NXT Retro Review Episode 6 ‘McIntyre vs. Rollins’

Retro NXT Episode 6 Review – Original air date: July 25, 2012

Coheed and Cambria opened the show. Byron Saxton and William Regal are on commentary.

Bo Dallas and Derek Bateman vs Johnny Curtis and Michael McGillicutty

Bateman seemed a little annoyed that they came out to Bo’s music and entrance video. Curtis and McGillicutty (Curtis Axel) were trying to go as a team called Aggressively Weird or something at the time. Dallas and Curtis started the match. They locked up with Bo going to a headlock. Curtis shoved him in and Bo sent him flying with a shoulder block. Curtis ran to the corner to tag McGillicutty, who already had a bit of a cult following at Full Sail. McGillicutty threw a punch, but Dallas ducked it and hit an atomic drop, then brought him in the corner to tag in Bateman. Bateman locked in a wristlock, then put him down with a chop to the chest, and wrenched the arm to tag in Bo, and they whipped him into a double hiptoss.

Regal is going on and on about the size of Bo Dallas’ hands, saying he had inherited them from his grandfather, Blackjack Mulligan. McGillicutty took a powder, but Dallas followed him, and McGillicutty tagged in Curtis. Bo saw it and pulled Curtis down and hit him with a right, but McGillicutty blindsided him with a baseball slide. Curtis threw Bo back in the ring and worked him over rights, then distracted the ref so McGillicutty could step on his head. Curtis then tagged his partner in, and hit a backbreaker on Bo and held him so McGillicutty could kick him in the head for a two count. Bateman came in to break the count, but there was no need. The ref then had to get him out of the ring, allowing McGillicutty to pull him into his corner by the hair and lock in a rear chinlock. Bo fought out of the hold and charged to make the tag only to be caught. McGillicutty brought him towards the corner only to be taken over in a sunset flip, but tagged Curtis on the way down and Curtis nailed Bo from behind.

Curtis dropped Dallas with a European Uppercut for a two count, then applied a surfboard Bo fought to his feet, but Curtis broke the hold and nailed him with a knee to the gut and whipped him into the corner, but Bo caught him with a back elbow. Bo went to crawl to his corner, and McGillicutty tried to cut him off, but Dallas low bridged him to the floor and dove to tag Bateman. Bateman caught Curtis charging with a shoulder to the gut, then caught Curtis with a pair of clotheslines and a dropkick. Curtis caught him charging with a backelbow, but Bateman came right back with a flapjack, then a summersault swinging neckbreaker, but McGillicutty broke up the pin. Bo dropped him with a right, but the ref ordered him back in the corner. Bateman went for his finisher, but Curtis shoved him in and McGillicutty pulled his leg out. Curtis then nailed with the Falcon Arrow for the pin.

Winners: Curtis and McGillicutty via pinfall

They preview Seth Rollins vs Drew McIntyre in the main event, as well as Antonio Cesaro vs Alex Riley next.

Antonio Cesaro (with Aksana) vs. Alex Riley

Jim Ross joined Regal and Saxton on commentary. Ross called Cesaro “The Most Interesting Man in The World.” Damn, I can’t believe WWE missed the boat on Riley. They locked up to start the match, but Cesaro pulled out and took Riley down by the waist, and started grinding his face into the mat while rubbing his forearm in the back of his neck, but Riley escaped through the back door. They locked up again, and Cesaro slapped on a headlock. Riley tossed him in and Cesaro put him down with a shoulder block, then stomped on his chest, then pulled him up and slapped the headlock on again. Riley shoved him into the ropes, dropped down, and nailed him with a dropkick. Riley then slammed his head into the turnbuckle, then hit a facebuster from a corner mount position for a quick two. Riley went for a whip, but Cesaro blocked and reversed it into a hotshot. Cesaro locked in an abdominal stretch.

Riley fought out off the hold, but Cesaro cut him off with a knee and went for a European Uppercut, but Riley turned it into a backslide for a one count, then schoolboyed him for a two count, but Cesaro cut him off with a knee to the gut again. Cesaro used a rugby move to drive him into the corner, then lit him with rights and lefts. Cesaro then locked in a gutwrench on the mat, then eventually lifted him off the mat with a gut wrench suplex for a two count. Riley fought back with some right hands from his knees, but Cesaro cut him off with a forearm, then choked him over the second rope. He got into with the ref a little bit. Cesaro then tried to lock in an Octopus hold, but Riley got out and hit him with a backdrop. Riley then rallied with a series of right hands and clotheslines, then caught Cesaro charging with a spinebuster. Riley went for his finisher, but Cesaro escaped, but Riley nailed with a right hand. Aksana jumped on the apron, distracting Riley, and Cesaro caught him with the Rugby Tackle. He then picked up Riley and nailed him with the Neutralizer for the win.

Winner: Cesaro via pinfall

Then Briley Pierce, aka Ryan Nemeth, interviewed Kassius Ohno, calling him one of the brightest young stars in NXT. Ohno made fun of his comment, and how referenced all the fresh faces in NXT. Ohno said there was very athletic guys, but there were missing the element of danger, something he brought to the table. He said that he was here to inflict injury. “If I’m flying at you, you better move. If I have you in a hold you better get to the ropes, and if I’m swinging on you, you better duck.” He finished with “My name is Kassius, and I hurt people.”

Then we go to Matt Striker interviewed Drew McIntyre. Striker asked him how it felt that he was so highly regarded when he came to the WWE, but now all the talk was about guys like Seth Rollins. Drew responded that all everyone did these days was talk, especially guys like Rollins, but tonite, the talking would end.

Natalya vs. Sofia Cortez

Damn blonde looked good on Ivelisse. Regal, in character, asked why he had to be with old scrubbers, and why he couldn’t be with a woman like Sofia for once in his life. Nattie was deep in a heel run at this time. They locked up to start the match, with Nattie going straight from an armbar into a hammerlock. Cortez reversed it, but Nattie came back with a fireman’s carry into an armbar. Cortez grabbed a headscissors to counter, but Nattie nipped out of it and the two ladies squared off. They paced and went to lock up again, but Nattie ducked under for a waistlock, but Cortez countered with a bodyscissors into an armdrag. Nattie backed into the corner for protection, then used a ref distraction to grab Sofia and slam her head into the turnbuckles, then nailed her with a discus lariat for a two count. Nattie slapped Cortez on the ass, which got a reaction, then slammed her head twice into the mat before locking in an Inverted Surfboard, but not falling all the way to her back. Nattie eventually let go off the arms and pulled the hair of Sofia, which led the ref to break the hold. Nattie drove Sofia hard into the corner and worked her over some kicks, but then charged into double knees. Sofia followed up with a basement dropkick, but Nattie came back with a double leg into a forward pin for a two count. Nattie protested to the ref, but Sofia caught her in a schoolboy for a two count. Nattie came back with a waistlock into an O’Connor Roll for a two count, but Sofia kicked out hard, sending Nattie through the ropes to the floor. Once out, there Nattie screamed “I hate you” at Sofia and took the count…

Winner: Sofia by countout

Sofia looked to make her exit, but Nattie tied her in the ropes and attacked her. She decked her with a forearm and locked on the Sharpshooter, which soon had Sofia tapping. Nattie then celebrated like he won the match.

Then we get a review of the famous RAW 1000 Episode. As far as ratings go, it’s been all down here from there…

The Ascension (Kenneth Cameron and Connor O’Brien) vs. Dante Dash and Garrett Dylan

This is the first time we get the full Ascension entrance and it is amazing. O’Brien starts with Dash, who was very green, but actually bigger than Connor. Connor walked right past him and nailed his partner, Dylan, with a punch, dropping him from the apron. A very scared looking Dash looked on in shock. Dash came at him with some weak punches that Connor easily blocked, and Connor decked him with a right. He whipped him in looking for a backdrop. Dash tried to kick it away, but Connor blocked his kick and follow up punch, nailed him and brought him into the corner. Double team city. They did a forerunner to the Unicorn Stampede in the corner, then dropped a trio of double elbowdrops. They stood Dash up and hit the Total Elimination for the three count.

Winner: The Ascension via pinfall

We then get another awesome Big E Langston promo. He said he didn’t see his opponent as a challenge, but something in his way. He said didn’t train to fight, but to beat people down. This is all done in Big E’s deep voice, interspersed of him training and beating the bajabbers out of people. He debuts next week!

Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre

Jim Ross joined Byron and Regal on commentary for this main event. Damn, the old Drew McIntyre entrance song may be the entrance song of all time, although his current theme does fit his current character better. Amazing how both men went on to become World Champions, Seth in WWE, Drew in TNA and WCPW.

They locked up to start the match. Drew pressed Seth into the ropes, but Rollins pushed him back and turned into a waistlock. Drew got to the ropes, and the ref called for a break, but before Seth could let go, Drew nailed him with a backelbow, then put him down twice with a pair of Scottish Hammers. Drew posed, then ran the ropes. Seth dropped down and leapfrogged over a charging McIntyre, who tried to kick Seth in the stomach, but Seth caught the foot and put Drew down with a back-heel trip for a one count, then followed up with a Legsweep for a one count. Drew went for his own leg sweep, but Seth jumped over it and nailed Dre with a round kick for a two count. Seth went for an arm ringer, but Drew cracked him with a right hand, then stomped on his head. Drew went for a bodyslam, but Seth escaped, and Drew ran the ropes, but Seth leapfrogged again and hit Drew with a pair of dropkicks. Seth whipped him in for a third, but Drew held on, so Seth backflipped to his feet and caught him charging with a dropkick and Drew went to the floor. Drew got up and made like he was gonna head to the back, but Seth cut him off at the past with a tope! Commercial Break.

BFC, Drew was now in control, having Seth in a seated abdominal stretch, having taken control after a sick reverse Alabama Slam as shown on the replay. Seth fought to his feet and tried to battle back with some bodyshots. Drew cut him off and went to whip him into a backdrop, but Seth kicked it away and went for a spinning headscissors, but Drew turned into a tilt a whirl gutbuster, right into a gutwrench suplex for a two count. Drew worked Seth over in the corner, before nailing him with a shortarm clothesline for a two count, before going back to his hold. Seth slipped out again and got to his feet. He landed a few leg kicks, but Drew cut him off with a knee and went for the Future Shock, but Seth drove him hard into corner. Drew dropped some hammers to the back and went for it again, but Seth drove him back again, and hit a backdrop, but then they collided on a double clothesline. Drew nipped up, but then Seth nipped up right after him and nailed him with an enziguri. Seth then dropped Drew twice with right hands and nailed him with a one leg dropkick. Seth followed up with a flying forearm in the corner and a Flatliner into the turnbuckles. Seth went for the Blackout, but Drew cut him off with a kick and went for the Future Shock, but Seth hooked his leg in the ropes. Drew cinched up on a double underhook and tried muscle him into the move, but Seth blocked it and double legged him into a jackknife for a two count. Drew tried a cut off knee, but Seth countered with a schoolboy into the Avada Kedvara (superkick) for a two count. The fans chanted “Let’s Go Rollins” and he went up top for the Phoenix Splash, but Drew moved only to have Seth land on his feet and roll through, but Drew caught him with a Yakuza Kick! He then lifted him up and finally hit the Future Shock Double Arm DDT for the pin.

Winner: McIntyre via pinfall

Drew celebrated the win, while Byron promised a huge announcement from Dusty Rhodes next week, and that’s how this one ends.

Fanatic Take: This was another fine episode of the show. The matches were all solid, the incarnation of the Ascension was terrific and the main event was fun. Ironically, Seth vs Drew and Nattie vs Ivelisse would be considered dream matches now, but they happened here on NXT in front of a few hundred fans here at Full Sail. Amazing to think…