WWE NXT: The NXT Review (2.15.11)

“We are wild and young!”

Once again, the second best show the WWE has currently (second only to SmackDown) NXT is on and ready to entertain the masses!

We start in the ring this week with Matt Striker reminding us the prize the winner of Season Four will receive a shot at the “prestigious” Tag Team Championships with their pro. Is it safe to say the WWE has officially given up on NXT?

Anyway, above the heads of the three remaining rookies (Brodus Clay, Derrick Bateman and Johnny Curtis) are piñatas. The rookies have to smash the piñatas to get the “NXT dollars” out to give to their pros.

First Challenge: “Smash and Grab”

Johnny Curtis is up first.

From the stage, R-Truth is coaching his rookie. All I’m getting is “SWING, COME ON JOHNNY."

After several swings, Curtis begins to look quite exasperated and ends up throwing down his blindfold and bat. Truth tells him to keep on trying and he ends up failing miserably. However, he gets the piñata down when his time runs out and stabs it a few times before giving the dollars to the audience.

Next is Brodus Clay.

Brodus gets it down in a second!

Ricardo Rodriguez screams Spanish from the stage. Is Alberto Del Rio too big for this show now? Rodriguez must be pretty pleased with all this screen time he’s been getting.

Maryse yells at him to “Speak English, idiot!” quite ironically. If only the Divas showed this much attitude and personality on the main shows.

Brodus jogs up the stage cockily and hands Rodriguez the dollars.

Next is Mr. Cheap Pop, Derrick Bateman. Striker asks him if he has a strategy, and he lets us know that he plans on hitting the piñata really hard and then running the dollars to his pro. He ends with a “Stay classy, San Diego!” I like this guy.

The referee counts Brodus’ $4,800. Bateman must beat this to win the challenge.

Bateman gets some dollars out but gets disqualified for grabbing the piñata with his hands. Brodus wins the two immunity points.

Winner: Brodus Clay

I wasn’t feeling this challenge too much. It had its funny moments, but nothing too entertaining.

First Match: Brodus Clay vs. R Truth

The bell rings and Clay ends up in the ropes following a kick to the face. He rolls out of the ring to recoup and Truth leaps over the top rope and onto him.

Truth pounces and pummels Brodus’ face before being told to get back in the ring by the referee. Ricardo Rodriguez rushes to his substituted rookie’s side and gets shoved to the floor for his efforts.

“WHAT’S UP?!”

Brodus gets back into the ring and Truth keeps control of the match. He then attempts a move to Clay in the corner and gets flapjacked onto the mat.

The control switches from Clay to Truth briefly until Clay ends it with a Big Splash.

Winner: Brodus Clay

Short match, but not too shabby. Clay is a good wrestler for a big guy, but could do with a bit more work.

Tonight, there will be a Bryan vs. Bateman match. I’m looking forward to this one, it’ll be nice to see how their chemistry translates into a match.

After a break, we get back to the stage where the rookies are stood by buckets and mats and everything that makes me feel unsure of what we will be witnessing here.

Second Challenge: “Save Yourself Trivia Challenge”

There will be five categories, whichever rookies answers the most questions and earns the most money will save himself from elimination next week.

The categories are the 80s, the 90s, Title History, WrestleMania and Divas.

Brodus goes first and picks the 80s for $300.

His question asks who the final team the late Captain Lou Albano led to the Tag Team Championships. The British Bulldogs are correct!

The year SmackDown debuted on TV?

Johnny Curtis goes for 1999 and is correct.

Brodus is right, that wasn’t an eighties question!

The first DX member to receive the Jesse the Body Slammy Award?

Road Dogg, Triple H and Shawn Michaels are all incorrect. The correct answer is Ravishing Rick Rude.

Curtis goes for the 90s category.

Who was the first Superstar to regain the WWE title for the first time in eleven years in 1994?

None of the rookies were able to guess the correct answer of Bob Backlund.

Johnny then goes for Divas for $300 and Matt Striker makes a borderline sexist “me too” comment.

The questions ask which Diva led the most men to the WWE Championship. Bateman guesses Sunny and is correct!

Bateman then goes for the Title History category.

Who is the only Superstar to win the WWE title in a cage match?

Wow, there’s only one? You learn something new everyday.

“Put your feet down Johnny, that looks weird.” Who says Todd Grisham is bland?!

The correct answer is Batista, none of the rookies guess right.

Bateman then asks for WrestleMania and the question is what the first match in WrestleMania history is.

Johnny Curtis stumbles around Tito Santana but runs out of time. Brodus then goes for Santana vs. The Executioner and is correct, winning the competition.

The losers, Curtis and Bateman, then get covered in some green slime, while Maryse runs out of the way and Brodus toots his bullhorn.

Clay now has five immunity points.

Winner: Brodus Clay

I enjoyed this challenge, it’s nice to see the WWE embracing their history, even if it is just on NXT.

Straight after a Raw Rebound of The Rock’s incredible return is Daniel Bryan vs. Derrick Bateman.

Main Event: Daniel Bryan vs. Derrick Bateman

“This isn’t ROH, don’t shake hands.”

All right, I am officially a Dolph Ziggler mark.

The pair starts off with some Ring of Honor worthy chain wrestling. Daniel Bryan goes for a quick pin but Bateman impressively bridges out of it and the team of “Chicks and America” lock up. Wait, is that the right name? Or is it “Submission Wrest-ling!”?

This is possibly the most important match of Derrick Bateman’s NXT time so far, as a strong showing against the best wrestler in the world could really put him over as more than just a green rookie.

Bateman pulls of a monkey flip, remaining locked up with Bryan the whole time. Bryan then does the same, this time breaking the hold. Bryan then gets his rookie to the ground and works his arm/shoulder.

The match continues on with a very fast pace. The two men work each other very well, concentrating most on the shoulder area. Bryan breaks out of a wristlock with a dropkick and goes for the pin.  Bateman kicks out and Bryan carries on working the arm.

From the stage, Dolph Ziggler asks who we’re supposed to root for. Good question. Did I mention that only Ziggler, Maryse and Rodriguez are on the stage now? Where did Masters go? R Truth? Why hasn’t Ted DiBiase been here all night? It’s not like he’s busy winning championships or Royal Rumbles or anything.

Todd Grisham calls Bryan’s six-month US title run impressive. He’s had, what, two challengers? Fix this, WWE.

Bateman breaks out of a wristlock and sends his pro flying out of the ring. Bateman then goes for Bryan’s signature suicide dive and knocks him onto the ground again. Impressive!

Bateman attempts a pin but Bryan gets out of it. Bryan then gains control again following a big clothesline.

Todd Grisham then makes another interesting comment by saying that if Bateman wins NXT, he’ll be competing against Daniel Bryan-type athletes week in, week out. I don’t think there are more than five wrestlers currently on the roster that can compare to Bryan in the ring. A nice, but laughable attempt at putting over the Superstars.

Bryan hits a suplex on Bateman and heads to the top rope. He goes for a top rope splash à la Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka but Bateman gets out of dodge quickly.

Josh Matthews makes an interesting comment about how he thinks the charisma of Derrick Bateman has rubbed off on Daniel Bryan. I have to agree here. Since the whole partnership with Bateman began, Bryan has been showing more and more personality. At the same time, Bateman has looked more and more impressive in the ring weekly, which possibly shows he’s been studying his pro. I think the pairing of Bateman and Bryan has been one of the best of all four seasons of NXT.

Bateman hits a huge clothesline, sold beautifully by Daniel Bryan. Bryan kicks out at one and a half.

Bateman then gets another near fall as he rolls up Bryan. He goes for the roll up again but Bryan tries to get the LaBell Lock locked in. Bateman counters this and hits an interesting looking one handed sit-out powerbomb! Great move!

He goes for the pin but Bryan kicks out again. The crowd are so into this, it’s crazy.

Bryan crawls to the corner with Bateman waiting for him to get up. Bateman runs towards his pro but gets kicked in the face, falling back to the mat.

Bateman plays possum (something you don’t see much anymore in the WWE) and tries to get a struggling Bryan into the LaBell Lock. Bryan counters it excellently and gets the move locked in instead.

Bateman taps.

Winner: Daniel Bryan

Wow! What a match! Great back and forth action and many cool spots. I think this has been the best in-ring showing for any of the Season 4 rookies thus far. Daniel Bryan did a great job of putting his rookie over and Bateman did not look at all green here. If this is the kind of talent you have down at FCW, why oh why are you letting Mason Ryan wrestle on Raw?!

Overall another good, entertaining show. Derrick Bateman is definitely my pick to win now. He can talk, he can wrestle, he has charisma- how many full packages do we have on the main roster right now?!  Out of the three remaining rookies, Bateman has been the most impressive and if he wins, the tag team he’ll have with Daniel Bryan will be amazing.

Also, I’ve said this before, but Dolph Ziggler on NXT beats out Dolph on SmackDown by far. His ROH comment was hilarious. He gets quite a bit of heat on NXT and seems a whole lot more over here. THIS is the character Dolph Ziggler should have.

Next week, there will be another elimination and I really have no idea who will go home. With Brodus Clay racking up the immunity points, I have to believe it will be Johnny Curtis, just because I am sure Bateman will win.

Thanks for reading and I will see you next week.

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