411’s WWE NXT Report 01.23.13

From Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida

Commentators: Tony Dawson & William Regal

Championship’s roll call: WWE Champion: CM Punk… World Champion: Alberto Del Rio… Intercontinental Champion: Wade Barrett… United States Champion: Antonio Cesaro… Tag Team Champions: Team Hell No… NXT Champion: Big E Langston… Diva’s Champion: Kaitlyn

Shawn Michaels is in the ring on NXT! Always good to hear one of the all-time best WWE themes, Sexy Boy. Shawn shows off the NEW NXT tag team belts; he reminisces that he was once in a tag team and that spring boarded him into superstardom. After that, he announces a tournament to crown the new champs and if you’re not down with that he’s got two words for us…

Yoshi Tatsu & Percy Watson vs. The Wyatt Family (w/Bray Wyatt) NXT Tag Team Championship Tournament, first round:   I think I’ve seen this squash before. Watson and Erick Rowan open; Rowan pounds him down and nails a shoulderblock. Watson is only able to muster any O when he speeds the match up, and does ducking a clothesline, and hitting a leg lariat. It just staggers the big guy so he works the arm; he isolates Erick and tags in Tatsu who hits a top-rope double axe to the arm. He keeps him at bay with a kick in the corner but runs right into a backbreaker. Harper tags in and the Family chop away in the corner; they continue the mauling with shoulderblocks and clubbering. Harper applies a chinlock and wrenches back on it. Tatsu responds with a jawjacker but the Wyatts keep him in the bad guy corner; Rowan slams him and then applies a neck crank. Wyatt rocks back and forth in his chair as Harper tags in; he props Yoshi on the apron and tries to bring him in via suplex but Tatsu lands on his feet and brings Percy in. He hits some high-angle dropkicks to Luke and knocks Rowan off the apron; he hits a spinebuster but Rowan recovers and interrupts the count. Tatsu shows up and Cactus Clotheslines Rowan to the floor leaving Watson all alone with Harper; poor Percy is no match for him one-on-one and gets clocked with a discus lariat for three.   5.5/10 Not bad as Percy and Yoshi are good plucky babyfaces and little to make these two skyscrapers look awesome. The Family’s offense is slow, plugging but devastating; it fits the characters and that drives the team. These three are perfect for this gimmick.

Here are your winners… The Wyatt Family via discus lariat pinfall

In the back Dusty Rhodes talks to some of the other tag division members who are in the tournament. Alex Riley sighting! Dusty is interrupted by Corey Graves who is mad that he didn’t get an NXT title rematch and is also not in the tag tourney. Riley gets in his face, calls him circus boy, and tells him to “jump.” Rhodes initially is amused with Graves; but tells him that he’s not in the tournament because no one wanted to be his partner, including Jake Carter. Burn. They were former FCW tag champions. Dusty tells him he is facing Carter tonight. Corey agrees and tells him that his path to the NXT title begins tonight.

Alicia Fox vs. Sasha Banks:   For some reason William Regal mentions that Sasha is related to Snoop Dogg. Alicia pounds away at the outset but Banks comes back with a satellite head scissors takeover. Banks gets a bit too aggressive and Fox kicks her in the face; a one-footed dropkick nets two. She hits the Northern Lights Suplex (with that ridiculous bridge) for two. Alicia hits the chinlock and keeps her at bay with an STO. Fox keeps on her with another chinlock with a knee to the back. This goes on for a while. Tony Dawson actually asks Regal “what is that move she’s using now?” Really. Regal replies dryly with, if you need to know that, you shouldn’t be sitting with me. Sasha comes back with a monkey flip and hits clotheslines; she walks up the ropes into a nice Lucha armdrag. Banks goes for a wheelbarrow move but Fox blocks and turns it into a release Glam Slam. Alicia tries a slam but Banks holds on and cradles her… for the WIN!   3/10 Not bad but slow; Fox isn’t very good in the ring from the past three (or four) years I’ve watched her. Banks looks to have a little Lucha Libre in her, which would be good as we haven’t seen a real good highflying diva in the WWE, possible since Lita or the Jumping Bomb Angels.

Here is your winner… Sasha Banks via cradle pinfall

A video package for Paige is shown; hearing her talk with her English accent is pretty cool. She does not want us to know much about her. After that, new NXT correspondent, Rene Young has Aksana with her. She’s facing Paige next week; she thinks that Paige stole her look and calls 2013 “Aksana’s year.”

Conor O’Brian says he’s the true Ascension and he will rise. Okay so that’s where they are going with him, keeping him as the gothic heel.

Jake Carter vs. Corey Graves:   Former (FCW) tag champions here going at it; Carter applies a side headlock as the fans are creepily silent. He maintains it for a while until Graves backs him into the corner; Carter pounds back but Graves reverses with a back suplex. Corey goes to work with rapid fire driving elbows to the throat; he applies a quarter nelson with a chinlock. He maintains it for a while as Tony Dawson screws up the name of Graves’ finisher, calling it the twelfth step, causing William Regal to go off on a brief tangent of his battles in the “twelve steps.” Graves releases and charge into a press-Manhattan drop for two. Jake misses a charge in the corner and Graves submarines the knee. Graves immediately goes for the Thirteenth Step for the tapout. Post-match, Graves feels that he’s an outcast, which is why he did not get his NXT title rematch (or was allowed into the NXT tag tournament). He’s declaring anarchy on NXT; he tells Alex Riley that he will make him “stay down.”   4/10 Well that was quick; I wonder if Vader is disappointed in the way his son jobs so quickly. Tough words from Graves as he is on the hot path to stardom here in NXT.

Here is your winner… Corey Graves via Thirteenth Step submission

Adrian Neville & Oliver Grey vs. 3MB NXT Tag Team Championship Tournament, first round:   I love 3MB; no Jinder Mahal with them this week, though. They are already dubbing the opposing team the New British Invasion. Neville and McIntyre open up as I realize that three of the four competitors here are from Great Britain. Drew hits a release suplex and an AIR GUITAR. He takes him over with a waistlock and tries again but Neville counters with an armdrag. McIntyre applies a chinlock so Neville speeds it up and hits a flying head scissors. McIntyre punches him in the mouth and tags in Slater; Heath tries a back suplex but Neville flips free and tags in Gray. Oliver works the arm but Slater slams him… Grey hangs onto the wristlock, though. Slater tries to break the hold but Oliver is tenacious and hyperextends the elbow. Slater uses some knuckles to break but Grey hits the ropes and nails a dropkick. Heath slips to the floor for an intermission but Gray slides between them; he ducks as Drew winds up a punch and he accidentally hits Slater. Neville winds up and hits a somersault plancha. The Brits have the crowd all a frenzy. Back from break, 3MB is back in control with McIntyre hitting a vertical suplex for two. Neville gets knocked off the apron, drawing him into the ring allowing some illegal double teaming. Drew whips Grey into a Slater leg lariat for a close two count. Heath applies a chinlock. Oliver breaks the hold with a back suplex. Drew breaks up the hot tag but can’t maintain his advantage and the tag is made a few seconds later. Neville flips into the ring and quickens the pace with lunging forearms. Neville does some fancy footwork and backflips off a float-over in the corner but gets caught in the opposite corner. Adrian manages to kick him in the head from the apron; he heads up top, fends off Slater, and nails a ridiculous 630 corkscrew Shooting Star Press.   6/10 THAT was a finisher; these two are  going to go places but unfortunately at the expense of the 3MB, which sucks, but they belong in the WWE so winning these tag titles will keep them off the main roster longer. Besides, according to Slater’s mom, they have a 10% chance of winning the Royal Rumble.

Here are your winners… Adrian Neville & Oliver Grey via 630 Corkscrew Shooting Star Press pinfall

Big E Langston vs. Axl Keegan:   Keegan has ZERO chance of getting any offense here. The commentators mention his alliance with Dolph Ziggler but he’s still a babyface here. Keegan is a bit taller but Langston begins the “five” chants. Keegan tries to punch him in the face… WRONG MOVE! Langston steamrolls him. Straps are down and the Big Ending follows. I guess Big E does not work by the hour. Post-match, the five count tradition continues as the bloodthirsty fans want more. A second Big Ending is about to come down but Conor O’Brian appears on the Tron. He says in two weeks he hopes that Langston is present for “the awakening.” Langston then decides to respond by nailing the Big Ending and counting his five. Big E hits one more to keep the fans happy.   4.5/10 Squash but a new challenger emerges. Let’s see how Conor does as a singles wrestler; his tag matches were so quick we never got a true gauge on him. The gothic gimmick is always a crowd pleaser so he at least has that.

Here is your winner… Big E Langston via Big Ending pinfall

OVERALL 6/10   I like the idea NXT tag titles. The Neville/Grey team should be fun and I hope they win the thing (although I still don’t know the other teams). We got a Big E squash and say the Wyatt Family too. Good show this week. Corey Graves’ push begins and I figure he may be the one to unseat Langston eventually.

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