I absolutely loved it, I knew the concept seemed very interesting but I wasn't sure how it would work in execution. I found myself getting into several characters, and getting a feel for each guy's individualism. The thing is that WWE doesn't often allow their midcarders this type of character development on the main shows, so this really gives some up-and-coming guys a platform to really show what they can do when given the chance. Daniel Bryan was fun in the opening segment, although he seemed a little awkward at times, it has to be expected for someone appearing in front of a TV audience of that size for the first time. His storyline with The Miz is clearly going to be the focus of the show, and both guys played their parts perfectly. I also really found myself digging David Otunga, I love his natural arrogance and his promo was by far the best of the night. Wade Barrett was pretty entertaining as well, and despite the main event being relatively short, Jericho and Bryan still put on a really nice match. Definitely a worthy replacement for ECW, and I will certainly be watching next week.
[OFFICIAL] NXT Aftermath, Review, and Ratings Thread
- Thread starter Ambiguous Turd
- Start date
Okay Fabian
Occasional Pre-Show
Overall, I thought the debut of NXT was a solid effort for WWE.
Just a few thoughts:
1) Was NXT filmed differently than RAW, SD!, and Superstars? It seemed like they were trying different angles, etc. I don't know if I just missed this with the other shows, but it definitely seemed strange/different. Took some getting used to.
2) I was disappointed with the Otunga/Young match, if only because of what appeared to be a botched ending. Instead of making Otunga look dominant it sort of made him and Young look incompetent, but that's the peril of being on the big stage for the first time. Anyway, I think they are going to have Young get squashed/embarrassed in upcoming episodes until Punk finally converts him and sets him on the straight and narrow. Also, why no video for Young? It would have definitely set up the juxtaposition between his party boy lifestyle and Punk's straight edge lifestyle. I'm sure they are holding off on it until next week.
3) There was pretty much no mention of Skip Sheffield, who is probably my favorite NXT cast member. Would have been nice to get a video or a promo or anything at all. He just sort of stood there.
4) I really liked the recap at the end of the show. It's very similar to what TNA did/still does? It sets NXT apart from the other less reality-based shows, and gives a last look at the highlights of the show. Pretty cool.
Just a few thoughts:
1) Was NXT filmed differently than RAW, SD!, and Superstars? It seemed like they were trying different angles, etc. I don't know if I just missed this with the other shows, but it definitely seemed strange/different. Took some getting used to.
2) I was disappointed with the Otunga/Young match, if only because of what appeared to be a botched ending. Instead of making Otunga look dominant it sort of made him and Young look incompetent, but that's the peril of being on the big stage for the first time. Anyway, I think they are going to have Young get squashed/embarrassed in upcoming episodes until Punk finally converts him and sets him on the straight and narrow. Also, why no video for Young? It would have definitely set up the juxtaposition between his party boy lifestyle and Punk's straight edge lifestyle. I'm sure they are holding off on it until next week.
3) There was pretty much no mention of Skip Sheffield, who is probably my favorite NXT cast member. Would have been nice to get a video or a promo or anything at all. He just sort of stood there.
4) I really liked the recap at the end of the show. It's very similar to what TNA did/still does? It sets NXT apart from the other less reality-based shows, and gives a last look at the highlights of the show. Pretty cool.
I LOVED the show.
I thought the interaction between Danielson and The Miz was fantastic. I predicted in their thread that their relationship would go one of two ways: Miz teaching Danielson how to be a slimeball and Danielson obliging, or Danielson refusing to do anything Miz says. Thankfully, it was the latter that happened, and it turned out to be great.
The show was basically all about AmDrag, and as a HUGE fan of his, that of course made it a GREAT hour of television for me to sit through. I thought he did great in the opening segment, and I thought the match with Jericho was fun, too. And hey, how nice is it to see Jericho in there with someone with the balls to actually take the Liontamer? Nice, right? I think so too...
Michael Cole needs to turn heel, bottom line. He was a fucking prick throughout that entire main event, and I wanted to slap the shit out of him. That's how he should be at all times from this point on (even if King is a shit face nowadays).
As far as everything else... as I said in the LD, that Tarver dude reminds me of a bulked up Ernest "The Cat" Miller, and that's a compliment because if any of you watched WCW in the late nineties, then you saw just how awesome Ernest Miller was on a regular basis. Punk from I Love New York... people seemed to jizz over, but he just seems like a lamer Batista if you ask me. He'd be great in a bodyguard, managerial role, however. The guy CM Punk was with... couldn't really judge since he didn't get the chance to do anything, but I think we'll get some funny segments from that pairing. The guy Jericho was with was solid on the mic, but that's all I can say. And the two that were in the Christian/Carlito tag match... no comment just yet.
Now, the one negative about the show were the camera angles. I didn't like it at all, but that's just a small complaint. Hopefully though they get rid of it if enough people bitch about it.
All in all, great show, and I'm looking forward to next week's broadcast.
I thought the interaction between Danielson and The Miz was fantastic. I predicted in their thread that their relationship would go one of two ways: Miz teaching Danielson how to be a slimeball and Danielson obliging, or Danielson refusing to do anything Miz says. Thankfully, it was the latter that happened, and it turned out to be great.
The show was basically all about AmDrag, and as a HUGE fan of his, that of course made it a GREAT hour of television for me to sit through. I thought he did great in the opening segment, and I thought the match with Jericho was fun, too. And hey, how nice is it to see Jericho in there with someone with the balls to actually take the Liontamer? Nice, right? I think so too...
Michael Cole needs to turn heel, bottom line. He was a fucking prick throughout that entire main event, and I wanted to slap the shit out of him. That's how he should be at all times from this point on (even if King is a shit face nowadays).
As far as everything else... as I said in the LD, that Tarver dude reminds me of a bulked up Ernest "The Cat" Miller, and that's a compliment because if any of you watched WCW in the late nineties, then you saw just how awesome Ernest Miller was on a regular basis. Punk from I Love New York... people seemed to jizz over, but he just seems like a lamer Batista if you ask me. He'd be great in a bodyguard, managerial role, however. The guy CM Punk was with... couldn't really judge since he didn't get the chance to do anything, but I think we'll get some funny segments from that pairing. The guy Jericho was with was solid on the mic, but that's all I can say. And the two that were in the Christian/Carlito tag match... no comment just yet.
Now, the one negative about the show were the camera angles. I didn't like it at all, but that's just a small complaint. Hopefully though they get rid of it if enough people bitch about it.
All in all, great show, and I'm looking forward to next week's broadcast.
The Con Volt
Your Straight-Edge Savior
I noticed the same thing in the Darren Young vs. David Otunga match. There was this one funky angle that looked like it was Big Show holding a camera between the top and middle rope.
Just finished the show, AWESOME show. LOVE how much the WWE is pushing Danielson, fucking awesome to see. Wish he and Jericho could've gotten atleast another 5 minutes, but that was solid for a five minute match. Danielson's opening promo and segment with Miz was probably the best part of the show and right off the fuckin' bat Danielson proved to all of the moronic haters that he has boatloads of charisma.
Great show, cannot wait for next week. WWE has been on a roll the past few weeks.
Oh and mark down my words people, Bryan Danielson will be the US Champion by the summer.
Great show, cannot wait for next week. WWE has been on a roll the past few weeks.
Oh and mark down my words people, Bryan Danielson will be the US Champion by the summer.
It's...Baylariat!
Team Finnley Baylor
I didn't watch the entire show, but watched certain characters enough to give my eval on their first appearances on TV.
First and foremost, Danielson has the potential to be a legit main eventer real soon. He's simply got to learn to do things the WWE's way. Which won't be too far from the norm, but he'll go through some hazing, some gnashing of the teeth, and paying some dues. Which he should. It'll be humbling to actually have to deal with an inferior wrestler in The Miz. His match with Jericho was excellent and to me, showed that he can hang with one of the better wrestlers in the world in Jericho. Good showing by Danielson and hope to see more next week. And by the way, Jericho breaking out the Liontamer on Danielson was very excellent. Showing the young buck that his submission still kicks ass!
Michael Tarver was awful. No charisma, terrible move set, and a chore to help build into a serviceable wrestler. It can be done. Look at Kofi Kingston. But Tarver's got a long way to go before he can get to that point.
Otunga has the look to be a megastar. I see him taking Batista's spot once he's done. The charisma, look, and the move set to change the game. I liked him and would like to see more of him on the mic.
The rest of the group didn't impress me. At all. They need work. And lots of it. But that's what the show's for.
And to add onto the commentary and stuff. Some liked the 'heel' Cole, being fed lines to dis Danielson and 'dirt sheets' and talk about this and that. I didn't like it. Cole doesn't have the cred to talk like that. As cool as it sounds, I wouldn't take Cole seriously if he announced that Obama was shot. And the trash talking from Striker? This show's about helping talent get over and making the product better, not embarrassing them and making them look stupid. It helps the product look weak and out to detract potential talent from going to the WWE.
First and foremost, Danielson has the potential to be a legit main eventer real soon. He's simply got to learn to do things the WWE's way. Which won't be too far from the norm, but he'll go through some hazing, some gnashing of the teeth, and paying some dues. Which he should. It'll be humbling to actually have to deal with an inferior wrestler in The Miz. His match with Jericho was excellent and to me, showed that he can hang with one of the better wrestlers in the world in Jericho. Good showing by Danielson and hope to see more next week. And by the way, Jericho breaking out the Liontamer on Danielson was very excellent. Showing the young buck that his submission still kicks ass!
Michael Tarver was awful. No charisma, terrible move set, and a chore to help build into a serviceable wrestler. It can be done. Look at Kofi Kingston. But Tarver's got a long way to go before he can get to that point.
Otunga has the look to be a megastar. I see him taking Batista's spot once he's done. The charisma, look, and the move set to change the game. I liked him and would like to see more of him on the mic.
The rest of the group didn't impress me. At all. They need work. And lots of it. But that's what the show's for.
And to add onto the commentary and stuff. Some liked the 'heel' Cole, being fed lines to dis Danielson and 'dirt sheets' and talk about this and that. I didn't like it. Cole doesn't have the cred to talk like that. As cool as it sounds, I wouldn't take Cole seriously if he announced that Obama was shot. And the trash talking from Striker? This show's about helping talent get over and making the product better, not embarrassing them and making them look stupid. It helps the product look weak and out to detract potential talent from going to the WWE.
xEMBRACExTOMORROWx
Dark Match Jobber
Not only was it watchable, it was enjoyable. I haven't watched Raw in a few months. Hadn't watched the modern, now extinct, ECW in even longer, and the ONLY WWE programming I have been watching is Smackdown, but NXT tonight, was pretty damn good and I applaud WWE for their efforts.
I liked the promo videos they did for a couple of the rookies, I liked the Daniel Bryan and The Miz segment, I very much enjoyed the Bryan/Y2J match, I LOVED seeing Jericho use the liontamer, and WWE left me extremely interested in knowing whats going to happen between CM Punk and Young.
.
I noticed as well that some of their camera angles were a little different. I liked it. Helps NXT stand out from the other WWE programming. I personally hope they keep adding in this different camera angles.
Overall, NXT tonight was a quality show, and if WWE continues to keep NXT interesting like this, then I will be tuning in each and every week. Something I can't say about Monday Night Raw.
C.M.Savior
Dark Match Winner
Overall, I thought that the debut of NXT was pretty damn solid! I had my doubts at first as to what the show would be. I thought it would basically be the same as ecw has been or even worse with too many rookies that fans do not care about. I for one enjoy ECW though just to see all the rookies and new comers and see what they can do which made me enjoy NXT even more.
NXT was an entire one hour show that was watchable from beginning to end, something that is hard to come by for a wrestling show this day in age. Even Raw and Smackdown have parts that i either change the channel or fastfowarded on my dvr. Tonight I watched the show in its entirety with interest and never really got bored.
I thought the show did an awesome job of getting every character over, with daniel bryan (bryan danielson) being the main focus. I thought the interaction with him and Miz was awesome and his match with Jericho was pretty solid. (him diving out of the ring and slamming into the announce table was a pretty cool spot in the match) When i first heard that the Miz was paired up with danielson, i like most people thought wtf?! Danielson has been around a lot longer and has way more experience and should be paired up with jericho. However, after seing what happened tonight, i think it is the best pairing. People familiar with danielson know that he is already solid in the ring (better than the miz) and need to work on his weaknesses to get over in the wwe (mic skills, charisma, ets.) Danielson did better than i thought he would on the mic. He came off somewhat akward/nervous a couple times though and stumbled on the mic a bit but he will improvbe. Who better than to pair him with the Miz who I think is awesome on the mic and that is how he has really gotten over in the wwe in the recent months. I think this could lead into a great feud between the two of them and thought they played their parts great tonight.
I thought the video packages of the rookies were also very good. David Otunga had the best promo and i really liked his character. His match kind of sucked though. Tarver and Slater's were also pretty good and the whole interaction with punk and Young was good as well. All of the matches seemed to mean something and the interactions between the pros and rookies was great and seemed to work really well tonight.
I noticed the different camera style too and read that they were using cameras similar to what they use in fcw. It didnt bother me though, I actually thought it was a good thing. It gave the show and the action a different look and more of a raw feel (more reality based) to it in my opinion which is what I think the show needs. It did have somewhat of a reality feel to it. I also thought the announcers did a good job. As much as I hate Michael Cole, I thought he did a good job. He came off pretty good as a heel when interacting with Striker and Matthews. They again kind of gave the show more of a raw or reality feel to it that raw and smackdown lack at times.
Hopefully they can continue to build on this and do not mess it up. If every show is as good as the one tonight, then i see nothing but good things out of it. It will be up to the rookies and pros and their interactions to keep the show interesting. It came off as to what a wrestling show should be. Hopefully a lot of people tuned in tonight out of curiousity and saw the same things I did and continue to watch. I know it will be hard to get general/basic fans interested with the show being based around rookies, but with the mix and interaction of the pros tonight, hopefully it will get them interested. As long as their ratings are slighty above what ecw was getting and maintains that way, hopefully the show will be around for a while. I am looking foward to the coming weeks to see where the show goes and what will happen with the rookies.
NXT was an entire one hour show that was watchable from beginning to end, something that is hard to come by for a wrestling show this day in age. Even Raw and Smackdown have parts that i either change the channel or fastfowarded on my dvr. Tonight I watched the show in its entirety with interest and never really got bored.
I thought the show did an awesome job of getting every character over, with daniel bryan (bryan danielson) being the main focus. I thought the interaction with him and Miz was awesome and his match with Jericho was pretty solid. (him diving out of the ring and slamming into the announce table was a pretty cool spot in the match) When i first heard that the Miz was paired up with danielson, i like most people thought wtf?! Danielson has been around a lot longer and has way more experience and should be paired up with jericho. However, after seing what happened tonight, i think it is the best pairing. People familiar with danielson know that he is already solid in the ring (better than the miz) and need to work on his weaknesses to get over in the wwe (mic skills, charisma, ets.) Danielson did better than i thought he would on the mic. He came off somewhat akward/nervous a couple times though and stumbled on the mic a bit but he will improvbe. Who better than to pair him with the Miz who I think is awesome on the mic and that is how he has really gotten over in the wwe in the recent months. I think this could lead into a great feud between the two of them and thought they played their parts great tonight.
I thought the video packages of the rookies were also very good. David Otunga had the best promo and i really liked his character. His match kind of sucked though. Tarver and Slater's were also pretty good and the whole interaction with punk and Young was good as well. All of the matches seemed to mean something and the interactions between the pros and rookies was great and seemed to work really well tonight.
I noticed the different camera style too and read that they were using cameras similar to what they use in fcw. It didnt bother me though, I actually thought it was a good thing. It gave the show and the action a different look and more of a raw feel (more reality based) to it in my opinion which is what I think the show needs. It did have somewhat of a reality feel to it. I also thought the announcers did a good job. As much as I hate Michael Cole, I thought he did a good job. He came off pretty good as a heel when interacting with Striker and Matthews. They again kind of gave the show more of a raw or reality feel to it that raw and smackdown lack at times.
Hopefully they can continue to build on this and do not mess it up. If every show is as good as the one tonight, then i see nothing but good things out of it. It will be up to the rookies and pros and their interactions to keep the show interesting. It came off as to what a wrestling show should be. Hopefully a lot of people tuned in tonight out of curiousity and saw the same things I did and continue to watch. I know it will be hard to get general/basic fans interested with the show being based around rookies, but with the mix and interaction of the pros tonight, hopefully it will get them interested. As long as their ratings are slighty above what ecw was getting and maintains that way, hopefully the show will be around for a while. I am looking foward to the coming weeks to see where the show goes and what will happen with the rookies.
Hello again, I haven't read any other thread on this so im not sure it one already exists if it does my bad, Just finished watching NXT and to be honest I liked it.
Its a good mix of ECW and Tough Enough.
The Main Event was good with Danielson and Jericho and some of the storylines are pretty intriguing.
What are some thoughts on the show? Liked or disliked?
Its a good mix of ECW and Tough Enough.
The Main Event was good with Danielson and Jericho and some of the storylines are pretty intriguing.
What are some thoughts on the show? Liked or disliked?
The Poster
Occasional Pre-Show
im with the majority here and also enjoyed the show.
i dont watch ROH or the indies and what not so im not all on daniel bryan's junk or know anything about him like a lot of people. but from what i saw he was solid. i hope the show revolves around him and the miz. but he really needs to ditch the bob backlund 1970s look with the red trunks that are way too big and the high socks/boots. i mean come on, really?
a lot of the guys had good chemistry with their mentors, and thats what im looking for with this show. miz and bryan already dont like each other, which has the makings to be very entertaining and the centerpiece of the show.
the look on cm punk's face when they showed him and his rookie was hilarious. also has the makings to be fun to watch with them being complete opposites of each other.
heath slater/christian i thought CAN BE a good pairing but right now they seem out of place. slater comes off to me like "the brian kendrick" and watching christian try to rally the crowd behind him just looked awkward. i understand no one knows these guys but i see a potential mini feud coming with slater eventually thinking hes better than christian.
jericho's guy already has the makings of being a solid heel...he's foreign. thats all there is to that. the other guys right now id say its too early to tell, ill just have to wait and see.
i dont watch ROH or the indies and what not so im not all on daniel bryan's junk or know anything about him like a lot of people. but from what i saw he was solid. i hope the show revolves around him and the miz. but he really needs to ditch the bob backlund 1970s look with the red trunks that are way too big and the high socks/boots. i mean come on, really?
a lot of the guys had good chemistry with their mentors, and thats what im looking for with this show. miz and bryan already dont like each other, which has the makings to be very entertaining and the centerpiece of the show.
the look on cm punk's face when they showed him and his rookie was hilarious. also has the makings to be fun to watch with them being complete opposites of each other.
heath slater/christian i thought CAN BE a good pairing but right now they seem out of place. slater comes off to me like "the brian kendrick" and watching christian try to rally the crowd behind him just looked awkward. i understand no one knows these guys but i see a potential mini feud coming with slater eventually thinking hes better than christian.
jericho's guy already has the makings of being a solid heel...he's foreign. thats all there is to that. the other guys right now id say its too early to tell, ill just have to wait and see.
xAsianRejectx
Do I even lift?
Very good and entertaining show. Definitely something I'll watch again next week.
First off, Danielson, excellent job by him. He seemed awkward at some points, but really got the hang of it and got the crowd to care about him. I love this story he has going with the Miz. Where the Miz is being more of a bully than a mentor and Daniels basically saying, "Screw you." I'm going to have a lot of fun with these two. His match with Jericho was great also. He took one nasty bump off the announcer table. Which was awesome, but I hope he's ok.
Also, David Otunga impressed the hell out of me. I did know him previously from "I Love New York"(Sue me, I watch it.) I have to say, his charisma just flew off the screen with the video package. Honestly, great mic work. I also like the fact that the WWE are using Otunga's real life status as part of his gimmick because his resume is really that impressive without any tampering. I'm hoping a lot out of him.
The other rookies looked fine as well. Some more character work here and there and some more training, then we'll have some future stars. Lucky for them that they get to start in a small show and build themselves instead of being lost in a big pond.
First off, Danielson, excellent job by him. He seemed awkward at some points, but really got the hang of it and got the crowd to care about him. I love this story he has going with the Miz. Where the Miz is being more of a bully than a mentor and Daniels basically saying, "Screw you." I'm going to have a lot of fun with these two. His match with Jericho was great also. He took one nasty bump off the announcer table. Which was awesome, but I hope he's ok.
Also, David Otunga impressed the hell out of me. I did know him previously from "I Love New York"(Sue me, I watch it.) I have to say, his charisma just flew off the screen with the video package. Honestly, great mic work. I also like the fact that the WWE are using Otunga's real life status as part of his gimmick because his resume is really that impressive without any tampering. I'm hoping a lot out of him.
The other rookies looked fine as well. Some more character work here and there and some more training, then we'll have some future stars. Lucky for them that they get to start in a small show and build themselves instead of being lost in a big pond.
C.M.Savior
Dark Match Winner
I completely agree with the slater/christian point. It seemed kind of unusual and akward for Christian to be hypeing up the crowd for him. Ive actually seen slater wrestle at a wwe house show back in october of 09. (i think he wrestled jamie noble) Before his match, Slater cut a short heel promo and got some heat on him from the crowd. I thought for sure he was a heel and his look kind of gives off a heel feel to him but i thought that it wasnt really clear from his video promo tonight whether he was a heel or not. They did the whole rockstar thing but then talked about how he got into wrestling which kind of gave him a face feel. Maybe they want to see if he could be a face but I doubt it and can definitely see a slater/christian feud in the making in the weeks to come.
And when I first saw him wrestle, I thought he riminded me of edge but now that you said the Kendrick comparison, I think he kind of reminds me more of him. haha i never really thought of that but good comparison
Tainted Meat
Dark Match Winner
I really enjoyed the show. If they'd done the same exact thing with the New Talent Initiative on ECW, giving nice little promo packages to all of the incoming talent, I think we'd probably care quite a bit more about guys like Yoshi Tatsu or...um...whoever else was on ECW.
I did really enjoy that intro package setup, though. It reminded me a little bit of the really good promo packages that HBO Sports would put together before boxing matches. And I also liked that the reality show aspect of the show that I'd read a bit about before tonight's premiere wasn't all that prominent. I was expecting stuff that didn't pertain to wrestling at all, but they kept everything about the show focused on the guys who were at the arena, and they kept all of the action in the arena, which I think is going to make for a constraint on the writers that'll keep them from getting too stupid with the storylines.
As for breakouts on the show? Wade Barrett and of course Danielson were the only guys who shined as immediate stars, although Michael Tarver was pretty good, too. And I already hate Otunga, so I guess he has something going for him...all in all, I'll definitely watch next week. The roster size is just right, the concept is cool and none of the wrestlers stood out as being awful in the least...except that one orange guy. It'd be nice if they replaced him with Low Ki...
I did really enjoy that intro package setup, though. It reminded me a little bit of the really good promo packages that HBO Sports would put together before boxing matches. And I also liked that the reality show aspect of the show that I'd read a bit about before tonight's premiere wasn't all that prominent. I was expecting stuff that didn't pertain to wrestling at all, but they kept everything about the show focused on the guys who were at the arena, and they kept all of the action in the arena, which I think is going to make for a constraint on the writers that'll keep them from getting too stupid with the storylines.
As for breakouts on the show? Wade Barrett and of course Danielson were the only guys who shined as immediate stars, although Michael Tarver was pretty good, too. And I already hate Otunga, so I guess he has something going for him...all in all, I'll definitely watch next week. The roster size is just right, the concept is cool and none of the wrestlers stood out as being awful in the least...except that one orange guy. It'd be nice if they replaced him with Low Ki...
Wow that was really an awesome show. I very rarely watched ECW so I was a little apprehensive about NXT but it definitely went above and beyond any expectations I had.
I really enjoyed all of the partnerships we were shown. Because i live in New Zealand I dont have the same exposure to the likes of Daniel Bryan so this was the first time I saw his work and I was entertained from start to finish. I will definitely be watching again.
On a side note I cant wait to see more of Wade Barrett absolutely brilliant pairing with Jericho.
MOT
I really enjoyed all of the partnerships we were shown. Because i live in New Zealand I dont have the same exposure to the likes of Daniel Bryan so this was the first time I saw his work and I was entertained from start to finish. I will definitely be watching again.
On a side note I cant wait to see more of Wade Barrett absolutely brilliant pairing with Jericho.
MOT
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
I had high hopes going for the show and, quite frankly, any expectations that I had were exceeded by a substantial margin. Everything about the show from top to bottom just had this incredible energy about it. To me, it felt about as fresh as fresh can possibly get.
From the first five minutes of the show, I knew I was going to tune in and watch every week. I just hope that NXT pulls the necessary numbers to keep it going. I was introduced to Bryan Danielson tonight and I didn't really know what to expect. I don't keep up with ROH or the independent scene all that much and I've heard everything from him being this incredible dynamo to having a personality as dry as sandpaper. By the time his in-ring segment with the Miz was over with and before he wrestled his first match on WWE television, Danielson was over with the crowd. I thought he was able to hold his own on the mic pretty well, he also did look damn good in the ring against Jericho and it does look as though the WWE is pretty damn high on the guy right now. My first impressions of Danielson are quite positive overall. He might not have "the look" that some of the other NXT Rookies have, but he does have some charisma and I think the fans came away with the impression that he can work his ass off in the ring.
The other big stand out of the night for me was David Otunga. The guy has the look of a megastar and his interview was flawless. Every word that the said just flowed as smooth as a prom queen's thighs and it sounded very much like he believed everything he was saying. He might need a little more work in the ring, I don't think we saw quite enough of him last night to determine how he stacks up in the ring, but he'll definitely have no problem cutting a quality heel promo.
Heath Slater I'm kind of on the ropes on. He does have a great energy about him and he did seem to be pretty solid in the ring. I'm not really sure about him overall. If he can cut a good promo, then I think he'll be ok.
I haven't really seen or heard enough from the others to make an overall call yet. I wasn't overly impressed by the rest of them for this episode. This episode was centered primarily around Danielson I think and the others will get their opportunity to shine in future episodes I believe. But I loved the show and I can't wait to see what goes on next week.
From the first five minutes of the show, I knew I was going to tune in and watch every week. I just hope that NXT pulls the necessary numbers to keep it going. I was introduced to Bryan Danielson tonight and I didn't really know what to expect. I don't keep up with ROH or the independent scene all that much and I've heard everything from him being this incredible dynamo to having a personality as dry as sandpaper. By the time his in-ring segment with the Miz was over with and before he wrestled his first match on WWE television, Danielson was over with the crowd. I thought he was able to hold his own on the mic pretty well, he also did look damn good in the ring against Jericho and it does look as though the WWE is pretty damn high on the guy right now. My first impressions of Danielson are quite positive overall. He might not have "the look" that some of the other NXT Rookies have, but he does have some charisma and I think the fans came away with the impression that he can work his ass off in the ring.
The other big stand out of the night for me was David Otunga. The guy has the look of a megastar and his interview was flawless. Every word that the said just flowed as smooth as a prom queen's thighs and it sounded very much like he believed everything he was saying. He might need a little more work in the ring, I don't think we saw quite enough of him last night to determine how he stacks up in the ring, but he'll definitely have no problem cutting a quality heel promo.
Heath Slater I'm kind of on the ropes on. He does have a great energy about him and he did seem to be pretty solid in the ring. I'm not really sure about him overall. If he can cut a good promo, then I think he'll be ok.
I haven't really seen or heard enough from the others to make an overall call yet. I wasn't overly impressed by the rest of them for this episode. This episode was centered primarily around Danielson I think and the others will get their opportunity to shine in future episodes I believe. But I loved the show and I can't wait to see what goes on next week.
I've been one to praise the WWE product, even throughout its low points that have occurred over the past few years. Many of their divisions have been dismal with no chance of making any kind of comeback. However, the WWE seems to be shining a glimmer of light on those divisions now. The Divas division has gotten their own storylines, the tag division is spiced up, the midcard is strong, and the main events are being changed up a bit. But, after the death of ECW, I was convinced that the WWE developmental program was going in the shitter... until last night.
HOLY SHIT was I impressed with the show. It was handed to us in its simplest form. The format wasn't complicated... it was a hybrid of reality and scripted wrestling. The newer stars were given a blank slate for their gimmicks and were "thrown to the wolves" in front of the crowd to get their characters over. Most of the rookies were given ample microphone time, a brief history of their personality out of their own mouthes, and the focus of the entire show was around them. Not ONE SINGLE veteran got in the way of a rookie's spotlight (except for the Miz a bit, but it blended perfectly with the storyline) and I got a perfect snapshot of each rookie with a little bit to remember about each other after the show came to a close.
The adjusted camera angles were the FIRST thing I noticed about the show. The different camera views almost stepped inside of the ring with the rookies and made you care about the succession of their matches more. It also gave the show more of a reality feel.
The "sink or swim" mentality of every promo was hilarious, in my opinion. Call me crazy, but it really seemed like the veterans were shoot-promo'ing their rookies and adlibbing a lot of the dialogue. A lot of the promos didn't seem scripted to me. The starting direction of the promo, maybe... but not the meat of the promo. When Chris Jericho interrupted Wade Barrett and busted his balls for not introducing him correctly, it didn't seemed planned to me. It seemed that Jericho was legitimately correcting him in front of a live crowd while staying in character. It was brilliant to me. And if it was ALL scripted, then shame on me, but I find that to be even MORE brilliant.
The new mentor/mentee announce team of Michael Cole's heel to Josh Matthews' babyface is absolutely BRILLIANT. Finally, we're seeing another side of Michael Cole... one that sems to fit him better. Not only does he seem more comfortable as a heel, but he's really good at it! And the entire show has him busting the balls of Matthews and the IWC. Considering that NXT is somewhat of a smarky show, I think this adds a great element that we can all enjoy.
Obviously, Bryan was the focal point of the show, as many have mentioned earlier. I won't get into it much, since most of you covered everything about his segments already, but I will say that his plancha bump into the table was sick. Once again, that spot didn't look very planned to me. The same goes for the Miz's attack on him at the end of the show. Seeing how stiff the Miz and Jericho were on Bryan almost makes me feel as if they are given direction with the storylines and characters but most of this show is open-ended and the only direction given is on the fly by the veterans.
I know people are going to jump on me and say things like, "DUH... it's all scripted. You're stupid. Don't you know wrestling is fake??" And if it IS all scripted, then so be it. Either way, fully scripted or not, they almost had me believing that this show is only going in the direction that the veterans decide to take it in, all while advising their rookies on how to become a star after they've been thrown to the wolves on television. Pro-wrestling seems to have finally pulled the curtain back a bit and dive into the realm of reality TV again.
I can't wait until next week. I haven't been this excited about a broadcast since ECW was reborn.
HOLY SHIT was I impressed with the show. It was handed to us in its simplest form. The format wasn't complicated... it was a hybrid of reality and scripted wrestling. The newer stars were given a blank slate for their gimmicks and were "thrown to the wolves" in front of the crowd to get their characters over. Most of the rookies were given ample microphone time, a brief history of their personality out of their own mouthes, and the focus of the entire show was around them. Not ONE SINGLE veteran got in the way of a rookie's spotlight (except for the Miz a bit, but it blended perfectly with the storyline) and I got a perfect snapshot of each rookie with a little bit to remember about each other after the show came to a close.
The adjusted camera angles were the FIRST thing I noticed about the show. The different camera views almost stepped inside of the ring with the rookies and made you care about the succession of their matches more. It also gave the show more of a reality feel.
The "sink or swim" mentality of every promo was hilarious, in my opinion. Call me crazy, but it really seemed like the veterans were shoot-promo'ing their rookies and adlibbing a lot of the dialogue. A lot of the promos didn't seem scripted to me. The starting direction of the promo, maybe... but not the meat of the promo. When Chris Jericho interrupted Wade Barrett and busted his balls for not introducing him correctly, it didn't seemed planned to me. It seemed that Jericho was legitimately correcting him in front of a live crowd while staying in character. It was brilliant to me. And if it was ALL scripted, then shame on me, but I find that to be even MORE brilliant.
The new mentor/mentee announce team of Michael Cole's heel to Josh Matthews' babyface is absolutely BRILLIANT. Finally, we're seeing another side of Michael Cole... one that sems to fit him better. Not only does he seem more comfortable as a heel, but he's really good at it! And the entire show has him busting the balls of Matthews and the IWC. Considering that NXT is somewhat of a smarky show, I think this adds a great element that we can all enjoy.
Obviously, Bryan was the focal point of the show, as many have mentioned earlier. I won't get into it much, since most of you covered everything about his segments already, but I will say that his plancha bump into the table was sick. Once again, that spot didn't look very planned to me. The same goes for the Miz's attack on him at the end of the show. Seeing how stiff the Miz and Jericho were on Bryan almost makes me feel as if they are given direction with the storylines and characters but most of this show is open-ended and the only direction given is on the fly by the veterans.
I know people are going to jump on me and say things like, "DUH... it's all scripted. You're stupid. Don't you know wrestling is fake??" And if it IS all scripted, then so be it. Either way, fully scripted or not, they almost had me believing that this show is only going in the direction that the veterans decide to take it in, all while advising their rookies on how to become a star after they've been thrown to the wolves on television. Pro-wrestling seems to have finally pulled the curtain back a bit and dive into the realm of reality TV again.
I can't wait until next week. I haven't been this excited about a broadcast since ECW was reborn.
I didn’t want to watch it, but my wife made a nice dinner and said, “Let’s just watch it. We’re up and nothing is on.”
Boy am I glad that I did watch it. I will go as far as saying it was better than any RAW or Smackdown! Episode I have seen in the past 2-3 years. I actually ENJOYED myself watching it, and wanted to see more and more and more of each person and each segment.
The key things that I want to point out:
1) Its not so over the top WWE Universe kayfabe. They acknowledged that these are real people and have personality. They acknowledged that these people have lives outside of wrestling and have done other things. They let them talk without coming off as cookie cutter cornballs, like we’ve seen so many times in the past. I already like all of the people they’ve shown more than Zack Ryder, Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Cryme Tyme, Evan Bourne, Yoshi Tatsu, Ezekiel Jackson, Baretta & Croft, Vance Archer, Tyler Reks and so many others in the stale WWE midcard.
2) The camera angles are awesome. They give the in-ring action and promos a different feel. More realistic, and it gives you a sense that you are seeing people actually grow.
3) The commentary came off as very natural, and didn’t get in the way like it does on other shows. Michael Cole played a heel last night? I don’t think so…at least not yet. He said some sarcastic remarks, but he was supposed to. Yeah he dissed the internet, but who doesn’t? Let’s not call him “Heel Michael Cole” after 1 episode. Oh yeah, thank god Byron Saxton wasn’t on the mic…that guy is a joke.
4) Stop with the goddam 4-5 minute RAW rebounds. It takes away from the program. RAW just came on yesterday. The WWE needs to realize that people who watch NXT are the same fucking people who watch RAW. If you want to recap, just do it in 30 seconds and give it a quick 15 second synopsis. There’s no enough time in the show. That video recap could’ve been set up for a rookie to cut a promo or something.
I was genuinely entertained by this show. I commend the WWE because I really didn’t expect much, and I have not enjoyed WWE programming as of late. This was a breath of fresh air for wrestling television. Please keep it like this and don’t kayfabe it up like the rest of the shows
Boy am I glad that I did watch it. I will go as far as saying it was better than any RAW or Smackdown! Episode I have seen in the past 2-3 years. I actually ENJOYED myself watching it, and wanted to see more and more and more of each person and each segment.
The key things that I want to point out:
1) Its not so over the top WWE Universe kayfabe. They acknowledged that these are real people and have personality. They acknowledged that these people have lives outside of wrestling and have done other things. They let them talk without coming off as cookie cutter cornballs, like we’ve seen so many times in the past. I already like all of the people they’ve shown more than Zack Ryder, Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Cryme Tyme, Evan Bourne, Yoshi Tatsu, Ezekiel Jackson, Baretta & Croft, Vance Archer, Tyler Reks and so many others in the stale WWE midcard.
2) The camera angles are awesome. They give the in-ring action and promos a different feel. More realistic, and it gives you a sense that you are seeing people actually grow.
3) The commentary came off as very natural, and didn’t get in the way like it does on other shows. Michael Cole played a heel last night? I don’t think so…at least not yet. He said some sarcastic remarks, but he was supposed to. Yeah he dissed the internet, but who doesn’t? Let’s not call him “Heel Michael Cole” after 1 episode. Oh yeah, thank god Byron Saxton wasn’t on the mic…that guy is a joke.
4) Stop with the goddam 4-5 minute RAW rebounds. It takes away from the program. RAW just came on yesterday. The WWE needs to realize that people who watch NXT are the same fucking people who watch RAW. If you want to recap, just do it in 30 seconds and give it a quick 15 second synopsis. There’s no enough time in the show. That video recap could’ve been set up for a rookie to cut a promo or something.
I was genuinely entertained by this show. I commend the WWE because I really didn’t expect much, and I have not enjoyed WWE programming as of late. This was a breath of fresh air for wrestling television. Please keep it like this and don’t kayfabe it up like the rest of the shows
That'sVintageMichaelCole
Dark Match Jobber
Really enjoyed the show, especially with some of the little things that I thought made it great. Like the little look CM Punk gave after his rookie lost, or how Bryan said he would have preferred William Regal, lol. Thought Josh Matthews annoying Cole was great: "Read a book or something. Seriously, just try it."
Glad the show seems to be building around Daniel Bryan (I'm going to refer to him as this instead of Bryan Danielson, as he's in WWE now). Seems like a good plan to do so, meaning they can maybe quietly build up the actual rookies. His match with Jericho was pretty good, with the announce table bump being pretty sick. If you go on wwe.com, there are photos of the welts, pretty impressive. Hope he can pull out a few more bits of his arsenal in future matches, such as the Danielson special (What should that be renamed as?)
On a separate note, it was great to see the Liontamer back, so much better than the plain old Boston Crab. Wonder why he brought it back here?
What do people think of Matt Striker's role? I'm not sure I like it, didn't really like his exchange with Bryan.
Glad the show seems to be building around Daniel Bryan (I'm going to refer to him as this instead of Bryan Danielson, as he's in WWE now). Seems like a good plan to do so, meaning they can maybe quietly build up the actual rookies. His match with Jericho was pretty good, with the announce table bump being pretty sick. If you go on wwe.com, there are photos of the welts, pretty impressive. Hope he can pull out a few more bits of his arsenal in future matches, such as the Danielson special (What should that be renamed as?)
On a separate note, it was great to see the Liontamer back, so much better than the plain old Boston Crab. Wonder why he brought it back here?
What do people think of Matt Striker's role? I'm not sure I like it, didn't really like his exchange with Bryan.
Dread Lock
New Member
It's an amazing thing when the WWE does something right because everyone loses their minds and goes into a tizzy. With that said, NXT was totally amazing last night. Everything felt fresh and pure. Maybe it was the camera angles I don't know. I didn't know what to expect when I first saw the concept of NXT but everything I was scared of was destroyed after the first 5 minutes. I also loved how it was a huge fuck you to the IWC. I'm a fan.
C.M.Savior
Dark Match Winner
I also didn't really like Strikers role last nigt. He seemed alright at times, like at the beginning, but his interview with bryan seemed really scripted and fake last night. I thought it was the only part of the show that didnt seem real at all last night. It seemed like he was trying to hard in his interview and way overplayed his part. Hopefully he will improve on this and it does not become a constant thing as it will get really annoying.
Dread Lock
New Member
I actually liked Stryker's role. I like how even though he was 'Matt Stryker,' he was also the wrestler who strongly feels as though these guys don't really deserve to be here.
The show was amazing, I can't wait for what will happend next week.Everything was good in the show from the Promos to the matches, I also really liked the camera angles.
Im also happy to see Matt striker as the host of NXT, He does a great job, I also liked the Heel turn of Cole.Basically for me this show was a hit.
Im also happy to see Matt striker as the host of NXT, He does a great job, I also liked the Heel turn of Cole.Basically for me this show was a hit.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
While I very much enjoyed the show, I don't want to get completely caught up in the freshness of the show. In some ways, the WWE really hasn't revealed a lot about the show and I'm hoping they do that in the coming weeks.
For example, how do they determine who ultimately is going to wind up the winner? Will they start using some type of weekly point system based on what the NXT Rookies do each week? Maybe 10 points for participating in a match you win, 5 points for a decent promo and so on and so forth.
But, I honestly didn't expect everything about the show to be explained in one episode or anything like that. I'm just saying that there are still a few things that the WWE needs to make a little clearer as the show progresses.
The ratings for the first episode are in and I'd say the WWE is pretty pleased overall. The show drew a 1.3-1.4 Nielsen Rating, some sites have a 1.3 listed and some have a 1.4 listed so I'm not overly sure which is correct just now. However, either way, that's an increase of at least 30% above what ECW was averaging the last 6 months or so of its existence, and drew an audience of just over 1.7 million viewers. Considering that the show revolves primarily around 8 young indy wrestlers that the majority of pro wrestling fans haven't heard of, this has to be considered a very good number. Let's just hope the audience stays with the show.
For example, how do they determine who ultimately is going to wind up the winner? Will they start using some type of weekly point system based on what the NXT Rookies do each week? Maybe 10 points for participating in a match you win, 5 points for a decent promo and so on and so forth.
But, I honestly didn't expect everything about the show to be explained in one episode or anything like that. I'm just saying that there are still a few things that the WWE needs to make a little clearer as the show progresses.
The ratings for the first episode are in and I'd say the WWE is pretty pleased overall. The show drew a 1.3-1.4 Nielsen Rating, some sites have a 1.3 listed and some have a 1.4 listed so I'm not overly sure which is correct just now. However, either way, that's an increase of at least 30% above what ECW was averaging the last 6 months or so of its existence, and drew an audience of just over 1.7 million viewers. Considering that the show revolves primarily around 8 young indy wrestlers that the majority of pro wrestling fans haven't heard of, this has to be considered a very good number. Let's just hope the audience stays with the show.
Mighty NorCal
SHALL WE BEGIN?
As with everyone else, I felt the show was magnificent, and preformed its job damn well. Of course the vast majority of the guys were heatless greenhorns, but they are supposed to be. Tis why the pros are there with them. Love the burgeoning relationships or lacktherof between a lot of the mentors/mentees, and thought Bryan and Jericho put on a fun match, although it was laughably short.
This will be a VERY intriguing show on a week to week basis, and the premise is amazingly badass, and well pulled off. Put this on before SD! every week (im sure thats when they tape it) and you have success on your hands.
My only issue with it is trying to get ALL of these new guys introduced and over at once, but whatever. I think this is just trying to get their faces on TV, and they will develop later when they go to one of the big shows.
Good, fun show. Could have used a longer ME.
B
This will be a VERY intriguing show on a week to week basis, and the premise is amazingly badass, and well pulled off. Put this on before SD! every week (im sure thats when they tape it) and you have success on your hands.
My only issue with it is trying to get ALL of these new guys introduced and over at once, but whatever. I think this is just trying to get their faces on TV, and they will develop later when they go to one of the big shows.
Good, fun show. Could have used a longer ME.
B
Lancer
Most Surreptitious Poster
I have just caught clips of the show in YouTube and from the WWE website, and to be honest, it's pretty intriguing. It seems more down-to-earth and not as flashy as the two main shows, which might be the route they're trying to take.
I think the WWE has finally realized the error of their ways in pushing brand new superstars: the fans have to actually care about them. By pairing them up with a recognizable superstar, and giving them plenty of ring and face time, the fans have more opportunities to warm up to them.
I see two drawbacks to this show though...
One: it's already easy to tell who the breakout star will be...Daniel Bryan. That was made apparent in all the attention he was given throughout the show. There's nothing wrong with that, but they could have been more subtle, maybe.
Two: Whether or not these new guys will become big stars on the main roster, they will have the stigma of being remembered as the proteges of The Miz, Carlito, etc. I can imagine Cole questioning one's identity, and Jerry Lawler responds with "Remember him? He was CM Punk's guy!" Jericho has already called Darren Young such in a recent tweet.
I think the WWE has finally realized the error of their ways in pushing brand new superstars: the fans have to actually care about them. By pairing them up with a recognizable superstar, and giving them plenty of ring and face time, the fans have more opportunities to warm up to them.
I see two drawbacks to this show though...
One: it's already easy to tell who the breakout star will be...Daniel Bryan. That was made apparent in all the attention he was given throughout the show. There's nothing wrong with that, but they could have been more subtle, maybe.
Two: Whether or not these new guys will become big stars on the main roster, they will have the stigma of being remembered as the proteges of The Miz, Carlito, etc. I can imagine Cole questioning one's identity, and Jerry Lawler responds with "Remember him? He was CM Punk's guy!" Jericho has already called Darren Young such in a recent tweet.
