The SmarK Rant for WWE NXT – 12.25.13 (NXT REWIND!)
Merry Xmas to all! If anyone wants to get me a great present, Hulu Plus gift cards are always appreciated as we obviously can’t buy them in Canada.
Taped from Orlando, FL
Hosted by Renee Young
So this is a year-in-review show, with one new match thrown in like an unreleased track on a greatest hits CD. I remember back in the day when Superstars would be a year-in-review show!
We start with a look at the new Performance Center, and then clips of the guys who graduated from NXT to the main roster. Fandango! The Shield! The Wyatts! Big E! Cesaro! Sandow!
Big E Langston hits us with some comments on how much he loves the NXT audience.
Flashback: Adrian Neville & Oliver Grey beat the Wyatts to become the first NXT tag team champions. Whatever happened to Grey, anyway?
Flashback: Paige beats Emma to win the Women’s title tournament. I’m still mystified why they employ 75% of the dead weight in the Divas division and leave these two to rot in NXT.
Paige promises to be the ANTI-DIVA and go after AJ, very soon now. Bo Dallas butts in and talks about the importance of bo-lieving in yourself, setting up the clips of him winning the title from Big E.
Future Stars of NXT now, with Aiden English, Mojo Rawley, Alexander Rusev, Sasha Banks, Corey Graves, Sami Zayn, and a quick soundbite to show their deal for each one.
Current stars on NXT, featuring appearances from Mark Henry, Dolph Ziggler, Christian, John Cena, Damien Sandow, Big Show, Sheamus, RVD, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, AJ Lee, Ric Flair, and HBK.
William Regal has a great introspective promo about costing himself chances at being World champion, and why he needs to beat Cesaro tonight.
Flashback: Sami Zayn has a MOTYC against Cesaro, which was a hell of a way for me to begin reviewing this show.
Sami Zayn is so inspired by this flashback that he challenges Kruger to a 2/3 falls match next week. Given that Kruger is getting repackaged into ROCK GOD Alex Rose, I’m guessing it won’t go well for Kruger.
William Regal v. Antonio Cesaro
We have a TON of time left in the show, as the review stuff only ate up 30 minutes, so they’re going long here. They fight over a wristlock and the crowd pays their respects to Regal. We take a break and return with Cesaro trying a flying headscissors and getting slammed. They continue their chess match over the wristlock and we get a classic bridge from Regal, into a straitjacket hold that’s pretty awesome. The crowd informs that this is wrestling. And yet they don’t train guys to do this stuff. They have an INCREDIBLE battle over a cravat, as Cesaro literally lifts Regal over his head in a suplex to escape. Regal gets revenge with some cheapshots in the corner behind the ref’s back, but Cesaro clips him and starts dismantling the knee. We take another break and learn that Big Show will be the New Year’s Baby on RAW. That just makes me love this show all the more. Back with Cesaro pulling Regal’s knee brace off and pounding on it with a horse collar hold (aka the Brock Lock) until Regal makes the ropes. Regal sneaks in with a rollup and backslide for two, and throws forearms to make the comeback. And then Cesaro just DESTROYS him with his own forearms, to the delight of the crowd. And this sets up the GIANT SWING, leaving Regal a mess and Cesaro talking EURO-TRASH. Neutralizer is countered by Regal and he targets the biceps to neutralize the awesome Swiss power of Cesaro, and he’s all fired up now. Sadly, the knee betrays him, and Cesaro throws headbutts in desperation, so Regal knees him in the head and tries the butterfly suplex. Cesaro powers out of that and bridges him for two, but Regal hangs on and it’s the Regal Stretch. Cesaro can’t power out, but he makes the ropes, and then he just unleashes a perfect dropkick out of nowhere. Now he’s good and pissed off, pops the shoulders back into place like a real man, and crushes Regal’s head with a double stomp. How do you even work that?!? He jumped on the man’s HEAD! Regal selling like he’s a ravaged wreck is tremendous. And then it’s the NEUTRALIZER to finish, but Cesaro is too sad to complete it because Regal is so pathetic and old. The Swiss do have hearts! But then he just puts him out of his misery anyway at 28:00. But in the end, they shake hands because they’re both real men, and holy shit this was the greatest thing I’ve seen in months. ****1/4 And what a story, with Regal pulling out everything he had left, but Cesaro just having too much for him. Both guys come out looking great.
The Pulse
The year in review was a helpful guide for newbies, and then Regal v. Cesaro was the best old school old lion v. young buck match I’ve seen in years. Find it on YouTube!
He doesn't like the fact Foley is a Democrat? Thanks for that tidbit, I really understand more about 1999 WWF now. Fucking tool.
ReplyDeleteI like Tocula Mexico myself.....
ReplyDeleteWasnt Edge married to Val's sister or vice versa? Surprised that didnt get a mention.
ReplyDeleteThe tone that Val had when he said that made him come across like an even bigger prick
ReplyDeleteKaientai shouldve chopped off his tongue instead of his pee pee....
ReplyDeleteI gave the match *1/2. Afterwards, Regal should have no sold the beating and hit him with a weak-looking version of a real wrestling move, followed by good-natured smirking and shrugging, which broadly gestures "whatevs!" to the crowd.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Edge to Val's sister, he left her but supposedly it didn't cause any problems between the two. Also worth noting was that while he was married to Val's sister he met Lisa, who he would eventually marry and cheat on with Lita.
ReplyDeleteThere was talk Austin didn't want to put HHH over one on one - which may or may not be true, because he did put him over two months later, although not clean....but not long after Summerslam Shawn did a Byte This interview where he ragged on Austin for refusing to put HHH over and ranted about it being HHH's time....this was either days before or days after shooting but before airing, the first edition of Smackdown where Shawn turned on The Rock and realigned with Triple H. The reason that angle appeared to be going somewhere but suddenly didn't was because Shawn was sent home for Austin comments - which probably wasn't just for the Austin comments but over-all behaviour including the Austin comments.
ReplyDeleteShawn's back injury is interesting. I remember reading at the time that he would be taking some time off because of a back injury prior to WM14....and in his book he talks as if he knew it was the end of his career. But at the time everything I recall reading suggested he was just taking time off, and that the plan was for him to come back to face Triple H at WM15 before he found out the back injury wasn't healing on it's own....then he was forced to get the surgery that would force him into retirement. And then he was supposed to return as a wrestler in 2001 before being sent home......but he glosses over it all in his book.
ReplyDeleteIsn't he Canadian? Why does he even care about American politics.
ReplyDeleteI thought the same thing at first.
ReplyDeleteThat the company continues to misuse Antonio Cesaro as they have for the better part of a year now blows my mind. This guy should be preparing for the rocket push, not whatever pet project Vince has a stiffy for this week.
ReplyDeleteIt also could've used a good 20 minutes lopped off, in addition to maybe a non-finish to protect both guys.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair the Real Americans are awesome.
ReplyDelete"I've always thought the lemon was an underrated fruit--care to weigh in?"
ReplyDelete"Not really...although you know what makes ME sour? Tax dollars, amirite?"
Cesaro is a long game, dude. I'd rather they not half-ass a mega push by turning him to a goofy baby face or a chicken shit heel. Do it right, or keep him where he is.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question about Oliver Grey, he tore his ACL and is on the DL at the moment.
ReplyDeleteKane isn't a legitimate Libertarian though - he's from the extreme far right Tea Party wing on the Republican party.
ReplyDeleteThis is the core precept of 'mainstream' Libertarian thought. It's an immensely flattering idea, because as long as there's someone below you (and if you have any kind of job earning any kind of wage at all, there will always be someone or some group below you), it's their fault your life is so shitty.
ReplyDeleteWell, American politics matters all over the world - but presumably, as someone who lives/works in the US, or has at least spent a significant bulk of time Stateside rather than up North, it matters to him.
ReplyDeleteTrue. He could have rambled on about how much the wedding cost, and how politics got in the way after they separated.
ReplyDeleteI watched the match again last night and am just BEGGING WWE to let Backlund in there with Cesaro.
ReplyDeleteCesaro should've won in three minutes after he uppercuttted Regal through the ceiling.
ReplyDeleteI'm licking my lips at the possible Cena vs. Cesaro bouts!
ReplyDeleteSo I've been meaning to start watching NXT for awhile now, especially due to Scott's glowing reviews here. Finally, after seeing WILLIAM REGAL wrestling in a 30-minute match, I knew I had to get a copy of this show. I've been a big fan of Regal's work for a long time, so to see him in one last, big match like this? Hell yes, I'm in.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I did. I'm gonna start watching this show on a weekly basis. Thanks for keeping up on the weekly, glowing praise for this show, Scott.