411’s WWE NXT Report 04.03.13

From Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida

Commentators: Tony Dawson, Kassius Ohno & Brad Maddox

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

Bo Dallas & Adrian Neville vs. The Wyatt Family (w/Bray Wyatt):   Pre-match, Wyatt talks about being in a cage with a snake. Dallas and Harper open the contest as the commentators note that Oliver Grey is out for six months. I presume that will have some barring on the thirty day title defense rule. Harper quickly powers Dallas into the Wyatt corner and Rowan tags in. He hits some elbows to the top of the head and chokes him with his boot. Bo tries to fight back but Harper keeps clubbering him down. Harper tags in and they sequester Dallas there and punch away. Harper tries a slam but Dallas slips free and Neville kicks his way in; he nails a pair of low dropkicks and a standing shooting star splash for two. Harper backdrops Neville onto the apron; he wipes out Rowan but Bray Wyatt is there to provide the distraction allowing Harper to knock him off. He then drops Dallas off the apron and kills Neville with a running boot… for two. Back from commercial, Rowan works over Neville with a neck crank. Neville punches his way back and hits a sunset flip but Rowan spins around and hits a legdrop, which gets two. Rowan stamps on him and plops him in the corner for a tag and some clubbering. Harper gets two. He drags Neville up and drops him with some elbows; he nudges him like a dog into a chinlock. Wyatt watches from his rocking chair as Neville erects himself and kicks free of a backdrop. He runs right into a well-placed elbow; Harper drops en elbow and tries another nearfall for two. Rowan tags and enters with his own elbow drops. He hoists Neville up and rams him into the Family’s corner; Harper tags and hits a shoulderblock there. He goes to a front facelock and pounds the highflyer down more when he tries to mount a comeback; Rowan tags in and uses the Bushwhacker Battering Ram finisher on Neville forcing his head into the middle turnbuckle. Harper tags again as rapid tags keep Neville in the Family’s corner. Neville begins to counter all of Harper’s O and ducks to avoid a running boot, hanging Harper up in the ropes. Dallas finally tags in and he hits clotheslines and a running boot; a flying forearm lands as does the tornado bulldog but Rowan interrupts the count. Dallas low bridges Rowan to the floor and then nails Wyatt trying to hop on the apron; Neville hits the ropes with a beautiful corkscrew plancha to wipe them out. Meanwhile, in the ring, Harper misses the discus lariat and Dallas pins him after the belly-to-belly suplex off the ropes.   5.5/10 The Family’s plodding offense could be construed as boring but I view it as methodical. The characters that they are, this type of match works for them. I wonder if Dallas will replace Grey in the tag team champions’ team considering that he’s out for months.

Here is your winner… Bo Dallas & Adrian Neville via belly-to-belly suplex pinfall

Conor O’Brian says he will rise to become the NXT Champion.

We get the conclusion of the John Cena promo from Raw and the Rock’s rebuttal, to promote WrestleMania.

We go to the commentator’s booth where William Regal appears and attacks Kassius Ohno in a tit-for-tat from last week.

Paige & Sasha Banks vs. Audrey Marie & Summer Rae:   Paige storms the ring to get at Rae but she retreats to the floor. Paige will have to settle for Audrey to open the match. She keeps trying to get at Summer which gives Marie an opening and nails a short snap-suplex; she then hits a one-footed monkey flip. Marie pushes Paige into her corner allowing Banks to tag and she SLAPS her. Banks hits a step-up (the ropes) armdrag and a satellite head scissors, for two. Marie comes back with a short-arm clothesline and tags in Rae. She taunts Paige on the apron as she buries her knee into Sasha’s neck; the heels work over Banks in their corner and Audrey applies a chinlock. Summer tags back in and pushes Sasha’s head into the buckles for a two count. More quick tags follow in the bad girl corner. Eventually, Banks escapes and tags Paige in finally allowing the bloodthirsty fans to get the Paige/Summer Rae encounter they’ve been salivating for… for about a month. She slowly stalks her but Summer quick tags in Marie and runs away screwing the fans again. Paige beats up Marie and quickly hits the Paige Turner for three. Post-match, Paige runs away to get at Summer Rae.   5/10 NXT divas match are far superior to WWE divas matches and that’s all I’ll say about this match. The WWE has done a great job building anticipation for the eventual final encounter between the two of them. Too bad NXT does not have pay-per-views, because this is one that would appear on one.

Here is your winner… Paige & Sasha Banks via Paige Turner pinfall

NXT Heavyweight Championship Big E Langston vs. “The Ascension” Conor O’Brian:   Conor gets his title match after winning a triple threat about a month ago. Tony Dawson says “some experts” believe that O’Brian looks like an orc. At least he’s not a rat anymore. I’m sorry; I love everything about this show EXCEPT the title belt. It’s ugly. It makes the spinner belt look like the old Winged Eagle Championship. Hey, look! I get to see Langston wrestle in the ring before his “debut” at WrestleMania. Big E is still undefeated in competitive matches in the WWE. Langston begins the “five” chant as they lock up. Stalemate. They lock up again but O’Brian grabs a side headlock. He hits the ropes but Langston shoulderblocks him down. Conor takes a powder as we head to break. We return with Langston pounding away on O’Brian’s midsection… FIVE times for those scoring at home (or if you’re alone, too). Conor hits the ropes but runs afoul of a standing clothesline. O’Brian retreats to the apron to goad Big E over and hangs his throat off the top rope. Back in the ring, Conor scores with a full nelson slam for a pair of two counts. O’Brian drops elbows and shouts and grumbles at Langston; he settles into a chinlock. Langston fights back but O’Brian hits a shoulderblock in the corner and a second-rope Barbarian Lariat for a nearfall. O’Brian back to the chinlock; a five chant riles Langston up but Conor maintains control with clubbering forearms. Back to the chinlock. Langston fights back again but O’Brian continues to tee off on him until Big E gets pissed off. The fans chant five again and the Champ responds with clotheslines and FIVE short kneelifts. He bounds off the ropes… right into a big boot to take all of the air out of the building. He gets a two count as Brad Maddox insists a three count fell. Conor MOCKS THE FIVE and even tries his own version of the Big Ending but Langston escapes. He hits a running Vader Splash and the Big Ending for the pinfall. Post-match, he nails Conor with another Ending for the five count.   6/10 Good power match between these two; I thought that they would get the belt off him soon but I guess that is not to be as of now. The triple threat would be a better way to get the belt off of him. I get keeping the champ strong and the post-match stuff is good for guys like Camacho but not legit NXT main eventers like O’Brian.

Here is your winner AND STILL Champion… Big E Langston via Big Ending pinfall

OVERALL 5/10   Average show this week despite a rare title match. The opening match was good but a bit slow (due to characters not lack of talent) and the divas match was also good. The main event title match was okay but the post-match “burial” of O’Brian just did not sit well with me.

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