WWE NXT - September 18, 2013
by Samoa Rowe
-From Full Sail University, in Orlando, FL. Our hosts are Tom Phillips and Alex Riley.
Sami Zayn vs. Curt Hawkins
I hope this gets time and isn’t a squash. Curt is looking for payback after losing to Zayn several weeks ago. Zayn builds some momentum throwing arm drags and punches. Hawkins counters a chinlock and nails a power slam. Hawkins applies a chinlock of his own, after softening up the back. Hawkins becomes overconfident and runs into a leg lariat. Hawkins bounces Sami’s head off the ring post to send us to commercial. After the break, Hawkins continues to roll with a suplex. Cue the chinlock! Both guys go down with double clothesline attempts. They throw a couple of stereo punches and Zayn explodes into a flurry of offense. Flying cross body by Zayn gets a 2 count. Surprise enziguri by Hawkins but Sami kicks out. Impaler DDT by Hawkins gets another near fall. Hawkins busts out a spinning power slam (indicating he’s almost out of tricks) but only gets 2 again. Curt slaps the head, firing Sami up for the Yakuza kick and Tornado DDT for the win at 11:14 (shown). Tremendous showing for Zayn here, overcoming a seasoned veteran on his way to a title shot, ***.Winner: Sami Zayn
-Aiden English comes out to annoy the fans with his British accent. He actually sings a show tune in operatic fashion, which is legitimately funny. I really hope this guy is good in the ring, because this gimmick is fantastic.
Aiden English vs. Michael Culari
English becomes aggressive right from the opening bell. He quickly puts the jobber away with a variation of the Stroke (dubbed The Curtain Call). He celebrates with an ENCORE! I like this guy. Alex Riley even gets in on the fun from commentary, singing his own name rather well.Winner: Aiden English
-Renee Young interrupts NXT Champion Bo Dallas on his phone. Turns out he was leaving a message for the Bo-lievers on his personal hotline. Dallas says it’s impressive that Zayn beat Hawkins, but when was the last time Hawkins won a match? Touche, sir. Dallas still feels Zayn isn’t ready for a title shot, but promises to make a big announcement next week.
Tyler Breeze, Leo Kruger, and The Ascension (Rick Victor and Conor O’Brian) vs. Xavier Woods, CJ Parker, and NXT Tag Team Champions Adrian Neville and Corey Graves
Victor gets caught when the good guys make rapid fire tags. Neville double stomps the arm, but Victor pushes him into enemy territory for a tag to Kruger. Neville flips around to break a wrist lock and the good guys resume making quick tags. Graves follows up working over the freshly injured arm of Kruger. O’Brian gets a tag and the momentum shifts as he overpowers Graves. The fans chant “We want Breeze” as Graves gets isolated. Woods gets a tag and unleashes a flurry against Kruger. The heels regroup at ringside, leaving them vulnerable to over the rope dives! Cue the commercial! After the break, the heels are isolating and wearing down Woods. Breeze gets his first tag and the crowd pops huge for him, prompting him to quickly tag out. Breeze picks his spots, so not to get hit in the face, but Woods catches him with a suplex. Parker gets the hot tag and plows through O’Brian. Graves prevents Victor from interfering, but O’Brian plants Parker, needing a save from Neville. O’Brian flapjacks Parker, but Breeze tags himself in to steal the cover, but Parker kicks out. Breeze gets abandoned by his entire team, leaving him to suffer a series of finishers from the good guys. Neville’s corkscrew senton ends Breeze at 12:53 (shown). This was a seriously fun main event. The action was nonstop and they played off all the ongoing storylines and characters expertly, ***¾.Winners: Xavier Woods, CJ Parker, Adrian Neville, and Corey Graves
Final Thoughts: This was best episode of NXT I’ve seen yet. It says something when Sami Zayn doesn’t have the best match on the show, but his match is still pretty damn good. NXT is must-watch right now, with several strong feuds and fresh characters emerging. Thumbs up!
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