WWE NXT Results
January 23, 2013
Taped at Full Sail University
Report by Justin James, PWTorch contributor

[Q1] The show opened up in the middle of Shawn Michaels doing his entrance in the ring. Shots of hardcore fans dressed up in classic HBK costumes. This must have been a very special treat for the fans. He introduces the new NXT Tag Title belts and says that a tournament is starting, and promises that the team who wins it will go far. Michaels sells the importance of getting a start with tag team success. He's got two words for those not down with that. Roll NXT credits.

Bray Wyatt and the Wyatt Family make an entrance for team action. Rowan sets up the rocking chair halfway down the ramp. They are facing Yoshi Tatsu and Percy Watson.

1 - YOSHI TATSU & PERCY WATSON vs. THE WYATT FAMILY - Tag Team Tournament match

Rowan and Watson start things off, and Rowan's size is quickly countered by Watson's speed. Tatsu has success until Rowan catches him on a crossbody and brings him into the corner. Tatsu finally slips outs of a suplex and Watson gets the hot tag. Rowan breaks up a cover and Tatsu takes Rowan out. The distraction lets Rowan clobbers Watson with a big clothesline for the win

WINNERS: The Wyatt Family in 5:00. The connection that Harper and Rowan have with their characters and the way they portray them in and out of the ring is well done to the point where you can really buy into it. The match was well executed and really made Rowan and Harper look like vicious whackjobs.

Backstage, Dusty Rhodes is talking to Derrick Bateman and Alex Riley. He offers them a match against Kassius Ohno and Leo Kruger in the Tag Tournament. Corey Graves interrupts and says that he never got his re-match for the NXT Championship (what re-match?). He's upset that he's not in the tag team tournament either. Riley says, "If you're feeling froggy, then jump, circus boy." Bateman interjects with some circus music until Riley shushes him. Graves has nothing to say to that. Riley and Bateman leave. Rhodes says that Graves isn't in the tournament because no one wants to be his partner, not even Jake Carter. He puts Graves against Carter in a singles match.

[Q2]

2 - ALICIA FOX vs. SASHA BANKS

Fox has an early advantage against Banks, but Banks immediately responds. The rally is shortlived as Fox cuts her off and controls the match. Dawson asks Regal what move Fox is using to control Banks, and Regal says that if he needs to know that, he doesn't belong in the booth. Monkey Flip lets Banks escape. Fox sends Banks face first into the mat on a wheelbarrow. Banks reverses a powerslam with a small package for the pin.

WINNER: Sasha Banks in 4:00. Banks showed a few unique moves and has some promise, but the match felt clunky and did not flow well. Give her time and she may shine.

Video package on Paige, the same one we've seen before.

Backstage, Renee Young introduces herself as NXT's newest correspondent, and then brings in Aksana as her guest. Young asks Aksana what to expect from her match next week against Paige. Aksana says that Paige has stolen her look, but made it much trashier. Aksana says she is angry and 2013 will be her year and that she's the new style, not Paige.

Brief vignette with Conor O'Brien, promising that he will rise.

3 - JAKE CARTER vs. COREY GRAVES

Carter controls with a headlock for a time, until Graves puts him in the corner to get a break. A suplex lets Graves go on the attack. The crowd is torn between Graves and Carter. Dawson calls Graves' finisher the "Twelfth Step" and Regal corrects him and says, "You're talking about me when you talk about twelve steps." Atomic drop let's Carter start to fire up, but it is short lived. Thirteenth Step and Carter taps.

winner: Corey Graves in 3:15. Good match, made special by Corey Graves. Tony Dawson outdid himself on commentary.

Post-match, Graves says he was screwed out of a title re-match, and then barred from the team tournament. He puts management on notice that he's declaring anarchy on NXT if he can't get into the tournament, then sends a message to Alex Riley, too. Mixed reaction from a crowd that isn't sure if they should cheer the cool anti-hero or boo him.

[Q3] Backstage, Bo Dallas asks Michael McGillicutty why he made the save for him last week. McGillicutty says that a new year brings a new attitude, and what he was doing before wasn't working and he needed a change. Dallas swallows that, and brings up their match from last month. McGillicutty says that the past is over, they need to focus on beating Primo and Epico next week because they lost last time. He says that they can beat Primo and Epico and advance in the tournament. That was a very effective piece to explain McGillicutty's turn, explain why he's working with Dallas, and set up anticipation for next week, and it didn't ignore history either.

4 - ADRIAN NEVILLE & OLIVER GREY vs. HEATH SLATER & DREW MCINTYRE - Tag Team Tournament match

Neville and McIntyre start the match as Regal runs through Neville's history. McIntyre overpowers Neville at first. Neville outsmarts McIntyre, but that enrages McIntyre who brings him into the corner. Neville gets Slater into the corner and Grey comes in. Grey controls Slater's wrist and works the arm. Slater rolls outside to talk to McIntyre, and they dodge a slide through the ropes by Grey, but McIntyre accidentally clocks Slater. Neville with a flip dive to take them down.

[Commercial Break]

McIntyre and Slater get Grey isolated coming out of the break. Grey looks the worst for wear and the ref is putting on rubber gloves, but doesn't get a chance to check Grey. Grey eventually tags in Neville, and Neville shows off a bit until McIntyre knocks him silly. Roundhouse puts McIntyre down, and Neville with his crazy corkscrew moonsault splash for the win.

WINNERS: Adrian Neville & Oliver Grey in 8:30. I definitely want to see more of Adrian Neville, as he looked much better against Slater and McIntyre than he did last week against Sakamoto (not a surprise).

Axl Keegan is in the ring waiting for Big E. Langston. I like that the announcers made sure that we knew this is a non-title match. The announcers mention Langston's connection with Dolph Ziggler.

5 - NXT champion BIG E. LANGSTON vs. AXL KEEGAN - non-title match

Keegan makes the mistake of hitting Langston. Langston demolishes Keegan in two hits, then calls for his finisher, lands it, and ends the match.

WINNER: Big E. Langston in 1:15. Another fun Langston squash.

Post-match: just as Langston looks to hit his finisher again, Conor O'Brian gets on the screen and says that in two weeks, he will show Langston what he thinks of five counts, when it only takes a three count to win. Langston doesn't care and creams Keengan again and counts to five. Then he does it again.

Final Reax: Intriguing episode of NXT, with questions being raised about The Ascension, a mystery set up for two weeks regarding Conor O'Brian, and a bevy of matches set for next week to give viewers something to look forward to. Good to see WWE talent being used to make NXT talent look good (The Wyatt Family, Sasha Banks, and Neville/Grey). The only really bad part of the show was Tony Dawson's announcing, and it was made tolerable by William Regal's dry wit.

{Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

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