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Zim’s WWE NXT Review: Bo Dallas vs. Big E Langston for the NXT Championship, Sami Zayn vs. Antonio Cesaro part two, a new Wyatt Family vignette, and the NXT Women's Championship Tournament continues

Posted in: WWE TV Reports
By
Jun 15, 2013 - 02:53 PM

By Zack Zimmerman
 
WWE NXT - Aired June 12, 2013 on Hulu Plus
Taped May 23 at Full Sail University


A video package recapped Bo Dallas’ victory in the number one contenders battle royal leading to his NXT Championship match against Big E Langston on this show… The opening theme played…
 
Sami Zayn made his entrance with new music. A video package recapped Zayn’s wins over Curt Hawkins and Antonio Cesaro as William Regal called it the greatest debut we’ve ever seen on NXT. Antonio Cesaro made his way to the ring with a purpose.
 
Cesaro went right after Zayn and knocked him out of the ring. He dropped him across the barricade and rammed him into the ring-post before tossing him back into the ring. The ref waited until Sami made it to his feet and asked him if he wanted to continue. Zayn was game, and the ref called for the opening bell
 
1. Sami Zayn vs. Antonio Cesaro. Cesaro immediately charged in with a running European uppercut that rocked Zayn and scored a near-fall. Zayn showed resilience, but Cesaro stayed in control in the opening minutes. Zayn ducked a clothesline and hit a jumping heel kick, but it was only good for a one-count before Cesaro took momentum back. Both men traded chops to the chest and Zayn reversed an uppercut into a backslide for a quick two count. When they rose again, Cesaro caught Zayn with a great looking backbreaker to slow things down leading into commercial break…[C]
 
Back from break, Zayn escaped a hold and went for a sunset flip, but Cesaro stayed in control with a jumping double-stomp to the chest. After several minutes of working a chinlock, Zayn fought out with a Blue Thunder bomb for a two-count. His momentum didn’t last long as he was dropped by another uppercut and slammed by Cesaro’s delayed gutwrench for another near-fall. Cesaro wore Zayn down with shots in the corner, but Zayn manages to use a headscissors and swing Cesaro out of the ring. Zayn pumped up the crowd and flew over the top with a big flipping tope.
 
Zayn got Cesaro back in the ring and went to the top rope. As Zayn dove with a crossbody, Cesaro caught him with an awesome European uppercut. Cesaro stalked him and locked in a sleeper hold, but Zayn fought out and hit a running Yoshi Tonic for a great underdog near-fall. Zayn waited for Cesaro to pull himself up in the corner and went for his Yakuza kick, but Cesaro caught him with a boot to the face.
 
Cesaro hoisted Sami up for a suplex but Sami reversed into a rollup, the way he won last week. Cesaro managed to kick out before the three-count and went right back to the chinlock. Zayn appeared to be losing consciousness as Cesaro turned him around and delivered the Neutralizer for the win.
 
Antonio Cesaro beat Sami Zayn in about 9:30.
 
Cesaro slapped Zayn in the face and talked some trash as a replay of the match highlights aired…
 
Backstage, Renee Young introduced NXT Diva Bayley. Bayley was nervoud to step on camera and slowly inched her way next to Young. Renee asked how Bayley was, and Bayley answered that she was good and she likes robots, she even had them on her headband. Renee asked what Bayley thought of her opponent, former WWE Divas Champion Alicia Fox. :I like Alicia, she’s pretty. Do you think I’m pretty?" Bayley was happy to have a "new friend" when Renee answered yes. Bayley said she was going to beat Alicia, and then afterwards they could "play robots or Jenga or something…" Bayley awkwardly walked off camera and Renee was a bit thrown off…
 
Scott Stamford hyped the main event for the NXT Championship… A Leo Kruger vignette aired…[C]
 
Zim’s Zag: Awesome match from Zayn and Cesaro. Cesaro looked super strong and worked super smart throughout, as he is best suited to do. Zayn showed great resilience and babyface fire on his brief but exciting comebacks. He left the crowd wanting to see more from him and had the out of being attacked before the match even started. I expect to see more from this program, with both guys capable of putting on even better matches than this one was.
 
Back from break, the team of Travis Tyler and Baron Corbin were introduced in the ring. Sylvester Lefort walked onto the stage and introduced himself, then his tag team: Scott Dawson and Garrett Dylan. Commentator Tony Dawson said these two grew up in the same trailer park and were discovered by Lefort at a country music festival. Ugh.
 
2. Scott Dawson and Garrett Dylan (w/ Sylvester Lefort and a bottle of J.R.’s BBQ Sauce) vs. Travis Tyler and Baron Corbin. Travis Tyler worked a headlock on Dawson for the opening minute until Dylan was able to tag in. They made quick tags, with their offense consisting of punches and kicks. Dawson hit a leg drop and a knee drop at about three minutes. Dylan seemed uncomfortable in the ring, never staying in for more than 5 seconds before tagging Dawson again. Baron Corbin was finally tagged in at the four-minute mark and briefly fired up, but ran into the spinning spinebuster and sitout axe-handle smash combo for the Dawson and Dylan win.
 
Scott Dawson and Garrett Dylan beat Baron Corbin and Travis Tyler in about 4:30.
 
A replay of the finish aired and the winners made their way up the ramp…
 
Somewhere backstage, "earlier today," Adrian Neville, Corey Graves, and Kassius Ohno were have a discussion while standing side-by-side and facing the same direction. Awkward looking. Graves and Ohno were upset that Neville had a match with Bray Wyatt next week instead of them. William Regal approached and said that this arguing is exactly what Wyatt wants and needs. Regal compared The Family to The Shield, saying that The Family is even more dangerous because Wyatt is a deranged psychopath.
 
This got through to Neville, and he admitted that he was going in outnumbered next week. He asked for Graves and Ohno to have his back when he faces Wyatt, and they agreed. After Graves and Neville left, Ohno grabbed William Regal and sincerely thanked him for the chat. He said that someday, he’ll find a way to pay Regal back for everything he’s done and humbly bowed before walking off-camera. Regal appeared satisfied and proud…
 
Scott Stamford hyped the main event for the NXT Championship later on in the show…[C]
 
Zim’s Zag: Lame tag match. I continue to be thoroughly unimpressed by the team of Dawson and Dylan, as their work in the ring is just dreadful to watch. I think there’s infinitely more upside to Sylvester Lefort than either member of his team. I like the backstage segment and how it played out. It was logical and was even able to keep the connection between Ohno and Regal alive. My only complaint is how contrived it looked with three guys having a conversation while facing the camera; they could’ve planned that out slightly more believably.
 
A graphic aired that the next match was an NXT Women’s Championship Tournament match. Bayley made a timid entrance described by Dawson as "wide-eyed innocence." William Regal and Tony Dawson checked in on commentary a half-hour into the show and displayed the new NXT Women’s Championship belt. Alicia Fox was out next carrying what looked like a fox pelt.
 
3. Bayley vs. Alicia Fox in an NXT Women’s Championship Tournament 1st round match. Bayley awkwardly extended her hand for a handshake and pulled it into a hug when Alicia Fox reciprocated. Fox turned and went on the attack. Fox hit a bridging Northern Lights suplex for a two-count about a minute in before settling into a chinlock. Fox went full heel and facepalmed Bayley, which finally got Bayley fired up. Bayley fired away with forearms and hit a monkey-flip out of the corner. Bayley charged with running elbows and hit a big jumping knee onto Fox. Bayley tossed Fox with a gutwrench suplex, but Alicia caught her with a kick to the head from the ring apron and finished with a scissors kick for the win.
 
Alicia Fox beat Bayley in about 3:30 to advance in the NXT Women’s Championship Tournament.
 
Post-match, Fox made her way up the ramp and punked out a fan that went for a high-five… Scott Stamford hyped the NXT Championship match coming up next… A Bray Wyatt vignette aired. Wyatt said that every time William Regal crosses him, his life in very serious danger. He also questioned what would be left of WWE after he gets there. "The red tide is now…" He closed…[C]
 
Zim’s Zag: Pretty good match from the Divas. Not much more than one would expect, but both ladies worked well. Interesting that Bray Wyatt specifically targeted William Regal in part of his promo, I would love to see that match take place on NXT if Regal and Wyatt turn up the heat between them.
 
A video package recapped Bo Dallas last eliminating Adrian Neville to earn a shot at Big E Langston and the NXT Championship. The graphic displayed and Byron Saxton announced that this match was for the NXT Championship.
 
Bo Dallas made his entrance to heavy boos but found one fan willing to high-five him. NXT Champion Big E Langston made his entrance to a good reaction with his talc powder and steam pyro routine. Saxton gave full championship introductions, unanimous heat for Dallas and an arena-wide "Five!" chant for Langston.
 
4. NXT Champion Big E Langston vs. Bo Dallas for the NXT Championship. Dallas tried to use his quickness but was easily overpowered by Langston. Dallas leapfrogged Langston and caught him with a dropkick, but Langston came right back by leapfrogging Dallas (holy crap!) and catching him with a hard shoulder block. Dallas tried to wear Langston down with shots and dropped the top rope to send a charging Langston out of the ring. Dallas was the aggressor until Langston drove him hard into the turnbuckle and out of the ring…[C]
 
Back from break, the fight was at ringside with Langston driving Dallas into the ring apron. Back in the ring, Langston signaled to the crowd and hit five shots to Dallas’ midsection, crumpling him to the mat. Langston followed up with a short-arm clothesline for a two-count and hit the ropes, crushing Dallas with a high jumping splash. Dallas tried to fight back, but Langston hit an elbow that knocked Dallas to ringside. Langston got another two-count back in the ring and tried to follow up with another splash, but Bo was able to evade.
 
As Dallas tried to fire up, the crowd let loose with heavy "No more Bo!" chants. He caught Langston with a knee to the head and hit a springboard bulldog out of the corner for a two-count of his own. Dallas went for his belly-to-belly, but Langston was too strong and he hit the move on Dallas instead.
 
Langston fired up with clotheslines and hit five knee strikes to Dallas’ midsection before running him over with the E Train body block. Langston got the crowd frenzied with "five!" chants, dropped his straps, and hoisted Dallas up for the Big Ending. Dallas was able to grab onto the turnbuckle and halfway pull the padding off. He slipped off Big E’s shoulder and drove him into the exposed turnbuckle twice before nailing his snap belly-to-belly and scoring the upset victory.
 
Bo Dallas defeated Big E Langston in about 8:00 to win the NXT Championship.
 
The crowd let loose and showered Dallas with boos as a replay aired. Dallas stood mid-ring and the lights cut out around the arena, with only a spotlight remaining on Dallas. He made his way up the ramp where Renee Young greeted him at the top for a brief interview. Dallas said he can’t explain how he feels in words. "I can’t really think of anything, so, I’m going to Disney World!" He said, as the crowd continued to berate him. Tony Dawson called him the happiest person in the happiest place on earth and signed off.
 
Zim’s Zag: Good match from these two. That was probably Big E’s best match on NXT and he showed that he’s far from just being a "body guy." Dallas needs to go hard heel really soon because it’s just uncomfortable watching him get such massive heat, yet fail to acknowledge it. His post-match segment showed that he still has a real lack of poise on the mic and confirmed that he needs to really find himself instead of playing over-the-top white-meat babyface.
 
This show opened and closed with two of the strongest matches I can recall on NXT and is well-worth seeking out. The middle of the show was a bit mediocre compared to the bookends. The tag match confirmed last week’s suspicion that the Dawson and Dylan tag team are far from entertaining, with most of their potential laying in their manager, Sylvester Lefort. A new character emerged in the Diva’s division in Bayley, although her character will turn off some viewers and her persona is slightly too similar to Emma’s. Definite differences, but definite similarities as well. I like that they reinforced the story behind the Wyatt Family’s feud with Neville, Ohno, and Graves, and I like the inclusion of William Regal and the possibilities that opens down the road. This was a good show. If nothing else, you owe it to yourself to see the opening match and main event.
 
Throw any comments, questions, criticisms, or corrections @InVasionZim; always happy to discuss.

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