TONIGHT – Bo Dallas challenges Big E. Langston for the NXT Title!
SAMI ZAYN vs. ANTONIO CESARO
Zayn’s twitter is misspelled, with the NXT chryon listing it as @ILikeSamiZayne. Highlights are shown of Zayn’s wins a few weeks ago over Curt Hawkins and Antonio Cesaro, which Regal called the greatest debut they’d ever seen in NXT. Cesaro starts with intensity, throwing Zayn out to the floor, dominating him with strikes, and picking him up and ramming him into the ringpost. Cesaro hits a Swiss Death for a two count, and continues the offense. Zayn is able to hit a move here and there, but this is very much a squash. The “Ole” chants do not seem to help the French Canadian newcomer. Zayn fights out of a chinlock, and is able to hit a leg lariat. Zayn counters a European uppercut with a backslide for two, and then Cesaro takes control again by countering a leapfrog with a backbreaker. After a couple of nearfalls, Cesaro is able to lock on another chinlock and hold it on for several minutes while Zayn tries to counter it, as Regal explains why Cesaro’s chinlock is so effective. Zayn is finally able to counter out of it by turning a back suplex into a sitout powerbomb for two. Cesaro hits a stiff European uppercut for two, and follows it up with a deadlift gutwrench suplex, but isn’t able to put Zayn away. Zayn, after being backed into the corner, is able to chain bodyscissors to headscissors and uses that to toss Cesaro out of the ring. Zayn hits a huge flipping dive to the floor. Cesaro is able to counter a leap off the top with another European uppercut, but still can’t get the three. Zayn turns a piledriver or powerbomb into a flipping sunset flip bomb for two. They trade nearfalls and counters, until Cesaro’s able to lock in the chinlock again. Cesaro finally hits the Neutralizer and gets the win.
This was a great 13 minute match. On any given week, it could be the best TV match you’ll see all week, it just happened to air the same week as Bryan-Rollins, but it’s in that same league as far as greatness. The fact that a chinlock ended up being one of the primary threads throughout this match and it was better for having it… this match alone justifies the Hulu Plus price tag.
Renee Young is backstage with Bayley. Bayley’s out of frame, until they pull the camera back to find her, and she awkwardly gets pulled into the shot. She’s asked how she is, and answers that she likes robots, and points out her robot adorned headband. When asked if she’s ready for her match tonight against Alicia Fox, Bailey responds that she likes her because she’s pretty, then Bayley asks Renee if Renee thinks Bayley’s pretty. Renee responds yes, and Bayley asks her when she beats Alicia Fox, if Renee would like to go play robots sometime. Bayley’s awkward childlike character is completely charming.
The same Leo Kruger promo from last week aired.
BARON CORBIN and TRAVIS TYLER vs. D-SQUARED
Looks like Tyler’s got a new makeshift tag partner to run job duty with. Sylvester Lefort introduces his team, doing the most stereotypical french character you can imagine, including throwing in a grunted “Ho Ho Ho” for good measure. Apparently, Dylan and Dawson grew up in the same trailer park together, and Lefort found them at a country music festival in Nashville. I guess, along with the JR’s Barbecue Sauce that Garrett Dylan likes to drink, they’re trying to hit on every Southern stereotype they can find. D-Squared double team Travis Tyler, tagging in and out and keeping Tyler in their corner. Regal compares Garrett Dylan to a young Arn Anderson. Tyler hits a big clothesline and hits the hot tag on Baron Corbin, who Tony Dawson hypes as a former NFL star(two years and probably sixty pounds ago, he was a practice squad guy and camp depth for the Colts and Cardinals). Dylan tags in Dawson behind Corbin’s back, and they hit their spinebuster/seated axe handle finisher (now given the name Southern Pride) for the win. D-Squared do not seem ready for this kind of TV push, although my feelings might change when they’re put in the ring in a competitive match.
From earlier today, Adrian Neville, Graves, and Kassius Ohno are all fighting over who should get to wrestle Bray Wyatt next week. Regal interrupts, compares the Wyatt Family to The Shield, and says the reason The Shield have done so much damage in WWE is because nobody’s been willing to put their egos aside to join up to get rid of them. He says the Wyatt Family might even be more dangerous than The Shield because Bray’s a psychopath, and then recommended the three of them put their differences aside and figure out how to get rid of them. Neville asks them to watch his back during his singles match with Wyatt next week, and when he’s done with him, they can have him. Graves and Ohno agree. Graves and Neville leave, but Ohno stops Regal. He says that some way, he references their old feud and says somehow, he’ll make it right.
BAYLEY vs. ALICIA FOX
Bayley seems star struck by Fox as the bell rings. Bayley offers her hand, and when Fox shakes it, Bayley pulls her in with a hug. Fox attacks and sends her into the corner repeatedly, before pulling her out and hitting a Bridging Northern Lights Suplex for two. Fox locks on a chinlock, which doesn’t look as good as Cesaro’s, sadly. Fox pulls Bayley’s headband off, which seems to upset her, and power Bayley’s aggression. Bayley charges Fox in the corner and hits a monkeyflip, followed by some Polish Hammers. Bayley hits an Exploder Suplex, but only gets a two. Alicia hits a Scissors Kick and gets win.
This, while being really short, and paced a little too fast, was definitely entertaining. I’d never regarded Fox as much besides a pretty face, but she impressed here.
Another Wyatt Family promo. Awwwww yuss. Wyatt’s sitting in his recliner while the Family broods over him, championships in tow. Wyatt talks about how people have been lied to by their fathers. “They can’t grow up to be whatever they want. His words are not just words, they cut deeper than knives. He wants Regal to understand that when he crosses Bray, his life is in very, very real danger. While everyone looks at NXT and asks who will be the next WWE Superstar, it gives them the chance to run through whoever they want. What will happen when there’s no one left? Who will survive and what will be left of them?” Wyatt repeats the last line. It’s the tag line from the very first Texas Chainsaw Massacre poster.
BIG E. LANGSTON vs. BO DALLAS – NXT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Dallas is HATED by this crowd now. The heel stuff they’ve been doing has really paid off. He even got chants of “No More Bo” during the introductions. Langston’s introduction gets the arena chanting “five”. Langston shows off his strength early by hitting a big back body drop on Dallas. Dallas is unable to knock Langston over, but Langston destroys Dallas with a shoulderblock. Big E charges Bo, but Dallas pulls the top rope down and Langston goes over onto the floor. Langston stays in control as he hits repeated shots to Dallas’s midsection. Langston bounces off the ropes and hits a big jumping splash. Dallas tries to fight back, to the fans chagrin, but Langston counters with an elbow to the face that sends Bo to the floor. Langston goes for another splash, but Dallas rolls out of the way. “No More Bo” chants fill the arena as he tries to take the champion off his feet with clotheslines. Dallas hits a big springboard bulldog off the ropes, but only gets a two. Langston is able to hit a big belly to belly, and then charges Dallas with a series of clotheslines. Langston with a series of five knee lifts, with the crowd chanting along, and then bounces off the ropes and just runs over him. The straps come down, the crowd’s chanting “Five”, and it’s time for the Big Ending. Dallas hangs onto the turnbuckle, pulls the padding off, is able to pull it down, slides out, and then rams Langston’s head into the exposed turnbuckle. Langston turns around into Dallas’s powerslam for the win. Dallas is the new NXT Champion! This is only the third time the title’s changed hands in NXT History.
Renee Young stops Dallas on the ramp to interview Dallas. Dallas poses with the belt, the crowd hates him, and he ends it with “I’m Going to Disneyworld!”
This was, overall, a great episode, and showed why NXT can be so good. No filler, nothing pointless. Everything, from the vignettes to the promos, to the matches, were intended to put across a story or a character.
