The NXT Report for October 16, 2013

This week's NXT was the climax of 12 weeks worth of stories and character development, leading to several high-profile matches that will influence the future of the brand for weeks and months to come.

Bo Dallas will return to the ring to defend his NXT Championship against No. 1 contender, and top babyface, Sami Zayn. The match has been building for nearly three months and with fan anticipation at its height, NXT delivers its biggest main event match in quite some time.

Two weeks ago, The Ascension defeated Corey Graves and Adrian Neville to capture the NXT Tag Team Championships. Tonight, the former champions look to regain their titles.

For weeks, CJ Parker has tormented the narcissistic Tyler Breeze. They have clashed on several occasions, both in tag team and singles competition, but their rivalry comes to a head this week.

Finally, the war between the NXT Divas has waged on over the last month with Sasha Banks aligning herself with Summer Rae. They have attacked Emma and NXT Women's Champion Paige recently, and tonight the popular female competitors have their shot at revenge as they meet Sasha and Summer in tag team action.

Who would leave this week's show with their arms raised in victory, ready to continue the climb up the ranks of NXT and, ultimately, to World Wrestling Entertainment's main roster?

Find out now.

This is the NXT Report for October 16, 2013.

Location

Full Sail University

Broadcast Team

Tony Dawson, William Regal and Renee Young

Quick Results

NXT Champion Bo Dallas def. Sami Zayn to retain the title

Summer Rae and Sasha Banks def. NXT Women's Champion Paige and Emma

Tyler Breeze pinned CJ Parker

NXT Tag Team champions The Ascension def. Adrian Neville and Corey Graves

This week's main event between Sami Zayn and Bo Dallas for the NXT Championship was the best match NXT has presented since Zayn's Best 2-of-3 Falls match against Antonio Cesaro a few months back.

With the feel of a legitimate, big-match main event surrounding it, Zayn and Dallas proved why they are two of WWE's top prospects in an exciting, unpredictable bout.

At one point, Zayn appeared to have won the NXT title but, as NXT General Manager John Bradshaw Layfield pointed out, Dallas had draped his foot over the bottom rope before the three count. Determined not to let the first title match under his regime end in controversy, JBL restarted the match.

Champion and challenger gave everything they had. They gave of their souls in an outstanding match. At one point, the crowd came to a fever pitch as Zayn delivered the spear, Dallas' finishing maneuver, to the champion and looked like he may have the title won.

Dallas kicked out.

Later in the match, Dallas delivered a spear of his own. 

Zayn kicked out.

Commentators Tony Dawson, William Regal and Renee Young openly wondered what it would take for one to keep the other down.

The answer, as it turned out, was an exposed turnbuckle.

Late in the match, Zayn delivered a series of German suplexes. Following the second, the official saw the turnbuckle cover lying on the ground and removed it from the ring. As he was doing so, Dallas used Zayn's momentum against him and sent him face-first into the exposed turnbuckle.

With the challenger stunned, Dallas rolled him up and retained his title.

Elsewhere on the card, The Ascension (Rick Victor and Conor O'Brian) defeated a hobbled Adrian Neville and Corey Graves to retain the titles, which led to a frustrated Graves turning on his partner and beating him down after the bell.

Paige and Emma coexisted well enough, but Summer Rae and Sasha Banks got the last laugh when Summer pinned Paige and put herself in contention for an NXT Women's title shot.

The feud between CJ Parker and Tyler Breeze reached its boiling point as they did battle in singles competition. Parker controlled the match, but it was Breeze who outsmarted his opponent, catching him with a poke to the eye and a spinning heel kick for the win.

Angle Advancement

Sami's quest comes to a disappointing end

For weeks, Sami Zayn has battled some of the most talented stars in wrestling with hopes of earning an NXT title shot. He got that shot this week, and an opportunistic and aware Bo Dallas benefited from a restart, an exposed turnbuckle and a distracted referee to retain his title.

The loss by no means makes Zayn look weak. He delivered the performance of a lifetime and came within a single slap of the mat on a number of occasions from capturing the title. If anything, he looks stronger than he did leading into the match, thanks to the fact that Dallas had to cheat to retain his title.

Dallas, conversely, looked impressive. Love him or hate him, he delivered a very strong performance showcasing why WWE sees him as one of the top young stars on its roster.

There will be another match between these two in the future and when it happens, Zayn will once again have the opportunity to capture the NXT title and become the top dog in the developmental brand.

Beautiful Fierce Females reign supreme

Summer Rae and Sasha Banks, or the BFFs as they call themselves, have tormented NXT Women's Champion Paige and dancing Diva Emma for the last several weeks. They got the last laugh once again this week as Summer picked up a huge pinfall victory over the champion.

The win immediately sets up Summer Rae as the number one contender. It also sets up dissension between Paige and Emma, the latter of whom entered the ring late in the match and dumped Sasha from the squared circle, momentarily distracting Paige and setting up the finish.

In one match, two potential stories were developed for the NXT Divas division going forward.

Fans of Raw and SmackDown are lucky if they get that kind of writing involving the Divas once every four months.

Tyler breezes past CJ Parker

The feud between NXT's resident supermodel Tyler Breeze and the retro hippie CJ Parker seemingly came to an end this week after weeks of interactions between the young stars.

Late in the match, Parker caught his rival with a big clothesline. Breeze begged off and tried to escape from the ring, but Parker grabbed hold of his legs and pulled him back in. The model held onto the apron and when he let go, the official turned his back for a moment to fix the ring dressing, allowing Breeze to deliver a thumb to the eye and a spinning heel kick for the win.

After the match, the victor attempted to take a selfie of him and his fallen opponent, but Parker popped up, caught Breeze with an open-palm thrust to the face and walked around ringside taking photos on his enemy's phone.

The rivalry was an entertaining one, if only because it allowed Breeze to fully immerse himself in the character and develop it on a weekly basis.

Parker has yet to fully click with the audience, as was evident by the crowd booing him throughout this match.

Graves shows his true colors

During the NXT Tag Team title match between new champions The Ascension and former champions Adrian Neville and Corey Graves, Neville injured his knee. Hampered by the pain shooting down his left leg, he became the target of the champions, who isolated him from his partner.

Eventually, however, Neville made it across the squared circle and tagged Graves into the match.

The Pennsylvania native looked to have control of the bout and a great opportunity to regain the titles.

Then he took a single shot to his previously injured ribs and wanted to tag his ailing partner back into the match. Neville re-entered the squared circle but was clearly not 100 percent.

It was only a matter of time before he suffered Total Elimination from the champions and was pinned.

A frustrated Graves, who looked perfectly capable of finishing the match for his team, entered the ring and feigned sympathy and concern for his partner.

Then he took out Neville's injured knee and laid into him with hard rights and lefts. He taunted the fallen Brit as the show headed to break.

The split sets up a brand new angle that will undoubtedly play a big role in NXT programming over the next few weeks.

Match of the Week: Sami Zayn vs. Bo Dallas for the NXT Championship

No contest. The best match in NXT in months and a top-20 WWE match of 2013, so far.

Star of the Week: Bo Dallas

For as much hate as he incurs from WWE and NXT fans alike, Dallas delivered an outstanding performance as the heel who knows he is at risk of losing his title. He scratches, claws and ultimately takes advantage of an opening and scores the win.

He took a beating, sold everything well and had fans thinking this would be the week he dropped the strap, but it was not to be.

Analysis

This week's show had a pay-per-view feel to it as several feuds reached their climax and others added interesting elements.

It delivered satisfying conclusions to two feuds (Ascension-Graves and Neville, Breeze-Parker), set up a new contender to NXT Women's Champion Paige and was capped off with an NXT Match of the Year candidate that had been built up to for months.

The show continues to be the most entertaining of WWE-produced programs. Unlike Raw and SmackDown, where in some weeks things seem to be at a standstill with no real angle advancement or noteworthy occurrences, something always happens on NXT. This week's show was the epitome of that.

An A+ show this week that should make any fan very confident about the future of sports-entertainment in WWE.