NXT thoughts - 5/2/12

The new talent initiative continues on NXT as the stars of tomorrow cut their teeth. William Regal presents another episode of the show on 5/2. Read on for my thoughts on it as it happened.
Time to change the NXT opening graphic again. Two guys graduated and two were fired.

I wonder where Regal was scouting and if he saw Dean Ambrose, since they feuded in FCW.

I hope Regal doesn't "fire" more people as good as Curtis and Maxine are.

Remember JTG? He's the definition of "in WWE Purgatory".

I knew it wouldn't be Trent Barreta. He's even more in Purgatory than JTG.

Quite impressive from Kidd and Curtis.

I like that this show just puts young talented superstars in the ring and has them compete. It's not a hard concept.

Maxine sounds natural as always on commentary.

Kidd's comeback was pretty good off that tag.

Good teaming from Kidd and Riley.

And a good ending with the Dungeon Lock.

Good segment with Percy and McGillicutty.

Funny cameo with Reks and Hawkins.

I guess we'll finally get to see JTG's new look.

The injury angles continue. NXT has its own shirt?

I like Percy selling the attack from last week.

The cocky douchebag role fits McGillicutty well.

If Percy could fine that intangible "something", he'd be someone to really watch out for. He's good as is but I think he could end up great if he had the gimmick and flavor that others on the roster have.

I like McGillicutty working on the knee. It adds a different dimension to the match.

I think Regal could be speaking the truth about talents just sitting around waiting for a push.

Maybe McGillicutty using the Figure Four is what TNA got out of Flair appearing at the WWE Hall of Fame.

I like McGillicutty grabbing the ropes as well.

Percy's impressive, but I think he still needs some experience to be on Raw or Smackdown full-time.

Maybe the win means we're finally ready for the Genesis of McGillicutty.

I hope we're not in for a heel turn for Watson unless he's really good as one. I like him as a face.

On to rankings, which is down to one official Rookie for the time being. Anyone new added to the show will be considered a Rookie for the sake of competition. 5 is ready for the main roster (full-time), 4 is on the way there, 3 is in the middle, 2 is on the way to being someone I think should go back to FCW, and 1 is someone I think should be headed back to FCW or released.

Derrick Bateman- 4 (Last time: 4). Nothing wrong with that he's doing. He just needs to show that he's got more of what it takes in the ring to be elevated. A 5's going to be hard to get with so few spots on the main roster for singles stars. (Grade: B).

That's all for the 5/2 NXT. I'll try to have the 5/3 Superstars and Impact Wrestling up sooner rather than later, but no guarantees. Next up, the 5/2 news post. Thanks for reading!