By Graham "GSM" Matthews

CM Punk Called Out The Shield

Punk did a nice job of recapping his 2013 and teasing that he might eventually re-enter the WWE Championship picture. I am glad to see his feud with The Shield continue and him getting in the heads of each of The Shield members, which will ultimately lead to their breakup. The segment also served as a suitable tie-in to Punk's subsequent match with Seth Rollins. This was a good start to the show, but then again, anything not involving The Authority in the opening segment works for me.


CM Punk def. Seth Rollins

As noted on commentary, this was the first time that these two have ever gone one-on-one in a WWE ring, so it was great to see this dream match finally come to fruition. Although the match could have gone on a bit longer, they were given good time and made the most of it by having a great matchup. Punk and Rollins have such good chemistry together that this leaves me wanting to see a rematch between the two. More tension was teased among the members of The Shield, but I hope WWE holds off on the breakup until after WrestleMania 30 so they can face The Wyatt Family.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Daniel Bryan def. Bray Wyatt by Disqualification

This match was over before it even started, as the interference from Luke Harper and Erik Rowan caused it to go to a disqualification no more than a minute into the bout. That was probably for the best since it appears WWE is saving Bryan vs. Bray for down the road, and it could be a marquee matchup if built to correctly. Doesn't this count as Bray's first loss in singles competition to date?


Daniel Bryan and CM Punk def. Luke Harper and Erik Rowan by Disqualification

We saw the same match at Survivor Series, so it was much of the same from the two teams. That isn't to say that it wasn't a solid tag team outing while it lasted, though. Bray Wyatt getting banned from ringside only to return and cause the match to go to a DQ was odd, but it help set up the subsequent six-man tag match also involving John Cena. Speaking of such, I found it refreshing that not a single person booed Cena upon his entrance. It is not everyday something like that happens.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Shield Interrupted John Cena

Cena can be great on the mic when he is motivated, but this was unfortunately more of the same from his happy-go-lucky persona. It wasn't completely unbearable, but it definitely wasn't one of this better showings on the mic. Thankfully, The Shield cut the promo short from it got to the point of being unbearable and the crowd was hot for the the run-ins from Mark Henry and Big E Langston. It helped set the stage for the rest of the show and was a simple yet effective opening segment.


Luke Harper and Erik Rowan def. The Usos

These two teams have had great matches together in the past, so it was a shame that it lasted no more than 10 seconds. While it gave The Wyatt Family a dominant victory, the quick loss made The Usos look like enhancement talent. The post-match attack on The Usos put more heat on The Wyatt Family, but again, didn't do much for The Usos, who should be in contention for the tag titles right now.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Dixie Carter Was Constantly Interrupted

I think it is common knowledge by this point that Carter can either be hit or miss on the mic, and this certainly wasn't one of her best promos. The crowd popped for every wrestler that interrupted her, but it grew annoying by the time James Storm came out. Promos should never take up a quarter of the show, especially at the start of the program. A tag match was made for the main event and it lead into the subsequent match between Storm and Gunner, so at least it was effective to an extent.


Gunner vs. James Storm for the Feast or Fired Briefcase Ended in a Double Count-out

Does anyone else hate it when people put the briefcases they earned on the line in a match? Granted, it wasn't up to Gunner, but it still devalues the briefcase and the title shot it contains. They worked a good match, but nothing memorable. I wish they would have held off on it until a later date and hyped it in advance, but the non-finish kept the feud alive. I am still unsure which of the two will end up turning heel, but I hope it is Gunner since he is better suited as a heel.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Antonio Cesaro def. William Regal

The build-up to this match has been very well done and it helped make the match mean more in the end. Even the pre-match interviews from both competitors were a nice touch. They were given great time and definitely made the most of it. Cesaro and Regal have such awesome chemistry with each other in the ring that it made for an excellent matchup with a solid story behind it. Regal doing the job for Cesaro was logical since Cesaro is the future and Regal isn't (despite the fact I am a massive Regal fan), but the finish was fantastic in that Regal looked strong in defeat and Cesaro showed a tremendous amount of respect for him afterward. I don't think this was the start of a Cesaro babyface turn, although I would like to see it at point just to see how well it would work out.


Overall Show

Obviously, there isn't much to discuss given how a majority of the show was made up for video packages and only one match in the main event. However, that isn't to say that this show wasn't worth seeing, as I really enjoyed the various vignettes highlighting the best moments in NXT this year. The match between Regal and Cesaro was definitely worth going out of your way to see as well. This was a smart approach by NXT seeing how this episode aired on Christmas and not much storyline progression was done, but the "Best of NXT" format was fun and the special appearances by The Shield and The Wyatt Family were cool. It has been a fantastic year for NXT in 2013, so here's hoping 2014 will be equally amazing if not better.