[OFFICIAL] NXT Aftermath, Review, and Ratings Thread

[Joe's Gonna Kill You]

I thought last nights show was decent overall. The wrestling quality of the show was below average. I thought they did a good job at telling us about the rookies. The ending was good when the pros beat down the rookies showing that they are in control of the show it is also going to be interesting to see how the beating affects the relationships between the Pros and Rookies seeing as the Pros were attacking their own Rookies so that could be interesting. The only other thing i disliked about the show other then the wrestling was at the end they didn't have to show the whole beat down from last nights Raw. Overall i would give the season premiere of Nxt season 2 a 7/10

 

[Ferbian]

Decent episode last night, there wasn't anything that really struck me as out of the ordinary, no rookies that really struck me as anybody I would like to see win.

The matches were decent, nothing really worth bragging about because I believe we've definitely seen much better on NXT, but nonetheless they were decent.

I liked the fact that the rookies got a beat down last night, served the storyline for the season 1 rookies, but even considering that, I don't necessarily get why they did it for the sake of NXT season 2 because this is gonna create more tension than anything between rookie and pro, but I guess tension is entertainment, we've certainly seen that before.

Rating: C+

 

[Vanderhook]

Dissapointing episode in my opinion. It seemed like a LOT of time was wasted and we got to see little of the new rookies. I mean was showing the entire incident from Raw really necessary? That was 15 minutes, a quarter of the show, wasted. Just show the highlights of it and shorten it down to a 3-4 minute segment jeez.

And, I dunno the beatdown at the end didn't really get me all that fired up or interested. I'm not exactly sure why but it left me feeling "Mehhhh".


Kaval with the Women's Titles had me laughing. Riley and Percy Watson were impressive. Other than that... meh

I give it a C.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

WWE NXT - June 8, 2010

Thumbs Up

WWE Pro & NXT Rookie Interaction - I like the idea of the pros all being more visible right from the start this season. Having them out there evaluating every week and having some of them providing comments is a nice touch that they need to keep doing.

MVP & Showtime Percy Watson vs. Cody Rhodes & Husky Harris - This was a pretty good tag team match and it showcased the Rookies Harris and Watson decently well. Watson strikes me as some kind of a cross between Steve Urkel and Little Richard. He's energetic, I have to give him that and he didn't annoy me last night. I was a little surprised at how athletic Husky Harris is. I hate the name, but he got some good offense in there and, overall, I think he outshined Watson. Harris certainly doesn't look like an adonis, but his huskiness looks to be kinda deceptive. Having Watson get the win was a nice touch as was making it seem that Cody Rhodes sort of dropped the ball by not being there to get his Rookie out of trouble.

Alex Riley Vinyette - There's no doubt in my mind that Alex Riley has the mic skills and charisma to be a fantastic heel. He came across in the vinyette as an extremely confident, handsome, privledged All American boy and if his in-ring abilities is anywhere near his mic skills, he could very well go far.

Michael McGillicutty Vinyette - McGuillicutty's vinyette, while not as entertaining as Riley's, still showed McGuillicutty off well. I like the fact that he kept mentioning his father and grandfather, referring to himself as royalty in wrestling. I haven't seen enough out of him to make any prediction about him, but I have a feeling that he's going to be pretty damn compotent in the ring.

NXT Invasion Recap - The angle on Raw was so well done and it looks even better after seeing it again. I like the fact that they showed the footage in its entirety and kept hyping it all night. I wonder if the NXT guys will make an appearance on Smackdown this week. At any rate, the angle was extremely well done and I like how it sort of set the tone for the night.

WWE Pros Beat Down NXT Rookies - After the footage aired, Striker asked some of the Rookies what they thought of the actions of the first NXT Class and most of the ones interviewed said they understood why they did it. After all, it made a huge statement and impact and will probably be the single most talked about wrestling subject for this week. Having the Pros then start beating down on the Rookies was a good touch, something of an initiation as well as sending them a message. This could also result in some friction and tension between all the Pros and Rookies this season.

Overall Show - I though the Season II debut was pretty good. I don't think that we got enough insight into who the Rookies are and I hope that changes. However, the show last night was mostly about getting the ball rolling with this season as well as hyping the potential NXT Invasion storyline. Overall, a good show I thought and I'm hoping it'll improve as it goes along. Also, I liked seeing Kaval's interaction with LayCool. It made me chuckle a little bit seeing him being pat on the head and carrying LayCool's titles to the ring. If done properly, it can help him stand out in a positive way.

Thumbs Down

John Morrison & Eli Cottonwood vs. Zack Ryder & Titus O'Neil - The match was fairly decent, but I don't think we got nearly enough to go on as far as Cottonwood and O'Neil go. Cottonwood is a big guy and he's faster and more coordinated than I thought he'd be. Other than that, I didn't really get much from either rookie. Morrison and Ryder saw more action in the match than either Rookie and I'm wondering if that means that O'Neil and Cottonwood are weak inside the ring. Also, Morrison's attempt at a promo was downright incoherant. He really needs to work on his mic skills.

 

[BetaMaleQ]

I'm not sure if anyone's really spoken about this, and I'm not about go through 250+ posts to find out, but has anyone ever really thought about who could've masterminded the whole thing besides Michael Cole, Vince, or Good Ol' JR?

My perdiction? I think we're seeing the return of Paul Heyman. Besides the NXT season 1 rookies rebelling for the fact that they all feel that they deserved a spot on one of the 2 shows, the other not-so-clear issue is that ECW (yes, I know...WWECW) was closed down in order to make room for NXT. What better way to bring about the second coming of Paul Heyman than to spearhead a group of unknowns trying to make a name for themselves in the business? We've all been saying "invasion" this and "invasion" that, but does anyone remember who is the king of invasions? Paul E....that's who.

 

[andrew_omalley]

Think Cast for Season 2 is ok, Season 1 was better, the last epsiode of NXT(6/8) was pritty much of a WASTE of air time, but i think they could have should have shortened the video clip. It still set up good rival between pros and rookies, i like the character of "Showtime" Percy Watson, i think the way he expresses himself makes me feel his character is kinda gay, but he is DEFFEDENTLY my favroite rookie right now.

 

[klunderbunker]

NXT
Date: June 15, 2010
Location: RBC Center, Raleigh, North Carolina
Commentators: Michael Cole, Josh Matthews

We open with a brief recap of last week and hit the awesome theme song.

Striker brings out the rookies and the pros for a showdown. The pros get to talk about what happened last week.

MVP says it was an initiation and that the rookies have to work hard. The rookies and pros shake hands.

With the first elimination in 5 weeks, the rookies are told to step up. Wow I sound like a bad voiceover guy. Riley vs. Kaval NEXT! ON NXT!

Alex Riley vs. Kaval

We get a profile on Kaval while he’s wearing a suit. That thing works on him. We hear about his experience in Japan and how awesome he is. His voice is great. Laycool does commentary for this. They look great but their voices are a bit annoying. In a funny bit, Cole asks them something and Michelle says don’t talk to us. Damn Kaval can throw some damn KICKS.

Oh and Miz is gone because he’s at E3 which is good publicity if nothing else. Does he do anything but kick? He hooks a Dragon Sleeper on the ropes which isn’t bad. Note that when I say he I mean Kaval. Even in matches where he’s not involved and before he debuts, when I say he I mean Kaval. He misses the double stomp off the top and Riley hits a TKO, one of my all time favorite moves (fireman’s carry into a spinning diamond cutter) for the pin.

Rating: D. This didn’t do it for me as it was ALL Kaval until the very end where Riley hit one move to win it. This was more to showcase Kaval than anything else but at the same time it came off very well with Riley winning completely clean. Both of them looked good though.

Riley says he’s great. Laycool are happy. Morrison says Miz is at a meeting for liposuction and that both guys did well and looked good. Ryder says he only cares about his rookies and wants the ring announcer to call him.

Cottonwood talks about being somewhat crazy and about his childhood. I love these interviews as they’re great ways to give the characters some background and more importantly a reason to care about them.

We recap last night’s Raw which should only take five minutes. And we talk about the PPV.

We see Titus and Ryder talking earlier tonight and they’re cool.

The profile on Husky Harris talks about how he’s always wanted to wrestle and how he’s a third generation guy.

Kofi Kingston/Michael McGuillicutty vs. Lucky Cannon/Mark Henry

DAMN Hennig looks awesome. McGuillicutty is Hennig, as in Curt’s son in case that went over your keyboards. There’s nothing of note here but the rookies come in and it’s ok. Hennig looks great to put it mildly. We’re told about Cannon holding a world record for shoe tying which he can do in less than a second. Four times now I’ve looked up and every time it’s been a headlock or armbar. This time they’re letting the rookies be in there for the majority of the time. Out of NOWHERE Hennig gets a running spinning neckbreaker for the pin.

Rating: C-. It was a little boring but it worked fairly well I thought. The rookies were the focus here as they should have been. Hennig was very solid out there and I still don’t see the appeal of Cannon. This wasn’t bad though and it worked fine for what it was supposed to do.

Post match Striker talks to Cody Rhodes about the match who says Cannon wasn’t very good. They set up a match last week and then Rhodes hits Striker to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. It wasn’t bad but it was decent enough. This was far more about the NXT guys this time rather than about the Raw stuff. We even get a match set up for next week which is good as well. This was a well rounded show as we got a lot of the others that weren’t featured on last week’s show, but it was still a little bit boring. Not bad though.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

WWE NXT - June 15, 2010

Thumbs Up

Alex Riley vs. Kaval - I thought it was a pretty entertaining match overall. LayCool wasn't so hot on commentary, big surprise, but I've gotten pretty good at phasing out lame commentary in wrestling. The crowd was pretty into the match, especially whenever Kaval landed something high impact like one of those solid kicks. I'm a little disappointed that Kaval came out the loser, but it was a good effort by both. Alex Riley is a natural on the mic and he's going to have no problem at all when it comes to promos.

NXT Rookie Vinyettes - These are always kinda fun to see as it gives you some insight into the Rookies. It's interesting to hear about their background, getting an idea as to what makes them tick. I like Husky Harris, he does seem like something of the wild card of the bunch this season. I hate his name, but I was impressed to hear that he can run the 40 in 4.9 as he certainly doesn't look it. Hearing about Kaval's background was also interesting. For some reason, I had a feeling that he came from a military background. I never really bothered to find out anything about him prior to NXT. His personality has come off kinda bland, however, thus far.

Kofi Kingston & Michael McGuillicutty vs. Mark Henry & Lucky Cannon - It was a little slow in some parts, but I thought it was an overall solid 12 minute tag team match. Kofi Kingston is really over and both the Rookies were pretty good in the ring. I didn't see anything particularly special out of them, but they were solid overall.

Cody Rhodes - I thought Cody Rhodes gave a pretty decent heel promo while addressing Lucky Cannon after he was pinned by McGuillicutty last night. I like that they haven't painted Rhodes in the same "I don't care and I don't wanna be here" light as they did with CM Punk during the first season. Seeing him deck Matt Striker was a nice touch as Striker does kinda get on my nerves during NXT sometimes. During the opening, for instance, when he referred to the NXT Rookies as "kids", it just irritated me. After all, who the shit is Matt Striker to be talking down in any way, shape or form to any of those guys? It's not as if he's actually accomplished anymore in wrestling than any of them. Truth is, he's probably accomplished less than a good number of them.

Thumbs Down

Team LayCool On Commentary - I can stand LayCool talking for brief periods, but not during a 9 minute stretch as they did during the Riley/Kaval match. While they both looked pretty hot in the short skirt/Go-Go Boot look, they just seem kinda silly behaving like a couple of immature high school cheerleaders. While I do think they're a little better than they were, they're not nearly strong enough on the mic.

Overall Show: Thumbs Up - Overall, I thought NXT was pretty decent last night. I don't think the show was anything special, but there were a couple of pretty good matches and things are moving along. I do think that the limitations of some of the Pros are starting to show, such as Mark Henry especially. Still, it was a decent hour. I give it a 7 out of 10.

 

[Ferbian]

Decent episode tonight, showed some more about the rookies, I like Alex Rilley a lot, he seems like the whole package, and could very well go far, even win this whole season.

The match vs Alex and Kaval was absolutely awesome really, I loved it all, showing they can both go and are both great athletes in the ring.

LayCool and Kaval seems to slowly get to me as far as being entertained with them, I hated the pairing at first cause it didn't make sense, but I'm kinda liking it right now, I could totally see Kaval snapping one day over these two, and I think it will be absolutely awesome.

I think tonight proved once again John Morrison is lacking in the charisma, he seemed boring on the microphone, I still fail to see why he, and his rookie should be on this season, they're both awful really.

The tag team match was decent, I love Joe Hennig's finisher (I refuse to try and spell out his ring name, it's a bitch sometimes, it's like Schmeichel, weird and tough to remember the spelling of) and I think it was an overall decent match, but nothing out of the ordinary, the pro's kinda killed it.

Cody Rhodes vs Lucky Cannon could prove to be a good match, it was a good promo cut by Cody, and I liked that someone finally knocked the hell out of Matt Striker, was about time.

I think it had some decent promos, it had some decent matches, it was an overall decent show that really didn't deliver anywhere over average, or anywhere below. C

 

[gd]

Thoroughly unimpressive show last night, for me at least. Sure, it wasn't horrible, but nothing really that interesting. Of course, I wasn't paying attention that closely, but still, nothing that came to my attention.

I do rather like Kaval. Not that great on the mic though. Would've like to see him win, but I think it's clear Riley is the favorite the win this season. Just has the prototypical "look."

Other match was fine, I guess. Nothing of note happened beside some pointless Cody stuff at the end. Fuck off, Cody.

 

[klunderbunker]

NXT
Date: June 22, 2010
Location: Manchester, New Hampshire
Commentators: Michael Cole, Josh Matthews

Lucky Cannon vs. Cody Rhodes. That’s all that’s been announced so far I think.

There’s my theme song. I have it on my IPOD now and it sounds far different than this one does. The first Pro’s Poll is next week.

Some new chick is in the ring to do the announcing/hosting. Okson hits then. The pros come out first and I’ll spare you a big long list. And here’s the first match.

Alex Riley/The Miz vs. MVP/Percy Watson

Seriously, just hire Riley now. The new chick says Watson and MVP combine to weigh less than 250lbs. I know MVP sucks but he can suck away over 200lbs? Riley vs. MVP start us off. And they never touch at all as here’s Watson. The guy can work a crowd. I’ll give him that. And he can throw a DAMN fine dropkick. After Watson dominates for the most part, it all breaks down of course. Watson hits a nice spinning splash for two, but it all breaks WAY down and the Skull Crushing Finale crushes Watson’s skull finally to end it.

Rating: C+. I can’t believe I’m saying it but this was the Percy Watson Show and it worked. He had some decent looking stuff in there and played to the crowd perfectly. Now he’s not going to be a serious threat like ever, but he is entertaining which is the key thing they need for them. The idea of wrestling is getting a person that you are interested enough in that you would pay to see them. That’s what Watson has going for him which is more important than anything in the ring.

Titus O’Neil talks about how he was a troubled youth but he got help and now cares about his kids a lot. He talks about playing for the Florida Gators and being awesome there. This REALLY humanized him as he came off as sounding very intelligent and well-read, which he needs.

Titus O’Neil vs. Michael McGillicutty

O’Neil is a face here, slapping hands with the crowd. Again I’ll be referring to him as Joe Hennig because that’s his name and it works FAR better. He cuts a promo about calling his mom after his first win which is hammy but tugs at the heart strings which is the best thing he can do. They actually acknowledge where his name comes from by saying that’s his mother’s maiden name. Pay no attention to them talking about how much he’s into his lineage and that his father and grandfather wrestled under their own last names. They botch the hell out of I think a backdrop as the match more or less grinds to a halt. And then Hennig hits a REALLY fast spinning neckbreaker for the pin which I think he used last week.

Rating: N/A. They went home almost immediately after that botch and it’s a DAMN good sign that they did. That more or less ended anything looking good out there so they just ended it. That’s a great sign of in ring maturity as instead of just plodding forward and trying to get their rhythm back they just called it off and went with something fast enough that you wouldn’t think of the botch. Now that likely isn’t what really happened, but I like Hennig a lot so I’m giving him the credit for it anyway.

Kaval vs. Cottonwood next.

Kaval vs. Eli Cottonwood

No intro for Kaval and Laycool gets hotter and hotter every week. Damn. Well it’s David vs. Goliath and I’m not sure how well this can work as Kaval’s offense is fairly limited and Cottonwood is just limited in general. His look is great though. We hit a bearhug maybe a minute in and Kaval is in trouble. Is there a reason Cottonwood is wearing dress pants? Kaval hits a SICK kick like the one Morrison uses. And then Cottonwood just grabs him by the head and throws him over the ropes. Kaval hits a springboard dropkick to the back of the head which looked VERY stiff. Cottonwood hits what I can only describe as a reverse chokeslam to get the pin.

Rating: D+. Good for Cottonwood but bad for Kaval. He was WAY too stiff out there and Cottonwood was clearly getting ticked off. You can’t blame him for that as Kaval just went insane with the kicks out there. That’s a common criticism of him and I’m starting to see the point in it.

Lucky Cannon has gotten lucky before. I’m older than him and that’s just not right.

Laycool give Kaval a pink shirt and literally force him to smile. This was amusing because Laycool has this thing DOWN.

We recap the ending of NXT last week and the whole Rhodes vs. Cannon build up. Striker got hit by Rhodes but he says it’s about the rookies and not him. He sounded mad here, but he came off very well I think. I liked it.

We reshow, not recap, the Vince beatdown from last night. I get that it’s big, but couldn’t we have a quick match in this time span instead? The Raw GM says the actions will be handled accordingly.

Cody Rhodes vs. Lucky Cannon

Cody makes this a five minute challenge instead of a regular match. Ok then. Cody takes him down to the mat and Cole is already suckling on Cody. Matthews kind of goes off on Cole which I like as he has limited personality. There was a new announcer chick here for no apparent reason also. Cody hooks an inverted Gory Special and kills time with it as we’re down to 2:10 left. Rhodes kicks the HELL out of Cannon with a minute ten to go. Cross Rhodes ends it with about a minute left.

Rating: D+. Not too bad here but I just don’t like Cannon. There’s just nothing impressive about him at all for me and he’s boring as hell. Rhodes is getting better and better in the ring and I’d think he’s ahead of DiBiase, which would have been unthinkable a few months ago. Anyway, nothing horrible here, but quick enough to be unoffensive.

We bring out all the rookies here for a chance to give their closing arguments for the poll. They all have 45 seconds.

Riley wants to know if they recognize him because ten years ago he was stuffing everyone in lockers. He sounds damn charismatic and very articulate. It works. He goes past four buzzers which is kind of funny.

Kaval, in the pink shirt and sounding like Rikishi, talks about how he wasn’t given a chance to prove himself ten years ago when he was told he was too small. He gets four buzzers and then gets his mic cut off.

O’Neil is freaking INTENSE and says he’s like all of us and that he’s worked hard and in the end he’ll win. He didn’t use all of his time.

Hennig says he has no weakness and that he’s the next breakout star. He didn’t say much, but he had the poise here which is good.

Cottonwood says he’s patient and threatens to strike, and that his actions will speak louder than his words.

Watson says he likes to have a good time like the WWE Universe. He talks VERY fast and does his thing which the crowd reacts to.

Cannon says he appreciates what he has and knows he’s Lucky. I still don’t like him.

Husky Harris says he doesn’t need 45 seconds and BLASTS STRIKER. Striker back in the ring soon? That ends the show.

Overall Rating: B. That’s likely a bit high, but this show was designed to give us a build for the first poll and to get everyone or almost everyone on TV and it did just that. Seven guys were in the ring and the eighth jumped Striker. That’s an impressive thing to do in an hour and on that note, this is a success from the standpoint of doing its job, much like Raw last night. Well done.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

I think it becomes clearer every week that this group is far and away better overall than season one. Every guy was fairly interesting, engaging, and confident on the mic, with the high point being Riley, low poing being Cottonwood (who is a creepy backwoods monster anyway, so really doesnt need much mic skills).

All of them can work a pretty fine, entertaining match. Its been two weeks straight that Riley has looked absolutely comfortable in the ring, and put on a very good entertaining TV match. Kaval is also clearly head and shoulders above, as he has two weeks in a row put on two very good matches, both of which were very different from one another.

I can honestly see at the very least three upper mid card guys in this thing at the end, being Riley, Hennig, O'Neal, and Cottonwood(hey, Kahli made it to WHC, did he not?)

O'Neal may have had a botch, but went on to cut a very good, intense, Cena-esque fiery promo, loved it. I still worry about Riley and his simularities to Swagger, but I dont think anything is gonna be able to stop that guy from rising to the top.

Good episode, and has me very invested in watching this season. I think a reason they shortened it this time that everyone is overlooking, is the fact that pretty much all these guys are ready to go, right now.

 

[Ferbian]

Last nights NXT was pretty decent.

Starts off with Ashley Valence, I wonder where I can find more pictures of her, she's hot, so what is she? announcer? what happened to Matt Striker?

Alex Riley and Miz being together going to the ring made it so much more obvious the comparison of these two by looks, arrogance, hell perhaps even microphone skills, Cole comparing Miz with Maradona, what the hell has he been smoking?

I'm still convinced Percy Watson is way too over the top, I'm not too loving for that, what's with his mouth anyway? he lost the ability to close his lips? oh well.

Alex Riley & The Miz vs Percy Watson & MVP now, Percy has the crowd pretty well behind him, that could come in handy for him in the future, Alex cocky as always, great move by him, I don't get why Percy from a kayfabe point didn't capitalize on the lazy pose he did right there.

Percy seems decent in the ring, some pretty good dropkicks at least, and the standing crossbody was pretty good as well, at least he has me impressed by that, gimmick, not at all.

Miz picking up the victory was a good choice, Alex Riley needs to become one of the superior ones in this show, at least from a personal preference.

Titus promo video, I think he could be a pretty good athlete, he needs to kill the pose although, that's probably one of the only reasons I have anything against this guy, in-ring he looks decent through that promo, microphone skills has potential.

Titus vs Joe Hennig (gonna continue calling him that) is bound to be good, I like Hennig, him and Alex Riley are my favorites on NXT, and Hennig has some kind of intensity feeling over him that I think can bring him places.

Joe taking up the victory with a beautiful neckbreaker, definitely my favorite finisher of those I have seen already, it's somewhat surprising, yet it's counterable, that's what I like in a finisher.

Kaval has some intensity over him as well, I like the look of him, he could become the next Bryan Danielson in terms of getting over, I'm not as interested in Kaval as Bryan although.

Against Eli Cottonwood, that has to become some kind of squash match, I'm not impressed with Eli, he has to be the worst of the rookies thus far in my opinion, he seems weird, can't leave that armband alone, and his in-ring style has him just standing there the most of time it seems, that's not positive.

Not really liking the finisher neither, he's not gonna go far, hopefully, Kaval loosing yet again, yep here we come Bryan Danielson, awful finisher he has as well although, so not really an impressive match.

Lucky Cannon promo video, talking about him being lucky again, do I really care? not really no, he has all things going for him really, looks, microphone skills, in-ring style, but I am still not impressed, mostly due to that damn name and gimmick.

Kaval and LayCool backstage, yay, both look damn good in those shirts, HAHA property of LayCool, poor Kaval, this has potential to be my favorite storyline thing going on for NXT season 2.

Raw General Manager again, why anonymous, I don't like that, I do think that he would be better off being actively shown, but that's just me prefering it that way, and he has already given them contracts, wouldn't he be on good foot with The Nexus then?

Good looking announcer there, I guess Ashley weren't an announcer then? I don't get why Husky Harris has to follow with Cody to the ring when he's not wrestling, sure it gives him on-screen time, but still doesn't make much sense.

Cody Rhodes vs Lucky Cannon could be good, especially with the 5 minute challenge, I wonder what's left for the rest of the show then?

4 minutes remaining, and I'm already impressed with Lucky Cannon's in-ring ability, at least a little bit, he does have potential, and a lot of it.

I love Cody's finisher, Ted DiBiase's as well, Legacy was filled with great finishing moves.

Good match, short, but still good, Cody Rhodes got something out of that actually due to him not being high on the card, and Lucky Cannon still looked good with Cody.

In-ring promo time, oh boy, I hope some of these guys convince me they're better on the microphone this time, I haven't been impressed with them yet, time to convince me otherwise.

45 seconds of promo, oh god, I hate it when there's time on it, sure there's a limit for all to get to talk, but still.

Alex Riley: Great promo guy, he entertains me a lot, and my love is growing for him as well, he even sounds like The Miz in his promos, and that's good.

Kaval: I love his voice, sounds hilarious for his size, he's decent on the microphone, wait he sure as hell didn't get 45 seconds.

Titus: Pretty decent, certainly better than the very first week, the "I will make it a win" is a good thing, catchphrase it seems, that's good for getting over.

Joe Hennig: playing off Titus was a great move, pointing out the undefeated thing was a good move, he's good on the microphone as well.

Eli: He sounds boring, and he still looks awful, decent on the microphone, but boring as hell.

Percy Watson: He is over the top, hilarious microphone skills, I do like that about him, he entertains me, but he just strikes me way too much over the top, I can live with it if he's just over the top during his promos.

Lucky: Odd reason to be called Lucky, I'm lucky as well then, you're lucky? I guess so, hello Lucky. Good promo nonetheless.

Husky Harris: Stealing a move from Cody Rhodes, good move, he made the most impact during that promo really, and that's what matters, good move, people don't like Matt it seems.

Pretty decent show, nothing special, season 1 still strikes me as the better one, but the show was decent. C+

 

[Bobby B]

NXT isn't on in the UK 'til Thursday, so I've only seen the clips on WWE.com.

I love Percy Watson, so hillariously over the top, and that open mouthed frown is brilliant too. Think he could be another comedy character - him and Santino would be interesting.

The promo's were good, although I though some came off better than others. Alex Riley sounds great, as does Henning, but people like O'Neill and Kaval don't sound like they could hold an audience. Eli Cottonwood sounded better than I expected, if they're building him as a physco monster, then we need to see more of it.

Liking the fact that this season is much more wrestling based (Although I understand why they did it with season 1). A lot of potential in this group if you ask me.

Riley is a future WWE Champ, with a great finisher. Henning could be too, the rest all have merits in their own right.

 

[klunderbunker]

NXT
Date: June 29, 2010
Location: Wilkes-Berry, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Josh Matthews

The first poll is released tonight. That’s all that matters here. It’s 50/50 with the pros and the fans having an equal share.

The host or whatever botches her opening line and then introduces the rookies.

Alex Riley – The Miz
Husky Harris – Cody Rhodes
Titus O’Neil – Zach Ryder
Kaval – Laycool
Eli Cottonwood – John Morrison
Percy Watson – MVP
Lucky Cannon – Mark Henry
Michael McGillicutty – Kofi Kingston

Not only do we get a poll but whoever is last is GONE. Hokey smoke. Cole and Matthews blast Ashley for no apparent reason. We have a challenge tonight and it’s the keg carry from last season. The winner gets immunity.

Joe Hennig (McGillicutty but it’s easier to type his real name) goes first but drops the keg like a second into it and he’s done.

Cannon is a bit better as it looks like they’re going in reverse order. He gets a time of 12.7 seconds (12.7 seconds for those of you that use the metric system).

Watson smiles the whole way through this. He has the charisma to put it mildly. He gets 13 flat even though it looks like he beat it.

Cottonwood is fourth and he’ll wind up messing it up because he’s too damn big. He’s really just walking fast. 13.3.

Can Kaval even pick the damn thing up? Instead he takes the mic and says it weighs as much as he does and says he isn’t risking his body unless it’s in the ring. I like that.

O’Neil trips over his own feet and is done before the first turn. There’s a guy in the front row with his back to it and he turns around to see Titus on the ground. Titus says this is what happens when you try to drink and drive which is I think cool but I’m not sure. Good message if nothing else.

Harris drops the keg on his foot after about 5 seconds. I guess he isn’t that good at…..dashing? He gives Striker a small shove afterwards.

Riley gets close but loses too. Damn it Lucky Cannon is still around. The worst of the 8 is still here.

We get a profile on Watson which is him far more toned down which helps him a lot. He used to play for the Giants.

MVP vs. Husky Harris

Harris is 0-1. They go really slowly to start. Harris apparently is mad at Rhodes for embarrassing him on Friday. Crowd isn’t that thrilled here. Mark Henry is on assignment apparently. Damn Harris is boring as hell. This is just a slow and boring match with NOTHING of interest going on in it. Harris misses his back splash as the crowd is DEAD. When Ballin is barely able to get a pop you can tell the match sucks. MVP hits a Downward Spiral and Harris is 0-2. Damn I hate that move too. PLEASE vote Harris off. Harris won’t shake his hand.

Rating: F. This was just boring as hell. No one thought Harris had a chance and no one cared at all. This did nothing at all and deserves to fail. Even the overrated Ryder could have gotten a better match out of him here. MVP isn’t the guy you want carrying a match and here is your proof.

We recap the Keg Carry and it’s time for a 6 man.

Joe Hennig/Lucky Cannon/Kaval vs. Eli Cottonwood/Alex Riley/Titus O’Neil

Joe and Eli start which sounds like a bad comedy team. No match for Watson tonight? Miz is apparently like Doc Rivers on NXT. Cole, I hate you. I truly do. Riley has a medical background and speaks Spanish. This is like some weird beauty pageant or something.

Kaval gets something resembling a hot tag and kicks a lot. Yeah I’m shocked too. O’Neil and Cottonwood double team Kaval. That’s just awesome. Hennig takes care of every opponent not named O’Neil. Kaval hits the Warrior’s Way on Riley. That’s going to be botched to hell and back one day and he’s going to nearly kill someone.

Rating: C-. MUCH better here. This was actually a watchable match and had some decent moments. It’s not a great match or anything but this worked fine. It got six guys out there which is really all you can do when you have 8 guys on the show. No one really stood out, but I think that was kind of the idea. The fans get to pick who they like and it lets Kaval and I think Cannon get their first wins and brings the others back down to earth a bit. O’Neil is 0-3 though, meaning he should be in the lead.

We see the legends beatdown from last night and thankfully they clip it down. There’s no need to show the whole segment 24 hours after it happened like they’ve been doing. Steamboat has cracked ribs and a bad neck. Matthews says Raw is under siege and they’re pretty much right.

It’s poll time!

1. Kaval (WTF???)
2. Percy Watson
3. Michael McGillicutty
4. Alex Riley
5. Lucky Cannon (bullshit!)
6. Eli Cottonwood
7. Husky Harris
8. Titus O’Neil

Ok, the WWE fans are IDIOTS. He cuts a solid promo and then leaves. Be careful not to slip on the grease pile that Harris left behind.

Overall Rating: D. Not even considering the stupid result (not that I’m a big O’Neil fan or anything, but he’s light years more interesting and valuable than Harris’ fat ass is), this show just wasn’t interesting at all. MVP vs. Harris (shocking) is one of the worst matches I can remember that didn’t involve Divas in a LONG time in this company.

It was just boring as hell and one of the most popular things in WWE couldn’t get the crowd into it. The six man was ok at best and the contest was annoying. The rookies are more annoying than interesting this year, especially with guys like Cannon and Harris. Uninteresting show with an ending that annoyed me. Nothing special at all here and a bad show.

 

[The Doctor]

Jeez KB, think it was a bad show much? You only said it fifty times.

I didn't think it was THAT bad. It certainly wasn't a horrible show. Sure, the MVP/Harris match was boring, and I really think Titus shouldn't have been eliminated since he had tons of potential, but other than that it wasn't so bad. The Keg Carrying contest was more interesting this season than last, with more people dropping it and it only lasting ten minutes. Percy Watson got a great vignette that added a lot of depth to his character, and Titus' final promo was actually pretty solid. I think that there were more bright spots than you gave it credit for, and that overall the show was worth a solid C. Not spectacular, but certainly not dreadful.

 

[X]

I don't know why KB was so harsh on tonight's episode, I thoroughly enjoyed the hour of WWE programming I saw tonight. There was no great wrestling or angle developments or anything, but what the fuck do you expect from this show? We got to see some of the rookies show some more personality on the mic and in the ring, and the fans seemed to really dig Kaval's finisher so I'd say that match was a success for what it was. Enjoyable hour of programming, I don't expect anything of substance from NXT, I just expect an entertaining hour showcasing young talent in the ring and on the mic, and that's what I saw again this week. Gets the thumbs up from me for a free hour of TV on a Tuesday night.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

It’s poll time!

1. Kaval (WTF???)
2. Percy Watson
3. Michael McGillicutty
4. Alex Riley
5. Lucky Cannon (bullshit!)
6. Eli Cottonwood
7. Husky Harris
8. Titus O’Neil

I agree with you on a couple things here.

First, why the fuck is Kaval in first place? Unlike Bryan Danielson, Kaval is less entertaining (both in character, as well as in-ring ability), he (like Danielson) was 0-2 heading into the first poll. And unlike Danielson, who was up against vastly more skilled opponents.. Kaval was up against fellow rookies, and lost.

So, I ask again - why the fuck was Kaval in first place? Absolutely no purpose, logic or reason behind it. WWE Fans get 50% of the ability to vote. Surely the WWE Pro's can't be as stupid to put Kaval anywhere higher than 6th-8th. And finding a happy medium in between the fans (likely 1st place votes) and the Pro's (likely closer to last place votes), he should've ended up somewhere around 4-5, at best.

Next, we have Percy Watson. I just want to know how many of you voted this guy in any place other than last. I'd appreciate some addresses to go along with your admitting to this, so I can personally find the funds to come find you and kick you in the fucking nuts, so none of you have the ability to reproduce.

Watson has charisma, but in a very "Can someone please get this overly emotional pussy off my damn television already." type of way. I do nothing but hope his segments continue to get shorter and shorter, and his matches go by as quickly as possible. NOTHING about Pussy Watson is remotely interesting to me.

Mr. Perfect, Jr is up next in 3rd place. I suppose thats fair, considering it will help him through character to argue how he's better than 3rd (being the Son of someone who was Perfect, and all) and yet its keeping him humble, in understanding just because he has this Profession running through his vains - he isn't his Father.

Riley & Cannon scored somewhere around the proper place for both men. So I don't really care, either way. And Lucky got exactly that in the Keg carry, since apparently no one else from Season 2 knows how to fucking carry and run at the same time.

My next moment came when Eli Cottonwood ranked anywhere other than last. Not only is he the worst rookie involved in this thing. (even lower than Watson, to me) He somehow managed to rank above a Legend's Son, and a guy who looks like he could be something in the future. Why? HOW?! What did Cottonwood do, that was even remotely interesting?! He makes the Great Khali look like Kurt Angle. Cottonwood doesn't even know how to play the role of a giant.. which is kinda pathetic.

And whats with the fucking tilted neck & emo look, all the time? Fucking go write poetry you giant sack of shit.

Finally, the last two. Husky Harris & Titus O'Neil.

While I was disappointed that Husky ranked almost last, considering he's shown me more character than almost anyone else by attacking Striker and then threatening him.. I think I would've rather he been eliminated now - so he can just go join the NXT 1 guys.

KB, speaking of your hatred of this guy - I don't get why. He reminds me of a heel version of Dusty Rhodes. And thats kinda ironic, considering who his Pro is. Its like the look Cody SHOULD have, to get him more over right now.

Finally - Titus.. literally did not see that one coming. I was hoping so hard on it being Watson or Cottonwood that ended up gone. I almost wonder if something didn't happen in Titus' life that caused him to have to back out.

Ok, the WWE fans are IDIOTS.

Agreed.

 

[Baller]

I agree with you on a couple things here.

First, why the fuck is Kaval in first place? Unlike Bryan Danielson, Kaval is less entertaining (both in character, as well as in-ring ability), he (like Danielson) was 0-2 heading into the first poll. And unlike Danielson, who was up against vastly more skilled opponents.. Kaval was up against fellow rookies, and lost.

So, I ask again - why the fuck was Kaval in first place? Absolutely no purpose, logic or reason behind it. WWE Fans get 50% of the ability to vote. Surely the WWE Pro's can't be as stupid to put Kaval anywhere higher than 6th-8th. And finding a happy medium in between the fans (likely 1st place votes) and the Pro's (likely closer to last place votes), he should've ended up somewhere around 4-5, at best.

Next, we have Percy Watson. I just want to know how many of you voted this guy in any place other than last. I'd appreciate some addresses to go along with your admitting to this, so I can personally find the funds to come find you and kick you in the fucking nuts, so none of you have the ability to reproduce.

Watson has charisma, but in a very "Can someone please get this overly emotional pussy off my damn television already." type of way. I do nothing but hope his segments continue to get shorter and shorter, and his matches go by as quickly as possible. NOTHING about Pussy Watson is remotely interesting to me.

Mr. Perfect, Jr is up next in 3rd place. I suppose thats fair, considering it will help him through character to argue how he's better than 3rd (being the Son of someone who was Perfect, and all) and yet its keeping him humble, in understanding just because he has this Profession running through his vains - he isn't his Father.

Riley & Cannon scored somewhere around the proper place for both men. So I don't really care, either way. And Lucky got exactly that in the Keg carry, since apparently no one else from Season 2 knows how to fucking carry and run at the same time.

My next moment came when Eli Cottonwood ranked anywhere other than last. Not only is he the worst rookie involved in this thing. (even lower than Watson, to me) He somehow managed to rank above a Legend's Son, and a guy who looks like he could be something in the future. Why? HOW?! What did Cottonwood do, that was even remotely interesting?! He makes the Great Khali look like Kurt Angle. Cottonwood doesn't even know how to play the role of a giant.. which is kinda pathetic.

And whats with the fucking tilted neck & emo look, all the time? Fucking go write poetry you giant sack of shit.

Finally, the last two. Husky Harris & Titus O'Neil.

While I was disappointed that Husky ranked almost last, considering he's shown me more character than almost anyone else by attacking Striker and then threatening him.. I think I would've rather he been eliminated now - so he can just go join the NXT 1 guys.

KB, speaking of your hatred of this guy - I don't get why. He reminds me of a heel version of Dusty Rhodes. And thats kinda ironic, considering who his Pro is. Its like the look Cody SHOULD have, to get him more over right now.

Finally - Titus.. literally did not see that one coming. I was hoping so hard on it being Watson or Cottonwood that ended up gone. I almost wonder if something didn't happen in Titus' life that caused him to have to back out.



Agreed.

So out of your rankings who is first? You have nobody first or second and everybody in the 3-8 range. You bashed every single one of the rankings and just said none of them belonged 1 or 2.

I am fine with Kaval being first as he has the best ring work, and plus he is a fan favorite so that helps him out. Should he be first, probably not but top 3 is fine.

Watson sure got love from the fans last night as he definitely not number 2, but he does have great charisma and definitely does not deserve to be bashed as Will just did. He is going to have a future in the WWE no doubt about it.

McGillicutty belongs in the top three, and he has the package. Good ring work, good mic work, and the heritage doesn't hurt either.

Riley 4th is a little to low for me, as he belongs in the top 3 with McGillicutty and Kaval. Riley is the best on the mic in this group, needs a little work in the ring, but is not horrible. The fans voting really hurts him as he is the "Varsity Villain", and could prevent him from winning the contest.

Lucky Cannon 5th is a joke. He belongs dead last as he is terrible all the way around. Your lucky, we get it, I hear the same stupid crap week in and week out. He is already stale and it is week 4. He Lucky he got immunity, and it still is mind boggling he is 5th.

Eli came 6th which I am ok with. Yes he may not be the greatest, but he is winning and doesn't deserve to be sent home with. He has a lot to work on, but 6th is where I predicted he would go, and they got it right with him.

Husky 7th is pretty sad. He belongs where Lucky was or even Riley's spot, as him and Percy should've been 4th and 5th. Husky has a good thing going, he is a little out of shape, but there have been others who were as well. He has been improving and his new heel gimmick I think is better and he is developing

And lastly is Titus O'Neill. He should be 7th, but it wouldn't have mattered if Lucky was last or not because he would've been eliminated regardless due to that immunity. Titus looked impressive at the end and is sad to see him go after just two matches both tag team matches. He got the short end of the stick on this one, but hopefully we will see him again in the future.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

So out of your rankings who is first? You have nobody first or second and everybody in the 3-8 range. You bashed every single one of the rankings and just said none of them belonged 1 or 2.

Yeah, I think that was kinda the point. NONE OF THEM have made any type of an effort to step-up, and be noticed among the rest of the group.

Wow, Kaval got a pretty pink shirt. Husky did what his Pro did a week prior. Lucky is taking Tarver's approach and selling shirts. Watson is hoping his Dudley tryout goes better this time around. And Riley is paired with the wrong Pro - he should've been put with Ziggler, at least then we'd have a jock and a cheerleader.

I am fine with Kaval being first as he has the best ring work, and plus he is a fan favorite so that helps him out. Should he be first, probably not but top 3 is fine.

So, because he has good in-ring skill, he deserves to be in the Top 3? Well, I'd certainly hope he has good in-ring skill, considering he's got more experience than some of the Pro's judging him.

That still doesn't cut it, with me.

Watson sure got love from the fans last night as he definitely not number 2, but he does have great charisma and definitely does not deserve to be bashed as Will just did. He is going to have a future in the WWE no doubt about it.

Aww, I'm sorry I bashed your friend. Maybe you and the rest of the joy luck club would like to go cry about it.

Watson has charisma, I'm almost sure I said that. But there is such a thing as trying too hard to show off too much charisma. The guy doesn't even walk normal, he has to clap his hands, and have his mouth wide open regardless of what he's doing.

If thats the future of the WWE, I'd sure hate to know what sharp turn they take to get there.

McGillicutty belongs in the top three, and he has the package. Good ring work, good mic work, and the heritage doesn't hurt either.

A.) What mic skills? I've barely ever heard him talk.
B.) Average ring work. He hasn't done anything impressive that stands out. His highlight video of him doing his Father's moves were the best thing about him thus far.
C.) I think because he's Perfect's Son, you wanna rank him so high. Don't worry, I do too. But he needs to continue progressing and trying harder to breakout.

Riley 4th is a little to low for me, as he belongs in the top 3 with McGillicutty and Kaval. Riley is the best on the mic in this group, needs a little work in the ring, but is not horrible. The fans voting really hurts him as he is the "Varsity Villain", and could prevent him from winning the contest.

If anything, wouldn't being the next Miz help him via WWE fans? Considering the Miz is a fan favorite. (even though he's heel)

Riley does have decent mic skills. Thus far he's actually better than the rest, but simply because he doesn't get half way through and stop/forget what to say next.

He also had a very good match with Kaval, but in connection to you claiming Kaval is the best in-ring worker of them all.. I guess Riley was carried, huh?

Lucky Cannon 5th is a joke. He belongs dead last as he is terrible all the way around. Your lucky, we get it, I hear the same stupid crap week in and week out. He is already stale and it is week 4. He Lucky he got immunity, and it still is mind boggling he is 5th.

I don't disagree that he's stale.. but he shouldn't be last. He has more talent than the Giant.

Eli came 6th which I am ok with. Yes he may not be the greatest, but he is winning and doesn't deserve to be sent home with. He has a lot to work on, but 6th is where I predicted he would go, and they got it right with him.

Uhm, okay so I'm trying to recall who he beat. I know he beat Kaval, I think, but beyond that wasn't it Morrison who won him his first match? (tag) And the most he did was tilt his head and look slightly aggressive.

He needs to snap and start showing why hes what he is. A towering monster. See, I can't even say that right now without laughing about it.

He seriously needs to go.. next week. (should've been this week.)

Husky 7th is pretty sad. He belongs where Lucky was or even Riley's spot, as him and Percy should've been 4th and 5th. Husky has a good thing going, he is a little out of shape, but there have been others who were as well. He has been improving and his new heel gimmick I think is better and he is developing

I think this is the most I'll agree with you on anything you've said. Husky would be my favorite of them all, if any. He isn't #1, but he's truly better than almost eliminated.

But no to Percy. Seriously, after Cottonwood.. I want Watson gone.

And lastly is Titus O'Neill. He should be 7th, but it wouldn't have mattered if Lucky was last or not because he would've been eliminated regardless due to that immunity. Titus looked impressive at the end and is sad to see him go after just two matches both tag team matches. He got the short end of the stick on this one, but hopefully we will see him again in the future.

I still stand by what I said before. I question if he wasn't eliminated due to a personal reason, more than anything else.

 

[Dave]

Last night’s episode was not too bad actually.

Let’s start at the very beginning shall we? So, Ashley Valance started the night off with a botch and it would come to be the start of a trend somewhat. I really have no idea as to what the WWE see in this girl. I mean, she is pretty and all but she screeches when he talks and has made a couple of botches on both occasions when I have seen her. Maybe they are using NXT to get her to a level where she can be more comfortable on the mic but we might never know as the uncertainty of her position is unclear right now.

Anyway, she introduces the NXT rookies and I was surprised to see some of the guys actually get a good reaction from the fans. People like Kaval and Alex Riley obviously got a reaction but it was the reaction for Lucky Cannon that actually surprised me most. Ashley Valance tells us that there will be a vote and at the end of the vote, one of the rookies will be eliminated from the competition. You know, I actually said that in a thread somewhere by mistake and now it comes to fruition. Anyway, she hands over to Matt Striker and Striker tells us that the first rookie challenge will be tonight and the person who wins it will be immune from the public vote and no matter what the result of the public vote is, he wont be going home.

As you might expect, the beer keg challenge is a botchfest as Michael McGillicutty drops the barrel straight away and Titus can’t sort out his feet and does a little tumble with the barrel. Husky Harris, being the fat tosser that he is drops the barrel too but gets some mic time and tells Matt Striker that he needs to back up. Seriously, this guy is just fucking terrible. He walks up the ramp looking happy with the result and it turns out that Lucky Cannon wins the competition. My question is, what is someone like Titus had won it? Would they have fixed the results s that he wasn’t in the bottom two so that they could have their tense reveal moment? Or would they have just said it was obvious who was going home and that was Husky Harris?

Anyway, we get into our first match and I would be lying if I said I watched it. I kind of skimmed through it but I know that MVP won the match and Husky Harris goes to 0-2. Seriously, I might have watched this match if the opening of it wasn’t so God-damn boring. Husky Harris is absolutely terrible. He has perhaps the worst look of all the wrestlers and he is terrible in the ring. I was feeling tired at the time of this match and I am lucky it didn’t make me succumb to the Sandman’s spell. It was literally that boring and after chugging down a Red Bull, I was ready to go again. I don’t know what they are trying to accomplish with this fat douche. I mean really, he has no talent wont be going that far in the competition. Giving him this heel mentality and letting him be so vocal about it is literally worth nothing because he will be gone soon enough with any luck.

Anyway, we move again to a 6 man tag team match in which A-Ri comes off looking like a credible winner of this competition. This match is actually pretty good and I watched the full thing without wanting to kill myself once. Anyway, after Kaval is double teamed, he comes back in and hits the Warrior’s Way on A-Ri, pinning him for the win. Kaval goes to 1-2 for the season and looks to be every bit of the Danie Bryan act of this season. First he talks about how he is not lifting the keg because he wants to put on a show inside the ring for the great fans of the WWE… Yeah, right. So, then he picks up the win and LayCool start to jump around with low cut tops on. I know, I know… It’s the pervert in me. Best part of the night, if you ask me.

So, we come back to the results and they are as follows:

1. Kaval
2. Percy Watson
3. Michael McGillicutty
4. Alex Riley
5. Lucky Cannon
6. Eli Cottonwood
7. Husky Harris
8. Titus O’Neil

There was a couple of decisions in here that led me to believe that the WWE universe is actually ******ed. I am not surprised at Kaval being number one. Michael Cole, whilst being really annoying, hit the nail right on the head. Kaval in an internet darling and of course he was going to be first. Same goes for Percy Watson. I can’t stand the asshole but people gravitate towards his chicken dance, I guess. Riley should be a lot higher. He has been the best thing on NXT and completely deserves to be higher. I was a little surprised to see Titus at the bottom. In my opinion, he hasn’t been as bad as people like Cottonwood or Harris and certainly didn’t deserve to go home. Percy Watson should have been mixing it with the guys at the bottom.

My only question remains, if the vote was only based on the votes of the WWE, then how could that work? I mean, NXT is pre-recorded, right? And also, if it was based on the votes of the WWE Universe, why did Striker tell the Pros to tally their votes?

Rating: B-

 

[Bobby B]

My only question remains, if the vote was only based on the votes of the WWE, then how could that work? I mean, NXT is pre-recorded, right? And also, if it was based on the votes of the WWE Universe, why did Striker tell the Pros to tally their votes?

Rating: B-

I believe last nights episode was live - that's what I read on one Wrestling site. Also, it's 50/50 between WWE fan votes and the pro votes - not entirely sure how that correlates when you put them together (hell, it might even be that they're doing it purely off the basis of the Universe voting - the pro's certainly weren't voting last time).

Enjoyed last nights show, the 6 man tag match was very good actually and Kaval got a deserved win. The keg carry challenge was fairly short, and I did like Kaval saying he wasn't going to participate. I don't mind Lucky Cannon (which, if you read other peoples opinion of him on here, seems to make me his number one fan) - he's got a bit of an edge compared to Titus O'Neill and Husky Harris.

I see the top 4 staying as it is for quite a while (although they will move around a fair bit). Eli Cottonwood needs to snap soon enough, otherwise interest in him won't grow. But of the people who aren't in the top 4 - he's the only one with a chance of winning it.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

WWE NXT - June 29, 2010

Thumbs Up

Kaval - I singled out Kaval for a special little thumbs up because of his refusal to participate in the Keg Carrying Challenge at the top of the show. Saying that if he was going to put his body on the line that it would be in the ring in front of the fans was a nice touch. After all, the challenge was ridiculous.

Kaval, Michael McGuillicutty, & Lucky Cannon vs. Alex Riley, Titus O'Neil & Eli Cottonwood - The match wasn't that great, but it was fairly decent. I gave it a thumbs up mainly due to Kaval scoring the pinfall and gaining a victory for himself and his team. Nice to see him get on the board.

NXT Poll Rankings - Overall, I was pretty pleased with the order in which most of the NXT Rookies were ranked. Kaval came in at #1 and I think he is legitimately #1 at this point. Having him #1 also makes the fan votes seem pretty relevant to the whole thing. I can't stand Percy Watson and don't personally think he should be #2 but, once again, a lot of fans gravitate towards him and it makes the fan's votes all the more relevant. Personally, I think Alex Riley should be #2. As for the rest of the rankings, I thought that they were pretty much spot on. Titus O'Neil was the first one to be eliminated and, quite frankly, it was the right call. He just doesn't have it in the ring or pesonality wise. I do have to say that I was impressed by his elimination speech. It was very classy and executed perfectly. I think with a little work, there could potentially be a spot for him on the roster.

Thumbs Down

Keg Carrying Challenge - I think the WWE is making a mistake by bringing back these lame challenges for NXT Season II. I do understand that the WWE has to do something on the program besides matches and Pro/Rookie interactions and all that. However, if you're going to do a challenge, actually put some kind of effort and thought into coming up with something halfway entertaining.[/B]

MVP vs. Husky Harris - This was a slow, plodding match that went on for about 12 minutes, which was about 6 minutes longer than it really should have gone. The crowd was completely dead for this and, quite frankly, so was I. We got a chance to see what Husky Harris can do in the ring and, quite frankly, it wasn't much. He was slow and pretty sloppy from what I saw. Also, his overall physical condition came into focus I think during the match. He was panting and sweating like a diabetic Oompa Loompa working in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. He was extremely tired, fatigued and his movements in the ring became very sloppy as a result. I'm sure the guy would do fine in a 5 or 6 minute match, but he doesn't have the conditioning to go for longer than that and put on an enjoyable match. The six man tag later in the show was about 6 minutes, whereas this match went for 12. The times for the matches really should've been reversed, meaning that both matches probably would have been pretty good overall.

Overall Show - Thumbs Up - I was expecting more from last night's show and the only reasons I'm really giving it a thumbs up, barely, was because of Kaval getting his first win on the show and the overall results of the first NXT Poll. The rest of the show was mediocre and pointless. Overall, I give it a 6 out of 10.

 

[Ferbian]

NXT last night was decent.

We start off with Ashley Valence, talking about the opening of the pro / crowd poll, she looks hot, introducing the rookies, who I'm not gonna start talking about who debuts when or not.

I wonder why half of them has some kind of merchandary now, not even cool looking ones.

Quick about the eliminations tonight as well, that's gonna make it a bit more interesting, or not, the Keg Carrying challenge, this doesn't signal well for the rest of the season, boring challenges equals boring shows, WWE should have noticed that the shows became better without the challenges.

Not gonna focus on the carrying, cause it's really boring actually, but I couldn't help but laugh at Titus' comment about drinking and driving, ending up with Lucky Cannon winning with a 12.7 second time.

Percy Watson vignette time, I'm actually getting a bit more interested in him, he's great on the microphone, but you guys know what I think of him otherwise, he still shines Eddie Murphy, in a positive way, I love Eddie Murphy.

MVP vs Husky Harris in a pretty good match, made Husky look good, even if MVP came out the winner, which I think is a shame because while we can't have rookies winning all the time against the pro's, Harris needed the win more than MVP.

Kaval, Lucky Cannon and Joe Hennig vs Eli Cottonwood, Alex Riley and Titus O'neil in a 6 man tag team match, with Riley doing some dirty tricks to Lucky Cannon, certainly the heel of heels in that season, ending with Kaval getting the pin for his team, supposedly not Bryan Danielson number 2, his finisher looks stiff as hell although, and I'm almost certain that he wasn't supposed to slip like that, the match was pretty good nonetheless.

Time for the NXT poll, okay I might have to take back the whole Kaval not being Bryan Danielson number 2, him being number 1 was ridiculous, the poll overall is ridiculous, and I think it's a shame that Titus had to be going home, considering he's much better than Eli Cottonwood to say the least.

His final promo was pretty good, not as good as Tarver's elimination promo (considering he's probably Tarver number 2 in terms of being good but not given the chance).

Pretty decent show, the key carrying part ruined the potential for it although, so my score is C+

 

[RKOx7]

The show was solid. I especially liked Kaval being ranked #1 and his refusal to go through with the Keg Contest.
I would say it was a B- show.

I wanna say something about timing, because I just watched the video and I know for a fact that the Keg challenge was totally rigged. I mean that might not be news since WWE is all storylines anyway but if you go back and watch the Keg part on youtube, it is so clearly obvious that Percy Watson won the challenge at the 12.5 mark when the bell sounded off, only to have the time speed up and even noticeably skip 12.7 on the timer to go straight to 12.8, 12.9 and then finally 13.0

Thats such a big fail on WWE's part.