SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
The following report was originally published five years ago on PWTorch.com…
WWE NXT TV Report
August 28, 2013
Taped at Full Sail University
By Justin James, PWTorch contributor
[Q1] Odd start before the credits, with Corey Graves talking to Renee Young backstage and off mic, and Rick Victor interrupts. He says that The Ascension is tired of waiting and they will rise. Graves says that he’s right there and Conor O’Brian comes out from behind to attack him. Victor holds Graves on the floor while O’Brian tells him to “stay down” and hits him with a piece of backstage decor.
“The Moonchild” C.J. Parker is out. Apparently he’s on a “cosmic journey of peace” which seems to involve beating up Tyler Breeze. William Regal and Tony Dawson have announcing duties. And there’s Tyler Breeze to take himself way too seriously.
1 – C.J. PARKER vs. TYLER BREEZE
Breeze looks furious as he takes his final selfies. Lots of “No!” and “Yes!” chants before anything even happens. “Breeze is gorgeous” chant. Parker hints he may attack the cell phone, sending Breeze into a rage. Breeze frames his face with his hands and says, “This is gorgeous!” Breeze tells Parker that he’s disgusting while picking him apart. More selfies, which allows Parker to recover. Parker with a spin, then a running senton, and double knees in the corner. Breeze ducks a punch to the face. Breeze uses the phone as a weapon in the corner where the ref couldn’t see to steal a win.
WINNER: Tyler Breeze in 3:30. Breeze is really growing on my as a character, and the FSU audience, too. He is starting to get the Bray Wyatt treatment. His in-ring plays up the character so well too. Even his music is perfect. But, winning a match by a single blow from a cell phone to the nose? C’mon.
Backstage, Renee Young has the dancing Emma in an interview. Emma says that her feud with Summer Rae is personal. Apparently, she has a guaranteed title match after Rae stole her spot a few weeks ago. “Her destiny” (who is she, Del Rio?) is going to have to wait until she can deal with Summer Rae. She’s going to celebrate by blowing bubbles and playing “Dance Dance Emma-lution.”
Scott Stamford in a pre-credit video promises Adrian Neville against Conor O’Brian as the main event.
The ring announcer announces that she has been informed that Tyler Breeze has left the building. Mixed reaction to that. Emma comes out, bubble wand in hand. She leaves the bubbles with the timekeeper. Summer Rae is disgusted at getting bubble juice on her.
2 – EMMA vs. SUMMER RAE
Emma poses to confuse Rae, then tries the Emmalock a few times. Rae gets caught on a Thesz Press attempt, but transitions into a DDT, rolls through and starts the hair brawl. Emma hair brawls too, then goes in offense. Emma with a more aggressive moveset. Rae wraps Emma’s arm in the ropes, then continues to work the arm.
[Q2] Rae with a Full Nelson using the legs. Emma leans back to get a two count. Rae is able to reverse for a two count of her own. Emma dodges in the corner, and the Dillemma in the ropes. This draws an “E-C-Dub” chant. Catapault into a roll-through into the Emmalock for a tap-out win.
WINNER: Emma in 4:30. Emma has been adding to her moveset, and was more aggressive to play up the feud. Nice match.
Post-match, Rae assault Emma, then dumps the bubble juice all over Emma. Emma is blinded, and Rae gets her heat back by mocking Emma’s dance. Looks like this beef will continue.
“Earlier tonight,” Scott Dawson, Sylvester LaFort, Colin Cassidy, and Enzo Amore are talking. Amore has a leopard print shirt, a leopard print watch band, and managed to shave a leopard print pattern into the undercut of his mullet, and dye it to look like leopard print, too. Cassidy has a leopard print belt to match. Amore congratulates Dawson for having his name on his hat. LaFort says Cassidy and Amore should join them to take out Mason Ryan and make a lot of money. Cassidy is doubtful and brings up Dawson’s losing record (pot? kettle? Both black), angering Dawson. LaFort brings up that they are at least making money, but Dawson wants to know when he is going to get paid. Amore turns down the offer. Dawson, “You just committed a 5-to-10, I’m gonna beat your brains in for five to ten minutes.”
– A Scott Dawson package advertises Enzo Amore against Scott Dawson.
– Summer Rae is storming out of the building, where a camera person just happens to be filming someone texting. Sasha Banks comes out and expresses her dislike of Rae’s post-match attack. Rae says that stuff like that is why she has her slot. She reminds Banks that she’s on Raw and Smackdown weekly, and that Summerslam is named after her. She points out that Banks barely gets onto NXT, and says that Banks would do better to follow Rae. Rae says she heard Banks is facing Paige in two weeks, and she is sure that it will be a nice, clean match and Banks will lose because she lacks a spine. She tells Banks to get it together, grow a spine, and beat Paige.
The ring announcer is cut off by Sylvester LaFort, who introduces Scott Dawson. Dawson lacks his BBQ sauce and flashlight. But he has a towel or a t-shirt. Enzo Amore comes out to a big reaction. He fires up the crowd with his catch phrases. “If me and Big Cass had a dime for each time we got beat up as kids, we’d have zero dimes!” It’s because they aren’t S-A-W-F-T. Amore has leopard print wrist wraps and boots.
3 – ENZO AMORE (w/Colin Cassidy) vs. SCOTT DAWSON (w/Sylvester LaFort)
Huge “Enzo” chants to start the match. Dawson immediately backs Amore into the ropes. Amore with a headlock and Dawson sends him to the mat to start an assault. Front suplex from Dawson into the ropes. Dawson showing more fire than usual. Amore struggles for traction. Regal: “this is like watching a weasel against a cobra.” Amore slips out of a suplex. Alexander Rusev comes from nowhere to take out Cassidy ringside, Dawson uses the distraction to beat Amore.
WINNER: Scott Dawson in 3:30. Effective way to put over Amore as the outclassed babyface. Smart move by NXT to turn Amore and Cassidy, considering that their boos turned to cheers in the FSU arena. Amore has that Santino Marella quality of being a total goof that the audience can hate or love with minimal change in the character itself. The consistent use of leopard print tonight was hilarious in its subtlety.
Post-match, Rusev is joined by LaFort and Dawson to solidify the new team.
[Q3] Video package summarizing the amazing Zayn vs. Cesaro match from last week. The announcers did a really good job with this match, and the video package emphasizes that.
Renee Young conducts and in-ring interview with Sami Zayn. Regal reinforces Michael Cole’s assessment of “one of the best matches I’ve seen in years.” Zayn is greeted with “Match of Year!” chants. Zayn, of course, says it’s nice to see Young again, and thanks the crowd. He’s conflicted because despite the critical praise for the match, he lost. He concedes that Cesaro is better. Young tries to talk over a demand from the crowd for “one more match.” Zayn says he’ll be ready for the next encounter with Cesaro, whenever it may be, but he needs to move forward. He makes Young blush with compliments. He’s focused on the NXT Championship. That draws Bo Dallas to big boos.
Dallas with a goofy grin: “Sami, just because a couple of people on the Internet said you had a good match, doesn’t mean you are championship caliber.” He reminds Zayn that he lost. Zayn thanks Young, and says that he will take it from here, to shoo her away. Zayn wants to know why Dallas is out there, because he sounds like he is challenging him. Dallas says he wants to face Zayn, but Zayn injured him at Summerslam Axxess, and calls Zayn “green.” Dallas insists that everyone loves him, to big boos, prompting the “No!” chants. He says they aren’t booing him, they are “Bo-ing” him. Zayn has the audience clarify. Zayn challenges Dallas for the NXT Title.
Zeb Colter interrupts before Dallas can answer. Colter tells Dallas that as a hard-working American, he doesn’t need to answer Zayn’s questions. He says that Zayn needs to prove his citizenship before he can get a title shot. Zayn tells Colter to tell Cesaro that he will get them deported back to hell once he becomes the NXT champion. Jack Swagger ambushes Zayn and Dallas calmly walks away. Gutwrech powerbomb puts Zayn down. Swagger lays a Gadsen flag on Zayn to conclude.
Video package on the NXT roster at Summerslam Axxess. Fun package. John Cena puts over Adrian Neville in a sound bite.
[Q4] Adrian Neville has new music. The old music wasn’t great, but this one is still pretty generic. The Ascension comes out. Their music was used in a pre-Summerslam video package.
4. ADRIAN NEVILLE vs. CONOR O’BRIAN (w/Rick Victor)
Neville doesn’t look intimated by O’Brian’s size. That size gives O’Brian immediate domination of the match. Turnaround cross-body gets a surprise two count, but Neville deals with Victor, which lets O’Brian retain control.
[ Commercial Break ]
Post-commercial message announces Jack Swagger against Sami Zayn for next week.
Neville dodges a boot in the corner to start a comeback. Neville is finally able to drop O’Brian to the mat. O’Brian counters a top rope crossbody with a flapjack. Neville returns to the attack. Neville with the Red Arrow for the win.
WINNER: Adrian Neville in 5:00. Too short to get much involvement in the match.
Post-match, Rick Victor comes into the ring to beat down Neville. Graves staggers out to the ring with taped ribs, but the help is momentary. The injured Graves takes the Fall of Man.
Final Reax: Nice show that felt like a decent two-hour Raw with the fluff removed. Lots of new storylines moving forward in new directions. It will be interesting to see where Sasha Banks goes; NXT is short on heel Divas and Banks has never really gotten much crowd support anyways. The face turn of Enzo Amore was an unexpected treat. Amore fills that Santino/Slater niche of having a gimmick that will never be main event quality, but they meet a critical need for any wrestling promotion, much like the clowns at the circus. It is nice to see NXT exercising the same restraint with Paige as they do with their NXT champions, in terms of limiting ring and promo time, to focus instead on the contender situations.
NOW CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS NXT FLASHBACK: 5 YRS AGO – NXT TV REPORT (8-21-13): A.J. Lee vs. Bayley, C.J. Parker (Juice Robinson) vs. Baron Corbin, Ziggler vs. Rusev, Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro, plus Ascension, Tyler Breeze
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