The Glimpse:
The NXT Tag Team Champions are in action for the first time in a while. CJ Parker takes on The Miz – I’m so sorry everyone. A contract signing for Bo vs Neville – I’m sure that won’t end in a fracas.
The Action:
Match 1: The Ascension vs Mike Culory & John Icarino
Winners: The Ascension via pinfall
Konnor and Viktor beat up Mike in their corner then Viktor gives him a back drop and wrenches his wrist. Viktor tosses him again for a two count then goes for a surfboard. Mike breaks away with a jawbreaker to make the tag and his partner eats a huge clothesline on the way in. Konnor tags in and delivers a second rope clothesline then tags Viktor right back in to knock Mike off the apron and hit the Fall of Man.
Cal Bishop wants to be Sulvester Lefort’s new guy but his cauliflower ears are unacceptable to the MONAY man.
Match 2: Corey Graves vs Camacho
Winner: Corey Graves via submission
So last I remember from Graves, he said that this whole tattoo shtick was an act and came out in slacks and a button down. Now they say he hangs out in grunge clubs and such. So I guess we just ignore that entire thing from months ago. And really, it doesn’t matter. Graves says that Neville tried to end his career. This was at minimum a month ago – Now is a time to actually have a recap. “Stay tuned” is all he says.
Graves goes right to a long headlock but Camacho throws him off and clotheslines him. Graves bails to the floor and dragon screws Camacho in the ropes then goes right into Lucky 13.
Antonio Cesaro speaks with Devin Taylor about denying Zayn a rematch. Cesaro explains his logic then questions why he’s even explaining this to Devin.
Lefort welcomes someone in who won’t let go of a handshake and doesn’t know he’s in for an audition…who then gingerly lets go of his hand. So this dude is hitting on Lefort. That’s new.
Match 3: Bayley vs Sasha Banks
Winner: Bayley via pinfall
There is a four person commentary team for this match. Renee Young and William Regal? Sure. A-Ry and Tom Philips? Please go.
Bayley swipes at Charlotte on the floor and Sasha attacks from behind. Sasha stomps on Bayley’s back in the corner and gets two. Sasha bashes Bayley’s face into the mat and strait jackets her. Bayley tries to bridge out but gets rolled over and held tight. Bayley tosses Sasha off and hits elbows and axe handles then a corner clotheline and back elbow. Natalya pulls Charlotte off the apron and Summer Rae goes after her which lets Sasha sneak in a school girl for two. Bayley immediately hits her belly to belly suplex and wins it.
Match 4: Colin Cassidy vs Tyler Breeze
Winner: Tyler Breeze via pinfall
Breeze bails to the floor while the crowd calls him SAWFT and takes some pouty selfies. More selfies in the ring and Cass starts to mock the gorgeous one. Cass grabs a fan’s phone and starts strutting and selfie-ing. So that’s enough to fire up Breeze, I guess. He comes out and boots the gut out of Cass repeatedly, but after the ref stops him, he takes a pair of rights to the face (not the face!). Few more strikes then a big scoop slam and leaping elbow for a one count. Huge boot in the face but still only a two. Aiden English appears on the Titantron and sings at Cassidy. English finds Amore in his wheel chair and closes a door behind him which distracts Cass enough to eat a Beauty Shot and lose.
Cass goes looking for Enzo and finds him. Unscathed. So English is playing games. Why is Cass mad? Because English cost him a win. Why doesn’t anyone on the main roster care about that?! Enzo’s battery is dead so he needs Big Cass to carry him.
Match 5: CJ Parker vs The Miz
Winner: The Miz via submission
I can’t even explain the frown on my face about having to watch Parker vs Miz.
Miz dodges a slap and chops away at Parker. Parker turns the table and agrees to a clean break. Miz is up and over and hits a clothesline and elbow. 10 punches in the corner is escaped by Parker via an inverted atomic drop that Miz no sells then knocks Parker to the floor and dropkicks him. Miz does his slide in roll up but Parker kicks out and avoids a Figure Four followed by his Harlem side kick for two. Shotgun knees in the corner and Miz is out at two. Awkward chinlock to snapmare for a nearfall then back to the chinlock. Miz fights up and hits clotheslines then the backbreaker/neckbreaker combo for two. Miz kicks the leg of Parker then hits a dragon screw and elbows to the leg. Parker kicks him off and elbows out of the corner. Parker tries a crossbody, but Miz rolls through and locks in a Figure Four to win it.
Lefort welcomes Mason Ryan into his makeshift office. Ryan says he’ll work for Lefort if he can beat him in a match. Let’s not make note of the fact that Lefort is in incredibly good shape and is actually a capable wrestler. Vintage WWE.
NXT Championship Contract Signing
Renee Young welcomes the men to the ring – Surprisingly enough, no table. Bo’s music hits but doesn’t show up. Neville signs the contract. Now Bo comes out. He’s not scared – He’s tired of Neville. Bo says Neville should take a seat and watch a demonstration of why Bo is the NXT Champion. Danny Burch heads to the ring.
Match 6: Bo Dallas (NXT Champion) vs Danny Burch
Winner: Bo Dallas via pinfall
Bo delivers a big knee to Burch then starts in with his short arm elbows. Bo yanks at the face of Burch and stares down at Neville. Burch starts to fight back but gets laid out with an elbow. Bo hits a Future Shock DDT and wins it.
Bo asks for the contract and Neville hand delivers it. Bo flashes a smile and (of course) attacks Neville from behind. Bo postures on the ramp and Neville sails after him with a suicide dive. The fight all the way up the ramp as NXT finishes.
The Reaction:
Why are the tag champs still wrestling squash matches (it’s because there’s no other real teams in NXT, but that’s beside the point)? To the jobbers – Fight for names that people can hear and recognize immediately.
Credit to Camacho for selling that move as much as he did. Everything about Graves irks me. He looks like a guy trying to be a tough guy…not an actual tough guy. His move barely shows any pressure applied, especially from the poor camera angles they select. I see him eventually hitting the main roster and floundering.
Quick one from the NXT ladies. This will set up a tag match very soon, I’m sure. Sasha and Summer are solid in their roles, whereas Charlotte seems to not quite get the act. That’s not a bad thing though – If she struggled with playing the heel, she needs to do so while she’s in NXT and get the kinks out. Why we needed a four person commentary booth for this match is beyond me. I like Renee doing commentary on the women’s matches, but I’d really enjoy seeing her get more of a chance to do commentary for full shows. I could very well see her on Raw or Smackdown in the future as something more than just “the back stage interviewer”.
Gotta learn that distraction finish before you get up to the main show and have to do it on a weekly basis, right? The Titantron distraction is possibly the worst type – Who the hell is sending this feed to the giant screen for every Superstar who asks for it? The production truck is the biggest heel in WWE.
That’s about what you’d expect from these two. Miz no selling a manhattan drop is beyond me, the Parker climbs to the top immediately after getting his leg bashed like nothing happened. The NXT crowd always digs when main roster guys show up, but this did nothing for me.
Well I guess stealing Future Shock is better than the high angle hip toss he usually wins with. At least this wasn’t the “usual” contract signing. No flipped tables, nobody going through a table – Just an overconfident champion wanting to prove that he’s deserving, despite criticism. Smarmy Bo Dallas is probably the best thing they’ll ever be able to do with him. Nobody buys a word he says anyway, so if they try to bring him to the main roster as a babyface, he’s doom bound.
The Preview:
Sami Zayn wants a face to face with Cesaro.
The Shill:
As always, if you like what you read here, let me know in the comments or on twitter @sbfantom. I sincerely would like to hear what people think and strike up some conversation!
