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The following report was originally published on PWTorch.com ten years ago this week…
WWE NXT Results
August 14, 2013
Taped at Full Sail University
Report by Justin James, PWTorch contributor
[Q1] No pre-credit video package. I guess the Emma vs. Summer Rae “dance battle” wasn’t enough setup for the Women’s Championship to justify one.
Paul Heyman comes out to cheers. He says that he is scouting a “new Paul Heyman Guy.” In a bit of a double entendre, he says “out of character” that he is blown away by NXT. He thanks the fans that chant “ECW” at him, but says he is here to scout the future, not live in the past. He says that there isn’t just another Paul Heyman Guy in the back, but another Paul Heyman. He says that there is even another Brock Lesnar back there. He introduces Curtis Axel.
Heyman slips back into character to talk up Axel, then says that they aren’t here for a match because no one in Florida is man enough to face Axel. Big E. Langston hits the stage to dispute that statement. Axel accepts the challenge to Heyman’s horror. But, not for tonight, maybe for Thanksgiving. Or Christmas. Langston says that he needs to defend it tonight to prove he is man enough to hang at NXT. It’s on.
1 – IC champion CURTIS AXEL vs. BIG E. LANGSTON – Intercontinental Championship match
Axel wants an armdrag, but Langston locks his arm. Axel fights out, but it only angers Langston. Langston catches Axel with a strong belly-to-belly and sends Axel out of the ring.
[ Commercial Break ]
Langston with a mid-ring headlock out of the break. Axel fights out, but gets steamrolled. Langston with the five punches to the gut, and the crowd wants to see it again. A ref breaks lets Axel kick Langston’s knee and get some traction. Axel is able to keep Langston on the mat. Langston flings Axel off of him, then lands five knee-lifts to the stomach.
Langston drops the straps, causing Heyman to enter the ring and attack him for a DQ.
WINNER: Big E. Langston in 5:00 via DQ; Axel retained the title. Nice match that made Axel look athletic, and it was a strong endorsement of Langston.
Post-match, Langston turns his attention to Heyman, letting Axel take out Langston. Langston ducks a belt shot and lands the Big Ending to deliver a five count on Axel.
[Q2] Backstage, Renee Young is interviewing Sami Zayn. She brings up Antonio Cesaro and Bo Dallas. He blows off Dallas and says the Cesaro situation and says that he isn’t ashamed of himself or his ethnic and national background. He reminds Cesaro that he’s beaten him and that he still has an open offer for the rubber match. He says it should be two-out-of-three falls.
Mason Ryan is coming out. He goes to the barrier fishing for a hand to slap, but no one bites. Sylvester LeFort comes out in a ridiculous outfit talking about how Scott Dawson is going to make him a lot of money.
2 – MASON RYAN vs. SCOTT DAWSON
Ryan makes Dawson look tiny. Dawson pokes Ryan, then begs off when Ryan reacts. Ryan starts to destroy Dawson, but Enzo Amore and Colin Cassidy hit the ramp to distract Ryan. Dawson starts to beat on Ryan as Amore and Cassidy mouth off. Ryan is still able to hit his finisher for the win.
WINNER: Mason Ryan in 1:30. Look, folks, if Mason Ryan is going to be on my screen, it is only acceptable if it involves Enzo Amore. But, in greater quantities than what we saw here. I smell a three-on-one handicap match in the future.
Post-match, Amore and Cassidy try to jump Ryan, but he dumps them out of the ring then press-slams Dawson on top of them.
Paige is introduced for her first NXT Women’s Title defense. Tony Dawson is back to calling her the “anti-Diva” instead of “the Diva of tomorrow.” Full championship match style ring intros to give the match some gravitas despite the lack of build-up.
3 – PAIGE vs. SUMMER RAE – NXT Women’s Championship match
Lots of aggression from both out of the gate. Rae with a big running crossbody, but Paige rolls through into a cover. Paige tosses Rae into the corner by the hair and kicks her face in. Rae catches a kick and sends Paige to the mat. Rae with lots of leg-based offense. Rae wants a Thesz Press, but Paige catches her, then Rae smoothly reverses into a big DDT. Rae looks like she really wants the title.
Paige fights back and gets an armdrag, but Rae rolls through to continue to dominate. Paige goes nuts with back elbows in the corner. Paige catches a boot and sends Rae to the mat. Knee-lifts on the apron to Rae. Kick to the stomach then the Paige Turner for the win.
WINNER: Paige in 4:30. Some new, innovative spots from both kept this match feeling fresh, though it should have gone longer and needed more hype. I am perfectly happy for Paige to stay off the main roster and stay on NXT for these quality matches on a regular basis. On the regular roster, she’d win matches so infrequently, she’d forget how to lock in a Sharpshooter.
[Q3] Backstage, Renee Young is interviewing A.J. Lee. A.J. is going to face someone next week with her Divas Title on the line. Lee acts a bit crazy saying it could be anyone. Suddenly, Bayley comes from behind to start hugging on Lee. Young makes a speedy exit as Bayley notes that she has been following Lee around from the car. She wants the title shot. Lee agrees. They act really goofy and pseudo-flirty. Bayley says she doesn’t know why people say A.J.’s crazy, as she thinks A.J. Is awesome. The fun times are over for A.J. and Bayley doesn’t realize what she’s done. She thinks they can still be friends after she wins the title. A.J. tries to control herself, summoning fifty shades of Edge facial expressions.
Dolph Ziggler is advertised for next week’s NXT.
Tony Dawson says that during the break, Emma jumped in the ring to beat up Summer Rae. But, I thought she wasn’t medically cleared to wrestle?
The Shield made their way to the ring for their six-man match against Neville, Graves, and Woods.
4 – COREY GRAVES & ADRIAN NEVILLE & XAVIER WOODS vs. THE SHIELD (DEAN AMBROSE & SETH ROLLINS & ROMAN REIGNS) – Six-Man Tag Team match
Graves and Rollins to start. Rolins tries to drag Graves into the corner, but Graves escapes. And again. Test of strength, but Graves surprises Rollins before Rollins can do it to him. Graves takes Rollins into his corner and Neville is in. Rollins takes some offense and Woods in in. Woods with offense and Graves is back in. Graves ducks a running knee in the corner. Graves wants Lucky 13, but Reigns and Ambrose drag Rollins to the outside. Woods and Neville land double flips over the top to send it to break.
[ Commercial Break ]
Reigns is rocking Woods. Ambrose is in and he continues to keep Woods away from a tag. Woods slips out of a suplex to bring in Graves, who goes to town on Ambrose. Graves slaps on Lucky 13, drawing Reigns and Rollins in to save the match. Ambrose gets Graves into the corner. Reigns with power offense, then Rollins in to wear Graves down.
[Q4] Reigns back in and Graves is looking totally out of it. Graves elbows Rollins and Ambrose off the apron and dodges a spear from Reigns sending Reigns into the post. Graves barely tags Neville in to take on Ambrose. Neville with extreme speed. Enziguri puts Ambrose down, and the Red Arrow, but Ambrose gets knees up.
Next hot tag is to Woods, who lands a crossbody for a nearfall. Woods in fourth gear. “It’s morphin’ time” and the Honor Roll, then Eat Defeat. Reigns breaks it up, but Woods fends him off. Neville in for the assist, then he wants a huracanrana on Reigns, but Reigns catches him. Neville and Reigns tumble out of the ring. Ambrose jumps in and Graves takes him out.
Reset. Woods dodges Rollins and looks for a superplex. Rollins fights him off and slips under into a powerbomb position, then Reigns tags in. Rollins powerbombs Woods into the opposite turnbuckle and Reigns follows with a spear for the win.
WINNERS: The Shield in 13:30. Action-packed match that reached a fever pitch in the last few minutes. Graves and Rollins were great together, not for the first time either. What really impressed was taking the typical WWE tag formula of “the action breaks down and someone manages to hit a finisher” was extended long enough to feel like a desperate scramble for the win, instead of flipping a coin and seeing who wins. Graves looked like a total hero a number of times.
Backstage, Renee Young talks to Antonio Cesaro. Cesaro gets angry at being called a coward, and says that he is “the boss of the world.” He accepts the challenge, and then Sami Zayn ambushes him to close the show. “ZAAAAYYYYNNNN!” shouts Cesaro to end the show.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Pretty hot show from start to finish, other than the Mason Ryan squash. Heyman’s promo is worth a watch, because he drops the “Paul Heyman character” for a moment to deliver a real compliment, but it’s part of his talking up of Curtis Axel at the same time. The last match is definitely worth a watch, you can envision a number of great singles matches based on different pairings, and the in-ring story of “rookies desperately trying to beat the experienced team” worked well.
OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: McGuire’s Mondays: Drama sells in pro wrestling, but at what cost?
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