The SmarK Rant for WWE NXT–10.09.13

The SmarK Rant for WWE NXT – 10.09.13

Taped from Orlando, FL

Your hosts are Tom Phillips & Alex Riley

Leo Kruger v. Antonio Cesaro

And yet again we get a match set up one week and paid off the next. How can you not love this show? Cesaro storms in and beats Kruger down, but gets clotheslined to the floor. Kruger pounds him on the apron, but Cesaro heads back in with a knee to the gut as the awesome crowd chants “Push Cesaro”. Cesaro chokes him out and tries a suplex, but Kruger reverses and makes the comeback. Leo stomps a mudhole in the corner and a legsweep gets two. Cesaro puts him down with an uppercut for two and adds the double stomp for two. Chokeslam gets two. They head to the top and Kruger brings him down with a superplex as we take a break. Back with Kruger hitting a suicide dive, and a spinebuster back in the ring. Cesaro bails and suckers Kruger into charging into the stairs, then tosses him out of the other side of the ring. And Cesaro actually demands the countout! Kruger beats the count, so Cesaro tosses him again and adds a gutwrench onto the ramp. He advises Kruger to stay down this time, but Kruger makes it at 9. The crowd is calling for the Giant Swing, but Cesaro just BRUTALIZES him with forearms instead. He adds an Angle Slam variation and gets two. Kruger escapes the Neutralizer , but walks into the SWISS DEATH FOREARM, which gets two. So now Cesaro goes with the sleeper, gets the hooks in, but Kruger fights out. So Cesaro has finally had enough of this jerk and just puts him away with the Neutralizer at 16:21. He adds a flying knee to the head, you know, for sportsmanship. First part of the match was kind of dull, but once it settled into Cesaro beating the ugly off of Kruger it got comparatively awesome. ***1/4

Charlotte v. Santana Garrett

Why does Santana get a last name? They trade wristlocks and Santana gets a legsweep into an armbar while the mean girls join us at ringside to annoy Bayley. Renee Young even calls them the mean girls! Charlotte fights back with chops and back-bridges into a cover for two. Flapjack sets up a very ugly diamond cutter variation to finish at 3:30. They don’t even show a replay of that one, wisely. * Summer and Sasha cut a promo declaring that Paige is officially out, which cues the attack by Paige, who is apparently less out than originally advertised. Kind of like John Cena, I guess. A beatdown follows and Emma makes the save, so there’s your match for next week.

Danny Birch v. Mojo Rawley

Good name and look for Rawley. Plus “Mojo” is a great name for chanting. Birch attacks and quickly gets overpowered, but comes back with a chinlock. The crowd is already hip to the room and chants “Get hyped” for Rawley, and he makes the comeback with shoulderblocks. Pair of corner splashes and a butt-butt set up an Earthquake splash for the pin at 2:24. Can’t fault the enthusiasm, that’s for sure. *

Meanwhile, Emma and Paige don’t agree on much, but they agree to a tag match next week.

Alexander Rusev & Scott Dawson v. Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady

Cassady slugs it out with Rusev, but Enzo comes in and stupidly walks into a beating from Rusev. Dawson elbows him down for two. Short-arm clothesline gets two. Rusev pounds the ribs and locks in the camel clutch to finish at 2:52. Riley on Amore after putting him over as a future superstar all match: “Well, my guy lost. But I still believe in him!” Think positive, A-Ry! *

Meanwhile, Sami Zayn celebrates his #1 contendership, but Bo Dallas has HURT FEELINGS. So next week they compete for the title! And then maybe team up and rule NXT, depending on how everyone is feeling afterwards.

Rob Van Dam v. Aiden English

Rob rolls him up with a scissors for two and English backs off, so Rob puts him down with a spinkick and follows with a monkey flip. English bails and RVD follows with a moonsault press and guillotines him on the apron for two. English ducks away from Rolling Thunder and catches him with a low blow to take over, and a suplex gets two. English with the chinlock, but Rob cradles for two. Rob comes back with a superkick and hits Rolling Thunder this time, and the frog splash finishes at 5:30. This was fine. ** Don’t know that I would have jobbed English this early in his run, but it’s a pretty good rub for him to be in there with RVD in the main event.

The Pulse

Another great, fun show, and next week is the epic Sami Zayn title shot! See you then!