NXT Retro Episode 7: Big E debuts

Retro NXT Episode 7 – Orginal Air Date: August 1, 2012

The show began with Byron Saxton’s voice welcoming fans to the show at The NXT Arena (don’t really hear that anymore) and sent the crowd to the back where NXT Interim General Manager “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes had a big announcement.

The Dream, sitting behind the table, talked about the importance of being a champion at any level and how it was the Dream (pun I think intended) of every superstar and how NXT needed that dream. He said that first NXT Champion was about to be crowned. He said there would be an Eight-Man Gold Rush Tournament to crowd the first champion. The eight men were Richie Steamboat, Bo Dallas, Leo Kruger, Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Michael McGillicutty, Jinder Mahal, and Justin Gabriel. Steamboat and Rollins got the biggest pops. He then announced that tournament would begin…right now!

Coheed and Cambria then plays.

We go back to the arena and we see the recently retired original NXT belt resting on top of the stage before the first match begins. Byron Saxton and William Regal are on commentary, but Jim Ross joins them for all Gold Rush Tournament Bouts.

Richie Steamboat vs. Leo Kruger in a Gold Rush Tournament First Round Bout

These two men, of course, met a few weeks ago, with Kruger using the ropes to get the win. They paced and went to lock up to start the match, but Steamboat ducked under for a waistlock and schoolboyed Kruger for a quick two count, then leg sweeped for a one count. They paced again and locked up, and Steamboat drove Kruger to the corner and gave a clean break, but Kruger reared back and slapped him across the face. Kruger fled between the ropes and Steamboat gave chase, following Kruger around the ring, through the ring, and around again before Kruger caught him coming in with a double axhandle to the back. Kruger laid in some shots and whipped him in looking for the sleeperhold, but Steamboat escaped and stared Krueger down.

Kruger threw a right, but Steamboat ducked and put him down twice with hard chops and Kruger took a powder. He took his sweet time coming in the ring, but Steamboat right went after once he did, working him over in the corner, slamming his head into the turnbuckles and hitting a hard chop before whipping him hard into the corner. He was set to go work him over some more when the ref intervened and Kruger started claiming his knee was hurt. The ref restrained Steamboat as he examined Kruger, but at the right time, Kruger popped out and nailed Steamboat with a forearm. Kruger limped along, but then went to work him over and posed before delivering the snap suplex, posing a little more, and hitting a fistdrop for a two count. Kruger then applied a cravate, then switched into a neck vice. Steamboat started fighting to his feet, so Kruger nailed him with a knee, then whipped into an awesome spinebuster for a two count. Kruger brought him into the corner and nailed him with a bodyshot, then whipped Steamboat and Steamboat tried to catch him with a boot, but Kruger caught it, only to be nailed by an enziguri that stumbled him. Steamboat followed up with a hard series of chops, but Kruger cut him off with a knee to the gut. Kruger ran the ropes, but Steamboat caught him with a clothesline, then followed with a clothesline, backdrop, and a dropkick off the top for a two count. Steamboat went for a clothesline, but Kruger caught him in the sleeperhold. Steamboat flailed for the ropes (and actually got them, but the ref ignored it), and Kruger locked the hold in the center of the ring. Steamboat went to his knees briefly but fought back and got the ropes. Kruger looked incensed. He started dropping knees to the back of the head and whipped him in, but Steamboat caught him with the Sling Blade out of nowhere for the three count.

Winner: Steamboat via pinfall

We then get a replayed of last week’s Big E Langston vignette, but it instead proclaims his debut is next!

Big E Langston vs. Adam Mercer

They locked up, and Langston immediately started throwing hard knees to the gut, quickly laying out Mercer. He then picked him and punished him with a trio of backbreakers, holding him up the entire time. He then brought him into the corner, and hit a trio of shoulder blocks, before getting some steam for a big one. Langston taunted his opponent and pie faced him to the mat. He grabbed his head to do some trash talking, but Mercer caught him with two weak jawbreakers and ran the ropes, but Langston cut him off with a massive Body Block. Langston then pulled down the straps and hit the Big Ending for the three count.

Winner: Langston via pinfall

Audrey Marie vs. Raquel Diaz

Audrey is your typical Diva at this time. Beautiful, very well stacked, but not the best wrestler. Diaz did her entrance with the LED mike and said Audrey Marie didn’t know how to work a ramp and stopped to fix herself in the camera lense and said the Exfoliating Ugliness tour began now. It’s a hell of a gimmick.

They locked up to start the match and Audrey slapped on a headlock. Diaz spent a minute trying to find a way out of the hold, trying forearms to the back and grabbing the hair, and Marie even used a wristlock to maintain the hold, but in the end, Diaz stomped on her foot and threw her in, ducked a clothesline, and Diaz caught her in a hotshot (Audrey pretty much jumped into the move) for a two count. Diaz locked in a weak looking half nelson chinlock. Once Audrey showed signs of trying to fight the hold, Diaz threw her face first into the mat and covered for a two count. Diaz did the quick double stomp scrap to the face you don’t see anymore, and posed, but Audrey caught her with a legsweep for a quick two count. Audrey ran the ropes but Diaz caught her with a drop toe hold and took her back, ramming her face into the mat.

Diaz posed again, and Audrey double legged her into a jackknife pin for a two count, but Diaz bridged out  and went for a backslide, but Audrey went to walk the ropes to flip over. Audrey completed the move and threw a weak looking kick, but Diaz blocked and almost pulled her pants down, and clubbed her in the back. The dreaded “You Can’t Wrestle’ chant came out as Diaz hit the Gory Bomb for the three count.

Winner: Diaz via pinfall

After the match, Diaz grabbed the lipstick and used it to draw an L on Audrey’s head. They then went straight to Briley Pierce with Paige, and he asked what she thought of it as a Diva in NXT. She simply said “Raquel Diaz, Ugliness Tour? We’ll see.”

We see that the main event will be a rematch in the Gold Rush Tournament, with Seth Rollins facing Drew McIntyre.

Hunico and Camacho vs.Jason Jordan and Mike Dalton

Jordan and Hunico started the match. They lock up and Jordan slips under to a waistlock, forcing Hunico to go to the ropes. They pace a little more and lock up again, and Jordan takes him over a fireman’s carry and grabs a waistlock, getting some riding time on top before Hunico got to his feet, only for Jordan to take him down again. Hunico fought to his feet, but Jordan grabbed a front facelock and brought him into his corner and tagged Dalton. Dalton came off the top with a double axhandle to the back, then grabbed a leg scissors cradle for a two count before Hunico cut him off with a hard chop. Hunico whipped him in and Dalton grabbed hold of the ropes to stop his momentum. Camacho took a swipe at him, distracting Dalton, and he turned right into a dropkick by Hunico. Hunico covered for a two count, then tagged in Camacho, who worked Dalton over strong in the corner before tagging in Hunico, who hit a slingshot dropkick in the corner for a two count. Hunico taunted Jordan, then worked over Dalton. Dalton tried to punch from his knees, but Hunico cut him off with a knee to the gut and tried to whip him into another, but Dalton countered with a schoolboy for a two count. Hunico cut him off with a kick to the gut and tagged in Camacho, who hit a pretty double arm suplex for a two count. Camacho worked him over a bit, then tagged Hunico back in and they whipped into a double hiptoss into a double powerbomb for a two count, with Jordan coming in to break up the pin. The ref got Jordan out and the heels took time to double team him. Then they whipped him in, looking for what amounted to a double team pop up powerbomb, but Dalton caught Camacho with a hurricanrana and Jordan tackled Hunico and Dalton got the three count!

Winner: Jordan and Dalton via pinfall

We then get an old school NXT style Bo Dallas promo. Recent pictures have surfaced that there was a lost sixth season of NXT and this is clearly from that aborted project. Dallas is in the title tournament next week.

Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre in a First-Round Gold Rush Tournament Match

JR’s back on commentary and he notes that McIntyre is Rollin’s only loss in NXT. They locked up to start the match with Drew trying to drive him into the corner, but Seth escaped before he could. They lock up again and Drew tries the same thing on the other side, but Seth escapes. Seth tries to catch a kick, but Drew hammers him to the mat. Drew goes for a bodyslam, but Seth flips out and let go with some leg kicks and body shots, driving McIntyre into the ropes. The ref tried to break it, but Drew came over the top with a right. Drew drilled him with a headbutt and whipped him in, but Seth caught him a running dropkick to the knee. Seth rolled over a drop down and leapfrogged over a backdrop, and caught Drew with a satellite headscissors. Drew missed a clothesline and Seth hit a running one leg dropkick sending Drew to the floor. Seth faked a dive and Drew went under the ring to escape. Seth tried to pull him out, but Drew pulled him into the bare apron, with Seth hitting his shoulder. Drew tossed him in the ring and used the ropes to lock in a hammerlock/neck crank, then released the hold and started working on the arm. Drew hit a hammerlock back suplex for a two count. Commercial Break.

Drew whipped him in looking for a backdrop, but Seth kicked it away, only to charge into a backelbow for a two count. Drew then worked him over in the corner, and Seth tried to fight back with punches but Drew took him down face first with a wristlock for a two count. Drew went to the floor so he could slam the arm on the apron. Seth tried to fight back with bodyshots with his good arm, but Drew overpowered him and hit him several clotheslines in the corner. Drew then went for a short arm clothesline, but Seth flipped through with it and ran the ropes and Drew tried to catch him with a gorilla press, but Seth caught him with a DDT. Both men struggled to their feet, and Seth came on with a series of strikes culminating with a spinning back kick and an enziguri. Seth then clotheslined him over the top rope and went right a crazy tope to the floor.

Seth threw him in the ring and rallied the crowd before hitting a flying forearm in the corner, but Drew caught him with a VICIOUS clothesline for a near fall. Drew brought him to his feet and pounded him with headbutts and whipped him in, but Seth caught him with a backelbow and went for a second rope crossbody, but Drew countered into a tilt a whirl backbreaker for a two count. Drew went for Future Shock, but Seth rolled out only to have Drew drive him into the corner and pound him shoulder blocks. Drew went for it again, but Seth held onto the ropes and Drew pounded him to the mat. Drew went for a back superplex, but Seth knocked him off with elbows and went for the Phoenix Splash, but Drew moved only to have Seth rolled landed on his. Drew went for a Yakuza Kick in the corner, but missed and crotched himself. He escaped but Seth caught him with the Blackout for the three count.

Winner: Seth via pinfall

Frank’s Take: This is my favorite episode of the new NXT so far. This one had Dusty Rhodes’s influence all over it, as it felt like a one hour episode of 80s era World Championship Wrestling. Dalton and Jordan getting the upset, Big E Langston awesome squash match debut, the promos, and an excellent main event between Rollins and McIntyre…This one is a gem.