The Official WWE / NXT Discussion Thread *May Contain Spoilers*

[Gabbo]

Thats the poinmt, he is trying to get away from his father yet they keep mentioning it. It's part of the character.

 

Except the fact that in both his vignette's he personally rattled on about being 'wrestling royalty' and urged the fans to 'check out his bloodline'.

 

It's not part of his gimmick, it's inconsistent writing.

[TheEdgeOfReason]

Except the fact that in both his vignette's he personally rattled on about being 'wrestling royalty' and urged the fans to 'check out his bloodline'.

 

It's not part of his gimmick, it's inconsistent writing.

 

Oh, I haven't seen NXT yet. I thought it was the comms who were mentioning it. My bad.

[Gabbo]

Ahh, ok.

 

One thing that has struck me through the entire run of NXT is that alot of these guys have character. Alot of them have a personality and aren't as bland as many of the superstars that graduate straight to the man roster.

 

Guys like Skip, Tarver, Barrett, Riley, Young, Watson, McGullicutty, Harris and Kaval all have something to them outside the ring. Across both seasons that's a 1 in 2 ratio.

 

Then look up alot of the recent graduates in the last few years to the main roster: Ted DiBiase, Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Ezekiel Jackson, Primo, Yoshi Tatsu, Tyler Reks, Eric Escobar, Paul Burchill, Bam Neely, Manu, Gavin Spears, Ryan Braddock, Braden Walker, James Curtis etc mostly all fall into happy-go-lucky face or brooding heel categories.

 

It really highlights how little effort the writers put into these guys on the main shows, they know no-one will care if most of these guys don't get over, the crew will blame the worker, they'll be fired or ignored and more guys will get called up. I don't know if NXT is producing more characters because the writers have to focus entirely on these guys or if they are allowed to be themselves a lot more. Either way it's working and showing how little the writers really bother with newer talent on the main shows.

 

To me at least.

[alden]

Riley might have been the star of the show. the signature?????? that was awesome. The miz is the perfect fit for this guy. I have not seen any of his fcw stuff so i don't know how good of a worker he is....but right now the promo's got me. Although it was a video........i will see when he gets a live mic in his hand. You can do a million takes on a video. live is what matters.

[eayragt]

Wow. Only just seen RAW so I'm way behind, but... wow. Consider how down people were when NXT debuted, and then you go to this. Fantastic. They need to keep this developing real slow... which will happen due to NXT2. No quick join of 2 or 3 vets. Giving (at least some of) the rookies a chance to develop bew, heel personalities.

 

This really could be a huge plus for NXT1 "rookies", NXT2 rookies and the WWE in general. Really impressed. Best angle I've seen in years.

[tjfla]

Percy Watson can be a big star. Reminds me of Booker T,tons of charisma and actually looks like he can wrestle and sell

 

Still curious to know if he broke his ribs last night after Fat A** Harris messed up the splash. Watson rolls and that idiot jumps foward on that move,tell IRS's kid to watch Samoa Joe do it

[ChrisKid]

Is CM Punk turning face and are all the NXT Rookies now heels because heel just dosen't work for Heath Slater but i must say i'm shocked with Justin Gabriel being a good heel .

NXT Season 1 super faction coming up

[MrCanada]

from Lance Storm's site:

 

This was really great, this stood out as something different, something impactful, and one of the more memorable and important things to happen on RAW in a long long time. I have no idea where this goes from here but I am excited about watching WWE and very curious to see where this goes, which is a very good thing. Not minutes after this show was over, my brain was running ideas on where I would take this angle and what possibly lays a head, which is exactly what WWE should want. When you are interested and excited enough about something to think ahead to what might happen next week, there is no way you aren’t going to tune in next week, and if you are excited enough to discuss the angle with friend they might watch next week too.

 

Whoever laid this thing out was brilliant. The total destruction of the set, the announce desk, and specifically the ring really made this angle feel big. I don’t think fans have ever seen down to the bare board on a WWE wrestling ring before and I thought that was really significant. By destroying everyone at rings side this stepped out beyond a wrestling angle between NXT and John Cena it became a full out attack on WWE, which is awesome. Having no one left at the announce desk to comment on the action was fantastic and did nothing but add intrigue to this segment.

 

What makes this even better for me is there is a logical explanation that can be offered to explain why these guys, who have been arguing and burying each other for the last few months on NXT, are teaming up in this fashion. Wade Barrett is the leader and since he won NXT he moves up to WWE with a contract and is going to get a title shot. He is a heel so he realizes he can’t do this on his own so he decided to recruit the rest of the NXT guys by convincing them that there failure on NXT was WWE’s fault. NXT was designed by WWE to bury them and they were to be the laughing stock of all the pros and the entire WWE. Once he has them convinced he gets them to attack WWE in this fashion as pay back for the humiliation they suffered on NXT, and as an added benefit has them help him destroy John Cena who he will be challenging for the WWE Title.

 

If I were booking I’d have Edge’s attack on Orton the reason Orton gets pulled from the PPV match allowing Wade Barrett to cash in his Title Shot opportunity and take Orton’s spot in the Fatal 4 Way. You have Cena cut a promo from his hospital bed this Monday saying that he will be at Fatal 4 Way even if doctors have to roll him there in a wheel chair. Cena goes into the PPV like the Spirit of 76 all taped up and you put Wade Barrett over for the WWE Title and put this angle over the top. Wade Barrett with the Title and his NXT gang covering his back could be a very interesting dynamic.

 

A lot of these guys are inexperienced but if you present this group like men on a chess board I think it could work out great. You have Wade Barrett as the King; he’s the guy with the crown and thus the most important member. Daniel Bryan is the Queen (not meant as a joke) he is the second most important piece but also truthfully the most useful and powerful. You take the next 2 most competent workers and use them as your bishop and knight, and the least experienced and skilled guys are your pawns. Pawns don’t main event and will never draw money but they can be an important part of the game.

 

Here’s hoping,

Lance Storm

 

Storm needs to be booker somewhere important. I know he's currentley helping PWA in Winnipeg, but TNA or WWE could really benefit from him. (Hell, even ROH)

[Jaysin]

So how long can the WWE go without ruining it?

 

I give it less than a month.

[The Final Countdown]

So how long can the WWE go without ruining it?

 

I give it less than a month.

I'd accuse you of being cynical...but I wouldn't be surprised if you were right. Even during that beatdown, part of me expected Superman Cena to make a comeback and take out all 8 rookies by himself.

[Jaysin]

I'd accuse you of being cynical...but I wouldn't be surprised if you were right. Even during that beatdown, part of me expected Superman Cena to make a comeback and take out all 8 rookies by himself.

 

I'm not cynical, I've just gotten used to WWE's "creative" team. It just amazes me they put all that effort into that last angle that they couldn't write a good show to lead up to it. It was god awful television at it's worse.

 

I watched NXT Tuesday and I was let down we didn't get to see Joe Hennig vs Low Ki. From the videos on youtube I've seen, Hennig could be awesome in the ring and well, Low Ki is Low Ki. He's been awesome for years now.

 

What I don't understand is how Cole hated Danielson for being an ROH/internet wrestler while he praised Low Ki to the moon!

[Self]

Is CM Punk turning face and are all the NXT Rookies now heels because heel just dosen't work for Heath Slater but i must say i'm shocked with Justin Gabriel being a good heel .

NXT Season 1 super faction coming up

 

I hope Heath Slater has something as a heel, because he's one of the worst babyfaces I've ever seen. That hair. That catchphrase. That nickname. Everything he does strikes me as a guy 'trying' to be a babyface, but completely clueless as to what that really entails.

 

What I don't understand is how Cole hated Danielson for being an ROH/internet wrestler while he praised Low Ki to the moon!

 

I think he hated Daniel Bryan for a lot more than the ROH/internet thing. He didn't like his look. He didn't like his attitude towards The Miz. He didn't like his attitude towards the competition. He didn't respect him because of the losing streak.

 

Kaval... Maybe he likes Kaval's look. Maybe he likes Kaval's attitude. Kaval and Daniel Bryan has similar backgrounds, but they're not the same person or character by any stretch of the imagination.

[The Final Countdown]

I'm not cynical, I've just gotten used to WWE's "creative" team. It just amazes me they put all that effort into that last angle that they couldn't write a good show to lead up to it. It was god awful television at it's worse.

Oh, don't get me wrong: I completely agree with you. As much as I loved that angle, I don't have a whole lot of faith in their creative team to keep it rolling. That show was just abysmal up until that closing segment.

[Tha Black Phenom]

Yeah, we've all gotten used to the creative team, we know what they're capable of(in the negative sense)... but heck, this is a magnificent sighting for once, so this time around let's be positive on this one. If they fail to capitalize on it, at least we'll remember that memorable segment, even if it'll be followed in our minds by what "could've been".

 

I just saw (finally!) the show after missing Raw for three weeks and I have to say that indeed, the ending took me away. It felt so different and fresh, and I don't know what else I can say that hasn't been said but yeah pretty much, well done. Instead of judging on how I want it to go or how they should maintain things, I'll gamble and let it all in the creative team's hands, see where they're going with this. They thought it up, it's already that much.

[Candyman]

Is CM Punk turning face and are all the NXT Rookies now heels because heel just dosen't work for Heath Slater but i must say i'm shocked with Justin Gabriel being a good heel .

NXT Season 1 super faction coming up

 

CM Punk's not a face (the attack was about Cena, Punk was just in the way), but it would seem all the rookies are heels. I agree about Gabriel, he looks good as an intense heel. But I think we need to let this play out a little more before we start jumping to conclusions about who is what.

 

Yeah, we've all gotten used to the creative team, we know what they're capable of(in the negative sense)... but heck, this is a magnificent sighting for once, so this time around let's be positive on this one. If they fail to capitalize on it, at least we'll remember that memorable segment, even if it'll be followed in our minds by what "could've been".

 

True...it's funny, the most similiar segment on Raw to that was probably the Raw where WCW and ECW aligned with Stephanie being revealed as the ECW owner..and that definitely turned into a "what could've been" moment. But regardless of what happens, that was a great segment. And, ultimately, it did it's job - for the first time in a long time, I'm really looking forward to next week's Raw.

[BurningHamster]

Percy Watson can be a big star. Reminds me of Booker T,tons of charisma and actually looks like he can wrestle and sell

 

Still curious to know if he broke his ribs last night after Fat A** Harris messed up the splash. Watson rolls and that idiot jumps foward on that move,tell IRS's kid to watch Samoa Joe do it

 

Actually, to me it looked like Percy Watson messed up on that one. It looked like he was trying to roll away or was just in the wrong position to take the move because it was like he was trying to take it on his side. Harris just jumped up and came down senton style. But of course, WWE fans being WWE fans will hate on the fat guy right? I freaking loved that though, reminded me of Dick Togo dropping chunked out sentons on smaller guys.

 

On the topic of whether that beatdown will turn CM Punk face? Interesting, seeing how little of the beatdown he got compared to Cena .... hmm. If they are going to go with a mastermind behind things, Punk wouldn't be a bad choice.

[smurphy1014]

What about Jericho as the mastermind? At the final of season 1 he said he expected to see all of the rookies again (believe that was the wording).

[Hyde Hill]

Oh, don't get me wrong: I completely agree with you. As much as I loved that angle, I don't have a whole lot of faith in their creative team to keep it rolling. That show was just abysmal up until that closing segment.

 

Which also made it more awesome by comparison. I looked up the whole angle on its own and while very good I feel it is getting slightly overhyped also factor in that the E has not done something like this in a long long time to make it stand out more.

 

As to where they are going with this. As always wait and see but for now the timing makes me cynical as it was just before the premier of season 2 and seeing as NXT has failed ratings wise, in comparison to wwecw, it needed that boost

[Gabbo]

Yeah, I thought I was literally the only one that didn't see it as a masterpiece of great TV. Didn't feel anything close to epic or amazing. Granted it's vaguely interesting and the fact I'll check out next week's Raw because of it suggests it worked but it was nothing special, I don't think.

 

Maybe because I didn't watch all the show so I wasn't bored sick or just annoyed at how bad the show (apparently) was that I didn't have those low expectations. Or maybe because I've dramatically scaled back the amount of wrestling I watch in the last 6-8 months due to the overall terrible standard of the shows that an average angle doesn't jump out at me for being anything more than it was.

 

Someone hit the nail on the head earlier, these sort of angles should be happening week in week out year on year, episodic television is supposed to have an arc and to ask questions in order to get you to continually tune in, the WWE relies upon the fact there is little alternative to them and thus they can bank on the loyalty and lack of choice wrestling fans have.

[eayragt]

I'd accuse you of being cynical...but I wouldn't be surprised if you were right. Even during that beatdown, part of me expected Superman Cena to make a comeback and take out all 8 rookies by himself.

 

That was my favourite bit - Cena suddenly fights back and the crowd majorly pops (you know - despite the fact how everyone hates him). It screamed of Superman comeback... which didn't happen. He didn't even go through four rookies before being taken out - he hit two people and then got stopped.

 

Awesome.

[MrCanada]

 

I watched NXT Tuesday and I was let down we didn't get to see Joe Hennig vs Low Ki. From the videos on youtube I've seen, Hennig could be awesome in the ring and well, Low Ki is Low Ki. He's been awesome for years now.

 

were you really expecting them to give away the biggest match for NXT on the first show? Ki vs. Hennig will likely happen down the road when it means more, or not at all so it can happen even further down the road when it means more.

[juggaloninjalee]

were you really expecting them to give away the biggest match for NXT on the first show? Ki vs. Hennig will likely happen down the road when it means more, or not at all so it can happen even further down the road when it means more.

 

Well said... this isn't old school WCW Nitro where they give away big matches or potential big matches on national TV. Save it for PPV.

[Hitman23]

What I would like to see is after about four seasons of NXT them make it a brand and have all the contestants be on it with their own titles and have and have a NXT V. WWE. You could also have some people turn on WWE an join NXT. Just a thought I had but there is couple things that could work against it, if you have a show full of heels it wouldnt go down to well and thats what they would be to the "WWE Universe" but if they could manage to make the fans like some of the guys on NXT and make them faces while still going up against the Cena's, and Punk's of the WWE that could be nice.

[juggaloninjalee]

Punk would defect to NXT probably. Seems like it would suit him more at this rate.

[The Final Countdown]

What about Jericho as the mastermind? At the final of season 1 he said he expected to see all of the rookies again (believe that was the wording).

To go along with that, Jericho posted this on his Twitter on Tuesday:

 

Congrats to Wade Barrett for taking charge and making an impact, just as I told him too...

 

Yeah, it probably means nothing. But still...