By Jon
COMMENTATORS: Jim Ross & Guests
This week’s NXT features double the Seth Rollins and Camacho, so you know it’s a banger! Also on the show we get more debuts as Kassius Ohno arrives and the weird team of Jake Carter & Corey Graves do their thing.
CHAMPIONS
- NONE
LINEUP
- Sofia Cortez vs. Paige (**1/2)
- Seth Rollins vs. Camacho (**1/4)
- Jake Carter & Corey Graves vs. CJ Parker & Nick Rogers (**)
- Kassius Ohno vs. Mike Dalton (SQUASH)
- Derrick Bateman vs. Jinder Mahal (**)
- Seth Rollins, Bo Dallas, & Tyson Kidd vs. Hunico, Camacho, & Michael McGillicutty (**1/4)
*****
Sofia Cortez vs. Paige
Ross and Byron Saxton have the call for this one. Both “Divas” are making their debut here, but looking back now it’s CRAZY that Paige got the in-ring introduction. PAIGE HERE. Cortez is better known as Ivelisse on the indies/Lucha Underground.
Paige goes right at Cortez with a snapmare and headbutt, Cortez blocks a hip toss and takes her to the mat. Paige rolls to the floor to regroup as Ross and Saxton talk about her MMA skills/singing voice. The f*ck is that? Don’t be weird, guys. Cortez clobbers Paige in the corner, Paige slaps her right in the face and connects with a series of forearms. Cortez drops Paige with a glancing blow head kick for the 1…Paige kicks out. Cortez with another head kick and a wheelbarrow into a DDT for the 1…2…3.
Sofia Cortez defeated Paige via pinfall (2:23)
- Don’t let the running time fool you, these two DID NOT hold back. Harder hitting than expected and I dug it a lot (though Cortez seemed like she was barely hitting anything in some of those spots). Seeing Paige lose that quickly knowing what I do now is crazy but I’m sure at the time made sense. (**1/2)
Seth Rollins vs. Camacho [w/ Hunico]
HUNICO Y CAMACHO! YAY! I’ll always pop for a wrestler that battles in Chucks. Hunico ended up taking over as Sin Cara once the original left WWE, turning the character into one that could be taken just a little more seriously, while Camacho has found success in NJPW as one-half of the Guerillas of Destiny alongside Tama Tonga. Hunico is unimpressed with Rollins’ manic moshing nonsense.
Rollins takes it to Camacho with a series of body shots but gets dropped with a back elbow. Rollins dodges Camacho in the corner and rolls him up for a one-count. Rollins catches a kick and trips him up for a two-count. Rollins chops Camacho and works him over in the corner. Camacho catches a charging Rollins with a big ol’ boot and follows up with a measured legdrop. Rollins pushes Camacho away, Camacho kicks him for the disrespect and connects with a belly-to-back suplex for the 1…2…kickout. Camacho continues to toy with Rollins and trash talking him. Rollins lands on his feet during a slingshot attempt and connects with an enzuigiri. Rollins catches Camacho coming in and connects with a flatliner into the middle buckle followed by a running one-footed dropkick. Hunico tries to interfere, Rollins drops him with a baseball slide. Camacho holds Rollins, Rollins sends him into Hunico and hits the Blackout for the 1…2…3.
Seth Rollins defeated Camacho via pinfall (4:32)
- Good match. Rollins got to show off that babyface fire and resiliency and I got a kick out Camacho trash talking the entire time he was on offense. Wrestlers with actual swagger are few and far between. Camacho even looks good in defeat, having lost only due to miscommunication. (**1/4)
Hunico and Camacho attack Rollins after the bell until Bo Dallas makes the save, scaring them off.
-DID YOU KNOW?: WWE’s Facebook adds 40,000 new fans a day.
Jake Carter & Corey Graves vs. CJ Parker & Nick Rogers
Carter is the son of late-legend, and JVPW’s #1 wrestler of all-time, Big Van Vader, while Graves is…well you know Corey Graves, let’s be real. He’s got a real junkie look to him, eyeliner meant to make him look tired and stuff. Who the f*ck is Nick Rogers?
Parker connects with a monkey flip and catches Graves with a sunset flip, but Carter gets the tag on the way down and attacks him from behind. Carter has his Twitter handle on his tights, which is LAAAAAAAAAAAME but par for the course back then. Parker catches Graves with a backdrop, Rogers and Carter get the tag for their respective teams, Carter drills Rogers with a spinebuster. Carter clears Parker off the apron, Graves tags in and they hit a suplex/powerslam combo (Bottom’s Up) for the 1…2…3.
Jake Carter & Corey Graves defeated CJ Parker & Nick Rogers via pinfall (2:25)
- You know what? I think I would’ve been into this Carter/Graves tag team. I like Carter being the normal jock one and Graves being his weird friend/possible drug dealer. It works. Decent finishing move too. This didn’t suck and was competitive enough to not be a squash. (**)
-HYPE VIDEO: Kassius Ohno takes great pleasure in inflicting pain.
-HYPE VIDEO: Bray Wyatt delivers a sermon in the woods about feeling no pain and feeling no fear. He debuts next week!
Kassius Ohno vs. Mike Dalton
The Full Sail arena is looking oddly…empty for this one. Imagine a time where you could get into an NXT taping with ease. THERE’S EVEN A DUDE LAYING BACK ON THE BLEACHERS. Dalton gets some offense in this one, including a proto-Beauty Shot that gets a two-count, but Ohno mostly dominates and gets the win with a discus elbow. A KO shot, if you will.
Kassius Ohno defeated Mike Dalton via pinfall (2:30)
- Kassius Ohno lives up to his initials in his NXT debut. I f*cking LOVE me some Kassius Ohno, y’all. (SQUASH)
Ohno gets on the mic and says he knocks people out, and when they hear him coming they all say “OH NO”. Like his last name, you see. Honestly this is the first time I’ve heard him explain it like this and now it makes sense and I F*CKING LOVE KASSIUS OHNO.
Derrick Bateman vs. Jinder Mahal
Byron Saxton’s commentary in 2012 is golf-level subdued and it’s weird. Bateman in control early with a crossbody and clothesline out to the floor, following up with a tope suicida which I don’t think I’ve seen him do before. Bateman rolls Mahal in, Mahal quickly rolls back out and grabs the ankle, leaving him open to a cheap shot. Mahal snaps the back of Bateman’s neck off the top rope and covers for the first two-count of the match. Mahal drops a pair of knees across the sternum, Bateman counters a neckbreaker with a backslide for the 1…2…Mahal kicks out. Mahal goes for a suplex, Bateman counters with an inside cradle for the 1…2…kickout. Bateman with another roll-up out of nowhere, Mahal kicks out once more. Bateman nails Mahal with a string of offense, ending in a running neckbreaker for the 1…2…kickout! Mahal escapes the headlock driver and grabs the bottom rope. Bateman stomps him repeatedly and tries again, Mahal shoves him off and hits a high knee to the back of the head. Mahal poses and locks in the Camel Clutch for the submission.
Jinder Mahal defeated Derrick Bateman via submission (4:03)
- Fine match. Bateman sold a knee issue related to last week’s match which was a nice touch but not much was done with it as much as the commentators wanted to hype it up. Mahal has beaten the man who main evented last week’s show and continues his rise. (**)
Mahal adds insult to injury with another Camel Clutch until forced off by the ref.
-BREAKING NEWS: Due to the interference during Rollins/Camacho, Dusty Rhodes have signed a six man tag team main event: Seth Rollins, Tyson Kidd, & Bo Dallas vs. Hunico, Camacho, & Michael McGillicutty.
Seth Rollins, Tyson Kidd, & Bo Dallas vs. Hunico, Camacho, & Michael McGillicutty
Chris Russo and William Regal are back on commentary with Ross for the main event. WHO IS THIS RUSSO GUY? Am I making him up? Seeing McGillicutty with Hunico & Camacho is super funny, it’s like that Wade Boggs picture with The Flock.
Dallas and McGillicutty start, the latter wants Kidd who tags in…then he tags out to Hunico. MIND GAMES. Ross is VERY MAD about Hunico wearing a bandana on his head. Hunico traps Kidd in a Gory Special, Kidd counters into a sunset flip for a two-count. Hunico with a wheelbarrow, Kidd counters into a roll-up for the 1…2…kickout. Quick tags by the faces as they work Hunico over, Rollins stomping him into the canvas. Russo explains moshing to Ross, who does not get it. Camacho distracts Rollins, Hunico attacks him from behind and the heels are in control as we go to commercial.
Back live, Camacho with a lateral press on Rollins for a one-count. Chinlock time. Russo fights out of the corner and sends Hunico halfway across the ring with a monkey flip. Dallas gets the “hot” tag and belts Camacho with a running elbow to the side of the head. Dallas drops McGillicutty off the apron, Camacho sends him skull-first into the middle buckle. McGillicutty tags in and drives his knee into Dallas’ spine before cinching in a chinlock. Dallas escapes, McGillicutty clubs him down and holds the leg so Hunico can tag in and stomp him. Hunico connects with a butterfly backbreaker for the 1…2…Dallas kicks out and now it’s Hunico’s turn for a chinlock. Dallas catches Hunico with a quick sunset flip, Hunico kicks out and clubs him repeatedly. McGillicutty tags in and connects with a deep backbreaker for the 1…2…Dallas kicks out. Kidd gets the hot tag and drops Hunico & Camacho off the apron before wrecking McGillicutty with a series of kicks. Kidd covers, Hunico breaks it up. Dallas, Hunico, and Camacho brawl to the floor, Rollins takes everyone out with a flying crossbody. Kidd wants to fly too but McGillicutty trips him up and connects with a running neckbreaker for the 1…2…3. Rollins and Dallas tried to save but Hunico and Camacho held them back.
Hunico, Camacho, & Michael McGillicutty defeated Seth Rollins, Bo Dallas, & Tyson Kidd via pinfall (8:21 shown)
- Cool to see McGillicutty pick up the relatively clean pinfall on Kidd to get his heat back after his defeat on the debut episode. Match was good for what it was, not a ton of energy but the effort was there. Rollins trying to mosh to Kidd’s music during their entrance was probably the best part. (**1/4)
*****
FINAL THOUGHTS: Some more good debuts and decent in-ring action made this a breeze to watch. And next week Bray Wyatt makes his debut. GIMME DAT BAYOU CULT MAN.
- MATCH OF THE NIGHT: Sofia Cortez vs. Paige
- MOMENT OF THE NIGHT: Seth Rollins tries to mosh a bit to Tyson Kidd’s entrance music but it doesn’t slap as much as his.
