Original Airdate: Wednesday, June 27th, 2012
Full Sail University
Winter Garden, Florida
Seth Rollins vs. Jiro
We get right to action, as we get the debut of current headliner Seth Rollins. They treat him as somewhat of an odd, metal loving competitor. I first saw Rollins back in Ring Of Honor in 2008 and walked away thinking he had big star potential. He makes quick work of Jiro. He then cuts a promo after the match and it is basically him yelling. Jinder Mahal then interrupts and Rollins heads to the back.
Match Rating: 1/4* (out of 5)
Jinder Mahal vs. Jason Jordan
Jordan's hair will continue to be a highlight here on NXT. Mahal is just as uninteresting in 2012 as he is in 2019. After some boring action, Mahal puts Jordan in the Camel Clutch and that is all. Mahal cuts a promo in his native tongue to a chorus of boos.
Match Rating: 1/4*
We get a hype video for Leo Kruger, who would of course go on to be Adam Rose. A lot of their talents during this time on NXT were pretty weak.
Leo Kruger vs. Aiden English
Well, here are two matches in a row where the guy they are hyping is significantly worse than the guy putting them over. English attempts to hit some dropkicks but is swatted away. Kruger then just goes on to destroy him and get the submission victory. I will say, he looked better than I ever remember him as Adam Rose, but the bar is set very low there.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Now it's Richie Steamboat's hype video and how he will try to carve out his own legacy as a Steamboat.
The Usos vs. The Ascension
The Usos had already been with the company for 2 years at this point. If this were a match on Raw or Smackdown, it would likely be a 3 minute squash for the Usos. The Ascension have a unique entrance, that would probably still work if they brought that back. Usos get a few moves in, but The Ascension hits the Downcast and that's all. I didn't expect that to be as short as it was.
Match Rating: 3/4*
Richie Steamboat vs. Rick Victor
Interesting that future Ascension member wrestles immediately after in a total jobber role. This is my first time actually seeing Steamboat wrestle a match. It seemed as if he was always a sure thing to be a huge star before a back injury ended it. There is no doubting that he is the son of Ricky. He reminds me of a more polished 1996 Rocky Maivia. He hits the Slingblade for the victory. His father celebrates the victory in the crowd.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Antonio Cesaro vs. Dante Dash
Cesaro is accompanied by Aksana. Good times. I am a huge Cesaro fan and I will never understand why they sent him to NXT but it ended up working ok. Byron Saxton is really not good at all as an announcer and actually takes away from the matches. Cesaro's power moves are still impressive 7 years later. Neutralizer and its all over.
Match Rating: 1/4*
We get another Bray Wyatt video and it's hard not to think what could have been with that character. A definite missed opportunity.
Johnny Curtis vs. Derrick Bateman
Both of these guys had a lot of hype at the time, but this is my first time watching them during this era. I enjoy Curtis's work, but have never been big on Bateman. After a flurry of moves from Bateman, Curtis now goes to work on the leg. Curtis seems like an interesting guy. I also love how this was the era of random generic names. I mean, would Vince really main event WrestleMania with a guy named Derrick Bateman? I guess at least it was better than Michael McGillicutty. Then out of nowhere, Bateman hits the DVD and that is all. For a match they made out to be a big deal, that was awfully short.
Match Rating: 1/2*
I felt like I was watching an episode of 1992 Superstars right there. I get that they wanted to keep introducing all of these new stars, but why not spread them out and give your main event a few more minutes? Also, why waste the Usos appearance in a squash match? Confusing episode to me.
Overall Rating: 29%
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