What’s up Diva fans and welcome to this week’s NXT Redux! After last week’s bizarre Dance Battle between Emma and Summer Rae, this week things return to as normal as can be on NXT and we’re going right back to wrestling… in a major way. The NXT Women’s Championship is on the line. Paige was set to defend her belt against the Dance Battle winner Emma, yet because of Summer’s post battle attack, Emma is not “medically cleared” so Summer is taking her place. Not being medically cleared because she got hit with a finisher? Lame excuse if you ask me. Regardless, Paige and Summer have great chemistry and have seriously impressed in the past, so tonight is surely going to be another example of greatness from these two. Will Paige successfully defend her belt or will Summer steal the spotlight and the title? To the video!
Our first Diva sighting this week is of Kendall Skye, who will be ring announcing this evening. Byron Saxton fans, I’m afraid I have no tissues handy so weep quietly. Out first this week is the NXT Women’s Champion and more importantly, the future mother of my future children, Paige! Paige obviously looks amazing with the belt and the NXT Universe at Full Sail definitely agree as she gets a massive reception. Out next is the dazzling dancing Diva and Fandango‘s arm candy, Summer Rae. Summer’s music is arguably the only NXT Diva theme to rival Paige’s in terms of epicness, so hearing both songs has got me really fired up. If that wasn’t enough, the Divas get a dramatic, ‘big match’ feel in-ring announcement and I can hardly contain myself. Ring that bell!
The bout begins with both girls locking up whilst the NXT crowd are loud and proud to supporting the Divas. The girls collar and elbow all over the joint until Summer gets Paige into a side headlock. Some slick, back and forth reversing involving a crossbody ensues and it culminates with Paige getting a near fall. Paige then hits a hair pull, shoulder block, hair toss combination before stomping a mudhole in Summer Steve Austin style. HELL YEAH!
Paige then goes for a kick to the gut yet Summer catches Paige’s leg, witch cackles in her face and then drops her front first to the mat. Summer continues her animalistic screams as she wraps her calf around Paige’s face and the bottom rope. So innovative. Tall girls don’t worry, you can do stuff like that! Summer then yanks Paige’s arms, causing her throat to hit the bottom turnbuckle. That was only enough for a two count, yet undeterred, Summer stays right on her English foe, ramming her head into the mat as it’s trapped between her knees. Summer then runs at Paige and it looks like Paige is in control, yet Summer follows through (not in that way) with a DDT and then starts going all bat-sh!t cray on Paige. Someone get this girl a chill pill!
Summer session is in full swing as Summer mocks the crowd. “IS THIS WHO YOU WANT TO WIN?” Love it. Paige tries to shrug Summer off and looks to hit an armdrag, yet Summer reverse it instantaneously into a side headlock. As simple as that was, it was amazing. Paige gets a two count as she tries to fight of the submission, which she eventually does when she rams Summer back first into the corner.
A flurry of psycho elbows follows before Paige returns the favor from earlier, catching Summer’s kick and walloping her to the mat face first. Paige then does her ‘WWE Logic: “Paige is European, let her ignore the ref’s five count and do a brutal move like Sheamus does”‘ move and knees the hell out of a Summer. Following her sharp thrust kick to the midsection, Paige hits the Paige Turner and it’s game over for Summer. Byron Saxton fans, got any spare tissues? Now I’m the one who needs them. PAIGE JUST DEFENDED HER BELT, WOO! Oh wait, that’s Charlotte‘s thing. Wahey! That’s better.
After the match, we go backstage to the lovely Canadian slice of broadcast journalism heaven, Renee Young. She is being joined by WWE Divas Champion, AJ Lee, who will be defending her belt next week. AJ says that she is yet to find an opponent, yet she likes things being unpredictable, it could be the camera guy, her mom or perhaps Renee? Out of nowhere, Bayley charges at AJ and hugs her like the Christmas present she always wanted.
Renee gets out of there as quick as she can and AJ awkwardly has small talk with Bayley. Bayley explains that she’s followed AJ from the parking lot and from the locker room and has been waiting close by to hear her voice. Not weird at all. Since Bayley heard AJ say she needed an opponent (and she probably heard her go to the toilet in the locker room as well, but that’s a totally different topic), Bayley asks if she could face AJ next week. AJ accepts and Bayley is ecstatic. Picture Tamina Snuka finding an unattended mobile phone in the locker room – that ecstatic.
Bayley says that she doesn’t know why people think AJ is crazy, as she thinks she’s awesome. AJ takes exception to the ‘C’ word and then is even more offended when Bayley inadvertently puts her foot in it by claiming that she’ll beat AJ next week. AJ has a face like a bulldog chewing a wasp as Bayley hugs her once more, closing the segment.
Back ringside and William Regal and”‘Thank God for the Mute button” Tony Dawson replay what happened in the commercial break. After Summer’s loss to Paige, Emma and her homemade t-shirt stormed the ring and beat the hell out of Summer. Emma has not forgotten how bitter Summer was and she laid down the law. Summer, the Emmalution is upon you!
Thoughts: This was a super week for NXT. The Championship match was short and sweet, and even though we’ve seen it before, I loved it. The action was fast paced, there were no boring, long-winded rest holds that went on for too long and Paige and Summer’s chemistry was top-notch. I loved the way they both grabbed one another’s legs and rammed each other to the floor and I also loved Summer’s side headlock reversal to Paige’s arm drag. So simple, yet I’ve never seen that before and it was so clever. Sara Del Rey, you are magic. My fave part of the match though were Paige’s knees on the apron. They look so brutal, so real and so epic. Awesome addition to Paige’s already physical moveset.
The backstage segment was also brilliant. Bayley’s character is great and made me legit laugh. If anyone disagrees with me, you’re wrong as although iffy at first, Bayley, like Emma, have not only ran with the ball they were given, they’ve sprinted with it. From the dialogue to the body language, everything was on-point here from AJ, Bayley and Renee.
It’s also great to see that it looks like Summer and Emma will be having a side feud. NXT is great at having more than one women’s storyline going on at once and it looks like it’s going to happen again. The question is, who will Paige defend her belt against, and I would love to see her battle Charlotte. Ric Flair‘s offspring has been impressive as of late, and could claim that she hasn’t had a fair chance at glory as she wasn’t a part of the title tournament. We could see brutality face athleticism in a battle of second generation Divas, so please WWE, go in that direction!
And with that, stay tuned, Jack will be back!
