NXT Champion: Bo Dallas
NXT Tag Team Champions: The Ascension
NXT Woman's Champion: Paige
NXT ARrival
February 27th, 2014
Full Sail University: Orlando, Florida
They have this big grand opening with special lights and lasers to reveal Triple H in the ring, god bless that man. He DOES THE ARE YOU READY!!!! THIS IS NXT! Smoke comes from the roof, the crowd is going nuts.. Hunter says NXT is the next generation, and the next generation has arrived.
This leads to the debut of the AWESOME new video intro to the "roar of the crowd" song.
SHOWTIME~!
Commentary: Phillips, Saxton and Regal
Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro
Antonio is DEAD! it's just Cesaro now. So, this along with Revival prime matches and El Idolo/JohnnyWrestling are the main reasons why I started this project. I just wanted to watch the build and those matches, and also see the character development along with finding some hidden gem matches. And yeah, this still holds up as the incredible masterpiece it is. Cesaro comes into this super cocky, but on his game, he has Sami scouted, but Sami comes back with some incredible counters and uses the speed advantage to throw Cesaro off. He hits the flip dive to the floor, but Sami gets too caught up in the moment which allows Cesaro to catch him in mid-air and counter the crossbody into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, he begins to turn up the aggression and pinball Sami in and out of the ring, just taking his time in punching poor Sami who bumps around on some godly shit. Sami blocks being crotched into the ringpost and sets up the through the turnbuckles tornado DDT, but CESARO HAS IS SCOUTED AGAIN AND KILLS HIM WITH AN UPPERCUT!
he now targets the knee, and it's incredible. Super nasty bending and ripping at the knee with Sami selling it, well like a man whose knee is legit injured and rushed to get back. He can barely stand, and limps when he does make it to his feet. It's so awesome. Whenever Sami has a brief moment on offense, he knee it too worn down to follow up which allows Cesaro to get back to his feet and take the fight back to him. Sami has to use Cesaro's momentum against him get some separation, but again CESARO HAS HIM SCOUTED HE CATCHES A DIVE AND COUNTERS INTO A TILT-A-WHIRL SLAM ONTO THE STAGE! Sami uses the full 9 count to get back in, and even plays possum so when Cesaro comes charging in Sami catches him with an exploder into the turnbuckles for two. This mounts a Sami comeback where he hits some of his signature stuff for near falls. Cesaro counters the Koji Clutch into the BROCK LOCK! but he makes it to the ropes, the crowd chant for the big swing but Sami counters at first, but Cesaro manages to get it the 2nd time for 7 seconds. HE FOLLOWS UP WITH A SICK UPPERCUT FOR TWO. Now Cesaro begins to get frustrated with not being able to put Sami down, so he starts laying his shit in extra stiff, some nasty stomps and uppercuts. Sami counters a top rope powerbomb into a super frankensteiner off the top and hits the Helluva Kick but Cesaro kicks out. They've built up that Sami doesn't quite have what it takes on one leg to pull this off perfectly, as Cesaro is up first so now it's about pride. Cesaro starts brutalizing Sami with uppercuts but Sami REFUSES TO DIE! He keeps making it back to his feet, with the help of Cesaro's body. SAMI THEN FINDS NEW LIFE! AND THIS IS WHEN AMAZING TURNS INTO A CLASSIC! They have this awesome sequence of counters and big strikes, leading to near falls, CESARO KILLS HIM WITH A POP-UP EUROPEAN UPPERCUTTER BUT SAMI KICKS OUT AT 1. BECAUSE FUCK YEAH! Cesaro is shocked and starts to rethink this as maybe tonight is not his night...NAH... INSTEAD, HE MURDERS SAMI WITH A ROLLING UPPERCUT AND FINISHES HIM OFF WITH THE NEUTRALIZER for the win. A classic. 2nd best opening match of all time. ****3/4
After the match; Cesaro celebrates as Sami is heartbroken and watches sitting against the ropes. Cesaro goes to leave, he makes it halfway up the ramp but comes back Sami gets up AND CESARO PULLS HIM IN FOR THE HUG! RESPECT!
Cesaro leaves and Sami gets a standing ovation along with "Ole, Ole, Ole" how fitting the greatest babyface of my generation gets a stand o 1 match in.
I DON'T GET HYPE, I STAY HYPE~!
LOL at having to follow that.
CJ Parker vs. MoJo Rawly
Filler TV match, CJ is even worse at being a heel than being a face, he can't lead and he def can't lead against someone as new and limited as MoJo. MoJo does some things before hitting the hyperdrive for the win.
Backstage: Emma is getting ready for her match, her warm-up is a mix of stretching and dancings.
Emma video package airs.
Ascension video package airs.
NXT Tag Team Championships: The Ascension vs. Too Cool
The Too Cool nostalgia wears off pretty quickly and it just turns into a shitty extended Ascension squash. Fall of Man wins it for the champs.
Backstage: Paige is in a dark rooming getting ready for her match.
Video package on Paige airs.
Ric Flair and Charlotte are in the crowd.
Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley comes down to the ring, CAUSE SHE IS THE REASON WOMAN'S WRESTLING IS A THING! Nah, but she does say right here right now, they are making history. NXT is the first show to stream on the network, not mania. She says SHE HAS THE PRIVILEGE OF ANNOUNCING THE WOMAN'S DIVISION!
NXT Woman's Championship: Emma vs. Paige
Paige debuts her "Paige theme" here, she also debuts her t-shirt so I think she's the first NXT wrestler to get merch. This starts off super great, like more hate-filled than I've seen so far in this year. They have a similar story to Cesaro/Sami with both knowing each other well enough to counter each other's signature stuff to start. Paige takes over and works the head and neck. It's really good, sadly Emma doesn't sell it, but rather sells fatigue. Emma keeps going for the Emma Lock but Paige being the vet has it scouted each time, and seems to be one step ahead but she makes the rare mistake of taking too much time on the apron and Emma kicks her knee out and she bumps off the apron. This match does kinda expose Emma, where she doesn't have much outside her signature moves and doesn't really have anything else. She works the back after she gets her stuff in, and it's Emma's best stuff she has Paige's arms stretched behind her back and puts her boots to her spine, it looks super good and nasty especially when he gets angry and kicks her in the back of the head. Paige eventually gets out and they move to the big spots, I like that they play off the first match with Paige having a counter for the superplex, but Emma counters into a sunset flip and hits a running or walking Liger Bomb for two. Both women are slow, and Emma provokes Paige by slapping her which PISSES HER OFF! She comes back with slaps of her own and hits the Paige Turnah, BUT EMMA KICKS OUT! She's the first to do so. Paige then debuts the Scorpion Cross Lock for the win. A real good match, I still have their first match above this, but still a wonderful match. ***
After the match; Paige and Emma hug too.
Backstage: Neville is stretching.
Neville video package airs.
Dusty Rhodes & Pat Patterson are sitting in the crowd.
Xavier Woods vs. Tyler Breeze
As soon as the bell rings, Rusev comes out and destroys them both. RUSEV CRUSH!
Lana grabs a mic and says Rusev is the next generation and is the super athlete.
Video Package on the NXT Champion Bo Dallas airs.
Larry Zabyszko Steve Keirn are sitting in the crowd.
Video Package airs for the Main Event
Shawn Michaels comes out, he TEASES the one more match chants by saying he's fat, old and out of shape and is enjoying not having to abide by the dress code. He plugs his "Mr. WrestleMania" DVD because he needs to money, Shawn still living off the 2009 gimmick
He puts over both Neville and Bo before they make their way out. Once they do, Shawn straps the title to the hook and shakes both men's hands.
Ladder Match for the NXT Championship: Adrian Neville vs. Bo Dallas
Neither guy has been in a ladder match, so their both virgins to it. They continue to story of Neville being so much better and outclasses Bo to start, but Bo is the master of finding an opening to take advantage and he does, he immediately slows down the pace he has a decent showing, but when he leaves to get the ladder Neville recovers and has this brief awesome flurry of offense with highspots but Bo survives and shoves him into the steps to take over again. Bo has some decent ladder weapon spots, but its all the stuff we've seen before same with some of the falls off the ladder, I will say this is the best Bo has looked so far in the ring, as the match progresses he gets more and more vicious trying to use the ladder but everything seems to fail. It does fall apart at the end tho, they do this awesome spot with both men fighting up top but Bo rams Neville's shoulder into the ladder and drags him off the top. You would think they have this perfect opportunity to have Neville be at the disadvantage and working with one arm, but instead, he no-sells it and they move along to the next spot. More tease stuff, but it just seems Bo doesn't have enough and Neville wants it more. He slams Bo on the ladder and hits Red Arrow onto Bo and the ladder. Bo rolls to the floor and Neville climbs and pulls down the belt before Bo can stop him. This is probably the safest ladder match in history, maybe about 3 or 4 ladder bumps between them with the nastiest being the Red Arrow. **3/4
In the crowd, Cena watches on and applauds.