411’s WWE NXT Report 02.27.13

From Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida

Commentators: Tony Dawson & William Regal

Championship’s roll call: WWE Champion: The Rock… 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… NXT Tag Team Champions: Adrian Neville & Oliver Grey… Diva’s Champion: Kaitlyn

In the back, Bo Dallas talks to GM Dusty Rhodes when Corey Graves appears and gives the NXT title (that he stole last week) to him; Graves feels that title should be his. Dusty explains that Bo is back in NXT because of all his accomplishments in his short stay in the WWE. He books Graves, Dallas and Conor O’Brian in a triple threat number one contender’s match.

Justin Gabriel (w/Tyson Kidd) vs. Leo Kruger:   This is a direct result from the attack from last week on Gabriel’s injured tag partner, Kidd. We have the only two South Africans in the WWE in the ring at the same time. They lock up and roll around on the ropes drawing a referee break; Kruger tries a cheapshot in the corner but misses allowing Gabriel a chop. Lockup #2: this time Kruger is in the ropes. Gabriel with the clean break, Leo tries once again to get at him, but fails; a headlock takeover puts Kruger down. Kidd shouts encouragement as Kruger tries to escape but cannot. Kruger finally escapes, tossing Gabriel off the ropes, but fells to a shoulderblock and back to the side headlock for Gabriel. Kruger tries to roll free but Gabriel maintains his hold; Leo finally gets control with a knee and clamps on his own headlock. Gabriel quickly counters into a head scissors and then the headlock again. Kruger takes over with an elbow square in the face and hits his own chinlock. Gabriel reverses into an armbar; Kruger backs him into the corner and clubbers him down. A cross-corner whip is countered by a tip-over head scissors; he knocks Kruger to the floor as we head to break. We return with Gabriel working the arm; Kruger pops right back with a shoulderblock; he runs the ropes and Gabriel tries a leapfrog but Kruger catches him in midair with a spinebuster slam. He tosses Gabriel into the post shoulder first and then zeros in on the arm with a top wristlock. Gabriel breaks the hold with a single-arm stunner. He makes a comeback with come kicks and a low roundhouse. Kruger takes control back with a single-arm DDT; he works the arm some more with a step-over armbreaker and then a Fujiwara armbar. He hits a nasty looking short-arm clothesline. He hammerlocks the arm and drops knees onto it. Gabriel rises and reverses with an armdrag; he flips off a backdrop into a comeback and hits a few roundhouse kicks. He nails a spinning forearm and splash in the corner; a springboard crossbody gets two. Gabriel heads up top but Kruger plays defense knocking him off; Leo hits a running lariat, turning him inside out, and gets only two. Tony Dawson sells it like he just kicked out of the Pedigree. Kruger deposits him on the top rope but Gabriel counters with a sunset bomb. The 450 Splash ends the match. Post-match, Kruger nails Gabriel with one of the crutches and smiles at Kidd about it as he takes his leave.   6/10 Pretty decent match, which started slow, and built to a crescendo in the end; good match. I enjoyed it and like the fact that this feud will continue, although I do not foresee Gabriel and Kruger fighting for another three or four months until Kidd returns. I guess they’ve also dropped with alliance with Kassius Ohno.

Here is your winner… Justin Gabriel via 450 Splash pinfall

I’m coming home WrestleMania XXIX commercial is shown… I’ll be there, since it’s in my home. Psyched.

Emma vs. Aksana:   Emma dances all of the way to the ring but doesn’t quite have the coordination to smoothly flip into the ring. Interesting gimmick: thinks she can dance but in reality, can’t. It’s the Elaine Benes gimmick. Aksana kicks Emma as she is doing some finger wiggles. The seductive crawl sets up a faceplant. Emma retreats to the apron and falls off. Okay, perhaps the gimmick is she’s a klutz. She recovers as Aksana goes after her but Emma falls again, inadvertently clotheslining her off the top rope. Back in the ring, Emma gets two. She tosses her around by the hair a few times. Emma mocks the seductive crawl so Aksana slams her a few times and drops an elbow. Emma fights back and tosses her into the buckles; she grabs her by the ears and drops her on her ass. She applies a cravat as Lance Storm’s name is dropped (he trained Emma). Emma gets a nearfall and then goes for a suplex but spends too much time bumping and grinding, allowing Aksana to push her into the corner. Emma gets a boot up in the corner but acts like she is drunk and stumbles into a spinebuster to end it.   1.5/10 Usually the divas matches on NXT are really good (comparatively speaking) but this one wasn’t. I don’t get Emma’s gimmick, not sure if she is discoordinated, clumsy, stupid or just drunk? Whichever, she barely got a move off here so I have no idea if she is any good or not. Aksana, despite improving a little, is terrible.

Here is your winner… Aksana via spinebuster pinfall

In the back Renee Young is in the back next to a kayoed Bo Dallas; the doctor’s check on him as Young reports that they do not know who did it or if he can compete in the number one contender’s match, which is up next…

Corey Graves vs. “The Ascension” Conor O’Brian number one contender’s match:   This was supposed to be a triple threat but someone attacked Bo Dallas in the back, so he’s out. Odd decision, since both men are heels. Graves goes for the leg but O’Brian launches him off. Corey tries a go-behind but he gets slung across the ring again. Conor TOWERS over Graves and runs over him three times with shoulderblocks; he then applies rolling headlocks and maintains control with it. Graves fights free but O’Brian just mails him into a trapezius lock and we take a break. Odd time for it as there was no transition. We return with Graves getting backdropped to the floor, out of the corner. O’Brian leaps out of the ring and continues to stalk Graves and back him into the apron. Conor keeps control with stomps; Corey rolls to the floor to try to goad O’Brian into chasing him. It works. Graves low dropkicks Conor’s knee as he is reentering and is able to take over; he slams O’Brian’s legs on the apron and then wraps it around the ringpost. Back in the ring, Graves works the leg with a leglock. O’Brian tries to free himself so Graves just begins to drop elbows onto the knee. He reapplies the leglock but Conor powers himself free atomic dropping Graves onto the mat. Corey is able to maintain control dropping O’Brian’s knee on the mat. He applies a standing toehold and then reapplies the leglock. O’Brian punches free but walks into a drop-toehold and another leglock variant. A second commercial break follows. When we return, both men are battling on the floor but O’Brian is limping around. Back in the ring, Graves still has the advantage and keeps on the back of the leg and reapplies the leglock; O’Brian grabs his head and butts his way free. Conor tries the one-legged comeback; he hits a few clotheslines and a flapjack. O’Brian looks to finish but the lights go out and here’s the Shield decimating both men. I guess that explains who took out Bo Dallas. The match is over as Graves suffers a Shield Bomb; O’Brian also suffers one too. Post-match, Ambrose reminds us there is no escape from the Shield. Rollins gets a nice reaction from the crowd as he states the Shield is going to make things better, but first they have to get BAD. Reigns says no one is outside the grip of the Shield. BELIEVE IN THE SHIELD!   5/10 The match was pretty basic but I like Graves’ stratagem against the bigman. Corey looked like a little gnat in there with O’Brian who looked massive compared to him; he fought like one too as he used his speed to keep O’Brian off-balance. The Shield’s attack may have ruined the match but it was a nice surprise. I like the fact that they can pop up anywhere and attack anyone, heel or babyface at any moment.

Here is your winner… No Contest

OVERALL 5.5/10   All of the matches on this show were nothing to write home about but the show as a whole is always entertaining despite match quality. The Shield’s appearance keeps them in everyone’s mind, in case we have forgotten to pay the rent.

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