We're now at week 33 of NXT: Redemption, which means we're only.... actually no one knows how long is left in the competition. Actually for that matter I'm not entirely sure who's still competing. Well, regardless, Titus O'Neil and Derrick Bateman continue their quests to make it to NXT Season 6 tonight, and some of the other special guests of the show will be in action, too. The main event will see Yoshi Tatsu face off with Tyler Reks, and here's no telling what else will end up happening. Read on for my thoughts on the show as it happens.
Darren Young is still in the intro, so it looks like he could still be in the running.
Not a bad challenge idea. They've definitely had worse.
Haha, stanima. I like Maxine's interesting outfits.
Titus is almost a completely different guy on the mic. Almost.
Finally getting this show back on the rails, though the other members of the roster appearing has been fine by me.
Good heeling by Bateman. So much for the challenge being an actual competition.
No telling who will end up helping Bateman.
Reks doesn't look very menacing in that screenshot.
Kind of cool that they're showing their Twitter names. Hopefully the superstars are on their best behavior there.
For what it's worth, I haven't heard whether or not he's really injured. I like the cane, though.
Good promo by Hawkins. I like Reks' mic work, too. His voice just doesn't seem like it'd come from him! Overall, nice segment to set up their new story.
What? No facepaint?
That was crazy. It just randomly cut to an ad in the middle of a match. I guess it'd be hard to synch it up with the show's commercial breaks.
An aggressive Tatsu would be interesting to see.
Hey, if you're going to namedrop, namedrop Liger.
I wonder how long those dreadlocks took to grow, and for that matter get styled.
I thought Hawkins was going to use the walking stick to interfere, but it wasn't to be. Maybe in a different match.
Can you really "reinvent" a word?
I love AJ's style.
Kaitlyn gets to speak again! Sadly it was "serious Kaitlyn" instead of fun Kaitlyn.
Well, Kaitlyn's not getting new music yet. If they can find something to fit her personality better, I'd love to hear it.
Not really sure what Kaitlyn said there. Her mother's Mexican I believe. Good promo, though it sounded a little "whiny".
Took Kaitlyn long enough to come to AJ's aid.
I loved Regal's joke. Nice dry humo(u)r.
These two have definitely grown since their match on Season 3 (when Kaitlyn had the hoodie). It was pretty lowly "rated" to say the least.
Have I said that I adore AJ yet?
They've improved, but they're still somewhat rough. They both entertain me, but they're still works in progress.
That crab story. People are missing out on this crazy show.
I don't think I've ever seen someone tap out with their foot.
Not a bad match. Hopefully WWE continues to give them chances to gain experience. I think good things could come from them in the years to come.
Anonymous!? That would explain why the show took so long to upload.
JTG was creepy back there.
Maxine and Bateman are entertaining together. It just "clicks" between them.
Wow, Bateman sticks out like a sore thumb.
What a goof. I like it.
I'd love to see more from the veterans working with/helping younger stars.
I think Titus gets a little less rough each week.
That Mark Henry Vengeance spot is AMAZING.
THAT's the Derrick Bateman I want to see.
I see Bateman as a potential pretty obnoxious heel.
Todd's on ESPN now.
I like the ring psychology involving the thinner air. Since this show is more about straight wrestling, we get little stories like this.
Not bad at all. Both rookies (and whatever Watson is considered) are working their way to earning a spot on the main roster.
Ok, on to rankings. Remember that 1 is so bad that they shouldn't even be here yet, 2 is not very good with a LONG way to go, 3 is about halfway to being ready for the main roster, 4 is on their way to earning a roster spot, and 5 is so good they should be on the main roster soon.
Derrick Bateman - 4. Bateman really showed us what he can do this week. He combined his impressive heel persona with the energy we saw from him as a face. That was enough to put him past O'Neil for now. If he keeps on this path, he could be the "come from behind" winner, or at least end up on the main roster at some point. Barring a big setback, Bateman's future is looking good right now. I'd grade him at a "mid-B", slightly on the lower end of that range.
Titus O'Neil - 4. O'Neil has been much more comfortable on the mic when he's able to work with/play off of Watson. The two make a nice pairing, as each complements the other's strengths and weaknesses. He's still somewhat limited in the ring, but he's making the best of those limits. I've been pleasantly surprised. However, Bateman was so "on" this week that even in improving he couldn't catch him. He's not out of the running yet, but he's got some catching up to do and needs some more strong performances. He's in the "low B" area for now.
If I had to eliminate someone, it would be Titus O'Neil. Only one person can go to Season 6,, and between these two I'd choose Bateman for that spot.
That's all for a criminally late look at NXT, partially exacerbated by the show being posted at least 2 hours later than the advertised time. I'll be back tonight for Superstars and Impact Wrestling, and a news post will be up sometime this afternoon. Thanks for reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment