The SmarK Rant for WWE NXT–10.02.13

The SmarK Rant for WWE NXT – 10.02.13

Taped from Orlando, FL

Your hosts are Tony Dawson & Alex Riley, plus Renee Young for the first match.

Fandango & Summer Rae v. Santino & Emma

So Santino is your mystery man, which is just about perfect for Emma. The crowd is already chanting “This is awesome” before the match even STARTS! Fandango & Santino have a dance-off to start, and the crowd notes that Fandango got served. So he slugs Santino down, but runs away from a threatened Cobra strike, and we take a break. Back with Fandango in control, but Santino tags out to Emma, forcing Summer to come in as well. And then we get a pretty innovative and damn funny comedy spot, as Santino and Emma continually confuse the referee by high-fiving after every tag. I’m shocked no one ever thought of doing that bit before. Finally Fandango chokes Santino out on the ropes and adds a suplex for two while Renee Young relates stories about getting hit on by Fandango. Probably some truth to that one. Santino gets trapped in the corner and worked over by the dancers, and is thus unable to properly kip up without hurting his neck. Fandango tries to go to the top, but Santino keeps selling by rolling around the ring in another funny bit. Santino with a backslide for two, and now here’s the kip-up and hot tag to Emma. She hooks Summer in the Dilemma and hits the corner splash for two. Santino gives her the sock of power and offers a lesson in applying the move, but she can’t quite make it work. So everyone comes in and the babyfaces run wild, and Santino finishes with the cobra at 14:20. There is a time and place for this kind of match, and this was exactly the time and place. *** Tremendously entertaining!

Kassius Ohno v. Luke Harper

Ohno is certainly looking more WWE Superstar-like. Ohno gets a quick head kick, but Harper lays him out and slugs away on the mat. Harper goes to the chinlock, but Ohno dumps him and hits a baseball slide, before walking into a big boot back in the ring. Harper puts him down with a lariat for the pin at 2:57. Ohno got completely squashed there.

Meanwhile, Enzo and Colin have some harsh words for Sylvester Lafort’s crew.

Mojo Rawley gets HYPED…next week.

NXT Tag titles: Adrian Neville & Corey Graves v. The Ascension

Neville evades Victor with some awesome gymnastics and gets a dropkick for two. O’Brien comes in and overpowers him with a shoulderblock for two, but Neville escapes and brings in Graves. Graves slugs away, but gets flapjacked for two. The Ascension double-team Graves in the corner and we take a break. Back with Conor holding a bodyscissors on Graves to wear him down, and Victor comes in and slugs away in the corner. Another lengthy chinlock from Victor, but we finally get the hot tag to Neville and business picks up significantly. Both Ascensions get dumped and Neville hits them with a dive to wake up the crowd, and back in for a springboard dropkick on Victor that gets two. Neville flips all over and goes up for the 450, but Victor moves and gets two. Graves drags Neville back to the corner and tags himself in, but he’s done and walks into a leg lariat. O’Brien adds the Total Elimination and we have new champs at 17:00. They swiped that finish from Midnight Express v. Road Warriors and didn’t pull it off quite as well, but that would be asking a lot of everyone. **1/4

Bo Dallas Open Invitational! So Bo faces a series of challenges, starting with some scrub who doesn’t get an introduction. The crowd, the true stars of the show, chants “Let’s go This Guy!” That’s fantastic. Dallas quickly finishes the guy with a spear at 1:12. Bo still feels good and asks for another challenger, and this time he gets Leo Kruger. And Antonio Cesaro, but neither can agree who goes first, leading to a tragic brawl that eliminates both guys from contention. Next up is mysterious masked luchador El Local, a generic looking fellow, who quickly puts Bo’s lights out and gets the pin at 0:30. But of course he unmasks as Sami Zayn, who finally gets his title shot as we’re done. I think we all knew where that was headed, but that’s why it’s a classic.

The Pulse

This show is becoming 1988 NWA more and more every day. That is a good thing. Another fantasic episode with stuff that happens and matters and lots of fun all around.