Today on WWE NXT, we hit week 41 of the competition. Titus O'Neil, Derrick Bateman, and Darren Young all continue on their path to try to become WWE's next breakout star. But, tonight, that once more takes a backseat to the love triangle involving Bateman, Johnny Curtis and Maxine. Where will things go from here with them? Who will move closer to a regular spot on Raw or Smackdown? Read on for my thoughts on the show as it happens, coupled with notes from attending the show live in parentheses.
(It was a little difficult to explain what NXT was to the people near me who had never seen it - which was not a surprise since the company doesn't push it. It's a web show that also airs internationally. There are people competing to be a breakout star and people who have already appeared elsewhere kind of making "guest appearances". It's a competition, but there are a lot of people here not involved in that competition. In short, it's really a mess to explain.)
(It really isn't a part of NCSU but whatever.)
Actually it doesn't necessarily start with a rookie.
It IS pronounced that way.
(That "#marks" sign was taken.)
I like Reks and Hawkins. They stand out now.
"Grumpypantses"? Also, where's Yoshi's facepaint/mask?
(I do think I saw a Reks sign or two.)
Didn't expect Yohsi to talk much.
(The "wash your hair" stuff was pretty over. Nice!)
I doubt anything from NXT trends.
Nice doubleteams.
(The "Head and shoulders" thing was over as well. That's surprising given how few people probably knew about these people beforehand.)
I like that Hawkins and Reks heel the crowd and get them involved. Ditto for Trent rallying Yoshi to get Yoshi to tag him.
Trent's got some good moves. (People were impressed. Again, as little as he gets to show what he can do and as few people watch NXT, that's good).
Good opening tag match.
I like the team of Trent and Yoshi. Trent in particular I'd like to see more of.
(After the match, Yoshi did the traditional Japanese bow, and Trent purposely awkwardly imitated it. Funny guy. I think they can do more with him.)
Makes perfect sense to put them all on Percy's show, which he debuted back in Season 2.
If anyone's wondering, I won't be covering TTTT a second time on Saturday. It's justhalf of what they showed the first time with different commentary.
(Saw these video packages live, so this is more redundant than it usually is!)
(Quite a few people put things together for the Showtime set. They had to be quick for it to be ready "in time".)
(Percy was complimented for his charisma and talent. I agree. He's a natural.)
I liked this video package. Good set-up for what's almost certainly the most important thing on NXT right now.
(It's kind of weird watching a video package live. People were into this in what someone referred to online as a "Jerry Springer" sense.)
I love Bateman wearing the Smackdown shirt since he has a future match there. Clever. He's a natural as well.
(Some of it was cut, but Bateman standing in front of that BateMax sign with the Max x'd out was pretty cool. And no, that wasn't me. Good improvised moment. The fact that a number of BateMax signs have popped up recently is quite impressive since this show only airs online and a lot of people seem to have forgotten that it still comes on!)
Curtis is a natural creep. These guys can all play off of each other well on the mic.
(JTG got over with his look. Which is kind of weird since we're supposed to boo him.)
Nice Cryme Tme reference.
(Maxine is stunning in-person).
Outstanding promo by Maxine. She's a really good talker and I'd love to see her on Smackdown conniving to get power.
Great expressions by Bateman, Percy, and Curtis. All in all, a good segment as far as soap opera things go.
(Fans were into that, despite some not being familiar with the show.)
(Striker's a nice guy in person. I saw him telling fans to enjoy the show and such when he left commentary before Smackdown.)
I don't think anyone knows how Striker gets to make the rules on the show.
(As I said, the ring crew was pretty quick in getting that stuff out of the ring. We kind of expected the match to be immediately thereafter.)
(Took me a while to figure out which Uso that was. Couldn't really hear the announcement.)
JTG and Tamina go together better than I'd expect them to.
(It was hard to see parts of this one from where I was sitting.)
(Like Trent earlier, people were impressed by Uso's innovative moves.)
Not a bad match. I wasn't crazy about it.
Good reactions by everyone at the end of the match.
So that's what Striker's office looks like.
Titus was a little too... soft here. The promo itself wasn't bad, but maybe he needed to be a little louder or something? So-so.
But... Tribute aired last night, too. So confusing.
Yep... skipping this. It was a good package though.
The "before the show is over" thing was a little confusing. Season might have been more appropriate.
This is one of the most weirdly entertaining stories I've ever seen.
That song's starting to hurt my head.
Lots from Percy and Curtis tonight.
Haha, Curtis has a good personality. That's what makes people stand out from the pack. That and unique moves.
I have no clue who some of those people are Striker mentioned.
Percy's got some good athleticism, speed, and personality. If he was in this competition officially, he'd be in a good place.
Good stuff from both men. Glad they get the freedom and time to show what they can do.
Earlier in the season I was kind of split on Percy in the ring, but after this match I'm pretty sold on him.
As for Curtis, it's a shame that he didn't get to do much post-NXT Season 4.
(Punk got a nice reaction and a nice number of T-shirts sold for someone who wasn't on the show. I'm thinking some signs as well. Saw at least one Miz shirt too now that I think about it.)
I think I could never see a Tribute video package again and be good.
Titus is a sharp dresser.
(Decent amount of barks live for someone with such a relatively low amount of visibility. Could have just been on the side of the arena I was on, since it wasn't as loud on the show.)
Titus' promo seemed a little... overly rehearsed? Not bad with delivery, though (but not amazing).
I like Darren's music now. Is it a little different and edgier?
You'd think someone who has been as intense as Darren would dress more like it.
(Someone held up a pro-Young sign near him, but it wasn't on TV. After the show, he went back to them and shook her hand. Cool of him to do. I understand that it would have been kind of out-of-character for him to acknowledge it on his way to the ring.)
Based on reactions and who gets featured more, more people might know Titus. BUT there's Darren's past in Nexus to consider. Anyway...
Titus did stammer here. The general feeling behind it was good, but I do have to "count off" for the miscues.
Not bad from Darren either, but he's pretty much here to set up Titus' counter-points.
Remember redemption points?
(Since apparently not many people watched previous seasons of NXT, some people didn't really feel Darren's criticisms. At least from where I was.)
Yeah, this is really just to make Titus look strong. It's working, but they've pretty much chosen who they want to move on from the show.
Good stuff from Titus, though credit has to go to Young for making his attack look good.
Nice intense look from Darren, and Titus mostly played his part well here.
(Darren shoved the camera out of his way to close the show. I wish that would have made it on-screen, but they were focusing on Titus here.)
And that's a wrap. On to evaluations of the competitors. 5 is ready for Raw or Smackdown, 4 is mostly on the way there, 3 is in the middle, 2 is doing quite poorly and/or a long way from making it to the other shows (if they can make it at all), and 1 shouldn't even be on the show anymore.
Derrick Bateman- 5 (Last week: 5). Bateman's pretty good all around. He still has some growing to do with what he does in the ring, but overall I think he's ready to be accepted as part of Smackdown. If they do decide to end the show any time soon, he's got a pretty decisive advantage to be my choice to win. Great with the intangibles and acting. (Grade: pretty close to a A+).
Titus O'Neil - 4 (Last week: 4). Same old, same old here too. He's not a very finessed competitor in the ring, but when put in the right roles he can be a believable powerhouse. Nothing amazing on the mic, but good enough to get by if they "use him right". I like the potential if he continues to develop and they have a plan for him. There's still work to do for him to be something of worth, but I think they'll get there. (Grade: somewhere in the B range.)
Darren Young - 4 (Last week: 4). Darren's falling further and further into the background. Pretty much everyone else on the show is doing something more important/featured than he is. It feels like he's only here to get Titus further over. I liked his promo this week, and I don't think he's so far gone that he can't eventually get back into things, but it's going to take a lot of work and a lot of solid performances (that get him noticed!). I think he can eventually make it to a bigger role, and he's generally talented, but right now this really isn't the "D Young show". (Grade: low B range.)
If I had to eliminate someone, it would be: Darren Young. They're actually doing something with the other two and giving them chances to show what they can do. I usually like Young, but at this point I feel he needs a reboot or something to take him as having a serious chance to win. Nothing wrong with him or what he does, but when you get as little time as he does in a competition like this, it'd be almost impossible to stay on the "not eliminated" side.
That's it for NXT this week. I'll be back for Superstars and Impact Wrestling tomorrow. A news post will be up at some point in the middle of the day tomorrow. Thanks for reading!
I really would be the first one to refute your current opinion of Young, but it's hard to. It's just like he's struggling by default. He's been victim to the same default struggles that a lot of the others on the show have fallen victim to, and it's a shame. He has has proven that he has the talent to make it for the most part, but he's victimized purely on the basis that WWE Management doesn't necessarily see it. It really is a shame to see good talents get little opportunities time and time again, and he's just the current epitome.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, is there really anything Young can do if he's being held back? He's really doing all he can do at this point that he can do and hasn't had any chances to break away. With lack of airtime and his competitors getting more chances, he's kind of a prisoner by default like Tim Robbins in Shawshank Redemption. I just thought the whole point of a competition like this was to give each competitor EVEN amounts of chances.
I wouldn't necessarily say others would see things that way, however. I think a lot of the other pros know Young is a hard worker, and give him his due without considering how much of a push he's gotten. After all, they know how it feels to experience lack of push. They may actually view this as kind of a wash. I think if he ends up breaking out of the mold after the suspension (given the chances), he will definitely prove something. Because of that, I wouldn't necessarily say he doesn't have a chance to win it even at this pace, because others have different preferences. I wouldn't necessarily say I'd be surprised if he still was the winner if the competition ended next week or so.
What are your thoughts on the whole Bateman wedding controversy? I think it's good that he's getting himself known, but it's kind of an odd system. Weddings in the past haven't worked well before, and it just doesn't seem to click with me for some reason. It just kind of seems like the wedding storyline is getting lost in the shuffle to get others, like Curtis, storyline time. It just seems like a lack of credibility with the whole angle to me.
I don't know specifically what he should do to get himself over (that would work well for him). Zack Ryder, Ted DiBiase, and now Curt Hawkins/Tyler Reks are thinking outside the box to get themselves noticed, and I think that might be the way he'll need to think to stay "alive" in WWE. Either that or he needs to come up with a story and/or character that the company can get behind. They're looking for a sports entertainer, and he's pretty much just a hard-working wrestler.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's barely a competition at this point with the focus being shifted to whoever and whatever they want to put time on, so it's no surprise that they aren't being treated evenly. If they still cared about the original purpose of the show (and thought of eliminations and challenges and the like), then it would probably be more even.
I was going to make a point about the lack of Pros on the show (and confusion of who still "counts"), but it really doesn't matter. He could win the competition, but Creative/management not see anything in him and he end up not being used and/or released shortly thereafter.
As for the wedding angle, I like it. It's giving Bateman, Maxine, and Curtis screen time and opportunities. Bateman playing off of Curtis is better than him not getting any time at all.
I can partially see your point about thinking outside the box. However, it's hit or miss. I noticed Reks and Hawkins have their own Youtube show, like Ryder. But, even after a number of weeks of having it, they haven't really made the impact Ryder has. Given, it's early, but they just lost this week to Trent Barreta, who has like a .100 winning percentage this year lol. I don't think that Young will have the time, being on NXT to pull that off.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if since WWE Management has the ultimate sign-off of how much air time and chances the stars get, how much Young can really do. I think the DiBiase angle is good, but I think that was just that WWE Management saw something in him and gave him that chance to change his persona.
With the competition, you also partially have a point. In my mind, even though it's masked, it's still a competition to be the next star of the company. Even though it's deep into the contest, I still think it should see what each competitor can do given EQUAL opportunities. Bateman's been there half of the time, and has more opportunities and airtime than both combined.
It just kind of demolishes the whole point of a contest in a biased manner if some contestants get more air time than others.
By the way, any idea why Titus keeps saying "WDE" star? He's said it numerous times. I know it used to be "WWF", but I have no idea where he is getting the "D" from lol.
ReplyDeleteThey've only done 2 episodes. It took months for Ryder's show to catch on the way it has. I don't remember the first time I saw mention of it, but it wasn't an overnight success.
ReplyDeleteI guess maybe the people who put NXT together like Trent more than the people who use him on the rare times we see him on Smackdown.
As for Young, as far as I know he doesn't work in FCW, and we rarely see him outside of NXT (like backstage at Raw or something), so I think he'd have time to do something like they've done. Ryder's on the road full-time and he still gets his show out on a fairly timely matter. I don't know what Young does when he isn't booked, but I think he could do something where he posts pictures or videos or something of what he does every day (since he's "No Days Off" and all). I do like that he retweets fan support and the like, but that can only get you so far. I think a daily video of him working out or something could work. Just a suggestion.
I'm not 100% sure who came up with the DiBiase Posse idea. I would think that if it was a WWE idea, we'd see more clips and mentions of it on air. I could be wrong, but since he wasn't getting much attention beforehand, it might have been his own idea to get fan support. It would be pretty interesting to know how such things get put together. Obviously they're the ones who made him a good guy, but he didn't have much of a character since coming to Smackdown.
It's still technically a contest, but I don't know how seriously that aspect is being treated. No one has a Pro anymore, and no one's at the top of the stage taking notes. I don't even remember the last time they mentioned voting. It's a really weird concept this season.
I agree that it's not a fair contest. It's pretty much just "who do we think can do good things, get over, etc." Looking at the bigger picture of using people who are talented but aren't regularly on Raw or Smackdown, I'm ok with that. Only so many of them can be on Superstars in a given week. Obviously, it'd be better if we got to see some of these people get chances on the bigger shows instead of the same old, same old, but it's better than them not getting screen time at all.
As for Bateman being on the show more, I guess Creative likes him and thinks that he has more potential to be a breakout star. Given how much of a head start Young had, that's not a good sign for him.
I guess it's because of the D sound at the beginning of W. He needs to work on his speaking skills if he's going to be someone they use long-term.
I don't necessarily think that Reks/Hawkins using social media will be a good thing for them. It's hit or miss. Even putting aside that they had like one-tenth of Ryder's views at this point in their show, their show just isn't as charismatic and entertaining. We'll see, though.
ReplyDeleteHopefully they will give Young a spark soon. I don't know if posting videos of his training would be best, but I do agree he could do something of that nature to reach out to fans. It's just like businesses: You need to have a niche specialization in which no one has done before to stand out. I know Young would only do something that fits his personality. He wouldn't do anything that would "sell out" that he didn't like, though. Other than that, Young has just been a victim of lack of push.
However, I notice a trend. Maybe you've noticed this too, but it seems each week someone gets attacked, if they have a match the next week, the other person gets the revenge and wins. It's kind of like when someone gets the last laugh in a tag match before a PPV...most of the time, that person ends up losing the PPV match. A win over Titus would be pretty big for him to gain momentum.
I forgot to mention this before, but what are your thoughts on the gimmick change and how Otunga has done lately? Do you think this gimmick and his current talents can make him a champion in the near future?
ReplyDeleteIt's still really early for Reks and Hawkins. Ryder has WWE (and some of its Superstars/Divas) plugging his show left and right. They just got a mention on NXT. It's not great by any means, but I appreciate the effort and maybe in time WWE will too if it gets a solid following.
ReplyDeleteAlso like a business, marketing is really important. Getting your name out there, etc. (of course that's easier when WWE's behind you.) He needs to do something to increase his visibility somehow if he doesn't get featured on NXT more or he could end up even more lost in the shuffle than he already is.
Yep, I've noticed that. Some really criticize that kind of thing (or one person winning a match, but the other attacking them afterward and a number of other ways that keep things somewhat even), but I'm generally a fan of it because both people theoretically look good coming out of it. I don't know if that's going to happen with Young though, given their track record with him lately.
I think Otunga's a good fit for his character (not that he wasn't before). I love the bow ties and matching coffee mugs. I don't know if he'll be a champion again anytime soon, but I guess I could see it at some point in the not-do-distant future. I'd like to see what he could do playing off of Ryder if Zack wins the U.S. Title. There was a time when a lot of people thought he was AWFUL in the ring, but I think that's changed to a degree now.