WWE NXT Review - October 16, 2013

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

NXT Tag Team Champions The Ascension def. Adrian Neville and Corey Graves

I was surprised to see this match not advertised in advance, but it was still a great way to kick off the show. Personally, I found the last match between the two tandems to be better, but this bout was still solid and got everyone involved by the end. The Ascension winning clean was smart booking and makes them look strong going into their next program (whoever that may be with). I liked Graves turning on Neville, but it seemed to come out of nowhere. I mean, no tension was teased between them at all in recent weeks. Even still, this was a nice way of shifting both men into singles competition in a logical feud against one another.


Tyler Breeze def. CJ Parker

It was good to see Breeze back after a brief absence, and the Full Sail University absolutely adored his antics as much as I did. However, that didn't bode well for Parker, who was unceremoniously booed by the live crowd, and I can't say it is wrong of them to do so. His character isn't terrible, but it is hard to relate to and just too goofy for my liking. I guess anyone who is up against Breeze should prepare to be booed. The match itself was nothing special, but decent at best. Even still, Breeze going over was the best possible outcome and I hope this was the blow-off to this feud. Again, this was another contest that should have been advertised in advance.

---

Summer Rae and Sasha Banks def. NXT Women's Champion Paige and Emma

I have been thoroughly enjoying the on-going rivalry between these four women thus far and this was a very effective way of furthering it. It was a well-wrestled women's match that felt meaningless since it has been built towards for quite awhile now. I was surprised not to see any tension teased between Paige and Emma considering the fact Paige beat Emma to win the belt in the first place, but maybe that comes later down the line. Rae and Banks are also doing a good job of generating heat without coming off as a Lay-Cool rip-off. I can't say I am excited to see Rae vs. Paige for the title yet again, but it should be a good match, regardless. Honestly, I would rather see Banks contend for the title next, which would feel fresher.


NXT Champion Bo Dallas def. Sami Zayn

Without a doubt, this was Dallas' best match by far to date. While Zayn brought him to a great matchup, I believe Dallas deserves some credit as well for holding his own against him. The false finish with Dallas' foot being on the rope wasn't necessary since the live crowd didn't seem to buy it anyway, but aside from that, the action was exciting and the near-falls down the stretch were very suspenseful. Dallas cheating to win allows the feud to continue and it shouldn't be long before Zayn is wearing NXT title gold around his waist.


Overall Show

This was definitely one of the best episodes of NXT in a long time, which is saying a lot seeing how most of the shows are good nowadays. This edition in particular was stacked from top to bottom with meaningful matches that all left me satisfied. There were many memorable moments and plenty to build off from going into next week's show. In a sense, this felt like an NXT pay-per-view, but didn't drag on at all. Why NXT didn't promote this show more beforehand is beyond me.