And, we're back! William Regal puts on another edition of NXT this week, headlined by a mixed tag match featuring Maxine and Johnny Curtis vs. Derrick Bateman and Kaitlyn. How will the most entertaining people on the show fair in the ring after so many segments and vignettes? Also, Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks continue to try make a name for themselves on WWE's unofficial 3rd brand. Plenty more's on the card. Read on for my thoughts on the show as it happens!
Oh, have I missed this show. Or at least parts of it.
Not really sure why we need both Striker and Regal, but I like both of them so I don't really mind.
Dear Internet fans: if you like tag team wrestling (as many claim), THIS IS THE SHOW TO WATCH. If the concept's a bust, WWE's not going to use them regularly.
Heh. Titus' music brings out both men again. Though Young came out first and was announced first.
That was the best "sports entertainering" Young's done in quite some time. THAT'S when you bring that much to your entrance.
Hard-headed Samoans... that's a pretty old gimmick for wrestling apparently.
I was a little surprised that Titus started off, but now maybe it looks like we will get Young taking offense to set him up for a big run-in.
Big bump over the ropes by Young.
I'm getting a little tired of moves over/through the ropes. They used to mean a lot more than they do now.
The Usos have good synergy and connect to the crowd. I think some of that credit might go to Young and Titus mocking them. Maybe.
Ugh. Young taunts way too much. He looks like he's trying pretty hard to get noticed.
Good teamwork. Titus is improving with his moves.
I like some of Young's moves. Innovative and painful-looking.
Glad I'm not the only noticing Young trying to get on camera a lot.
For an odd pairing, Young and Titus are making it work as a team with frequent tags.
Oh, maybe I have it wrong. Maybe the Usos are the ones getting the big comeback and win.
Impressive ring work as we usually see from Young.
This is working out pretty well for 4 people without much WWE experience.
A little surprised that the Usos took that one over Titus given how big he'd been pushed beforehand.
I think we need more storyline between Young and Titus; why they're teaming, their strategies as a team after being fierce rivals, etc..
That was kind of a random backstage segment, but I liked everyone's performances.
I wonder how many catch-phrases are on that DVD.
Gambling in general is a losing endeavor. Good line either way.
I'm not so sure Riley turning heel vs. Percy is something I want to see.
Percy Watson is someone I've really been impressed with lately. Given enough experience, I think he could be someone to really watch out for.
Riley might be trying a little hard at ringside as well. That being said, the crowd's into him.
Nice reactions to Riley.
I see some of Edge in Curt Hawkins. Not sure who to compare Reks to. I'm liking both men either way.
Impressive elbow from Hawkins. He's starting to get me back behind him after a period where I assumed he was pretty close to being on the Future Endeavored list.
Hawkins and Reks said more in a few sentences than some performers yell in an entire promo.
Haha. Maxine trying to stir something up between Regal and Striker. Nice.
"Playing tag with Derrick". *wink*
I guess they're an official couple now.
Curtis is REALLY creepy.
NXT should spin off into a sitcom.
Kaitlyn's a lot of fun. Really glad she got to be on NXT instead of Isis the Amazon (no disrespect to her).
Kait-man and Curti-Max. I can live with those names.
"I should cheer John Cena. He has more Facebook fans than Rock".
Guess you can't have a singles rematch on a tag team show.
I continue to get Mr. Anderson vibes from McGillicutty.
McGillicutty goes from yelling every other move to a soft-spoken, emphasizing every word style. The crowd responds well and I like it. What a concept.
That's true about Tyson getting a match at 16.
Kidd's not actually related to the Harts, but he has a big history with the family.
Fine back-and-forth. Both still have some growing to do with their promos, but all-in-all I was impressed by two guys who've been under the radar for parts of their careers.
It's a tag match. They HAVE to tag.
The Rock Concert was funnier than I cared to admit last night.
Was that the Safety Dance?
I did know that Bateman is Catholic, but...
HAHAHAHAHA. Darn you, Regal, and your dry humor on commentary.
Wait. Do Striker and Regal share that office?
I'm not crazy about Maxine's shriekiness, but other than that I'm liking what everyone's doing here.
I like Bateman's flying knees move, though he seems to miss it more often than not.
I like Curtis working over the leg.
Curtis fits his character like a glove. I really enjoy it. As generic as I thought he was in Season 4, he's really won me over this season.
Really? Way too short of a match. That went hardly anywhere.
Aaaaaawwwwwww.
Bateman and Kaitlyn play off of each other very well. Fun duo.
I thought Regal was married to his 17th wife?
Go Bateman!
Fine end to the show. I like the characters involved.
Phew. Finally got that done. Time for some evaluations. 5 is pretty much must-see (good in all areas), 4 has some flaws but is mainly someone doing the right thing, 3 is really missing something one way or another or not good enough to be a higher rank, 2 is almost entirely terrible, and 1 shouldn't be wrestling on-screen.
Derrick Bateman- 5 (Last Week: 5). This week's match was disappointingly short, but it wasn't bad so that didn't hurt his ranking. He's been very natural in his role and good in the ring. All I want "more" from him at this point is better performances in longer matches, but he actually has to get longer matches for that to happen. (Grade: A-range. Somewhat on the lower end, but enough to stay in a 5 for the time being. I don't see him dropping to a B or 4 without some uninspiring/bad performances.)
Titus O'Neil - 4 (Last week: 4). Titus had another "on" week this time. While far from being a great big man, he seems to be coming along with his ring work. The mocking of the "U So" gesture in reference to his own dog bark was good. Long singles matches with people he doesn't match up well with and more fast-paced promos could be his downfall, but WWE smartly doesn't generally use him in that way. It might be a while before he gets to a higher spot on the WWE roster, but I think he continues to mostly go in the right direction. He just needs to be consistently good from here on out. (Grade: B-range. Future performances will determine if he stays here or goes to a B-. Getting to a B+ will take more work.)
Darren Young- 3 (Last week: 3). Young finally did something as an entertainer that I really responded well to with the Uso entrance mocking. THAT was 4-worthy. Other than that (and the nuts and bolts of his ringwork, which has pretty much always been good), it was more of the "notice me" stuff with kind of exaggerated gusto and "chewing the scenery" that continues to keep him stuck where he is. He deserves some credit for the better meshing with Titus, but I'm not ready to put him back in the "4" boat just yet. Less over-the-top performing will win me back over. (Grade: on the edge between B and C).
That's it for NXT this week. I'll have more news, and a post for Superstars and Impact Wrestling (at least) tomorrow as I continue to work my way back on track. Thanks for reading and I apologize for the lateness!
I agree that the Uso entrance mocking was great for both of them. Not only did it help them stand out and get them noticed a bit, but it really solidified their heel personas. Credit to Titus and Young on that one. That really made a feud more than just wrestling right there, and actually exemplified what a bad guy should be doing in terms of intensity and mocking.
ReplyDeleteI won't harp too much on our differences of opinion on Young. I didn't like Titus much in the ring this week. He looked a little awkward, and looking at the big picture here- is he ready in the ring to be at the next level, and the answer to me is not yet. Therefore, that is one of the reasons why I have Titus (and Bateman) pretty proportionately behind Young as far as in-ring readiness.
I also agree that there should be more story behind why Young and Titus are teaming. I know they did that "shaking hands" promo like two months ago, but I agree there should be more background behind it. I don't penalize them as much as I do Management for not adding another promo or interview or something based on that. However, they both had chances on commentary to mention how/why they are teaming together.
I do agree they worked well together this week. I've always liked Young's wrestling ability (single/tag team), and I liked Titus' teamwork much more than I liked Titus' ability and believability in the ring this week.
By the way, I didn't check out your Raw posting yet, but I really liked that Jericho tron promo Monday. I really have thought he is one of the best ever when it comes to promos. In just a two-minute timeframe, he was as efficient and effective as ever. I was very disappointed when he was on that big losing streak a couple of years ago, because he is better than that.
You mentioned before you were in college? What field/college are you in? I am also in college as a graduate student.
First off, I am so sorry that this took so long to post. My computer stopped recharging on Thursday. I thought I needed a new battery, so I ordered one on Friday and it didn't get here until Monday. Then it turned out that it wasn't the battery; it was the charger. So I had to get one of those on Tuesday and start catching up on posts then.
ReplyDeleteIn my somewhat-haste, I left out that I'd eliminate Young. Though he did impress me more this week with the entrance, I'm still thinking that there could be someone else who could do more with his spot. Skip Sheffield's been destroying people on live events and dark matches, so him returning as an intense heel would be something I'd be considering. They could have bigger plans for him, though. Given that they call him Ryback now (his real name of RYan reeves + silverBACK), they probably don't want us to remember him as the former NXT contestant.
I don't know who came up with the Uso mocking, but it was clever. It looks a bit like Young might be taking Titus under his wing to some degree as the more experienced guy of the team. While that's presumably not his ideal role, I applaud his "willingness to be a team player" if that's indeed what's happening.
I mainly consider Titus as someone to be in a tag team with someone like Percy (and I'm starting to like Young as a partner of his) in a way that works well for both of them. Given how small the roster is, it's unlikely that they'd get much TV time to wrestle outside of NXT.
He could continue to improve on live events (after/in addition to some more fine tuning in FCW) in longer matches, but once some of the part-timers are out of the way (and after more experience as a team), that's where I'd like to see him months down the line. Of course, I'm thinking more in terms of a story to a match instead of a "5-star" match. Young could wear someone down for Titus to clean house.
Titus did seem to be more comfortable with his moves (as opposed to just coming in and doing a couple of big power moves, he did some more wearing down of his opponent).
It might be that Management/Creative don't think they're "good enough talkers" to do more interviews/promos/backstage segments. NXT's been pretty heavy on outside-the-ring stuff, but I can't remember the last time Young (and maybe Titus) got something that wasn't out in the ring or at commentary. Generally backstage segments are supposed to be "someone got caught talking" instead of cutting a promo like Young usually does. I'd like to see them "talking strategy" or something backstage.
Jericho is one of my all-time favorites, as he has done well in everything I've ever seen him do. Granted, I didn't see his earlier years. That promo was a little "heavy" for my tastes in some ways, since it does hit pretty close to home with why Punk became straight-edge. His delivery was fantastic as always.
Jericho was probably more than ok with losing all those times. He was always able to get his heat back. Jericho seems like one of the smartest minds in the business based on interviews and comments I've seen. It's not just wins and losses; it's where the characters go afterward. The fact that Jericho is still one of the top names in the business despite losing so many times to people lower on the card than him means, to me, that he's doing his job really well.
I'm in my first year at a not especially prestigious community college (that's cheaper and pretty close to home). I'm still kind of in the "feeling out process" of what field to ultimately go into, but I like writing and am starting to gain an interest in history. I'm old enough to be a couple grades higher, but got kind of disillusioned after high school and didn't know what to do after it for a while. You?
That's one of those things we talked about before that there should be less grey area, especially in a competition, in terms of if the wrestlers or Management or whoever is behind the mocking, for example. It would make a world of difference, and it kind of exemplifies the fact that there is so much grey area when it comes to a fan vote. I would assume Young and Titus had something to do with it, though.
ReplyDeleteThough I think Young is standing out personally, I do think he should do more things like the Usos entrance taunt. Though I don't think he should be too hostile in the future, it really responded well, and I know some of the pros tweeted about it.
I mean, when it comes down to it, Young hasn't been completely "horrible" when it comes to promos, so I'm kind of perplexed IF the reason why this whole teaming with Titus angle lacks substance and reason is because of Management not giving them backstage/promo/interview chances. I mean, objectively, Young has had more good promos than not, and from an interview/backstage aspect, the last time I remember anything like that happening is when he teamed with Chavo.
Long story short, I would be down to see an interview/segment to close the grey area why they are teaming, but it is Management..
Interesting. I would have figured you were around 25+ or so with your grammar and whatnot. I am around the same age as you. I finished my grad degree around 21 and am going for a second one here. I'm all about getting everything done and not having to go back to school when I'm 35+.
By the way, I am warming up to the Titus/Young team now. I know it sounds hypocritical with all of the criticism I've given Titus, but there is something I like that they bring to the table that is different from other teams. Individually I am not a big Titus fan, but with them seemingly stepping it up a notch in that entrance and the aggression both have been having, I would really like to see more from them. Last week made me want to watch them as a team. What are your thoughts?
ReplyDeleteI'd think (and I could be way wrong) that if it was someone other than the wrestlers themselves who came up with it, it might have been one of the agents/producers (older wrestlers who work backstage to fine-tune matches). If they legitimately talked to Arn Anderson for advice (and props if they did), that could have been where it came from. I don't know enough about Arn to say if that's something he'd come up with. Not that there's anything wrong with asking them for advice instead of doing their own thing. I'd think that would make them look better to Management for respecting their elders. There's the political aspect that those people have something to do with Creative, but they also have a lot of knowledge about what makes a crowd tick.
ReplyDeleteWho tweeted about it and what did they say? While having Pro support doesn't necessarily translate into getting pushed, it can help.
I think there's a difference between in-ring promos and backstage segments as far as acting ability. Especially on NXT, where things are a little more laid back and goofy at times. While Darren's good at speaking to the crowd, backstage things are theoretically more like "they don't know there's a crowd who sees them" so he wouldn't need to raise his voice and stuff. They might not think he's as good at that part of it. Ditto to some degree for Titus.
Yeah, sometimes Management/Creative just straight up likes certain characters more and pushes for them to be in more segments. Unfortunately, sometimes their tastes are very different from the audiences (Natalya farting for a recent example).
I appreciate the compliment! I'm 22. I've just written and read a lot, I guess? I definitely feel you about getting things done now and not having to remember formulas and things 10+ years after I last used them.
It's weird about them teaming: at first I thought the dynamic of the quick Percy and powerful Titus made more sense, but maybe experience is more of what the team needs to bring it through longer matches. I can't think of a team off the top of my head with a big power guy and a more technical wrestler, but that doesn't mean it can't work out. I'll give it some more time before 100% liking or disliking it, but right now I think they can pull it off (which I think might add to my opinion of Darren for being able to adapt to that kind of teaming).
Weirdly, I think the two of them might have kind of forged a bit of a bond behind-the-scenes given their Tweets lately. It's said that the best tag teams "know each other" pretty well, so that's likely a good thing.
I know Kofi Kingston mentioned the mocking of the entrance and sent the link to his followers along with someone else. I agree it may not help with a push, but it's a good sign to step outside of the box and do something no one has done before instead of just "wrestling" feuds.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the backstage difference with promos, but the flaw I have with that is Young and even Titus have had maybe one backstage segment each that I can remember in 50+ weeks. I'd like to see them have more of a chance to not only prove more in that department, but to close some of the grey area as to why and how they are teaming after fueding a number of times.
I think with fewer teams having a power guy and a technical wrestler can be a way for them to stand out a bit. I think the differences of them can be a good thing. I know teams like The Usos and Reks/Hawkins are very much similar, and a lot of teams follow that same common pattern. I like standing outside of the box a bit.
They are off to a good start, though. I think if they carry this anger and momentum, they, especially Young, could get back in your good graces again.
Let me rephrase that: Usos mirror each other as partners and Reks/Hawkins mirror each other as partners (not both teams compared)**
ReplyDeleteIt's good that they're being noticed. As I said it is kind of a political game, so it will take the right person/people noticing them for that to matter. And sometimes that's only part of the process, because Chris Masters got released even though HHH and Vince had eyes on what he was doing. Masters had "2 strikes" on the Wellness Policy from years back, so that likely factored in, too, but it is something to note. (WWE's such a clustermess backstage as far as people having overlapping responsibilities that even having the CEO/Chairman in your corner might not push you 100% since he has other responsibilities. There was a time when he thought someone (Jimmy Wang Yang) had been under contract for a long time, but had been released and was just visiting backstage. He was re-signed that day if I'm not mistaken.)
ReplyDeleteIt is good for them to be different from other teams if it works out for them. It's all a matter of how well they mesh. Sometimes teams feel just like "Wrestler A + Wrestler B" instead of a "true team" of people working together as a single unit if that makes sense.
If they each do what they do best, I think it can work for them. That's one reason I liked the idea of Percy and Titus teaming: Percy had the flash and ability to cover for Titus to just do some power moves.
NXT could be late again this week, depending on how much news there is to cover. I'm "penciling it in" for Thursday.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1108799-wwe-smackdown-it-is-time-to-respect-david-otunga-and-his-great-talents
ReplyDeleteYour thoughts?
Since unfortunately NXT won't be loaded in time for me to watch it before school (and there was a good deal of news to cover on Tuesday), it looks like it'll be this afternoon.
ReplyDeleteAs for the article:
I wouldn't really say that Otunga is having "exciting" matches, but I am enjoying them.
He's getting a push, but I still don't think it's 100% "about him". If he's still a big deal after Mania (given WWE's hot-cold booking, that's not a guarantee), maybe. Since he's working with Laurinaitis instead of being on his own, I wouldn't consider it "about him". They're kind of a package deal right now.
It's a little misleading to reference his guest host run in 2010 and tag team title reign with Cena in the same paragraph as his current push, since they were a good time apart. They are part of a larger trend over the 2 year period, but there was also a time when he was stuck on Superstars and not doing much.
I also don't think the spotlight is on him at Mania, since it is a somewhat thrown-together 12-man tag. Don't be shocked if it doesn't go particularly long, as it feels to some degree like an excuse to get more people on the card. If he stands out amidst the chaos then, then maybe I'll think WWE's thinking of getting behind him to a larger degree. They like him, but the post-Mania shakeup (old names going back behind-the-scenes, new names potentially arriving) will be key.
Mick Foley's also becoming a big fan of his, and at least a portion of the internet is really finding humor with his character (there were a good number of Photoshops going around after the "PPV group photo"). Of course, I'm liking him for the most part as well. If he can bring his in-ring ability up to his character, he'll be someone to really watch out for in the years to come. He's definitely evolved from where he was on NXT in that regard, but maybe not enough to justify a big title push right now.