SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE NXT TV Results
July 10, 2013
Taped at Full Sail University
Report by Justin James, PWTorch Contributor
[Q1] No pre-credits video, which is odd considering the big match-ups scheduled for tonight.
The show starts with Summer Rae headed out for her match against Emma in the NXT Women’s Championship Semi-Final. There’s an “Emma-Dancing > Fandangoing” sign.
1 – EMMA vs. SUMMER RAE – NXT Women’s Championship Semi-Finals match
They trade control on the lock-up, but Rae uses the hair to control Emma. Rae dominating through an “Emma-Lution” chant. Rae works the wrist using her legs for leverage. Surprise schoolgirl from Emma, but Rae hits a dropkick as soon as she pops out of the cover. Emma outwits Rae on the apron, then fires up. Low cross-body in the corner gets Emma two. Emma sits down on a sunset flip for two, then they trade roll-ups for nearfalls, and on the third reversal Emma comes out with a surprise win.
WINNER: Emma in 4:45. NXT continues un-predictable booking with regards to titles, though Rae’s dominance of the match did point to Emma winning out of nowhere. With Paige already in the finals, it seemed like a sure bet that Summer Rae would win, re-igniting their feud from a few months ago. Now, with the popular babyface Emma facing the insanely popular babyface Paige in the finals, who knows what will happen?
Post-match, Summer Rae attacks Emma, prompting Paige to make the save. Summer Rae leaves as Paige helps Emma up and they stare each other down with a bit of respect. Emma seems to want to joke around, but Paige gives her a stern look.
Backstage, Bayley is googling over Dusty Rhodes’s Hall of Fame ring. She calls him “Mr. American Dream” and “Mr. Dusty” and acts very nervous. He tells her to come down, then she goes speechless as Ric Flair comes into the shot with his daughter Charlotte. Bayley volunteers to be her first opponent next week, and they shake on it. Bayley asks for a “Whoo!” and Flair declines, walks away, then comes back and surprises her with a flurry of “Whoos!” Bayley does some of her own.
Sami Zayn is out to a good reaction to face Leo Kruger.
2 – SAMI ZAYN vs. LEO KRUGER
They spend a lot of time looking at each other and walking around, until Kruger tries to pick a leg, but Zayn counters. Maddox says that the crowd is confused because they keep chanting “Ole!” at the Canadian Zayn. Lots of staring at each other. Kruger with a boot to the midsection to settle into a headlock.
[Q2] Zayn speeds things up to take control. Zayn with ten punches in the corner, but Kruger weathers it and picks up up for an atomic drop. Zayn sends Kruger to the outside and looks for a suicide dive but Kruger comes to life and clocks him in the head as he is about to come through the ropes.
[ Commercial Break ]
Kruger has Zayn cornered, then Kruger works an arm to keep Zayn grounded. Kruger with a huge spinebuster for a nearfall. Kruger to the second rope, but Zayn rolls away from an elbow drop. After a reset, Zayn makes a comeback. Zayn with a crossbody off the ropes for a nearfall. Zayn charges Kruger but eats a knee, then the ringpost, and Kruger sinks into a sick hold on the arm. Zayn barely makes it to the ropes.
Zayn slips out a bodyslam but his arm is too weak for a follow up suplex. Kruger hits the ropes, but this time Zayn catches him with a belly-to-back into a spinning powerbomb for two-and-seven-eights. I bought that as the end and so did the crowd.
Zayn to the top but Kruger meets him there for a superplex, but he’s too weak to follow up. Kruger beats his head and DDT’s the arm, then locks in the DT3 submission hold for the win.
WINNER: Leo Kruger in 11:00. The match dragged during Kruger’s early offensive stretch, but he has a few high-impact moves that look especially hard-hitting, and Zayn could probably wrestle a good against a phone book.
Backstage, Renee Young asks Corey Graves, Adrian Neville, and William Regal if tonight’s match against the Wyatts will end the feud. Neville says that they are more than ready and vows to be tag team champion with Graves. Graves says he hears a lot of talk, but tonight, his fists will do the talking. Regal: “This has got nothing to do with anything, but you do look lovely,” which makes Young blush and giggle. Regal claims that after he was born, the doctor slapped his behind so Regal broke his fingers and headbutted him. He tries to talk like Neville, then says that they need to “stay down” like it says on Graves’s fists.
[ J.J.’s Reax: Regal came off a bit too jokey for what should be a serious match. Renee Young is enjoyable as an interviewer, she seems so natural, not a wooden prop to hold a microphone, and the various wrestlers actually interact with her. It’s refreshing. ]
[Q3] Mason Ryan is out. And here is Enzo Amore’s music to bring out the man himself, with Colin Cassidy. He says they are the “realest guys in the room” and says that last week was “pure manure” and “sawft.” He says, “one plus one equals three point one four, time to eat your pie.” Ryan just makes some kind of frowny face at them.
3 – MASON RYAN vs. ENZO AMORE & COLIN CASSIDY – Handicap match
Cassidy and Amore are allowed in the ring with no tags needed for this match.
Ryan goes after Cassidy, so Amore jumps on his back, but gets thrown off with ease. That lets Cassidy get a punch in, and they team up on Ryan. Double clothesline let’s Ryan pick them apart one at a time. Ryan is carrying Amore lets Cassidy hit a big boot. Teamwork puts Ryan in the corner. Ryan powers out of the corner, but a chopblock as Ryan holds Cassidy takes the big man down for the count.
WINNERS: Enzo Amore and Colin Cassidy in 1:30. Bad match as you’d expect from having two people in the ring at once bumping for Mason Ryan. Amore is at that Ricardo Rodriguez or Heath Slater level, where he is so over the top, yet in-tune with his character, and has the mannerisms down just right.
Dusty Rhodes has a backstage segment saying that it’s great to be the NXT Commissioner so he can make great matches and entertain the fans. He books Sami Zayn, Antonio Cesaro, and Leo Kruger for a Triple Threat match next week for the #1 contender shot for the NXT Heavyweight Championship.
The Wyatt Family makes their entrance. Bray Wyatt says that his heart bleeds for them, because no matter what they do to their opponents, their foolish pride keeps them coming back for more punishment. Then he jumps into the rambling preacher mode. Wyatt has a twinkle in his eye and a way of walking like he’s an evil Santa Claus.
4 – WILLIAM REGAL & COREY GRAVES & ADRIAN NEVILLE vs. THE WYATT FAMILY (Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper & Erick Rowan) – Six-Man Tag Team match
Rowan and Neville kick it off. Neville’s speed lets him fend off Rowan and get him in the corner. Regal tags in and works Rowan over. Knees and elbows from Regal keep Rowan isolated, Graves is in. Rowan catches Graves with an elbow off the ropes and sends Graves into the corner for Harper to come in. Graves gets out of a body slam, and takes Harper to the corner. More teamwork, and Regal does his “argue with the ref while kick his opponent” schtick. Neville tags in and does the same. Harper slips outside to get a break.
[ Commercial Break ]
Bayley is confirmed to face Charlotte Fliehr, and Bo Dallas is advertised against Scott Dawson next week.
Harper has Neville in a neutral corner, but Neville jumps over and kicks Harper’s knees out. thumbs to the face and a cheap shot by Wyatt put Neville down. Harper with the “yeah yeah yeah” as he works Neville over. Maddox: “Rowan strikes me as the kind of guy who doesn’t floss.” Rowan with a nasty pumphandle backbreaker.
[Q4] Rowan holds Neville’s head to the mat with a boot while trying to rip a leg off, a sadistic variant on a half crab. Neville dodges Wyatt in the corner, then manages to outpunch Wyatt, almost making it to his corner. Neville hits the ropes and wants a crucifix pin but Wyatt catches him and counters with a low version of a Samoan Drop. Jawbreaker to Harper, but Neville gets caught trying to jump to the corner and slammed back to the mat. Neville looks almost passed out as he takes more of a beating. Delayed suplex, but Neville kind of slips out but he still can’t tag. Neville wants a springboard move, gets caught, slips down for a roll-up, gets caught, kicks Harper in the head, dodges an elbow drop, and tags Regal.
Regal moving like he means it. Regal manages an exploder suplex on the massive Harper, then runs straight into enemy territory and takes out Wyatt and Rowan on the apron. Regal with knee after knee to Harper, then lands the Knee Trembler. Rowan breaks up the pin and Graves sacrifices himself to take out Rowan. Neville with a dive to the outside to take out Rowan and Graves. Harper crawls to his corner and it’s Wyatt against a wounded Regal. Test of strength, and Wyatt powers Regal into Sister Abigail for a clean, mid-ring win.
WINNERS: The Wyatt Family in 11:30. Outstanding rendition of the tired six-man tag formula. Everyone delivered top flight work here. Where do Graves and Neville go from here, after failing to defeat The Wyatt Family once again? Again, more surprise booking, as the traditional WWE formula would have Neville and Graves win here to chance the titles and take them.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Something that this version of NXT has done really well at times is have an element of surprise in their booking, which goes a long way towards allowing the audience to suspend disbelief. While it’s not always the best TV to see two faces like Emma and Paige square off for a title match, it makes great TV in the long run for the audience to not be able to predict a match winner with near certainty before the match even starts based on what would be convenient for the storyline. Match quality was very good tonight, with the surprise being the Zayn vs. Kruger bout. Enzo Amore has become a secret indulgence of mine.
NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S REPORT: 5 YRS AGO – NXT TV REPORT (7-3-13): Bo Dallas vs. Cesaro, Enzo Amore vs. Mason Ryan, Paige vs. Fox, Xavier Woods vs. Dawson
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.