NXT Season 5 rolls on tonight. Four FCW competitors vie for the votes of the fans and their pros as the competition gets whittled down to 3. Who won't be coming back for next week's show? Read on for my thoughts on the show as it happens.
I have to admit it's pretty funny having Jacob Novak in the opener when he's not even in the company anymore. Though I think they did that with Jamie in Season 3 as well.
Hard to believe this show's going to go another season. Though I think people have said that since Season 2.
We might need a mercy rule for redemption points.
Not bad by Lucky.
That was actually pretty good from Titus. Then again, we're kind of grading on a curve here.
Not bad from Conor either.
Or Darren.
Again, nothing that made me want to see anyone on the main roster.
Haha, I think maybe the fans assumed Maryse meant Titus when she called out Darren's name.
Not much energy from the crowd here, but they don't have much to get excited for. Titus has the clear edge, though.
I hope all 4 rookies compete this week so we can get the best idea of who to send home.
At least JTG and Regal are kind of funny.
Here's the thing about Darren Young (and pretty much any of the rookies): he's not bad. There really isn't anything "wrong" with his ringwork. It's just not exciting. It doesn't stand out from the pack in any way. He's pretty much just another guy who wrestles.
I like Lucky's character for the most part.
I guess that somewhat confirms Lucky's safe tonight.
These two are at least worth keeping around for the next elimination.
Poor Conor doesn't even get a match. He's screwed.
Wow. Really? I knew the WWE fans would be against him, but I figured he'd stick around. He at least has personality.
Well great, now they have to come up with something new for Maryse and Hornswoggle to do.
That was actually a pretty entertaining end to the storyline.
Titus, Darren Young, and Conor O'Brian? That's not much to get excited over.
Anyway, I guess it's time for rankings:
Top Tier:
1. Titus O'Neil (Last time:1)- I think my choice is pretty set in stone here, especially now that Lucky's gone. While he's not perfect, I think Titus is high enough above the other two that barring a MAJOR change these last however many weeks, I think he has this one. Or at least, I think he should have it. He has just the right mixture of stage presence and athleticism to possibly be somebody. It's just a matter of continuing to improve in both areas. I think it's too soon to comment on anything beyond the end of this season, but I'm liking what I'm seeing for the most part.
2. Lucky Cannon (Last time:2)- Obviously it doesn't matter now, but I think Lucky was the clear #2 here. He was just close enough to Titus to make it a possibility that he'd pull ahead, and for the most part far enough above the others to stay at least at 2. But of course I'm only one vote! He had a good character that worked for him, and his ring presence was mostly good as well. He really fit that "sports entertainer" bill and if he continues to improve, it wouldn't shock me to see him again down the line.
Middle Tier:
3. Darren Young (Last time:3)- I don't really "dislike" Young but he seems pretty middle-of-the-road to me. Can he "get it done" in the ring? For the most part. But there isn't much about him that makes me say "THIS is the guy who should go through to the next season. THIS is someone who should get another shot at going up the card." As roster space in WWE continues to shrink, you have to really have something unique and mostly solid to break through and I don't think Darren has that. I think after this season, he either needs some rejuvenation in FCW or perhaps better yet, some time wrestling somewhere else to expand his repertoire and bag of tricks both on the mic and in the ring. I want to see a "new" Darren Young in the same vein that this season gave us a new Titus O'Neil and Lucky Cannon, two guys I had ranked in the bottom tier in Season 2 (or would have had I had this blog back then).
Bottom Tier:
4. Conor O'Brien (Last time:4)- Not having a match this week really hurt Conor I think. I don't really have anything that would make me defend having him around past this week without seeing him compete in the ring. Another guy who just isn't clicking to me for some reason. Other than his wacky facial hair, there's not much "unique" there. I'm not saying he needs polka dots or wrestle in a cow outfit or anything, but if he's doing a serious Kozlov-esque gimmick he needs to really pull that out of himself. Be a warrior. Be a fierce fighting champion. Even when Kozlov, Ezekiel Jackson, and Mark Henry aren't wrestling or on the mic, you can look at them and believe that they mean business. Obviously the music helps them. I guess Conor's gimmick is that he's a former goof from last season who's still in training to be a tough guy. Even then, I'm not really seeing "it" in him in this role, and that's why I wanted this to be the week they sent him back to kind of go back to the drawing board with him. What can he do to "move up the ranks"? Bring his A++ game. Use every single second he has to mean something. Otherwise, him moving on will be an even bigger upset than this week was.
That's all for my NXT thoughts this week. I'll be back Thursday for looks at Superstars and Impact Wrestling. There will be a news post up at some point after midnight. Thanks for reading!
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