s last appearance on this show next week.

Tag Team Tournament First Round: Santino Marella/Zack Ryder vs. Tyson Kidd/Justin Gabriel

Santino and Gabriel get things going with Gabriel grabbing a quick headlock. The winners of this get the Rhodes Scholars. Gabriel tries a leg sweep but Santino jumps over it and tries one of his own in slow motion. Off to Ryder and Kidd which goes nowhere so it’s back to Gabriel who double teams with his Canadian buddy. A kick to the face gets two on Ryder and it’s back to Kidd. Kidd and Gabriel work very well together. Kidd launches Ryder over his head and into a kick from Gabriel for two.

Everything breaks down and Santino has issues getting thrown to the floor. Kidd gets a spinning rollup for two but charges into the knees in the corner. Tyson crawls into the corner and looks painfully obvious doing it for the Broski Boot. Ryder hits a good looking flip dive to take Gabriel out and the Cobra advances Santino and Ryder at 4:03.

Rating: C. Gabriel and Kidd looked like a polished team here while Santino and Ryder looked like a pair of comedy guys who got thrown together into a tag team because the fans love both of them. It wasn’t a bad match or anything but it’s really just kind of there, which is the problem with most tournament matches you’ll ever see.

Overall Rating: B-. this is an interesting show for a number of reasons. First of all, this felt like it was booked in reverse. Isn’t the idea of the main event match on the Main Event show to be THE main event? As in the match that goes on last? Once you watched that match, are most people really going to stick around for a face vs. face tag match? I’d be surprised if they did.

Second, this show really doesn’t need to exist. This easily could have been Superstars put on Wednesday instead of a brand new show. Then again people are probably going to think it’s just something they threw together instead of making a new idea, which is understandable all around.

Finally, I likely won’t be watching this on a regular basis. It’s a perfectly acceptable hour of TV and had a good match, but does anyone really believe this is going to be what the show looks like at the end of the year? WWE will get bored with it and they’ll turn it into Superstars II, which is fine, but don’t expect people to care about it. In short, this show makes eight and a half hours of WWE programming a week, and I was perfectly fine having seven and a half.

Results

CM Punk b. Sheamus – Rollup after a drop toehold into an exposed turnbuckle

Santino Marella/Zack Ryder b. Tyson Kidd/Justin Gabriel – Cobra to Kidd

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

NXT
Date: October 3, 2012
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, William Regal

Back for another show as this show has been in a bit of a rut lately. Last week’s main event of Steamboat vs. Ohno is probably the main story on the show right now but other than that there isn’t much going on. We should be setting up another opponent for Rollins soon enough which is something we need in the near future. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of last week’s main event and the post match attack.

Earlier today Ohno was getting into the building when Richie Steamboat jumped him.

Welcome Home. Where do these people go that they have to be welcomed home every week? In case this makes no sense to you, the theme song is Welcome Home by Coheed and Cambria.

Drew McIntyre vs. Richie Steamboat

Feeling out process to start with Drew shoulder blocking Richie down. Steamboat comes back with forearms and right hands as he seems to be abandoning his usual style here. Drew catches Steamboat with a kick to the ribs as Steamboat tries to jump over him in the corner. That gets two and McIntyre takes over before hooking something like a seated abdominal stretch.

Drew knocks him to the apron where Steamboat gets two off a sunset flip. Back inside McIntyre hits a release Wasteland with Steamboat landing on his face. Drew loads it up again but Richie tries to counter it into a hurricanrana, only to botch it by falling off McIntyre’s head. Steamboat starts firing off elbows but here’s Ohno for a distraction. Richie turns around and walks into a shot to the head and the Futureshock DDT for the pin at 4:25.

Rating: C. This was more about the angle but building up McIntyre with a win is a good idea. The guy has potential but he’s fallen so far in the last few years that he’s having to start all over again. As for Steamboat, this is a good story for him as he’s getting to show some emotion and I’m not complaining about what I see. Being boring was the biggest knock on him so seeing some good emotion out of him is a good sign.

Big E. Langston vs. Aiden English

The place starts chanting 5 as Langston comes in. English pounds away and gets beaten down for trying to fight. A running clothesline takes Aiden down and there go Langston’s straps. The falling slam kills English and gets the five count at 1:14.

Langston hits the finisher again post match for another five count to a big reaction. The fans seem to love this guy. Langston’s face looks a bit like Monty Brown’s when you can’t see his hair. He hits another falling slam on Aiden for fun.

Steamboat is looking for Ohno in the back but only finds Michael McGillicutty who hasn’t seen Ohno.

CM Punk is here next week.

Here’s McGillicutty with something to say. Apparently he gets a title match next week. McGillicutty says it’s going to be Rollins’ first and last title defense. He calls Rollins out to the ring and gets what he asks for. Well partially as Rollins stops on the stage. Rollins talks about how much McGillicutty talks, including calling Rollins a paper champion. Rollins thinks that shows a lack of respect and holds up the title, which means the respect is real. He’s earned everything he has and didn’t have a path laid out for him since birth. Rollins wants to fight now but McGillicutty says on his own terms.

Gabriel and Kidd are ready for Ascension later tonight. This was earlier today and as they’re talking, Ascension’s entrance starts and they pop up on the screen but don’t say anything.

Percy Watson vs. Kassius Ohno

Steamboat jumps Ohno on the stage during Ohno’s entrance. Ohno says he’s good to go and goes off on Percy quickly. Watson speeds things up and leg lariats Ohno down. Ohno comes back with something like a neckbreaker (Ohno was standing behind Watson and facing him so it was hard to tell what he was doing) but Watson dropkicks him down. The spinning Heisman splash gets two but Ohno blocks the Persecution. A knee in the corner stops Watson and the spinning elbow gets the pin for Ohno at 3:20.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here as usual with Watson matches. The guy isn’t bad at all but man alive there’s nothing to care about with him. Ohno’s matches are still nothing interesting but this was better than his usual stuff. I think it’s the elbow finisher that holds him back more than anything, especially given what we know he’s capable of.

Ascension vs. Justin Gabriel/Tyson Kidd

Kidd and Cameron start us off but Gabriel tags himself in and the smaller guys double team Cameron with a double hip toss and a pair of kicks. A release German throw (not really a suplex) takes Gabriel down and we take a break. Back with O’Brien hammering on Gabriel until Justin rolls around O’Brien and tags out.

Tyson kicks him in the head and hits a springboard missile dropkick for two. O’Brien is sent to the floor where he blocks a baseball slide and slams Kidd onto the floor to take over. Back inside and Ascension takes turns stomping away. That style of rapid fire stomping and pounding is reminiscent of Demolition and there’s nothing bad about that. Cameron puts on a body scissors with a chinlock and O’Brien follows up with a body scissors of his own.

Kidd starts fighting back but Conor tags out immediately to make sure Tyson can’t escape. You can almost hear JR beaming as he talks about the tag team continuity of Ascension. Kidd avoids a charge from O’Brien and side steps Cameron, which lets Kidd make the hot tag to Gabriel. Justin takes Cameron down and immediately tries the 450 but crashes and burns. With Tyson down on the floor, Ascension hits the running Total Elimination (called the Fall of Man) for the pin on Gabriel at 8:20 shown of 11:50.

Rating: B-. This was a solid tag match although the ending felt abrupt. I really like Ascension’s stuff as they have the look and aggressive style that makes them feel like they could dominate anyone. When you combine that with an awesome finisher and a great entrance, what more could you want? Kidd and Gabriel were their usual good selves.

Overall Rating: B. I liked this show better than most recent episodes. We got a lot of stuff from this one with a good main event, a continuation of the main angle for the show and some stuff set up for next week. This is what NXT is good at doing: offering an old fashioned hour long wrestling show and they did that again here. Good show and I enjoyed it.

Results

Drew McIntyre b. Richie Steamboat – Futureshock DDT

Big E. Langston b. Aiden English – Falling Slam

Kassius Ohno b. Percy Watson – Spinning Elbow

Ascension b. Tyson Kidd/Justin Gabriel – Fall of Man to Gabriel

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

NXT
Date: September 13, 2012
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, William Regal

Back to Florida for the best run TV show in wrestling every week. The main feud seems to be Richie/Ricky Steamboat vs. Kassius Ohno which doesn’t really do much for me. Both guys are pretty dull in the ring but Ohno made me chuckle in the backstage segment last week. Other than that we’re still looking for a challenger for Rollins so maybe we’ll have some development in that tonight. Let’s get to it.

Jey Uso vs. Kenneth Cameron

Jey takes him down to start and throws Cameron out to the floor. Back in and Jey runs into a boot in the corner as Kenneth takes over. I love Ascension’s look. They look like guys that could beat the tar out of anyone which is something you rarely get in tag teams anymore. A clothesline sets up a chinlock with a bodyscissors by Cameron.

Back up and Jey tries to speed things up, only to get hiptossed into the corner. After another clothesline from Cameron, Jey tries to speed things up and gets in some shots to the face, but O’Brien trips him up on the floor. Cameron hits what looked like a suplex but I think there was supposed to be a kind of spin into a cutter at the end. Not that it really matters as it looked like a suplex and only gets two. Jimmy superkicks O’Brien down and the distraction lets Jey hit a superkick for the pin at 5:26.

Rating: C+. This is something you hardly ever see anymore: a competitive midcard match that never got boring and had a quick ending. Another thing that NXT has over Raw and Smackdown: the announcers mostly talk about the match. On the main shows they have to hype the main event, which is fine, but I don’t need to hear about 35 different social media platforms every five minutes. It’s ok to explain why we should care about what we’re watching in the ring every now and then, and you get that on NXT.

The Usos celebrate in the crowd.

Dusty Rhodes is talking to someone when Rick Victor comes in and demands an NXT Title shot. Dusty says prove you’re worthy of one. Short and simple.

Big E. Langston vs. Chad Baxter

Langston pounds him down to start and easily blocks a sunset flip. The fans chant for Chad for some reason. The fans don’t exactly fire him up as Langston hits three straight backbreakers followed by a running splash (Vader used to do this. I’m not sure what to call it but Baxter was standing in the middle of the ring and Langston hit a standing splash to knock him down) and the falling slam for the pin at 1:58.

Post match Langston hits another falling slam and counts himself a five count. Langston says a three count is normal, but he isn’t normal so it’s five counts for him. He gives Baxter a third slam and gets another five count. This goes on too long but the fans are digging Langston.

Ohno says next week he’s going to have a sparring session.

We get a video on Trent Barretta missing. He’s been found though and he’s back next week.

Garrett Dylan vs. Damien Sandow

Sandow says that Dylan has the option of getting beaten up or sitting ringside for a lecture Sandow has prepared. Sandow pounds him down into the corner and continues to do so in the middle of the ring. Dylan gets in some basic offense but gets taken down, hit with the wind up elbow and the double arm neckbreaker gets the pin at 1:35.

Rollins doesn’t care who he faces for the title. Rick Victor comes up and says he doubts Rollins even knows his name. Rollins agrees so Victor slaps him. Victor is ono the top of Rollins’ list now.

Raw ReBound is about Cena vs. Punk at the end of the show.

Rollins talks to Dusty and demands a match with Victor next week.

Tyson Kidd vs. Michael McGillicutty

Winner gets a shot at Rollins somewhere down the line. See how much a title can enhance a feud like this one? They head to the mat quickly and McGillicutty controls with a headscissors. Kidd counters into an armbar but Michael makes the rope. They fight over a wristlock until Kidd suplexes him to the mat to take over. McGillicutty grabs a headlock on the mat but Kidd rolls out and sends McGillicutty to the floor.

Back in and McGillicutty elbows him down and we take a break. We come back McGillicutty holding a chinlock, only to get taken down by a sunset flip. McGillicutty gets a two count of his own and the fans chant SHAH with every count. I remember the ECW fans doing that for Hack Meyers but why are they doing it for McGillicutty? Kidd gets sent into the buckle but he kicks McGillicutty in the face to escape a suplex back into the ring.

Kidd speeds things up and hits his dropkick to the side of Michael’s head for two. McGillicutty slides to the floor to avoid a spin kick but Kidd hits a kick through the ropes and a kick off the apron to take Michael down. Back in and a springboard elbow hits McGillicutty’s knees. Wouldn’t that hurt McGillicutty just as much?

Perfectplex gets two but Michael gets crotched on the top. Kidd tries a top rope rana and it mostly hits, but his feet were under McGillicutty’s arms. I’ve seen him do that before so maybe it’s intentional. A jawbreaker staggers Kidd but he comes back with an enziguri. McGillicutty ducks and the McGillicutter gets the pin for Michael at 10:30 shown of 14:00.

Rating: B-. These two have great chemistry against each other and the match here was another good one. The ending was nice and fast paced with McGillicutty knowing Kidd’s offense well enough to avoid it and hit the McGillicutter to end it. Also, this is another reason why the title helps the show: it gives these two a reason to fight some more.

Overall Rating: C+. Good stuff here again but I’m worried about Dusty being on the show three times in one episode. One of the best things about NXT is that they don’t waste any time on stuff like GM’s and match making like they do on Monday and Friday. I’m hoping this is just a one off thing and it doesn’t happen every week because it’ll bring the show down.

Results

Jey Uso b. Kenneth Cameron – Superkick

Big E. Langston b. Chad Baxter – Falling Slam

Damien Sandow b. Garrett Dylan – Double Arm Neckbreaker

Michael McGillicutty b. Tyson Kidd – McGillicutter

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews

NXT
Date: August 22, 2012
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, William Regal

So I had the whole intro written about how great it was that the title tournament ended tonight and how great it was to see something like that finally happen on NXT. Then I started watching the show and for no apparent reason, the match is next week. My guess is that they wanted it to be at the start of a new taping or something like that, but it’s still disappointing. Let’s get to it.

Derrick Bateman vs. Antonio Cesaro

Cesaro pounds him into the corner almost immediately but Bateman comes back with a dropkick for one. Regal talks about how strong Bateman is as he pounds away. Cesaro comes back with a hot shot to take over and it’s off to the cravate and chinlock. Bateman comes back with a belly to back suplex and some clotheslines. He hooks what can only be called a reverse DDT (Bateman hooked him for a DDT and then fell forward to drive Cesaro’s back into the mat. Why not just use a regular DDT?) but a charge misses in the corner. Gutwrench suplex sets up the Neutralizer for the pin at 4:01.

Rating: C-. Nothing special here but it’s good to see that Bateman isn’t a featured guy anymore. He’s competent in the ring and the people in Florida seem to like him somewhat, but the guy just isn’t that interesting. I think he’s supposed to be an everyman character which is ok but that’s about as far as he’s taken it.

Some WWE stars talk about what it means to be the first champion. This is probably the only time you’ll ever see Cena talk about NXT.

Tamina Snuka vs. Sofia Cortez

Tamina grabs an armdrag to start but Cortez comes back with some kicks to the ribs. Tamina hits a forearm to the chest and Sofia gives her a look that says “HOW DARE YOU” before wrapping Tamina up with a bodyscissors. Snuka comes with some chops and a superkick for two. The Superfly Splash gets the pin at 2:52. Sofia showed a lot of fire here, which means nothing because she was released about ten days ago.

Raquel Diaz jumps Tamina post match and draws the lipstick L on Tamina’s head.

Kassius Ohno vs. Jake Carter

I believe Carter is Vader’s son. Feeling out process for the first minute with no one being able to get an advantage. Carter takes him into the corner and pounds away but Ohno suckers him in and takes over. Ohno puts on a Cravate but misses a big boot. Carter hits a side slam for two but walks into the rolling elbow for the pin at 3:55. According to Regal it’s called the Dream Killer.

Rating: D+. I know Ohno was an indy legend, but his NXT stuff hasn’t really grabbed me. He just kind of does the same strikes over and over until hitting the spinning forearm/elbow for the pin. There’s no story to his matches for the most part and they’re just not that good. I’ve only seen a bit of his indy stuff and it was way better than his stuff here.

Ohno beats on Carter some more until Richie Steamboat makes the save.

We get the same package from Raw and Summerslam, showing us what WWE did in LA for Summerslam week.

More people talk about the Gold Rush Tournament and what it means to be champion.

Michael McGillicutty/Johnny Curtis vs. Tyson Kidd/Justin Gabriel

Michael and Kidd start us off as Regal talks about Walt Disney spinning in his refrigerator. Wouldn’t that be a freezer? Kidd takes him down by the arm and tags in Gabriel to speed things up. Kidd comes back in with a slingshot rollup for two as McGillicutty can’t get anything going so far. A double kick to the rib keeps McGillicutty in trouble. Curtis comes in for a distraction and McGillicutty takes Justin’s head off with a clothesline.

We take a break and come back with Curtis hitting a forearm to Gabriel to knock him down. Back to McGillicutty who doesn’t stay in long at all. Curtis comes in and hits a suplex before it’s off to the chinlock. Gabriel tries to speed it up but walks into an AA (that’ll likely get Curtis in trouble) from Curtis to put him down again. Johnny tries a twisting moonsault but crashes and both guys are down.

There’s the hot tag to Kidd and a lukewarm one to McGillicutty as well. Kidd fires off some kicks to the head for two but McGillicutty and Curtis hit a side slam/slingshot “leg” (more like a hip) drop combo for two. Back to Curtis who can’t hit a superplex but Kidd slips off the top trying a moonsault press. McGillicutty is knocked to the floor and a Hart Attack with a Blockbuster from Gabriel gets the pin on Curtis at 7:42 shown of 11:12.

Rating: C+. Good fast paced tag match here but it got a bit sloppy at times. These guys are like the Cruiserweights in WCW: you can throw them out there in almost any combination and the match is going to be entertaining. Kidd and McGillicutty are ready for regular TV but for some reason they rarely make it onto those shows.

Kassius Ohno accepts a challenge from Richie Steamboat, presumably for next week.

It’s time for the showdown to end the show. Byron Saxton calls out Seth Rollins and Jinder Mahal for a face to face chat. Rollins says that his dream is to be in WWE and that’s all that matters to him. He’s on the brink of achieving that dream and he’s not leaving here without becoming the champion. Mahal speaks Punjab and says that Rollins is a failure. The fight is on and Rollins dives onto Mahal on the floor and stands tall in the ring to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The point of this show was to build up the title match next week and they did that very well. They made the NXT Title match feel like a big deal which is pretty impressive given that it’s the minor league championship. Having a showdown like that was a nice touch and while I’m not wild on either guy, I want to see them fight now. The rest of the matches were just ok, but they weren’t the point of the show tonight.

Results
Antonio Cesaro b. Derick Bateman – Neutralizer

Tamina Snuka b. Sofia Cortez – Superfly Splash

Kassius Ohno b. Jake Carter – Dream Killer

Justin Gabriel/Tyson Kidd b. Michael McGillicutty/Johnny Curtis – Blockbuster to Curtis

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews