[OFFICIAL] NXT Aftermath, Review, and Ratings Thread

[Deexter Jorgan]

I liked this weeks show,It added more flavour and braught the rookies something to work for.

As for the pros tag it was a great way to get wade barret over as a credible contender to the top spot.

As for Brian he needs to gain more momentum, now wade Barret has a win over Christian Brian needs a win over one of the pros also and be able to win some more of his matches, I understand of the idea of the Miz screwing with him but i have a feeling at the moment that they are pulling the two apart by seperating them which is not a good idea.

All in all a good show and cant wait to see next week.

As for Otunga and Brian they did a great job promoting the two top competitors and braught something more interesting to the table.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Decent episode this week, althougn sort of a silly way to do things if you are trying to develop ring skills and characters. A battle royal doesnt really do that. Also, this was the fastest battle royal in the history of battle royals. I literally went to brush my teeth, came back, and it was Otunga and Gabriel left in the ring. Loved how Barret looked good this week though, and good job focusing on Barrett, Gabriel, Bryan, and Otunga. Bryan did well in his mic work this week, and the crowd is REALLY starting to get behind him.

Decent for a wreslting show, dumb for what NXT is supposed to be about

B -

 

[Remix]

^^What the hell are you trying to say?

and for my NXT review: The rankings on the whole were good, and with the exception of Bryan in roughly the positions I'd put them. The matches were likewise good. The eight man tag was a fun match, and put Wade Barrett over VERY well. He's the first rookie to pin a pro who wouldn't job to a stiff wind and he didn't look out of place standing on the apron with CM Punk and Matt Hardy. William Regal getting on his knees and saying 'Save me', shaking Barrett's hand then tagging out was likewise awesome. I love William Regal. The Battle royale was... fast to say the least. The NXT rookies acted like a pack of animals when they teamed up to eliminate their biggest threat (Barrett), which is something that makes sence for them to do, as well as putting over Barrett some more. Otunga winning wasn't a surprise as he's the only one with 'A-List credentials' and his crack about wanting 427 green M&Ms in his dressing room amused me.

Remix's Rookie Rankings for the week

1. Wade Barrett - for getting the pin in the eight man tag, and needing the entire fucking roster to team up and eliminate him
2. David Otunga - for winning the Battle Royale
3. Daniel Bryan - for his awesome elimination of Michael Tarver and needing a suicide elimination
4. Justin Gabriel - for coming second in the Battle Royale and delivering his picture perfect 450 splash. Next week demonstrate that you can do anything other than a pretty flip though.
5. Heath Slater - for eliminating the number rookie (albeit suicidally). Next week, discover that you have a finisher and use it rather than a rollup.
6. Skip Sheffield, Michael Tarver and Darren Young - did they do anything in that Battle Royale other than eliminate Barrett? Next week, do something boys. Tarver's shirt was badass though.

 

[Mr. TM]

It was an alright episode of NXT, nothing great. Again, there was only two matches, and only one had more than one NXT rookie.

This episode gave us the ratings and I disagreed with them, but whats a keyfabe to do. Now we got to see visually that pole change, as Barrett got to go in a match with all the pros. He also got to pin in that match.

The battle royal did little but give Otunga a boost. He got the win, but there was little rivalry in it. I had hoped for a team up against Bryan, Sheffield, and Barrett, before focusing on the smaller men. The same result could have happened, but Slater and Gabriel could have gotten more in ring time.

 

[The Doctor]

Another great show this week. I was immensely entertained by the mic work of everyone, and Daniel Bryan's shot at Cole was great. The test of strength also gave the show some variety and it was also very fun to watch.

Lots of matches tonight, and all were very good. I especially like the Barett/Otunga match. They're both impressing me more every week. Otunga may not be great in the ring, but he's better than Khali and is great on the mic.

Shame to see Skippy turning heel. I was enjoying seeing a goofy big face. Oh well.

The main event wasn't half bad, and was fun to watch. Slater definitely showed some fight, which I like. Crowd was going wild for it, too. Awesome at building Slater up.

It seems that Tarver is going to be the first to get voted off, which is a damn shame. He was good on the mic tonight and I like the guy.

This show gets a solid B+/A- from me.

 

[thrilla11]

I did not like today's show at all.

NXT challenge- Keg Race: Heath Slater wins with the shortest time. Having the rookies carry a keg around the ring in a race was childish. I feel like the challenges should have something to do with wrestling such as last week with the over the top rope match challenge. Now i know that someone will say "well, the keg thing showed the rookies strength". If you want to show the rookies strength, have them compete in a bench press competition.

Daniel Bryan vs Darren Young: Darren Young won with a small package. Now why would you have the number one rookie in the poll lose this way to the number 8 rookie no less? So it shows that everyone in the show has credibility? I'm sure that everyone here agrees that Darren Young has no place pinning Daniel Bryan. If you want Darren Young to beat Daniel Bryan, have Young destroy him with his finisher and at least leave Bryan with some dignity after the match.

Wade Barret vs David Otunga: Match of the night with Wade beating Otunga with his special. It was an impressive showing by both competitors and solidifies Wade's place in this competition. The whole time I was watching to see if David would botch a move again. LOL. Solid match by both though.

Kane vs. Heath Slater: Kane wins with the chokeslam. This was a squash but I think that Heath did well. He was never going to win but he didn't botch a move either so good job playing the jobber who leaves with his respect intact by Heath.

Grade?: F+

 

[LitasRevenge79]

To me this seems kinda like a glorified Diva Search show all over again. The Keg race, reminiscent of the little olympics and such the wannabe divas would have to compete in. I wouldn't be too suprised if more than one NXT person makes it to the roster. Just like the old Diva Search contests. Granted we all know Daniel Bryan will automatically make it since he's the 'sweetheart of the 'net' But if you look at the mass appeal, it seems like Justin Gabriel is the one that is the total package. Maybe this is just me, but my husband noticed that everyone's stats seemed off last night, and Sheffield's clock kept going after he crossed the finish line, was I the only one who noticed that??

 

[Ferbian]

I actually found this weeks episode to be somewhat decent, it wasn't the greatest thing they've put out there, and I must admit I kinda liked the keg race for an entertainment segment rather than some of the things they can throw out there like Hornswoggle doing some odd thing..

On the other hand, some of the stuff that annoyed me about NXT, and the WWE crowd, is looking at the "WWE Universe votes" they bumped Wade Barrett (in my opinion, one of the most promising of the 8) down to a damn 5th place, which I completely disagree with, I still think he should be either number 1 or two, hell I would like to see him win this.

On the other hand, the match between Darren Young and Daniel Bryan, what in the world was that? a few holds, a dropkick, 100 pin attempts, two slaps and the 101st pin attempt to end the match, it had more potential than that.. I think it was just a way of burying Daniel even more match wise as opposed to actually giving the guy a win.

If I had to give it a grade (I'm not very good with American grades, but I believe C is average.. right?) then it would have to be C

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I enjoyed NXT overall. The Keg Challenge was personally fun for me because it brought back some fond memories. Back in my late teens and early 20s, I worked out with local wrestlers on a regular basis. Sometimes I'd participate in their in-ring work outs and what not. Anyhow, part of their training at times would be little challenges to see who could do the most jumping jacks or most push ups or, even, who could lift and run with a beer keg a certain distance the fastest. I can, however, understand if someone were to feel it was a bit of a waste of time.

Overall, however, just an overall enjoyable show in my view. There were some good matches on the show and I do sort of like how the show keeps you guessing. For instance, David Otunga had a good week last week and definitely had momentum going into NXT after hosting Raw this Monday. However, he lost in his match to Barrett. Nobody is booked on NXT to sustain momentum for more than 1 or 2 weeks at a time before a roadblock pops up in front of them.

I was impressed with Daniel Bryan in the ring. However, I think that the WWE does need to start doing something with the guy. He's lost every match and it does seem that they're very high on him and there's a little fun aspect to the show of "Is this the week Bryan's streak ends" going on. It wouldn't surprise me if Bryan is kept winless at least until the next Pros Poll where, I'm almost certain, that the rankings will change and will change dramatically.

 

[Thriller Ant]

Being in the arena, I really enjoyed NXT last night. The keg challenge and interview segment before it were entertaining. It gave the rookies a chance to make an impression outside of the ring and the pre-taped interviews. I saw that someone said earlier that the clock ran a bit after Sheffield crossed the finish line, but it did that for everyone. I'm glad to see them doing something with Tarver as he was the only of the rookies I feel like I hadn't connected with in any way.

Now for the matches:

Bryan vs. Young: Decent match. I marked out hardcore when Bryan busted out Cattle Mutilation. But when it comes down to it, Bryan, and all the rookies for that matter, need time to show what they can do. Bryan Danielson is not going to be able to show why he is so great in 3 minute matches where he loses all the time. Give him some time to show what he can do.

Otunga vs. Barrett: I was worried about this match, being power vs. power, but these two put on a good match. Barrett is clearly the better wrestler, so they let him do more while Otunga stuck to more basic offense and it worked. Very good showing by these two.

Tarver vs. Gabriel: Another good match. I still don't get Tarver. They put him over as a MMA type guy, but none of that shows in his moveset. I'm not saying that he needs to bust out elbows or a rear naked choke, but if you're billed as a MMA-type fighter, show us that. Gabriel did well, but he needs to show us something to make sure he doesn't end up like Evan Bourne: over because of 1 big move.

Slater vs. Kane: Squash match, but it worked. Selling is a big part of pro wrestling, and Slater showed that he can do it. I give him props for this match.

 

[Remix]

This week's episode wasn't great. If I'm honest, I'd rather they spent the time on the Keg race on something a little more productive, Hell himing how long the rookies could hold the barrell above their heads (or something along those lines) would have been shorter and shown off the strength of the rookies just as well, and could easily be rigged to produce the desired result (either give cues to drop the barrell, or give Slater the lightest barrell). But no use crying over spilled milk.

Young vs Bryan was bad. It's not so much that there was anything wrong with the match per se, but it just seemed to be missing something. It didnt seem to flow well. Bryan locked in the cattle mutilation. He should get a better finisher, that looks painful without selling (which young didn't do), a modification on the Danielson special would work for that. THe finish was to be expected, with Bryan continuing his losing streak. I'd have prefered young to usr his shitty finisher rather than a shitty wannabe jacknife pin, but beggers can't be choosers.

Tarver vs Gabriel was decent. Tarver's prematch promo was good, Gabe's wasn't. Gabriel is great when he's on the offence and his aerial attacks are performed well and look beautiful. This was basically a squash, but it was a fun one. Tarver's a good performer, but he isnt going far this season.

Barrett vs Otunga was shockingly good, and the prematch promos from both were excelent. Otunga has potential, based off his mic skills alone. Probably because the former carried Otunga's ass very well. Barrett is probably number 3 on my list of 'best rookies in the ring' after Bryan (obviously) and Gabriel, and it showed. Otunga looked shockingly good because of it. Barrett sold his simple offence like a pro, and the neckbreaker like it had been delivered by Jesus himself. It also looked to me like he wass telling Otunga what to do during that brief period in the begining when he wasn't the dominant player. I'm also fond of his new method of working over the back of his opponent (pushing them into the ropes and elbowing them). The better man got the pin in the best match Otunga's likely to have until he's less green than the Jolly Green Giant's lawn.

Slater vs Kane was pretty good. Slater used his speed to get the edge on Kane in the early match and his high risk moves paid off. Once Kane took control, that was where it stayed. The Big Red Monster manhandled Slater and, although Slater tried hard, he was never winning once Kane started landing hits. The rookie sold well, and lost nothing from his loss, as he kicked out of several power moves and big hits. The kid looked tough, and that was all the was going to leave with. Slater jumped high and took the chokeslam very well.

The Remix Rookie Ranking for the week:

1) Wade Barrett carried Otunga to what was probably the match of the night, and definately the best match Otunga's had so far. Carrying David Ogreener to a good match with an excelent performance means Wade more than earns his spot at number one.

2) Justin Gabriel won a squash against Tarver, and was surprisingly fast with the barrell. He's a good tallent and will make a good midcarder some day. He's a South African Shelton Benjamin with a more exciting moveset. This means that he'll be perrenially employed, occasionally pushed, and never a big thing.

3) Darren Young is the last of the three winners. He won his match (placing him higher than Slater by default), and somehow had a bad match with iDarling Bryan. Young won't last long. Even Punk cant save him from being fired eventually.

4) Heath Slater, Sure he got squashed, but he lost nothing and probably gained a lot from the loss. He took Kane's big guns before being pinned, and kicked out of plenty of pins, and got a couple of nearfalls over the monster. That's the best you can hope for at this stage of your career when they're trying to make Kane seem like a threat again.

5) Daniel Bryan his match was lame and he lost, but he wasn't squashed; and it was Young's fault the match blew. and at least he was in a match, even if he was on the losing end.

6) David Otunga got carried to his best match this week. Although, when you're as bad as Otunga, that's not as impressive as it sounds. He wasnt squashed, placing him well ahead of Tarver and Skip, and he has potential. If not initially as a wrestler, but definately as a manager. Pity I cant think of anyone he could manage (unless we see a reunion of MNM in the near future)

7) Michael Tarver was squashed and dropped the barrell. There's no hope for this guy unless he goes insane next week and actually knocks some people out. He does have some badass shirts though.

8) Skip Sheffield did nothing but come second in the Keg run. He might be turning heel. Who cares? He has yet to prove he's got anything more than a pickup truck full of steroids and a tiny cowboy hat.

 

[The Doctor]

Wow.

Even me, as a Tuesday-show mark and generally positive guy, has to admit that that opening segment was bad. Hell, the whole show was bad, but the opener was BAD. I mean, it was funny and I was entertained, but it was just awful. I get that they wanted to make Barrett look good in his home country, but they didn't need to make the rest of the rookies look like shit at the same time.

They should have either written better material (Unless the rookies were winging it) or given them better material. I was amused by Daniel Bryan's performance, because maybe it was just me but it seemed like he was being really sarcastic at the end and taking the piss out of promos that use cheap pops. Could be my marktaciousness talking though.

Darren Young was funny. Good heel tactics in his promo.

The matches were (mostly) good, though, and Miz's promo ranting at Bryan was excellent and almost made up for the opener. It was some good building, and eventually Bryan is going to smash Miz in the face and the crowd will hopefully explode. Miz attacking Bryan after the very-disappointing match also advanced the story well, but as a fan I would have preferred a long Bryan/Regal match.

On top of that, Darren Young didn't get his head shaved, and the crowd totally sucked.

It was really a disappointing show, which is too bad because it's been pretty good until now.

I'll have to give it a C-.

 

[Remix]

And once again, this episode wasn't very good, to say the least. In my opinion, it was better than last week, because wasting time of shit promos > wasting time carrying barrells. And match quality was probably a little better.

The opening segment was, while silly at times provided some laughs. Bryan was CLEARLY not taking it seriously (which is a good thing. He's supposed to be thinking he's better than every one and doesn't need to suck that kind of dick), and Barrett is redonkulously good on the mic. He buried the other rookies. It wasn't just the materia either. Bryan wasn't taking it seriously; Gabe choked and let the crowd get to him; Slater was boring and to a lesser degree let the crowd get to him; Otunga was ok and the crowd didn't get to him but his speech put me to sleep; Skippy basically played to the crowd and cut an FCW level promo, which he's clearly comfortable with; Tarver got SLAUGHTERED by the crowd, and when he did speak, it wasn't great; Young was second best on the stick, but he took it marginally less seriously than Bryan. Which was an impressive feat. His promo consisted fo three insults/jokes. When that's the second best promo, something's wrong. The rediculousness kicked up a rep with pep in its step (yep, yep, yep) when the talk off started. Skip, when out of his comfort zone was bad. Barrett was his usual self on the mic and destroyed Skip. Better topics wouldn't have changed the results of the segment. Might have made for less silly promos though.

The first match was Barrett Vs Christian. Crowd was DEAD for christian. This was done by WWE for some reason. The match itself was good. Barrett is so very, very solid in the ring. He's not the best wrestler in the world but every move he does in the ring is polished to a healthy sheen, from selling to psychology it's all there. He's also got some impressive backbreakers which fit nicely into his enduring strategy of working over the back of his opponent. Jericho said it best when he said of Barrett in the ring 'everything he does makes sence'. Once again in a match with a Pro, Barrett looked like he belonged there. Unlike Slater a week ago, Barrett was able to take control of the match for periods and get his offence sold and even when Christian was in command was never dominated. The finish was as good as it could be, as the pro got the revenge pin on the rookie who pinned him a fortnight ago in an unclean manner. Slater's Jerichoesque move got Christian the pin was a good idea, and meant sure that niether party lost anytihng from their match. This ending made Barrett look as strong as a loss could make him =. The fact that Christian needed help to beat a rookie was telling.

Match two was probably the best short match that's ever been seen. Is somehow managed to be all of two minutes long but not be a squash. oh how I wish this had been longer. Regal is as stiff as a pornstar on viagra though. And whatever you do, dont let him knee you in the head.

Match three was a storyline centric match between Young and Luke Gallows. THis was a squash, with Luke in controll for the entire match. However by reversing a fall away slam into a rollup young got the won. I dont like Rey Mysterios improbably counters, and he's better at them than YOung is. Bad match with a bad finish. I'd have done this on Smackdown and given the Regal and Bryan more time to wrestle.

The Weekly Remix Rookie Ranking

1. 
   Wade Barrett, sure he lost his match, but Christian is A more credible than Regal and Gallows B Wade looked stronger than the other rookie wrasslers and C it wasn't clean
2. Daniel Bryan, Best. Minute. Match. Ever. And, tis better to lose a good short match than win a shitty reverse squash
3. Darren Young He wrestled. THerefore I'm obligated to put him above the rookies that didn't
4. Slater, Ok promo, important in the finish of Barrett Vs Christian. Maybe next week we'll see Barrett looking for vengence.
5. David Otunga, was probably number 2 on the mic. Not that he's anywhere near as good as Barrett.
6. Skip Sheffield, in his comfort zone he was fine. In the talk off, he wasn't. Let him slowly advance from his FCW style to serious and he'll be fine.
7. Michael Tarver, WHO ARE YA! that sums up what he did this week.
8. Justin Gabriel, he choked. Big time.

 

[D-Man]

I hate to say it, but I REALLY enjoyed the opening segment of NXT last night. Yes, I said I ENJOYED it. And I finally got some of my questions about NXT answered on last night's broadcast.

First of all, I've never been a fan of the WWE using cheesy Tough Enough/Dive Search contests during their live programming. Most of the time, it's a shitty obstacle course or some kind of contest that is completely unfair to some of its competitors. Either one competitor is too short for the contest or another one isn't strong enough to do the task given to them. But most of all, it does NOTHING to challenge the REAL skills these competitors will need to become an on-screen talent in the WWE. How the hell does carrying a keg around the ring make for a better WWE superstar??

Last night, the WWE decided to test out the rookies' promo skills. Now THIS is something that I'd like to see, considering that promos are some of the most important qualities for a WWE superstar to possess. And I'm sure they were given a little bit of direction in regards to the contest, beforehand. But it definitely seemed as if these men were put on the spot with the "subjects" they were given to talk about. Most of them stumbled, as many of us would. But it really gave Wade Barrett the chance to excel in a category that we already discovered that he was good at... promos. He really blew me away with what he did with the word "change".

Also, when watching the ET segment about David Otunga, I heard Maria Menoudos(sp?) refer to NXT as a "wrestling reality show". This further proves my assumption that many of the NXT segments involving Matt Striker are NOT scripted. Therefore, while many of you feel that the "promo contest" on last night's show was planned, I feel that the wrestlers stumbled on their own... except for Wade Barrett.

Skip Sheffield has obviously been influenced by Stone Cold Steve Austin. The guy was basically a juiced up version of Austin on last night's broadcast. The vest, the shaved head - he could easily be a Stone Cold clone... minus the star power.

Danielson just seems to grin whenever his back is against the wall in the "reality" portion of this contest. His match was OK, but he's really not earning the praise that the IWC seems to endlessly give him.

Heath Slater was just as bland and boring as I expected him to me. I just don't see anything special in him except his ability to sell in the ring. His red hair, head-shaking, and man-boobs really aren't doing anything for me.

Otunga was on-point with his promo. He just need to work on his timing on the microphone. The stuff he was saying was good. He just didn't connect with the audience.

The rest of the roster was so forgettable that I really have nothing else to say about them.

So, all in all, I give last night's show a 7/10, with big points coming from the opening segment.

 

[Ferbian]

I found last nights episode to be quite honestly, BS, the opening segment weren't as good as it could've been, and I think what ruined it the most were the awful subjects that were put on display for them to talk about, I would've much rather seen them debate their potential or something, or cut a legitimate promo. it showed that a lot of these rookies aren't very good on the microphone, and that's not really something you should be doing towards the talent of tomorrow.

Certainly you could argue it proved fit for the equalizer of last weeks "challenge" but the subjects were absolutely ridiculous, and the only two I found able to put on a decent promo were Otunga and Barrett.

The matches weren't very well placed neither, seeing as "the winner" didn't even get a main event this time, (although I am looking forward to seeing Wade Barrett's entrance music) and I don't think Regal and Daniel Bryan should have had such a short match, knowing the matches they can put on together.

I'd give this episode a C

 

[Remix]

Last night, the WWE decided to test out the rookies' promo skills. Now THIS is something that I'd like to see, considering that promos are some of the most important qualities for a WWE superstar to possess. And I'm sure they were given a little bit of direction in regards to the contest, beforehand. But it definitely seemed as if these men were put on the spot with the "subjects" they were given to talk about. Most of them stumbled, as many of us would. But it really gave Wade Barrett the chance to excel in a category that we already discovered that he was good at... promos. He really blew me away with what he did with the word "change".

Agreed, great idea to test their promo skills. It's a pity they made the segment 'fun' by picking words like bubblegum and rainbow (poor Skip)

Also, when watching the ET segment about David Otunga, I heard Maria Menoudos(sp?) refer to NXT as a "wrestling reality show". This further proves my assumption that many of the NXT segments involving Matt Striker are NOT scripted. Therefore, while many of you feel that the "promo contest" on last night's show was planned, I feel that the wrestlers stumbled on their own... except for Wade Barrett.

I've long subscribed to this theory. And Matt Striker laughing as he told Skip to talk about 'rainbows' adds feul to the fire. I honestly think that the rookies knew thay were having a promo contest (and the planned result) but not the actual subjects. Otherwise Matt Would have got his laughing out of the way backstage.

Danielson just seems to grin whenever his back is against the wall in the "reality" portion of this contest. His match was OK, but he's really not earning the praise that the IWC seems to endlessly give him.

I really dont think he was taking it seriously at all. Hence the laughing, smiling, and talking about the DBMM. I think he's capable of better, but maybe I'm beginning to buy the hype. He hasn't shown anything that's made it deserved yet though, I must admit.

 

[D-Man]

One thing I just remembered is that Wade Barrett's win in the promo contest last night will get him his own entrance theme music and titantron. There's no way this would've been offered to the winner if the segment were scripted.

Guys, if you're reading about NXT for the first time, I implore you to watch it while it lasts. All of you have been craving some "realism" in professional wrestling, and now you have some in NXT. Many of the segments are adlibbed and reality-based.

This show is such a breath of fresh air.

 

[Remix]

One thing I just remembered is that Wade Barrett's win in the promo contest last night will get him his own entrance theme music and titantron. There's no way this would've been offered to the winner if the segment were scripted.

Guys, if you're reading about NXT for the first time, I implore you to watch it while it lasts. All of you have been craving some "realism" in professional wrestling, and now you have some in NXT. Many of the segments are adlibbed and reality-based.

This show is such a breath of fresh air.

D-Man, I alsways assumed that making titantrons and a wrestler's theme took monger than a week. First Jim Johnson's gotta write the song, send it to a band, they've got to record it. I'm fairly sure that'd take longer than a week. Which would indicate that Wade's 'new theme' has either been in production/made for more than a week, or I'm vastly wrong about how much time and effort WWE put into their themes.

 

[D-Man]

D-Man, I alsways assumed that making titantrons and a wrestler's theme took monger than a week. First Jim Johnson's gotta write the song, send it to a band, they've got to record it. I'm fairly sure that'd take longer than a week. Which would indicate that Wade's 'new theme' has either been in production/made for more than a week, or I'm vastly wrong about how much time and effort WWE put into their themes.

The WWE is masterful at thinking ahead of the curve, so I would assume that theme songs and titantrons have been getting assembled since NXT began. I wouldn't be surprised if they all had themes by the time round one of the voting was finished. In Barrett's case though, since he won last night, I can see his theme becoming a priority project to be finished by Tuesday evening.

But, good point about the timeline, Remix.

Either way, while I was on the David Otunga train for a few weeks (and was never really a sheep following the lead of Daniel Bryan), I'm now backing Wade Barrett 150%. I could care less what the WWE is going to do with Bryan in terms of winning this thing. Barett DESERVES to win. He has the size, charisma, and believability o really go far in this business. I'm EXTREMELY impressed with him. Everything from his evil, low toned voice to his immense height, size, and build are everything that a WWE wrestler craves to be. I can't wait to see him continue to improve.

 

[Ferbian]

There's no way this would've been offered to the winner if the segment were scripted..

^ this

Lately both with the Keg carrying contest and the promo cutting one, I've been wondering how in the world they would ever script that (the speed of which they get in, I mean certainly the Keg one could've been scripted yes, but the promo one would've been hard)

I like how they're handling the reality part of this although, even if I have to say that I didn't like the opening segment, simply because of the poor attempt to put people over as promo cutters, where at least half of them failed miserably also taking into consideration the awful choices of subjects as I've said before.

 

[Lee]

Lee's brief input for now. I 100% think this was off the cuff, look at Gabriels reaction. Also I know someone had a Daniel Bryan Manliness Meter sig on the ramp way and Bryan acknowledged it, then he mentioned the DBMM in his promo for the first time and then looked mighty pissed when Striker cut in.

Young's was easy to do and notice that both Slater and Skip were booed when they mentioned American brands that we don't have in the UK. Tarver seemed genuinely embaressed at the who are ya chants and Ortunga just didn't realise how quiet he was!

 

[Remix]

Realistically there was no way Barrett was losing that contest. Something to do with the crowd being in his back pocket owing to our fierce nationalism/racism, in addition to him routinely cutting improvised, two man promos that were the best part of an hour long whilst being given additional information (and possibly things to say) in FCW.

Colour commentary lends itself well to improvising bullshit in front of a TV audience.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I agree with Lee, the promo subjects just seemed to be really off the cuff and I enjoyed it. I'm enjoying these little tests that they're putting the Rookies through.

The numbers for last night's show are in and things are pretty stable overall when it comes to the ratings. The show pulled in a 1.01 with 1,282,000 viewers. Not stellar numbers, but there seems to be stablized interest in the show for now and NXT is still outdrawing TNA iMPACT!.

 

[The Doctor]

Wow!

Great show this week, a step up from last week which had good ideas that didn't work out. LOVING the little videos where pros give their opinions on rookies. definitely helps give it an even more real feel and lets you connect with the rookies.
I enjoyed the challenge a lot this week, and thought that it really had an American Gladiators feel to it. I dig that. And I'm interested in seeing what the Exclusive that Skip gets will be like.

Tarver impressed this week on the mic, and all the rookies did well in their matches. Slater looked great against Jericho, and I can't believe he actually won! WWE must love Slater, or Theo somehow finagled his way onto Creative.

Totally solid and really entertaining show this week. I'll give it an A.

 

[Honkey_Kong]

Wow!

Great show this week, a step up from last week which had good ideas that didn't work out. LOVING the little videos where pros give their opinions on rookies. definitely helps give it an even more real feel and lets you connect with the rookies.
I enjoyed the challenge a lot this week, and thought that it really had an American Gladiators feel to it. I dig that. And I'm interested in seeing what the Exclusive that Skip gets will be like.

Tarver impressed this week on the mic, and all the rookies did well in their matches. Slater looked great against Jericho, and I can't believe he actually won! WWE must love Slater, or Theo somehow finagled his way onto Creative.

Totally solid and really entertaining show this week. I'll give it an A.

I really didn't see the point in jobbing Jericho out to Slater. Yeah it'll get Slater over, but it'll tear Jericho down. And in the current position for Slater, a strong showing against Jericho would've helped him as much as actually winning.

Darren Young earned more respect from me this week than he's ever got. I see he's going to be an undercarder on smackdown. That feud that's brewing between Gallows and Young made me think he's going to keep his job after NXT finishes.