NXT 1-22-14 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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Adrian Neville vs. Wesley Blake

Brandi Rhodes is here as the ring announcer, Eden. Neville shows off his athleticism early and then hits a missile dropkick. This is Blake's debut match here on NXT. Neville pretty much dominates the whole match and hits the Red Arrow for the victory. This was one of Neville's better showcases, as he often gets stuck just making comebacks and that's all. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Summer Rae are here for a backstage interview. Charlotte has come a long way on the mic since 2014. 

Xavier Woods vs. Alexander Rusev

This is a rematch from two weeks ago. Woods gets in a dropkick, but Rusev quickly recovers and clubs Woods. Woods fights back and hits a running knee to the face of Rusev, but he kicks out at 2. Rusev quickly is back on his feet and he slaps on the Accolade for the victory. He puts it on again after the bell and out comes...Sin Cara? 

Match Rating: 3/4*

CJ Parker vs. Antonio Cesaro

They hype up that Parker wanted a match with Cesaro. Cesaro dominates the early going, but Parker fires back with double knees in the corner. Parker goes up top and hits a high crossbody for a 2 count. CJ Parker then does the airplane spin and Parker is dizzy, but Cesaro is unfazed. Cesaro picks him up and does the Cesaro Swing and then the Neutralizer for the victory. Another easy victory here today. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

After the match, out comes Sami Zayn with a crutch. Zayn talks about how great his 2013 was, but the black eye was him losing to Cesaro. He asks for a rematch, but Cesaro turns him down. 

Miz is here and says he needs to do a MizTV on NXT. CJ Parker comes in and starts complaining about the fans booing him. They start arguing and Parker slaps Miz and bolts. 

Natalya vs. Summer Rae

Natalya runs up the back of a seated Summer and then hits her with a dropkick in a cool little sequence. After some back and forth, Natalya catches a kick from Summer and turns it into the Sharpshooter for the victory. Another quick match here tonight. Bayley celebrates with Natalya after the match as Sasha Banks helps Summer to the back. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Enzo and Cass are here, with Enzo coming in a motorized wheelchair. Aiden English comes in because what kind of NXT interview would it be if there wasn't an interruption? He starts singing and Enzo runs over his foot. 

Bo Dallas is out here and he unveils a fake banner showing that he has been champion for 224 days. Neville is now out. Triple H is out on the big screen and he announces that he is going to have them have a Beat The Clock Challenge match where Bo has to beat Neville in 4:45. If Neville wins, he gets a title shot at the live special on WWE Network. 

Beat The Clock Challenge Match

Bo Dallas vs. Adrian Neville

Bo is wrestling in a dress shirt and dress shoes here. Neville keeps avoiding Dallas as the clock continues to tick down. Bo is able to trip off the apron and he hits his back hard and falls to the floor. Bo's strategy here is pretty weak here and is doing a lot of stalling. Neville fights back with kicks to the legs and a running dropkick with less than a minute to go. Neville goes up for the Red Arrow, but Bo rolls out of the ring. Neville just sort of stands there, as he notices that time is nearly out. He is able to avoid Bo and earns the title shot in February. After the match, Neville sidesteps Bo and he hits the turnbuckle. Neville then hits the Red Arrow and counts 3 himself. This was just set up for their feud and not much of a match. It made sense in the context of the story and worked as an effective next step.

Match Rating: 1/2*

In terms of wrestling matches, nothing was longer than 4:45. It would have been nice to have one match go a little longer, but this was still an entertaining episode overall. Nothing was bad and the show had a good flow to it. 

Overall Rating: 54%