WWE NXT Report JAMES'S WWE NXT RESULTS 2/13 - Week 33: First NXT tag champions crowned, Paige vows to take over the show
Feb 15, 2013 - 1:15:55 PM
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WWE NXT Results
February 13, 2013
Taped at Full Sail University
Report by Justin James, PWTorch Contributor
[Q1] Pre-match video package summed up the Tag Title tournament situation. I really like how NXT does these pre-credit packages, as it makes things feel like a big deal.
Mike Dalton is headed out for the opening match. Summer Rae is still the announcer and smiling, despite her promo last week saying she hates it. Dalton is facing Axl Keegan. Before the match even starts, Paige slips by Keegan and rushes the ring to get a piece of Summer Rae, who slips out. Paige takes the mic and says she is holding up the show until Summer Rae comes out. Keegan approaches Paige and says something to her, so she slaps the taste out of his mouth and screams at him to get out of her ring. He obliges.
Dusty Rhodes hits the ramp. He tells her that the show isn't going to revolve around her demands and tells her to leave. She refuses. He asks the referee to remove Paige. She dares him to try. Summer Rae suddenly comes back out and yells at Paige, who runs down the ramp, but Summer Rae hides behind Rhodes. Pull-apart brawl ensues and the refs storm out of the back to help. Paige is selling an arm injury.
This segment clicked on so many levels. Paige was great in her role, and Summer Rae was good. The bit between Paige and Keegan was pure gold. Not only was it good to see the Divas receive as much time as the men, but it was the type of treatment that really made this stand out. WWE usually has this glass ceiling on how Divas feuds are handled, and they just broke that ceiling. Good work all around.
Backstage, Paige's shoulder is being looked at by a trainer. Dawson wonders if Paige is still in ring shape.
Alex Riley is out for a match. I guess Mike Dalton and Axl Keegan are still afraid to step into Paige's ring? He's facing Corey Graves in singles action.
1 - ALEX RILEY vs. COREY GRAVES
Riley immediately takes over with big rights and takes Graves around the ring. Graves is quickly begging for some mercy and is bleeding from the mouth. He tries to sucker Riley with a handshake, but Riley catches the kick and resumes his assault.
Riley telegraphs a back-body drop and Graves goes on his characteristic pitbull offense. Dawson interrupts the match to tell us that Paige and Summer Rae are in a match up next. Graves keeps Riley grounded with holds. Riley starts to fade, but manages to get some space. Graves beats him right back down to the mat.
Riley blocks a suplex and responds with one of his own. Full-fledged Riley comeback. Graves with a chopblock and the Thirteenth Step. Riley is forced to tap.
WINNER: Corey Graves in 5:00. Very good match that put Graves over strong with a center ring, clean submission victory against a fan favorite. Riley looks good as he continues to rebuild himself after time off for injury. Graves has stepped back from his tweener role into a more heelish one.
Backstage, Paige is getting her shoulder taped for her match.
[Q2] Elimination Chamber hype video.
2 - PAIGE vs. SUMMER RAE
Thesz Press from Paige right after the bell, but the shoulder injury lets Rae quickly take advantage. Rae steps on the shoulder and taunts Paige. Rae with a variety of moves with her legs to injure the arm. Paige reverses a hold into a two count, which gives her separation. Boot to the gut and Paige chucks Rae across the ring by the hair. Rae yanks the arm through the ropes, and follows with a big roundhouse kick to Paige her first loss in a very long time.
WINNER: Summer Rae in 2:00. The match did what it needed to do, which was put a chink in Paige's armor and give Rae the tainted victory to leave the crowd hungry to see Paige get some payback. The crowd really bought into this, giving Rae some big boos post-match.
Backstage, Sasha Banks gets another Valentine's card from her unknown admirer.
After a break, we're told that we're going to see Big E. Langston against Conor O'Brian next week (no word of the title being on the line), and a post-surgery interview with NXT fan favorite Tyson Kidd.
Byron Saxton makes a formal announcement to kick off the final match of the Tag Team Title tournament, and Dusty Rhodes is there with the titles to make it feel special. Bray Wyatt with another outstanding promo bragging that the Wyatt Family is bigger, stronger, and are monster than cannot be beaten.
3 - ADRIAN NEVILLE & OLIVER GREY vs. LUKE HARPER & ERIC ROWAN (w/Bray Wyatt) - Tag Team Tournament Final
Grey and Harper to start. Grey immediately struggles against the bigger Harper, but he pulls the ropes to send Harper outside then launches himself at Harper to get the edge.
[Commercial Break]
Grey has Rowan in the corner. Neville and Grey with frequent tags. Grey holds the arm while Grey hits a top rope stomp on the arm. Rowan knocks Grey down then puts him in the corner.
[Q3] Grey fights out of the corner and gets Harper in the corner. Neville goes to work. Huge dropkick from Neville manages to hit the big man's chin. Harper fights Grey from Grey's corner to Harper's corner. Grey barely gets a tag into Neville. Neville with a sleeper hold. Rowan gets to a corner, but it's Grey's corner. Harper in but Grey stays alive. Harper gets into it with the ref letting Wyatt knock Grey off the apron. Rhodes saw it, and ejects Wyatt from the ring. Shouldn't he demand a disqualification?
[Commercial Break]
Grey is suffering in the corner, and Neville is begging for the tag that he can't get. Grey almost fights out of the corner, but Rowan sends him back in. He slips through Harper's legs and gets the tag. Neville with a lightning-fast attack to take Harper down and keep Rowan out of the picture. Tornado DDT for a nearfall. Roundhouse from the apron puts Harper mid-ring an Neville wants a top-rope knee, but he eats a big boot in mid-air. Grey breaks up the pin, so Rowan dumps him to the outside.
Neville lands an enziguri, then goes to the top for his corkscrew Shooting Star Press, which is good for the win and for the titles.
WINNERS: Neville & Grey in 15:15 to capture the first NXT Tag Titles. NXT has a habit of delivering excellent matches for their title matches, and this was another in that streak. Up until the second-half of the match, no one was cornered for too long. I still wanted to see a lot more of Neville than this, though. The Wyatt Family looked brutal, and Grey really came off as someone with a lot of heart and grit.
Post-match, Neville and Grey go nuts celebrating. They are too excited to even cut a promo. Like Rollins and Langston before them, they made winning the title truly seem like the best moment of their lives.
Final Reax: Wow, what a great show. Strong, strong opening with the focus on Paige and Summer Rae. Paige, already a break-out star, put a few more feathers in her cap with the opening. Please do not let Paige get sucked into the Diva-crushing machine of the main roster, as she'd probably end up cast as Hornswoggle's estranged wife. Graves looked great in a quick win over Alex Riley, and the Tag Team tournament conclusion delivered big-time. Finally, effective use of short voice-overs near commercials to build excitement for next week.
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