WWE NXT Review - December 11, 2013

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NXT Tag Team Champions The Ascension def. Hunico and Camacho

I still am not buying into Hunico and Camacho as babyfaces, but they are still solid in the ring as ever before and are capable of having good matches. As much as I like their gimmick, the only issue with The Ascension is their lack of heat, thus their matches can be boring at times. This match was well wrestled, but the live audience didn't care enough to get engaged in the action. Still, it is nice to see The Ascension retain seeing how they have only been champions for a few months.


Alexander Rusev def. Kassius Ohno

I have been enjoying the feud between these two in recent weeks, but it is a shame it was cut short due to Ohno's legitimate release from WWE. That being said, having Rusev dominate most of the match and having him injury Ohno following his victory was smart booking, as it writes Ohno off television in logical fashion. Rusev most definitely has the potential to be a top heel in NXT, and it wouldn't surprise if he was called up to the main roster before long.

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Summer Rae and Sasha Banks def. Bayley and Natalya

I like the idea of a pairing between Bayley and Natalya, but seeing how Natalya is a main roster Diva, I don't know how long the partnership will last. It was a good match by NXT women's wrestlers' standards, but nothing compared to the excellent matchup between Paige and Natalya last week. I was surprised to see Bayley lose yet again, especially with Natalya as her partner, but it was a nice win for the BFFs. I expected Charlotte to cost Bayley the victory, but no such luck. Hell, Charlotte didn't even make an appearance. Where has she been as of late?


Mojo Rawley def. Scott Dawson

Personally, I couldn't care less that Dawson is back from injury. I find him to be extremely bland and I can not understand for the life of me why the commentators praise him as much as they do. It was a fine match for what it was, but it was more of the same from Rawley. I enjoy his excitement and athleticism, but him using Naomi's finisher isn't intimidating in the slightest. The post-match attack seems to indicate that this feud is not yet over. I can't say I'm excited to see it continue, but at least it will give Rawley something to do for the next few weeks.


Leo Krueger def. Sami Zayn

Similar to their last encounter from a few weeks ago, this was a very good match that was hindered by the small window of time they were allotted. They have great chemistry together and have the potential to have awesome matches, but the final few minutes felt rushed after jumping from first gear to fourth almost instantly. It was a refreshing change of pace to see Krueger pick up the clean win for once, and I am glad that the feud is only getting started. Zayn's ultimate win over Zayn will mean that much more now that he is in chase mode against Krueger.


Overall Show

While there wasn't anything extraordinary on this show, there was plenty of storyline progression and a number of feuds were furthered. The main event was the highlight of the night, but I wouldn't say that it was worth going out of your way to see. Even still, it was a good hour of wrestling and better than anything else on WWE programming nowadays. Seeing how next week's show will mark NXT's historic 200th episode, I felt disappointed that it should have been made out to feel like a bigger deal, but at least a lot was advertised for the episode.


Don't forget to vote in the WWE/TNA 2013 Year in Review Awards! Polls close December 17th!