Welp. We've finally done it. Made it to the ONE YEAR anniversary of this season of NXT. Not only is there still not a winner, but there hasn't been any indication that there will be anytime soon. But that's ok, because tonight Matt Striker has a big announcement that will change the very face of the show. And, two big matches have already been announced: Season 3 winner Kaitlyn goes one-on-one with her rival, the vindictive Maxine. Also, Tyson Kidd battles Michael McGillicutty in a match-up of former tag team champions with a lot to prove. All this and more. Read on for my thoughts on the show as it happens.
An NXT sign in the audience!? That's quite impressive.
Alex Riley and Percy Watson could be a good tag team I think. Good athletic backgrounds and they both have a natural charisma about them.
I think Darren's trying to convince himself that he's going to make it to Raw or Smackdown.
Regal's dry humo(u)r gets me about every time.
Good start from Riley and Titus.
Nice baiting from Titus.
Nice kick from Darren.
Darren's an experienced, hard worker in the ring, and I think he should at least get a chance to add to the WWE from that standpoint.
NICE getting Percy riled up to draw the ref away. Classic heel move.
I'm not really crazy about Young taunting the crowd when he's not the guy in the ring, since we theoretically should be focusing on Titus when he's the guy "in action".
Titus and Darren are starting to get some groove working together. An odd fit from a character perspective, but I guess it could work. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any teams with a powerhouse and a technician.
Really good fire from Percy. He could be an asset down the line.
Titus, on the other hand, is encouraging his partner, which I think is different.
Kind of a surprising win for Young.
Darren continues to look like he's trying to emote more than being legitimately into what he's doing.
Titus looks and sounds more natural with his inflection and mannerisms. Note that that's very different from his actual voice.
The Rock's a good example of someone (in his Nation of Domination years) who had a "bad voice", but used his charisma to work around that and put on good promos.
Ok, then... that shows the budget for this show.
What now? This is one of the craziest shows...
I don't think I've ever seen a video package intervention.
What can I say? I'm a fan of crazy soap opera stuff.
I think Regal might have actually had an intervention or two.
Good segment, other than the reference to Natalya's gas gimmick.
I dig the claw tights.
Regal's got an insane level of knowledge that a lot of people could learn from.
Kidd could really have something. He's good and he knows he's good, without yelling about it every couple of seconds.
Very impressive stuff. If Kidd gets time to develop outside of ring skills, he could be someone to look out for.
Kidd reminds me a bit of Tajiri and Low-Ki(Kaval/Senshi) with his kicks. That's good company to be in.
HOLY SH#&. Kick-ass move from Kidd.
Really? Wow. After all that, a sudden McGillicutter kind of took away from the match.
McGillicutty's not bad, but the permanent "caps lock" mode in the ring can get quite annoying.
Kind of funny that a guy famous for saying "know your role" had promo notes written on his wrist.
Well put-together video.
Team Catch-Phrase.
I can't be the only one who gets Sensational Sherri vibes from Maxine.
On the contrary, I get Morticia Adams vibes from Aksana.
Maxine's a good actress. I like that she puts time into improving on that aspect in addition to her ring-work.
I guess it's a good thing that Kaitlyn vs. Maxine is headlining?
Whoa, whoa, whoa... Maryse was co-host for a while this season.
Striker's a good host. You can tell he means what he says.
Hawkins and Reks are getting more entertaining as characters. Good, fun performances.
Veteran leadership? I thought this was a show about the young talent?
I don't think the Board of Directors watches NXT.
Great passion from Striker.
I guess it was only a matter of time before Regal went back to being an authority figure.
Flibbity... what now?
I can get behind this I guess. It all depends on where things go from here. Maybe he can feud with his FCW nemesis Dean Ambrose?
Nothing says "it's serious main event time" like a song about dancing.
Bateman and Curtis on commentary can't be any worse than Darren last week.
And this is a fight more than a match. Good.
Good wrestling coming in amidst the "catfight" aspects.
The commentary's all over the place, but at least it's entertainingly so.
Pretty impressive by these two. They're coming along.
Whoever gets in the first "I'll take 'em both. I'm hardcore!" reference in the Bateman/Curtis feud gets my full support.
Maxine's a perfect fit for her role. I think she'll play off of Regal really well (they work together in FCW).
Good ending to move the story into next week.
And now I suppose it's rookie evaluation time. 5 is someone who's good at all aspects, 4 is someone who's mostly there (or at least more hit than miss), 3's someone who's kind of in the middle, 2's someone who's terrible, and 1s are so bad they shouldn't be in the ring.
Derrick Bateman- 5 (Last week: 5). He can pretty much coast at this point. He fits his character like a glove and usually brings the fire when he needs to. There's still improvement to be had in the ring, but not enough to drop him from his perch. (Grade: A).
Titus O'Neil - 4 (Last week: 4). As the weeks go on, he's progressing with his character. He's more confident than he was in the first couple of weeks of his heel turn. While 5 could be a good ways off, it's not out of reach. He's got me wanting to see what he'll do next week. He'll need to be more finessed in the ring to go further in his career with longer matches, but for where he is right now, he's coming along. I wouldn't say he has the potential to be a breakout star at his age, but he could end up being worth the investments the company's put in him. (Grade: B).
Darren Young - 3 (Last week: 4). Looking at my definitions, I can't truthfully say that I see more hit than miss with Darren anymore (or at least enough to keep him at a 4). Every time he wrestles, I can see that he has the moves down pat. I've enjoyed seeing what he can do from a technical standpoint, and I liked the new move he pulled out this week. If his job was just to go out there and wrestle a "good match" with holds and beating the opponent down, etc., he'd be a good candidate to do pretty well in the company. But any time he does anything outside of the nuts and bolts of in-ring wrestling, I cringe. It feels like he's overcompensating for the lack of attention he's getting by making even more in the way gestures and speaking, when those should feel like a "natural" part of the match. It's the very definition of overthinking things. As a super-intense guy who wears people down and beats them, he does well. Unless his new gimmick is to be an overconfident loudmouth (which the announcers aren't pushing, so I don't think it is), it looks like he's grasping at straws out there. If I was seeing him for the first time, I MIGHT be more lenient. But this many months of doing almost the exact same thing has been tiring. Bateman and Titus have changed up their act while he's stayed stuck in the mud. It would be absolutely zero surprise to me if he's the next person "gone from the competition", as it would take something pretty marvelous for me to change my mind on him. (Grade: B-/C+).
If I had to eliminate someone, it would be: Darren Young. He doesn't have to go home, but he can't stay here. Take him off-screen and work with him on the intangibles of being a character, etc.. Otherwise he's just going to be "the good wrestler the company uses when they want to make someone they care about look better". It's nothing personal. I'm just getting kind of tired of saying the same things about him and want someone else to get a shot.
That's all for this week's NXT. I'll be back for Superstars and Impact Wrestling tomorrow, and a news post will be up later. Thanks for reading!
I guess I am moving further and further away from your stance here. I can’t honestly see where you are losing faith with Young to move him down, and especially to that level. Most of what you are saying in Young is what I see in Bateman and Titus in terms of your opinion of him right now. I understand differences of opinion are common and we value different things, but I felt this was a push in the right direction for Young. I’d honestly have Bateman and Titus at the “low 4” level right now trying to think objectively. Darren is not bad on the mic, but I really liked the aggression and new offense this week from Young. He wasn’t just saying the same things like he has been and switched it up a bit, so I think it’s a step in the right direction. I liked what I saw from him this week. On the plus side, he did get the pin.
ReplyDeleteI think it is indeed his character to be aggressive and a bit over-the-top, so that is kind of how I view him. I try not to fault it too much, because it gets him noticed. If he was to just sit there and be casual, he’s not differentiating himself or standing out in any way. I think guys like Regal and Kidd really respect that and think that’s more of a good thing for Young to have.
On the negative side, he did come out to Titus’ music again, which is a bit irksome. I’m not gonna keep repeating my frustrations there about how it should be opposite, but just when you think Young might be getting more of a “thumbs up” from Management, he does kind of get the shaft. I did think getting the pin was something, though.
As for Titus, I am not seeing what you see. I still believe he has a long ways to go as a bad guy, in the ring, and with promos. I wasn’t a fan of him in the ring this week, and thought him running his mouth and backing down to Riley at parts during the match were both a bit head-scratching. I like the tag team from the standpoint that Titus is been getting more of a push, so it helps Young’s win/loss record. I think Titus and Bateman both lack the aggression and fire that Young has.
One thing I forgot to add: the rankings were/are for them as individuals. Titus and Darren MIGHT work as a team, but I'd be kind of surprised if that lasted long-term given how different they are as competitors.
ReplyDeleteAfter I posted, I thought that 3 MIGHT be a bit low. It's pretty close and the fact that I'm doubting whether he's worthy of being a 4 to me was sign that he might not be a 4.
I just feel that I've seen the same general things from him so many times now from a character and in-ring standpoint. It's more than just moves and catchphrases. It's the general feeling of having seen it all before, like John Cena being WWE Champion. Even if it's somewhat different, the basic feeling is that it's not different enough for me to be interested in him again.
Both Bateman and Titus' characters have evolved over the course of the past few months. Other than teaming with Titus instead of being against him, it feels like Darren's the same guy he has been for seemingly months and months. I don't think just being a lot more aggressive would bring him to a 5, because he's still in the same role. He needs more range as a character to get high marks from me.
I think that if his character was "supposed to be" this over-the-top, they would talk about it more like they do with Daniel Bryan. His emotions aren't THAT exaggerated (and Bryan's are on purpose), but they don't seem natural. It reminds me in some ways of Lucky Cannon earlier in the season, trying to be bigger with the emotions because otherwise he wouldn't stand out. That can only last so long.
I'm not asking him to be casual. I just think his ring-work could speak for itself for the most part without all the "look what I'm doing" stuff every other move. It's like he has a number of different gimmicks going on at once ("No Days Off" being in the gym all the time, the loudmouth cocky heel, the technical performer who wears people down, the brutal brawler).
Honestly, he could get about all of the respect that the Pros could throw at him and Management probably wouldn't push him if they didn't think he was a good enough "sports entertainer". I agree that he's not a strong enough character. I keep bringing up Otunga and Slater having distinctive looks and characters with their attires and such. Pretty much any wrestler the company is currently behind stands out for being a lot more than an aggressive wrestler. That's the chief reason why I have Young so low. He's going for something the company generally doesn't get behind.
Titus was more cocky and into his role this week as opposed to finding his feet on how to be a bad guy. While he didn't look like a veteran, he also didn't look like he's only done it a couple of times.
While it is odd for a bigger guy to be a more cowardly heel in places, it did add to the story of the match.
I think a good enough performer could have a terrible win/loss record and still be someone doing great, as Chris Jericho showed as a heel a couple of years back. On the other hand, someone could win almost every match and have nothing to show for it because they can't connect with the crowd well enough.
Even if Titus and Bateman do lack that aggression and fire (which I don't really think they do as Young's seem kind of "by the book"), that's not their sole goal. They need to get people invested in seeing them every week, cheering and booing, etc.. If they can't do that, no one's going to be watching to see how aggressive someone is or isn't.
The whole point I keep coming back to is that aggression and the like are only some qualities of what generally make someone successful in the company. Young could be the most aggressive wrestler ever, but I don't think he'd get but so far on that (mostly) alone. Nor do I think he should, since that's only part of what being a "sports entertainer" is about.
Interestingly, Regal's a pretty good example of someone who was (is?) one of the best pure wrestlers in the business, but made it a lot further as a character that was more than just that. If he wasn't such a good entertainer beyond his in-ring ability, I doubt he'd have been as successful as he was. Compare his WWE career to a similarly talented (in-ring) Englishman, Dave Taylor.
ReplyDeleteHmm. I can see your logic for the most part there. I guess it's just a matter of creative differences in what each of us look for. To me, personally, I think what Young is doing right now is standing out and switching it up. I mean, the boos that he got were actual boos and not the type of boos that were blatantly dissing the crowd like Lucky did in the beginning of the season. To me, I think that attributes to becoming a little more natural with your role.
ReplyDeleteYour stance with Young kind og mirrors mine with Titus: I've seen just an insane amount of fluctuation (up and down) with Titus in terms of his promos and demeanor: One second he's calm on commentary, the next he's going off on the crowd in an erratic manner.
I look at it from day 1 of Season 5: He had no catchphrase, any sort of gimmick and lacked that "fire" element that he has now, because he was kind of a panderous good guy. Noted that he hasn't switched things up MAJORLY in the last few months, but from the beginning of the season, I think he's arguably switched things up more than Titus. I liked the different dialogue from him "We should be on Raw" and his mannerisms were switched up a bit from before. I think he's switched things up JUST ENOUGH to differentiate himself in progression.
I know both Young and Titus turned heel, but Titus has had that dog bark and the same mannerisms to me from the get-go. If he has changed them a bit, I don't really note it much, because it doesn't "stand out" to me, personally. As a bad guy, I just don't buy into him as a character, and to me, his in-ring talent and fire just hasn't been there, and even from an "entertainer" standpoint. I try to see the hype in him, but I just can't. To me, what your mindframe of Young is now mirrors what I'm seeing with Titus, and to some extent Bateman.
With that point about Darren being forced a bit, I agree, but that is something that even some guys on the main roster have done. I mean, he has more marketability than some of these guys on the main roster. I personally think it gets others noticed, unless it's WAY beyond applicable, like Lucky Cannon.
I remember you liked Riley as your pick to win Season 2, and you said he was just about a "5" in your book, but to that point, I think he was arguably one of the most over-the-top wrestlers I've seen in a while. Given, I liked him, but he does mirror Young in a lot of ways, but I guess it's just hard for me to understand why you were high on Riley and low on Young.
A lot of my bias could be from the Drama classes I took in high school and giving presentations. It felt like some people could go into just about any role they were given and could talk on a subject for a number of minutes on something, while others just couldn't connect to that for whatever reason. It was kind of obvious they just had some bullet points and phrases memorized and built from there. That's really where I see a big difference between Bateman and Young.
ReplyDeleteI find it KIND OF cheap to taunt so much. If you're doing your job well the crowd will be reacting without it. Tyson Kidd's good at just having a big smile and not being as heavy on the taunts, but still getting reactions. I was referring more to doing so many taunts than the actual content of them. Less can be more.
I think lately Titus has been more calm and cocky compared to the big "I HATE ALL OF YOU" kind of thing he has when he first turned heel.
I've pretty much stopped looking at the earlier weeks of the competition, since they were so long ago in "WWE time". Given how many other things have changed since then, it feels like NXT moves REALLY slowly at times. I mostly look at things from the last couple of months for that reason.
Mannerisms are only part of it. Titus improving in the ring since earlier in the season has also made him different in my eyes. Since Young was already pretty good there, there wasn't much differentiating he could do in the ring.
By entertainer standpoint, I mean the basic gist of a match being a story of good guy vs. bad guy. I'm not looking for a technical display or a "real" looking match as much (though obvious miscues in the ring do count against someone, as well as them looking like they have no clue what to do).
I don't think others being forced in their roles justifies Young, since I criticize them for it as well. I can't think of many performers he's more marketable than, except some of the others stuck on NXT. Mainly being an aggressive athlete just isn't something that generally gets people really into you. I honestly can't think of anyone outside of Chris Benoit and Finlay who made it far in the company primarily on that.
I don't think being noticed is the same as being marketable (and good enough at what you do to be featured). People noticed Eli Cottonwood and Jacob Novak for instance, but not really in a good way. Young's not THAT bad as a character, but those were the best examples of people I could think of who were just terrible on the mic (except in a "so bad it's good" way to some degree with Eli).
What I liked about Riley in Season 2 was that he was incredibly believable as a loud-mouth jock (and it fit his background). He had a character who had a distinct look beyond "I'm a motivated guy who gives 100%", with his jacket and the Varsity Villain moniker. I don't remember his finisher's name off the top of my head, but it was connected as well. He also really got that matches are more about comebacks and such than impressive, technical moves.
As for Riley now, I think he still has that "gift of gab" that I don't see from Young. He connects with the crowd as the "high school quarterback" type babyface.
Young does stand out to some degree for doing the aggressive shtick, but not really in the way I'd like to see him stand out.
That makes sense for the most part. I could see that "bias" I guess you could call it relating to someone either having the skills to entertain verbally or not as in there is no in-between. I personally would consider Titus an "in-between" right now with promos, so it exemplifies how subjective things are. I guess it's just all about what people value and their perceptions on things, which makes rankings and polls and whatnot SO subjective to the point where we could have 3 people (you, me and someone else) who have COMPLETELY different rankings between the three.
ReplyDeleteTo be specific here, I know Otunga was VERY mixed in terms of the pro's poll in Season 1. I know Miz thought he was No. 1 and on the flipside, CM Punk thought he was the worst. I guess as long as there is justification to our stances, which there is, each ranking makes sense, because there is so much subjectivity.
People like Punk and Regal seem to value more of Young's type: That technically-sound intense person. But then again, there are guys like Miz or John Cena who seem to value more of promo skills and personality. I personally am more of Regal's style, but it is so subjective to the point where there is never any consensus.
I don't think Titus is just amazing as a promo guy or anything, but since generally bigger guys don't need to talk all that much, there's kind of some (partially unconscious) slack given. If I was really looking for a breakout star, I doubt he'd be as high. I just think it's kind of unfair to label someone as a breakout star or not so early in their career. I'm sure there've been some people I've thought were going to go one way who ended up the other.
ReplyDeleteI saw at the time (and still do to some extent) some people online who thought Otunga was literally one of the worst wrestlers they had ever seen. I'm not joking. They thought there was a good chance he'd injure someone because of how "green" he was. I know that at least a good segment of online fans are quite amused by his character now, and I haven't seen as many complaints, but he seriously got a good deal of flak before his current push.
I can see Miz liking Otunga given both of their reality show backgrounds, whereas Punk has been around people who could wrestle 60-minute wars.
I will say that one guy Punk pushes for a lot is Colt Cabana, who while an incredibly hard working performer is very much on the comedic, sports entertainer side. He's also a legitimate big fan of Zack Ryder. On the other side, there's Daniel Bryan, Tyson Kidd, and TNA's Samoa Joe who are more on the intense/technically sound side. If you've never seen Joe, he's like a much better version of Husky Harris ("army tank with a Ferrari engine"), who also brings submission moves to the table. That's not a knock on Husky. Joe's just that good.
I know Regal's said something about being a sports entertainer and being known for his more goofy skits and the like, so he what he might personally want to see isn't necessarily what would work. He had a big hand in Daniel Bryan's early career, so there is that to really bolster your side.
I don't discount technical skill or anything. I just have seen some good technical performers fall by the wayside because "Creative had nothing for them".
I was looking at some of your past NXT posts, and I mainly agree with what you've been saying about Young being a little inconsistent. Given, Management has some control of that, and given that it's harder for a heel to be consistency ruthless, but I agree that more stability is something you could argue that he needs. I also think Titus needs more stability, though he's been more stable lately, to be able to convey believability to me.
ReplyDeleteI mean, could someone really duplicate this aggression and intensity every week? Lol. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yCwgpa8hxw
To your point about Otunga, I really also try to look at his Season 1 performance more in terms of just beyond wrestling. I thought he had a lot to offer, but some fans and wrestlers are really pathological in terms of not seeing the whole "sports entertainer" aspect you mentioned.
The fact of the matter is, I agree with Miz here that Otunga brings that bill. I mean being ranked second with little in-ring experience proved that. I like his look, charisma, naturality and having a fiancee that is famous certainly doesn't help lol. Even his backstage segments are natural with his words and demeanor, and that's a good thing about him.
This is the reference I'm using and remember in that I think guys like Regal and Punk are more in favor of guys like Daniel Bryan, and that guys like Miz are more in favor of the personality aspect of being a "sports entertainer". Check this out... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnCibmmQXk8
Both of those videos are kind of references, so to speak, about my thoughts on Young and Otunga.
I can't blame Management too much, because I don't know if it'd be really sustainable for someone to be extremely ruthless every week. That'd be great for Young if he was destroying people left and right, but theoretically if he does beat the crap out of Percy or whomever (and Percy doesn't "get his heat back" by returning strong), that puts him "above" Percy and I'd think they'd want to build people up this early in their careers. It's hard to get over a first impression sometimes, and with as many weeks of TV as they're having to put together, it wouldn't be good for one of the regulars to be taken out unless there's a good reason for it that benefits the person being taken out long-term (like Kane returning after being taken out by Henry).
ReplyDeleteI liked Young's promo in that clip, since he was more measured in his delivery and didn't need to yell to get over what he was doing. It has kind of become "in" for performers to talk slower, but for whatever reason the more loud, rapid-fire promos wear thinner to me.
I do look at Otunga's Season 1 performances to a degree because he's still a somewhat similar character (as opposed to Young doing something completely different). Otunga being on a reality show before WWE helped him in that aspect I think.
It's kind of tough to say how much of the NXT evaluations are in-character, since Punk's character was pretty ticked at being on NXT Season 1 if I remember correctly. I think he probably was legitimately disappointed in Otunga's in-ring ability, though. Some at the time did feel that way about him. I seriously saw him compared to the Great Khali in the ring.
Like I said, though (and this doesn't discount your point), Punk and Regal have a big history with Bryan, and Punk's also really high on Zack Ryder and Colt Cabana (who appeared very briefly in WWE as Scotty Goldman). It doesn't get much more "sports entertainer" than Cabana (though he's a very accomplished wrestler in the holds and moves sense as well). He's a BIT like Eugene in that he plays a pretty goofy character, but has extensive wrestling acumen.
Regal and Punk are also pretty high on FCW's Dean Ambrose, who's another guy known for great abilities as both a character and wrestler. I've heard pretty rave reviews on him, but have decided to not watch him until he gets a shot on TV so as not to prematurely color my opinion. I doubt he'd get as much screen and ring time as he does in FCW right off the bat, so it'd necessarily be a step back for him.
I honestly find it kind of strange that you like both Young and Otunga, because some would say that they're pretty opposite (Young being better "technically" and Otunga being better as a character/sports entertainer). I think there are at least some notable differences in them.
I haven't seen too much of the FCW guys, but I do agree that is more incentive and motivation for these guys on NXT to step their game up and give 100 percent. I think one thing both of us can agree on is that if any one of these guys weren't lacking any tangible or intangible traits, they would be on one of the main rosters. So, all of them have room for improvement, even with our differences in opinion on some of them.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I didn't think Otunga was HORRIBLE. I just thought he wasn't good in the ring. I don't disagree with him being ranked No. 2, because I really didn't think much of Gabriel or any of the other guys in that season in terms of being "entertainers". Despite Otunga's mediocre in-ring ability in Season 1, he did have that "entertainer" value. I liked his promos, interviews and when he hosted Raw that season.
I do agree it's a little odd for me to like both Otunga and Young. I guess it's just one of those unexplainable things where someone just has that "it" you look for. Both are different, but I guess it's just something I see in both of them that I don't see in guys like Bateman, Titus or Baretta. Hard to explain. You know what I mean there?
I pretty much just hear when they get try outs with the main roster (dark matches or live events), and when new people get added there. For as crowded as the main roster seems, there are a lot of people getting shots from there. Definitely enough for a theoretical Season 6 (which I don't see happening soon). Some of the ones I hear about seem to have pretty big characters, which is why I push that to some extent.
ReplyDeleteThat's not necessarily the case. WWE just might not have a place for them yet, especially with it being WrestleMania season (and their focus being there). Ditto for other performers not on NXT. It's kind of a case of who they think they can use (like Mason Ryan bypassing NXT entirely despite his limitations and people who didn't win previous seasons getting called up regardless). That's probably part of why some people don't watch the show: WWE's "just going to use who they like anyway" sometimes.
I liked Otunga for the most part as well, and didn't see him as THAT bad either. But the Pros pick up on little things a lot easier (especially veterans with varied backgrounds like Regal), and WWE's good with covering things up with camera angles and such.
I should note that despite my preference for character, I wasn't really behind Slater, Young, or Sheffield even with their characters really standing out. The looks Gabriel and Tarver had on the first episodes were pretty out there, too. I kind of knew Bryan's look beforehand, so I don't guess it really stood out as odd. It kind of was, though, in hindsight. They kind of assumed a lot of people knew who he was beforehand with the "internet darling" comments.
I guess I can see it. They just seem to have pretty different things. If there were already a lot of powerhouses on the roster (regularly) who weren't super-heavyweights like Kane, Show, and Henry, I don't think I'd be as high on Titus. As such, I can see him working well with a quicker partner to set up his bigger moves or something.