Here it is, the wackiest show of the week. Love it or hate it, tonight we have another episode of NXT.
We start tonight with the Know Your Pro Challenge. This was entertaining last season, so we'll see how it goes this time. Wait, it's undergone a name change for Season 4...
My thoughts after the break...
The DBs got my first laugh of the night. O'Brian's should have been obvious. Maybe this show IS designed to make us laugh just as much as get people over as wrestlers. "Bodyguard" was also obvious. I wonder if we'll get DiBiase vs. Clay this season. Obviously Bryan knows Bateman's character pretty well. The guy makes cheap pops, has a catchphrase, and there's some kind of reference the two are making to Steve Blackman on Twitter. Bateman even suggested the ex-WWE star should be in their corner if they get a shot at the Tag Titles. Can they actually do that? He wrestled in WWE from 1997 to 2002.
Ziggler's really working hard to get over and it shows.
Just when you think you've seen everything you could possibly see in wrestling, a man eats cheese off of the floor like it's rat bait. I don't think this bodes well for O'Brian's future, particularly because he's facing Rodriguez tonight instead of next week (i.e. after tonight's elimination).
I wonder what they'll call Mason Ryan now that he's on the main roster?
Ricardo Rodriguez is pretty good in his role. He's a trained wrestler, for the record. I don't know how good though. I liked this match for what it was, but I don't take it too seriously.
And finally, here's how I rank the rookies after tonight:
Top Tier:
1. Derrick Bateman (Previously: 1)- Bateman's not how you'd picture a pro wrestler, but he's able to make his shtick work both in and out of the ring. Yes, he's ridiculous and goofy but I think that works for him. I'm not 100% sold on him as a future star, but I think he's further along on the path than the other rookies. He showed some good hustle in the ring and that doesn't seem to be there for the other rookies.
2. Johnny Curtis (Previously: 2)- Curtis has regressed a bit I think since I last ranked him. It's not so much that he's done something wrong as that I've expected more out of him. I think he does need more confidence and aggression. I don't think his goofiness works as well as Bateman's and he needs some improvement in all areas. He's not bad, and definitely has potential, but I don't think he's ready for the main roster.
Middle Tier:
3. Byron Saxton (Previously: 4)- Saxton continues to have good flow both in the ring and on the mic, something that's very important. He's also on the right track and shows some skills in the way of being a sports entertainer. I think he's improved since last time, but the shift in rankings I think had more to do with Brodus Clay than with him.
4. Brodus Clay (Previously: 3)- Don't be surprised if this is the last time that Clay makes the middle tier. I really expected more from him by now. He's too sluggish in the ring for my tastes, and his suplexes and nerve holds don't make up for it. He really needs some more work in the ring. Slimming down I think would benefit him greatly. That's his main weakness, and it's a big one. His mic work is mostly fine, but that can only get him so far.
Bottom Tier:
5. Conor O'Brian (Previously: 5)- O'Brian reminds me some of Kizarny. An oddly entertaining gimmick that can only go so far, and not much in the ring to back it up. To be fair, we didn't get to see much of Kizarny in the ring, but he was decent. O'Brian on the other hand didn't stand out from the others from an in-ring perspective. The rat gimmick was somewhat amusing, as were his ridiculous jokes, but he didn't have anything else of note that would keep him around. He wasn't bad in the backstage segment with Rodriguez, but all things considered I think they made the right choice here in sending him home (or, more accurately, back to FCW).
That's all for this week's NXT. I'll have my thoughts on Superstars and Impact this Thursday.
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