WWE: NXT TV Report: November 20th 2013

Hello once again to all things developmental here on The Wrestling Mania!

Our show opens up with a man clearly in the mood for a party. NXT Champion Bo Dallas is in the ring, rocking the party hat and horn. Bo has been around the world on tour, we are told.

Our announce team is Byron Saxton, William Regal and Alex Riley.

Bo kicks off by telling us that there is no place like home and that everywhere he went, everyone loves Bo.

Joining him is the wrestling god, JBL, interim GM of NXT. After the exchanging of pleasantries and a comparison between Bo and Randy Orton, JBL says that ‘we’ are proud of Bo and that Bo is the face of NXT.

On that note, out comes, also recently absent from NXT TV, Sami Zayn. Bo goes to talk but is interrupted by an Olé chant for the former El Generico (either that or they really want Los Matadores to join them).

Ah yes, Sami was suspended as JBL kindly reminds us. JBL says that Sami has shown disrespect interrupting JBL and the face of NXT, Bo Dallas. Sami said that was not intended and just wants to be reinstated so he can take the NXT title from “that delusional cheese ball”

The inevitable ‘cheese ball’ chant starts as JBL is issuing a retort, much to the displeasure of the wrestling god. JBL says he always does what’s best for business and reinstates Sami.

Bo reminds Zayn that he already beat him and that it seems he’s a loser. Zayn says that he doesn’t care if he has to start from the bottom but the next time they meet in the ring, he is taking the title.

JBL says that tonight there will be a ‘beat the clock challenge’ tonight to determine the new number one contender. The segment concludes with Zayn welcoming Bo home.

Our first competitor in this ‘beat the clock challenge’, Colin Cassady, now makes his way to the ring.

Lana appears on stage and introduces Alexander Rusev.

Colin Cassady v. Alexander Rusev

William Regal offers some revolutionary advice for such challenges as this, win as quickly as possible. Couldn’t have put it better myself!

We start out with some largely meaningless action and end up in the corner with some kicks to midsection of Cassady. Rusev goes for a cover but the ref doesn’t even have time to start the count.

Cassady gets in some light offense but is eventually bulldozed by Rusev. 2-count and then another for Rusev, who seems to be keeping an eye on the time.

We get some rather odd looking head-butts from Rusev and then another 2-count. Rusev tries another diving head-butt but this time from the second rope. He lands but there is nobody home.

Cassady decks Rusev and he in turn earns a couple of counts of two of his own. Cassady goes to follow up with a body slam but Rusev clubs him off and launches him into the rope. Cassady comes back with a high-knee and gets another two-count.

We’ve passed the 3 minute mark and Rusev is in control. At 3:20, Rusev locks in The Accolade. Cassady manages something of an escape before getting his hands on the rope.

As we approach the 5 minute mark, Rusev continues to dominate. At almost 5:30, Rusev locks in The Accolade once again. Cassady taps at 5:33.

Winner: Alexander Rusev

As you are no doubt aware, I have been praising Rusev and his push over the last month or so but my, that was a dull affair. In over five minutes, almost nothing happened.

If they wanted to set the time limit high then it seems illogical to use a man that has dispatched his previous opponents in seconds in a ‘beat the clock challenge’ that he is clearly not going to win. The roster is big enough for this to have been someone else.

We go backstage to an interview with Adrian Neville, who is asked to talk about his 2 out of 3 falls match with Corey Graves on last week’s edition on NXT.

Neville says he can’t think about all that now, all he needs to think about is beating the clock.

After the break, we get Bayley backstage spinning on a chair. She gets asked how she feels after Charlotte turned on her last week. She cuts a downbeat but amusing promo and says that she hasn’t spoken to Charlotte and she’ll give it another week or so.

For our next challenge match, out comes Tyler Breeze. Following him into the fray is our recently departed Hero, Kassius Ohno. Spoiler alert, Ohno gets released.

Tyler Breeze v. Kassius Ohno

The bell rings and Breeze is busy with his ‘selfie machine’ but still manages to best the advancing Ohno. Riley mentions a ‘stiff one early’, which was not intentionally crude but had me highly amused all the same.

Against the run of play, we get a few rollups from Ohno, neither of which are enough to earn him the win. A nice little sequence between the two competitors ends with Ohno ending up on the outside.

We spend what seems to be an age viewing Breeze trying to get Ohno back in the ring and essentially just wasting time. Thrilling stuff (If there was a font for sarcasm, that would be in bold).

Eventually we get back inside and get another pointless pinfall. I knew there was a reason I didn’t like beat the clock editions of WWE shows.

At about 1:30 left to go, Breeze misses the Beauty Shot and Ohno gets a near-fall or two.

We then get a series of rollups and pin reversals before Ohno finally gets the three.

Winner: Kassius Ohno

45 seconds have been knocked off of the time so the time to beat is now 4:48. I wonder if it will be beat. I really wish there was a sarcasm font.

We come back from the break with “The Artiste” Aiden English already in the ring. What? No song? What a gip! Adrian Neville is to be his opponent in the following beat the clock match.

“The Artiste” Aiden English v. Adrian Neville

Both men circle the ring as we get things underway.  English has the early advantage before we get a sample of some of Neville’s amazing athleticism. He hits a standing backflip and then a dropkick.

Neville, by the way, is showing no sign of after-effects from his match with Graves last week. We get some more back and forth and pin fall attempts from both men.

Both men have periods of dominance as the clock runs down to just over a minute left. Scoop slam from Neville, who heads to the top. English rolls from harm as he climbs.

The break in action allows English to get back into the match but he cannot get the win with less than 40 seconds to go. English attempts a superplex but Neville head-butts him to the mat.

6 seconds to go and Neville connects with the Red Arrow. Neville wins with 3 seconds remaining.

Winner: Adrian Neville

A good ending to what was another largely uninteresting match. Both men deserve better than this.

Time to beat now stands at 4:45. The final match is between Sami Zayn and Leo Kruger.

We go to an Ascension promo hyping a match between themselves and Hunico and Camacho next week. Where have they dug these guys up from again!? Two appearances in three weeks for Camacho!

Back in the arena, Leo Kruger is entering. Following him out to Full-Sail is Sami Zayn. Taking a seat to spectate at the top of the ramp is NXT Champion Bo Dallas.

Leo Kruger v. Sami Zayn

A cautious start before Sami Zayn connects with a flying cross body. As if we haven’t seen enough already, we get a couple of pinfall attempts from both men but neither get the three-count.

Things pick up when Zayn hits another crossbody but this time it’s an even more impressive one from the top rope.

As we go under a minute, Kruger hits a powerful spine-buster on Zayn. We then go to some more time wasting with Kruger in the corner awaiting Zayn getting to his feet. The wait is eventually too long for the South African though and he attempts a pinfall.

30 seconds to go.

20 seconds. Kruger hits a clothesline and gets a 2-count.

10 seconds remain.

5 seconds. Zayn counters a pin and picks up a win with the clock on 0:00.

Winner: Sami Zayn

JBL is out to clear things up. JBL says that, since we have a tie, next week Zayn will face Adrian Neville to determine the number one contender. The championship match will happen on the following week’s show.

That, my friends, is all she wrote.

To sum up the show, I am going to have to be negative in what has been a largely critical review of what is usually my favourite televised wrestling show of the week. There is nothing I hate more than overly pessimistic wrestling fans but not far behind them are the blinded wrestling fans, who can’t accept the negatives of companies or brands they love.

This week was dominated by the ‘beat the clock challenge’ and hurt almost everyone competing, arguably those not competing too, in the process.

Rusev, the dominant monster, took the longest of all the victors to dispatch his opponent. Where is the sense in that in the grand scheme of how he was previously being built. Granted there needs to be more than just squashes but this was not the next step.

The other matches all included entertaining personalities and talented wrestlers that were forced to make pin attempt after pin attempt. We get it, you’re trying to beat the clock but you’re all doing the same thing over and over again.

Why did Zayn’s rematch need to dominate a whole show (and part of the next one) when there were so many other, less intrusive, manners by which it could be achieved. Bo, after all, cheated his way to win last time so the simple set up was there.

Instead, we had a show that nudged one story forward slightly and ignored or dismissed almost everything else going on. No real follow up to the Charlotte turn and the dynamic between Emma and Paige hasn’t come up in two weeks now.

All in all (my rant is nearly over, I promise), creatively, this show was poor. I wouldn’t rush to check it out if you’re unsure but hopefully normality will resume next week.

To anyone wishing to express feedback on this report, save time and see it my way!

– By Richard Thompson

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