5 YRS AGO – NXT TV Report (6-12-13): Bo Dallas vs. Big E for NXT Title, Bayley character undergoes big change, Sami Zayn debuts vs. Cesaro, Wyatts, Dawson, Corbin

By Justin James, PWTorch contributor

Bayley (photo credit Tom Gibson © PWTorch)

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...

The following was originally published five years ago this week on PWTorch.com…


WWE NXT Results
June 12, 2013
Taped at Full Sail University
Report by Justin James, PWTorch contributor

[Q1] The pre-credit video reviewed Bo Dallas’s surprising win in the #1 contender Battle Royal. Like the rest of the hype for this match, the video was lacking compared to NXT’s usual standards.

Sami Zayn is out for the first match to a positive reaction. Antonio Cesaro comes out and ambushes Zayn, who gets dropped hard on the old-school NXT barriers. They make it to the ring, the ref asks Zayn if he is good to go, and he says he is.

1 – SAMI ZAYN vs. ANTONIO CESARO

As soon as the bell rings, Cesaro runs across the ring to hit Zayn with an uppercut for a nearfall. Zayn fights back, but a knee to the mid-section puts him back down. Zayn with a springboard leapfrog to sail over Cesaro and a back body drop. Cesaro with a crisp jumping spinebuster. Cesaro takes his time in the corner to mete out punishment, then Cesaro catches Zayn leap-frogging and transitions to a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two.

[Commercial Break]

Zayn fights out of a hold. Some crazy smooth work from Zayn, but a jumping double foot stomp lets Cesaro come back on attack. Extended chinlock wrangling and Zayn rallies to “Ole!” chants. Uppercut for a nearfall from Cesaro. Gutwrench suplex for another nearfall. Zayn manages to get Cesaro in a head scissors in the corner and leverage him over the ropes, then Zayn nails a huge flip dive over the top rope to gain momentum.

Zayn to the top rope and he jumps right into an uppercut for a close nearfall. Cesaro stalks the fallen Zayn, only to slap on a chinlock. Zayn with a running sunset flip powerbomb for a super-close nearfall. Zayn is flabbergasted. Zayn charges, but runs into a boot. Cesaro cracks the neck, but Zayn ties himself around Cesaro to block the Neutralizer, then floats over and schoolboys for two-and-seven-eighths.

Cesaro re-applies the chinlock, with anger and authority. They wrangle the chinlock and Cesaro has it on like he wants to pop Zayn’s head off. Zayn fades and slumps, letting Cesaro transition into the Neutralizer for the win.

WINNER: Antonio Cesaro in 11:45. That was an insanely good match. Zayn’s proven the El Generico hype to be justified, and Cesaro continues to build an impressive portfolio. Zayn looked strong in defeat, surviving a pre-match attack to tough it out and deliver a number of replay-worthy moments.

[Q2] Post-match, Cesaro wants to do more, but the refs stop him.

Backstage, Renee Young is interviewing Bayley. She’s shy to come onto the camera, then appears. She’s changed her outfit to be Wonder Woman-like. She asserts that she likes robots, and asks Young if she likes her robot hairbow. Young asks her if she’s ready to face Alicia Fox. Bayley: “I like her, she’s pretty. Do you think I’m pretty?” Bayley says that after she beats Fox, maybe they can hang out and play Jenga or something.

[ J.J.’s Reax: A few weeks ago, Bayley was a vicious wrestler in the ring who put on a good match with Paige. This week she’s being portrayed as a wrestling female version of the 40-Year-Old Virgin. ]

Replay of the Leo Kruger video.

Already in the ring were Baron Corbin and Travis Tyler for a tag team match. They actually got music. Sylvester LeForte then came out to introduce his Beer Money rip-off team of Scott Dawson and Garrett Dylan. They are armed with JR’s BBQ Sauce again this week, and a MagLite.

2 – BARON CORBIN & TRAVIS TYLER vs. SCOTT DAWSON & GARRETT DYLAN

Dawson and Tyler face off, then Tyler gets isolated in the corner. Tyler with a kick and a clothesline to tag in Corbin. Corbin with some offense, but Dylan blind tags in, Dawson hits a spinebuster, and Dylan follows with a second rope leg drop for the win. Tony Dawson says that this move is called “Southern Pride.”

WINNER: Scott Dawson and Garrett Dylan in 4:30. The in-ring style and look of Dawson and Dylan and the manager are very old-school, but I’m not sure if that’s commercially viable, especially since the team seems to parody Southerners and LeFort is beyond hamming it up.

“Earlier Today” Corey Graves (with Kassius Ohno) asks Adrian Neville why he has a match with Bray Wyatt next week and Graves doesn’t. They argue over who deserves the match more. William Regal comes in and says that instead of arguing over who faces Wyatt, they should break apart The Family that has been running over NXT like The Shield has been running over the main roster. Neville asks Ohno and Graves to protect him during the match, and says that they can have Waytt afterwards. Graves agrees and so does Ohno. After everyone leaves, Ohno thanks William Regal, then bows out. Regal lets out a touch of a grin.

[ J.J.’s Reax: Graves was hilarious with eye-rolling as he took a lecture from Regal, Ohno and Regal were subtle in how they handled their past, and Neville did a better job then he usually does. Nice juggling of multiple stories at once. ]

[Q3] Bayley is out to a very ’70s Tron video and music, and she’s presented as having “wide-eyed innocence.”

3 – BAYLEY vs. ALICIA FOX – NXT Women’s Championship Tournament match

Bayley acts star-struck and offers a handshake. When Fox takes it, she hugs Fox. Fox gets annoyed and starts the match hard. Suplex into a bridge for two from Fox. The crowd backs Bayley, then Fox rips off Bayley’s hairband to insult her. Bayley fights out of the corner hard. Kneedrop gets two for Bayley. Exploder suplex gets another two count for Bayley. A surprise kick sets Bayley up for the axe kick and the loss.

WINNER: Alicia Fox in 3:30. Not a good match, in no small part due to Bayley’s awful repackaging. It’s like they said, “Well, Emma’s getting over, let’s try doing another klutz character.”

Video package from Bray Wyatt. He’s in a rocking chair, rocking intensely and talking. He threatens William Regal for interfering. This is one of Wyatt’s best promos ever.

Big match introductions for the NXT Championship match. Tony Dawson calls Langston the “baddest man on the planet.” Lots of boos and “no more Bo” chants for Dallas. Cheers for Langston and a five chant.

4 -NXT champion BIG E. LANGSTON vs. BO DALLAS – NXT Championship match

Langston with a casual backdrop that sends Dallas halfway across the ring. Langston leapfrogs Dallas as a surprise and smugly knocks him down with a shoulder block. Dallas takes Langston down to one knee, then low-bridges him to big boos. Langston gets serious before re-entering the ring, then takes it to Dallas hard.

[Commercial Break]

Langston is dominating Dallas.

[Q4] The crowd completely dumps on every single punch from Dallas. Dallas rolls under a splash, prompting a “no more Bo” chant as he fires up. Dallas with a DDT out of the corner for a two count. Belly-to-belly turns it around for Langston. Langston runs over Dallas, then lands the five knee stikes to the chest. Langston drops the straps.

Langston wants the Big Ending, but Dallas holds onto the ropes, causing the turnbuckle pad to get ripped off in the process. Dallas shoves Langston into the exposed turnbuckle, then lands a belly-to-belly of his own for the win. The crowd is absolutely mortified.

WINNER: Bo Dallas in 9:00. This continues the slow burn turn of Bo Dallas, with a tainted but intentionally-so win over Langston. The crowd is absolutely going to hate Bo Dallas as NXT champion.

Post-match, Renee Young asks for his thoughts. He screams, “I’m the new NXT Champion, baby!” in the exact same way Heath Slater would. He’s being drowned out by boos from the audience.

Final Thoughts: The only huge surprise tonight was the repackaging of Bayley. That’s a head-scratcher. I am really dreading Bo Dallas as champion, as he lacks the in-ring and promo skills to be champion, and the crowd boos him even when he is presented as a babyface. He really is NXT’s John Cena, and not in a good way. The Zayn vs. Cesaro match was worth the price of admission, though.


NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S FLASHBACK: 5 YRS AGO – NXT TV Report (5-29-13): EC3 as Derrick Bateman in final NXT TV appearance, Wyatt Family, Emma, Corey Graves, Sami Zayn, Dawson, Big E, Aiden, Ohno, Hawkins

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