The road to the Unified Championship heated up as both Randy Orton and John Cena gave great stump speeches, but all the WWE Universe cared about was one man: Daniel Bryan. And all that The Authority cared about was making sure everyone knew that Triple H is "better" than everyone else.
Down in NXT Land, the Ascension continues its dominance of the tag team scene, Alexander Rusev brutalizes Kassius (oh, no!), the BFFs continue to make Bayley's life difficult, Mojo Rawley stays hyped, and Sami Zayn had to try to make it past the South African Nightmare, Leo Kruger.
The Women's Division continues to see a continuing feud that has nothing to do with the championship, and the ladies are showing the signs of having a knowledgeable trainer helping them out. I've commented before on Sara Del Rey and how she's now the main female trainer at the WWE Performance Center, and now WWE has actually acknowledged her contributions and her accomplishments. A recent article on WWE.com talked up her indie credentials and even compared her favorably to CM Punk and Daniel Bryan while name-dropping indie companies like Ring of Honor and Chikara Pro. Go check out the part article on Sara, and check out the rest of it as well. The WWE Performance Center has been getting a lot of press on WWE.com lately, and it gives me great hopes for the future.
A Word on This Week's Commentary
This week's commentary trio was Tom Phillips, William Regal, and Alex Riley. Riley is still struggling to really find a comfortable niche when he has to share duties with the incomparable Regal. He often has to translate some of his quips for Regal's benefit-- more fallout of the age-old American-vs-British English 'separated by a common language' problem-- and explain why American football players are equivalent to rugby or soccer players in terms of athleticism, among various issues. Riley is evidently being slotted into the blind-heel-apologist role, taking the antagonist viewpoints surrounding Sami Zayn's presence in the NXT main event scene while completely ignoring Sami's accomplishments or valid excuses for being there.
Regal truly has become a solid presence on commentary, being capable of explaining the psychology of any move that's being done, what it does to a person both physically and mentally, and can straddle the face/heel line with ease. He's unapologetic about his past heel tactics ("I've never touched a drop of integrity in my life, and it's never done me any harm.") and will applaud them being used by the heels, but has mellowed to the point where he can be genuinely appreciative of the skills and tenacity of the faces. He's not perfect on commentary; he can be a little quiet and subdued and have trouble speaking loudly enough to be heard over the action, and he is prone to stuttering at times. He's aware of his flaws there, however, and will use self-depreciation to cover it.
Match #1: NXT Tag Team Championship - The Ascension defend vs Hunico & Camacho
For the record, although NXT hasn't acknowledged the Ascension's recent "name changes" (if their Twitter handles, @KonnorWWE and @ViktorRiseWWE are anything to go by) and still refer to them by the names of Connor O'Brian and Rick Victor, I will be using the new names going forward.
There was never really any doubt that the Ascension would win this match. Hunico & Camacho might be a longer-established team, and from the main roster to boot, but the Ascension aren't showing any signs of slowing their dominance of the NXT tag-team scene, and it would be foolish to have them lose to a team with barely any heat on them. That said, commentary did try to introduce a little bit of doubt there by highlighting Hunico & Camacho's longer experience as a tag team, but Regal was quick to point out, "We don't know a lot about the Ascension and what they've been up to and where they've been up to it." It's a subtle way to suggest that the Ascension have been teaming together for longer than they actually have been.
One thing I disliked about the match was that they cut out some of Konnor's offensive flurry by an ad break. I've often said that Konnor adds a lot of little flourishes and touches to his offense and presence in the ring, all signs of his marked improvement since his original debut. So I was disappointed when some of it got cut out. I did, however, get to see some of it when Konnor clamped on a rear headlock. The rear headlock is what is referred to as a "rest hold." It's a hold applied when one or both parties need to catch their breath. Rather than just do it normally, however, Konnor yanked back and forth with the head, like a savage animal worrying a piece of meat, adding just a little bit more to the move to make it look more damaging than it actually is. Konnor has always had a better sense of that savagery to the Ascension's character, and Viktor has been stepping it up in recent weeks as well.
Hunico got to show off some power as well this week, performing a traditional "schoolboy" roll-up on Viktor, but then power-lifted him up from the clutch to deliver a pseudo-powerbomb.
Hunico and Camacho looked like they might actually pull it off when Camacho hit a flurry of offense, but wasn't able to pick up a win without the pin getting broken up by Viktor. Hunico tossed him to the floor while Camacho looked to try to put Konnor away again, but got caught with a full-nelson slam. Viktor pulled Hunico to the floor to prevent the tag, leaving Camacho to eat a flapjack, dual clothesline, and then the Fall of Man for the victory.
There was some commentary during the match about how a lot of the teams that have gone up against the Ascension have broken up, specifically citing Adrian Neville and Corey Graves. It was a subtle way to acknowledge the lack of competition for them, and it will factor into their match next week-- but more on that later.
Hunico & Camacho have a solid grasp of tag team dynamics, but just lack a little something to make them a legit threat. Maybe it's the lack of a team name, or the lack of a true team finisher. Combination finishes, like the Hardy Boyz' old Twist of Fate into the Swanton Bomb, have their place, but the great teams always had a team finisher. The Road Warriors had the Doomsday Device. The Dudley Boyz had the 3-D. Even the Shield has their triple powerbomb. It's a little thing that drives home that the team is greater than the sum of its parts.
Of course, it may be that Hunico & Camacho aren't long for teaming together. The man behind the Sin Cara mask-- Mistico as he was known back in Mexico-- recently departed the company, as I mentioned last week, and Hunico has been wearing the mask on the main roster. Although Hunico's style isn't suited much to the high-flying, he has been functioning slightly better than the original Sin Cara. Or at least as well as any man can with reduced visibility and the funky ring lighting.
Match #2: Alexander Rusev (w/ Lana) vs Kassius Ohno
Now at last I believe we've come to Messire Ohno's last taped match for NXT. This match came about as a result of the Beat the Clock Challenge a few weeks ago, when Ohno beat Rusev's time, leading to an attack from behind the following week, giving Ohno a humiliating defeat at the feet of Tyler Breeze. Ohno came out with Kinesio athletic tape on his back, explained by Regal as due to Ohno suffering from back spasms thanks to Rusev's attacks.
The first lock-up resulted in a stalemate, which Rusev seemed impressed by, if his slow nod as he went back into his weird martial-arts stance is any indication. He did, however, very quickly take control of the match, focusing his attacks on the midsection and back, hitting repeated kneelifts to the back while keeping Ohno trapped against the ropes, then clean-jerking him up onto his shoulders for a Samoan drop.
Lana got a little bit of backstory on commentary, as it was explained she comes from an affluent family in Moscow, but this wasn't followed up on as Regal got attention back on the match. Ohno managed a brief rally by hitting a surprise elbow smash and a small package, but this ultimately failed as Rusev crashed into him off the ropes, then quickly clamped on the Accolade for a tap-out win.
Rusev kept the hold applied for several seconds after the match, with officials struggling to break it up until Lana called him off. The injuries that Ohno sustained here, with his already-injured back, will likely be used to explain his departure from NXT. Ohno has, as noted in previous weeks, already returned to the indie scene, making appearances for Dragon Gate USA, and just this weekend returned to Ring of Honor at the end of their "Final Battle" iPPV. He'll land on his feet.
Backstage: Natalya & Bayley
Two weeks ago, Bayley had challenged the BFFs to a tag team match, assuring quite confidently that she had friends that would back her up. This segment was meant to introduce that friend-- Natalya. Bayley was nervous, telling Natalya that she hasn't spoken to Charlotte in a while-- likely since Charlotte betrayed her and joined the BFFs-- but Natalya reassured her that Charlotte is "all bark and no bite," and that she and Bayley are friends. This cheered Bayley up and she clamped on a big hug.
Give Natalya credit, she sold that hug like it was good, but tight, and got Bayley to let her go so they could head to the ring. The subtle ways they're playing up Bayley's deceptive strength are a great thing to see.
Serious Talk
Last week, Antonio Cesaro attacked Byron Saxton in a blatant attempt to incite a response from an absent William Regal, in response to Regal protecting Saxton the week before from an irate Cesaro. We were treated to a clip from last week's attack, and then Tom Phillips asked Regal for a comment.
With a pitiless stare and a flat, cold voice, Regal declared, "If Antonio Cesaro has a problem with me, there's no need to take it out on Byron Saxton." That was it. He didn't make any overt threats, but the threat was implied in his tone and his manner. Regal is a retired monster, one content to sit by, but various people persist in trying to provoke him, at which point he shows off just why he's the unofficial "NXT End Boss." I am greatly looking forward to the eventual match between Cesaro and Regal.
Match #3: Bayley & Natalya vs The BFFs (Summer Rae & Sasha Banks)
No Charlotte this week, as the BFFs came out without her. Sasha Banks is really playing up her arrogant "Boss" character, adding more mannerisms and cocky dancing and gesturing to her entrance. She started out in the ring with Bayley, shoving her away to taunt Natalya in the corner, which led to Bayley jumping on her back, taking her down and bouncing her face off the mat. Natalya tagged in to help deliver a double-team suplex, and when Summer Rae tagged in, she took her down with a drop toe-hold and a spank to the backside.
Bayley tagged in and we got a repeat of the offense to Summer Rae-- double-team suplex, a tag to Sasha, drop toe-hold, but then Sasha took control again and the BFFs kept Bayley isolated in the corner. Bayley has the kind of character that lends itself well to playing the face-in-peril, and her deceptive strength got used when she managed to rally back. Sasha applied a knuckle-lock and attempted a run-up move in the corner, but Bayley pulled her right back around and threw her across the ring. It was a very impressive little move.
Natalya got some offense in off the hot tag, but her attempt at applying a Sharpshooter on Sasha was a flailing, spinning mess that didn't look to be Sasha's fault. Summer broke it up, prompting Bayley to tag in to take out Summer, but then Sasha caught her with a straightjacket neckbreaker (dubbed the "Bankrupt") for the three count. The BFFs continue to dominate the NXT Women's Division.
This extended feud between the BFFs and Bayley is an example of what the main roster Divas Division is lacking. AJ Lee is just feuding with one Total Divas star after another, in a rehash of the "champion vs flavor of the month" angle that's been done month after month for years. Although the BFFs are all interested in getting the NXT Women's Championship, their doing so is arguably second-fiddle to the slow-burn Paige/Emma rivalry. They're showing they're capable of feuding with women other than the champion. It's something that WWE Creative needs to do more often. They've been doing it with some main eventers (CM Punk's extended feud with Paul Heyman comes to mind), but now it's popping up with Brodus Clay's rivalry with Xavier Woods, and it's something that the main roster has needed sorely.
Segment: Leo Kruger speaks
This brief segment was designed to help add a little more depth to the main event match this week. Leo Kruger addressed Sami Zayn, saying he (Kruger) is on the path to become a Real American. "Sami, Fate has chosen us to travel this journey together." He promised to hurt him more than anyone's ever hurt him before. "Everything you know is about to change. Ta ta."
While the line "everything you know is about to change" was initially used in Kruger's vignettes when his gimmick shifted from a vain Zoolander-esque model type to his psychopathic mercenary character, it perhaps carries some meaning right now because reports are coming that Kruger has started trying out a new character at NXT live events, a Russel Brand-esque type named "Adam Rose." Perhaps that statement is meant to herald his eventual change.
Match #4: Scott Dawson (w/ Sylvester LeFort) vs Mojo Rawley
Last week, Rawley was approached by LeFort, who offered to help him make a lot of "monay," only to be turned down when Rawley compared him to a scumbag sports agent, even accusing him of not paying Dawson. LeFort defended the lack of paychecks to Dawson by blaming it on the government shutdown. On commentary, Alex Riley called LeFort "a $30,000 millionaire," which... doesn't make much sense.
Rawley is very over with the NXT Crowd, as they were chanting "Mojo" to start out the match, where he overpowered Dawson, but 'Captain Roughneck' grounded him. Dawson seems like a very solid workhorse, and commentary were once again favorably comparing him to Arn Anderson. I can't help but feel that Dawson got derailed by Garret Dylan's release, as their roughneck team could have been a solid addition to the tag-team division, and with LeFort's Legionnaires getting further derailed by Rusev's strike out on his own, it leaves Dawson somewhat aimless.
Dawson shows little flashes of brilliant tactics, however. At one point, he was selling a jaw or mouth injury, and when Rawley moved in to capitalize, he caught him with a sucker punch. It was a nice little touch. Rawley won the match, however, with his usual flurry-- a stinger splash, a butt-butt, and then the running sit-down senton (dubbed the "Hyperdrive"). The butt-related finish just seems very flat, and with Rawley's football background, a move like the Pounce or some other running strike finish would suit him better.
After the finish, LeFort got in Rawley's way, ostensibly to make a deal with him, but Dawson jumped Rawley from behind and beat him down. I think we'll see a brief feud here to keep them both occupied for the time being.
Match #5: Leo Kruger vs Sami Zayn
This match did get taken down a bit by some arguing between Riley and Regal over why Sami Zayn picked a fight with Kruger. Last week, a video was aired showing Kruger attacking Sami backstage-- ostensibly to ingratiate himself to Antonio Cesaro and the Real Americans-- which was followed up on by Sami coming to the ring during Kruger's match, distracting him and costing him the match. Riley played it up like Sami was interfering in the NXT Championship scene, "I don't understand why Sami doesn't just go away," pointing out that Sami lost his title opportunity. Regal replied, "If you're that good and you know you're that good, why should you go away?" Riley tried to say because you should have integrity, but Regal-- the old villain that he is-- dismissed that. "I don't have any integrity. I've never touched a drop of integrity in my life, and it's never done me any harm."
Kruger was downplaying his entrance schtick again, no more of the hooting or "Kruuuuugah!" yelling on his part. Sami came out of the gate swinging, going right after him and had control until Kruger hit a big spinebuster. The two brawled all over the ring and ringside area. Sami showed great tenacity, continuing to fight back, and looked to have the match won after hitting a top-rope crossbody and setting up for his Tornado DDT finish, but Kruger evidently trained at Cobra Kai Dojo. He swept the leg to crotch Sami, then connected with the Slice for a three-count.
The action didn't end there, however. Kruger lined up for another Slice, but Sami ducked and sent him out of the ring, then dove out onto him with a huge tope con hilo. They continued brawling on the ramp until officials came out to separate them, suggesting this feud isn't over yet.
Next Week: NXT's 200th Episode
Next week marks the 200th episode of this incarnation of NXT. Appropriately, they're loading up the card with some high-profile attractions. The Ascension has issued an open challenge to any tag team in the world. This will likely be where the American Wolves will get their tryout match. Bo Dallas will defend the NXT Championship against Adrian Neville in a Lumberjack Match!
Oh, and some guy called Triple H will stop by.
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