WWE NXT - August 28, 2013
by Samoa Rowe
-From Orlando, FL. Our hosts are Tony Dawson and William Regal.
-Ric Victor confronts Cory Graves, promoting the rise of the Ascension. Conor O’Brien attacks Graves from behind and they put the boots to him. O’Brien rips apart the set and smashes Graves with it. Well then.
CJ Parker vs. Tyler Breeze
Breeze is supposed to be an Italian supermodel snob, Parker is a hippie “Moonchild.” Parker lunges for Breeze’s prized cell phone, prompting a skuffle. Breeze stalls for time and lures Parker into giving up the higher ground. Breeze takes a selfie but walks right into a fireman carry spin. Parker plants Breeze for a senton. Running high knees by Parker. Breeze is overly worried about his face, but manages to use his phone as a weapon to score the win at 3:17. These guys are SO green, but believable as characters.Winner: Tyler Breeze
-Renee Young interviews Emma backstage. Emma says things have gotten personal between her and Summer Rae, and her hunt for the NXT Divas title will have to wait. Emma will kick Summer around and then play “Dance Dance Emma-lution.” Dated references aside, Emma is likable.
Emma vs. Summer Rae
Emma goes right after the leg, but Summer counters and smashes the head. Emma reverses the head thrashing and plants Summer onto the mat. Summer blocks the Dil-Emma and goes to work on the arm, finding time to mock Emma’s dancing. Summer applies a full nelson using her legs, which is pretty neat. Emma reverses into a cover, but Rae reverses. Emma applies the Dil-Emma (variation of the Tarantula) and splashes Rae in the corner. Catapult by Emma and the Emma -lock finishes it at 4:24. This was a bit rough around the edges, but enjoyable due to the storyline.Winner: Emma
-Emma dances in celebration, sparking revenge from Summer, who grabs Emma’s bubble mix and blinds her with it! WHAT A HEEL! Good angle, actually.
-A bunch of NXT guys are hanging out backstage. The Legionnaire (redneck Scott Dawson and Randy Savage circa 2004 looking Sylvester Lefort) wants to recruit Colin Cassidy and Enzo Amore to make some money, but their offer is rejected. I guess they’re going to fight later.
-Summer Rae is storming out when Sasha Banks confronts her about what she did to Emma. Summer puts Sasha down, claiming that she should be following her example (did you know that Summerslam was named after Summer Rae?). Summer says that Sasha doesn’t have a backbone and should find one for her upcoming match with Paige.
-Sylvester Lefort interrupts the ring announce to annoy the crowd with his French accent. He’s managing Scott Dawson, a redneck character who hasn’t won any matches yet.
-Enzo Amore cuts a promo on his way to the ring. He and “Big Cass” are supposed to be baby faces.
Scott Dawson (with Sylvester Lefort) vs. Enzo Amore (with Colin Cassidy)
The crowd is really behind Enzo at the opening bell, and he needs the support against an aggressive Dawson, who unloads with basic offense. Amore fights back with a hurricanrana. Alexander Rusev ambushes Cassidy from behind. The distraction allows Dawson to suplex Amore for the win at 3:09. These guys need more work.Winner: Scott Dawson
-Sylvester Lefort has apparently recruited Alexander Rusev to his random stable.
-Renee Young interviews Sami Zayn in the ring. Zayn thanks the fans for the “Match of the Year” chant in regards to his match with Cesaro last week. Zayn admits that Cesaro was the better man. He hits on Renee, calling her a ray of sunshine. Sami is looking ahead and wants to become NXT Champion. That brings out the reigning NXT Champion, Bo Dallas. Bo dismisses Zayn as being championship caliber, reminding him that he just lost. Sami politely dismisses Renee and confronts Dallas for starting trouble. Bo claims he’d love to face him, but he’s injured from wrestling Zayn at Summerslam Axxess. The fans chant “Ole” as Dallas talks down to Sami. Zayn calls Bo “delusional” and Bo proves the point by suggesting that everyone loves him. Bo channels Mr. Burns by saying the fans are chanting “Bo” and not “Boo.” I was chanting Boo-urns. Zayn accuses Bo of being scared after seeing what he did with Cesaro. They are interrupted by none other than Zeb Colter! Zeb doesn’t think Sami is a legal U.S. citizen. Zayn hilariously brushes Colter off (“Is this really happening?”) and thinks Colter should be deported to Hell. Jack Swagger attacks Sami from behind and puts him down with a gut-wrench power bomb. They drape the “Don’t Tread on Me” flag on Zayn and stand tall. This segment MADE this week’s episode. This was lots of fun, Zayn is money.
-They replay footage of the NXT roster performing at Summerslam Axxess. Looks like everyone had a good time.
Adrian Neville vs. Conor O’Brien (with Rick Victor)
Neville is one half of the NXT Tag Team Champions with Cory Graves, and is looking for revenge for what happened earlier. O’Brien overpowers Neville in the early going, prompting Neville to speed things up with a cross body. O’Brien turns up the speed as well, dropping Neville on the ropes and hitting a running kick. Commercial time! After the break, O’Brien is enjoying the advantage. Neville attempts a comeback but O’Brien counters a springboard cross body. Neville counters with a back suplex for 2. Neville finishes it with the Red Arrow (450 splash) at 3:35 (shown). Really basic formula here, but it put Adrian over strong.Winner: Adrian Neville
-The Ascension are sore losers and double team Neville after the match. Cory Graves limps out for the save, but he’s too hurt to be much help. The Ascension puts Graves down with TOTAL ELIMINATION!!
Final Thoughts: This was a maintenance episode meant to set the groundwork for several big stories. A solid hour of wrestling that has me looking forward to the future. Thumbs up!
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