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8/30 Gutteridge's WWE NXT Review: Seth Rollins vs Jinder Mahal to crown the first NXT Champion, Big E Langston vs Chase Donovan, Hunico and Camacho vs Mike Dalton and Jason Jordan

Posted in: WWE Live Events
By
Aug 31, 2012 - 05:08 PM

By Darren Gutteridge
 
WWE NXT on Sky Sports 4
Taped on 7/26 in Winter Park, Florida

 
[Q1] Byron Saxton checked in on commentary, and said that tonight is the night that the first NXT champion will be crowned. Mike Dalton and Jason Jordan made there entrance as William Regal joined commentary and talked about the teams upset victory over Hunico and Camacho 4 weeks ago. Hunico and Camacho made their way out for the rematch...
 
1. Mike Dalton and Jason Jordan vs. Hunico and Camacho. Jordan got the better of Camacho in the early going until Camacho landed a spinebuster. The heels slowed the pace down as they cut Jordan off. Hunico showed some impressive strength by turning his own roll through pin into a powerbomb.
 
Camacho got caught by a dropkick from Jordan, and both men tagged out. Dalton hit some quick flashy moves, culminating with a missile dropkick from the top rope. Camacho broke the pin up, and as Jordan got in the ring to fight him off, the ref became distracted, and this allowed Camacho to hang Dalton off the ropes and set up Hunico for his Angle Slam-esque finisher...
 
Hunico and Camacho defeated Jason Jordan and Mike Dalton in 4:02.
 
Regal praised Hunico and Camacho's team work as Saxton hyped the main event between Seth Rollins and Jinder Mahal for the NXT Title before commercial... [C]
 
Gutt Check: Firstly, I apologize to my (assumed) legions of fans for my two week absence, as I was in the US of A, touring California. I missed Summerslam by three days. Anyway, I guess the heels got their win back? It wasn't exactly clean, but unless this leads to a rubber match, why have Dalton and Jordan go over in the first place? The match had a nice pace, but was too short to have any real impact.
 
[Q2] The Usos came out without their traditional dance, and got on the mics in the ring. Jimmy did the 'Us - O' thing with the crowd, then addressed their last match with The Ascension. He said The Ascension were clearly not interested in getting a win, they wanted a fight. He said they would gladly answer the challenge, and called out The Ascension.
 
As the lights went out, The Ascension appeared from behind the Usos and attacked them. They isolated Jimmy in the ring and stomped him on the mat. They took Jey out with a high low combo on the outside, and then did the same to Jimmy. The lights went out again and The Ascension let out some guttural roars. Regal said he couldn't wait until these two teams faced each other again, as Saxton said that Big E Langston will be in action next...
 
Gutt Check: They look effective and lethal, but The Ascension is not winning me over. All the in ring work is outdone by the theatrics. Some may point to Undertaker as an example that this sort of thing can still work, but Taker is a dynasty, and his gimmick was born in a gimmick heavy era and we grew to accept it (and even then, it could get real silly real fast). Really, is there any over the top gimmick wrestler of importance working in the WWE today?
 
A teaser for Night of Champions aired, using footage of the Olympics as well as other sporting teams. Smart advertising. This preceded an Antonio Cesaro package and the Raw Rebound, featuring the CM Punk and Jerry Lawler events...
 
Big E Langston made his entrance, chalking up his hands, as Chase Donovan waited for him in the ring...
 
2. Big E Langston vs. Chase Donovan. Big E took Donovan down with a huge body check. This immediately set him up for the Big Ending (over the shoulder cutter) finisher...
 
Big E Langston defeated Chase Donovan in 0:40.
 
The commentators talked up how impressive Big E has been, and then said Rollins vs Mahal was up next... [C]
 
Gutt Check: How can you critique a 40-second squash? I think this is by-the-book booking for a heel like Langston, but they could of done a little more than two moves. I think the audience would buy in more if he showed just how powerful he clearly is.
 
[Q3] The NXT roster walked onto the top of the ramp. Nice touch. Backstage, Briley Pierce caught up with Big E, and asked if he thought his streak would continue. Big E merely breathed heavily at him until he left...
 
Back in the arena, Howard Finkel introduced Dusty Rhodes onto the stage. He grabbed the title belt and walked it to the ring as JR joined on commentary. Jinder Mahal came out first, staring down the other members of the roster. The roster clapped Seth Rollins onto the stage, and he pointed at all of them before heading to the ring.
 
Finkel handled the introductions in the ring, and then Dusty went to shake each mans hand. Rollins shook it, but Mahal refused...
 
3. Seth Rollins vs. Jinder Mahal in the finals of the Gold Rush Tournament. Seth got all of the early going, mixing mat work with running kicks. Mahal ended up on the outside, and Rollins attempted to dive on him, but Mahal dodged and slammed Rollins into the apron, and then onto the ramp. He threw Rollins back inside for a two count before we cut to a Don't Try This At Home video...
 
When we returned, Mahal kept Rollins grounded and targeted the back. JR and Regal pointed out that Rollins could be injured from the slam into the ramp. Mahal built to the Camel Clutch, but Rollins grabbed the ropes to break the hold.
 
Rollins managed to get to his feet and hit a spinning wheel kick. This lead to another flurry of kicks from Rollins, and he tried for a corner splash, but Mahal ducked, only to be sent to the outside by Rollins on the counter. Rollins landed a crossbody to Mahal on the outside to send both men down. Back in the ring, Rollins climbed the turnbuckle, but Mahal cut him off. Mahal superplexed him, and both men were again down before commercial... [C]
 
[Q4] Back from commercial, the two man threw punches, and went back and forth with offence until Mahal landed a sidewalk slam for a two. Rollins ended up on the apron, and kicked Mahal to set up a springboard flying knee. Mahal kicked out, and Rollins set up and hit corner splash, followed by the turnbuckle slam. A superkick again brought a two count. Rollins attempted a corkscrew moonsault, but Mahal rolled out of the way.
 
Mahal once again tried for the Camel Clutch, and Rollins escaped twice. Out of nowhere, Rollins hoisted Mahal into a powerbomb position, and then stalled as he seemed to get his bearings in the ring. He eventually slammed Mahal into the turnbuckles, and landed the Blackout for the victory and the NXT Title...
 
Seth Rollins defeated Jinder Mahal in 19:45 to win the NXT Title.
 
The crowd popped loudly as Seth got given the belt. He looked around at the audience, and eventually hugged Dusty Rhodes. After the replay of the finish, Seth swung the belt around his head a few times before the NXT roster joined him. Richie Steamboat and Derrick Bateman placed him on their shoulders as Saxton said the era of Seth Rollins had begun. Rollins ran into the crowd as NXT went off the air...
 
Gutt Check: While not exactly a classic, the match certainly picked up when it mattered at the end. It was treated as a big deal by the commentators and the other members of the roster, and the crowd seemed to respond accordingly, especially for the finish. I agree that Seth is the right choice in a number of ways, as he is clearly the man they have spotlighted the most, and seems ready for the prime time. Having said that, putting the title on him may mean he is stuck on NXT a little longer, which is a shame as I think he could make a big splash on Smackdown.
 
The show was all geared towards the main event, as it should have been, but that meant the action leading up to it was forgettable. Big E seems to be being positioned as Seth's likely first challenger, but that’s just guess work. Aside from that, it was pretty much 'nothing to report'. Hopefully with a figure head in place now, the show can take the next step in it's evolution.
 
Thanks for reading. If you had any comments or thoughts on the show or this review, add me on Twitter via @Dazatheg

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