NXT Thread

[$heriff Tom]

Heres the site for NXT. Im interested in how this is all going to go down. I believe I heard 4 month season, then a new round of rookies and mentors. Not everyone will be getting a spot on the main roster here.

www.wwe.com/superstars/wwenxt/

[grover]

Most of those guys look stupid.

LOL @ the guy with the purple flower on his coat

[cactusjames]

It's going to be awful.

[thecaptain15]

James I agree........I will watch to see what it is about but I don't hold out much hope......I hope Cablevision adds WGN sometime soon or FIOS becomes available in my hood so I can offset the loss of ECW with Superstars.....

[joetee316]

Ugh! They already changed Bryan Danielson's name to Daniel Bryan. I still have high expectations for this. I will be watching on Tuesday.

[$heriff Tom]

I liked it. Mixed reactions out there - I dont get a lot of the negativity cause its something different, we already have around 10 plus hours of "regular" wrestling programming out there weekly. And this is something people can choose not to watch.

Aside from Daniel Bryan and Daniel Otunga, who will both get there, I am very impressed with Jericho's second, Wade Barret. I had heard good things about him, he both wrestled and did snarky commentary down on the farm, as it were. He had a good look, and Regal-ish mannerisms, and a commanding promo style.

There are 14 weeks of this incarnation. Lots will happen, this was a good first episode. I like the mix between in-ring action, interaction with the mentors / rookies, and the background video pieces. When guys do start showing up on Smackdown / Raw, they will already have a "following" as it were.

Should be fun to watch the dynamic with mentors and students - you just know Tarver is going to knock out Carlito at some point, Bryan and Miz will mix it up in the ring, and who knows where Punk's guy is heading. Fun stuff.

[thecaptain15]

Well it is definitely different..It is ok so far and think it will have to be something that will have to grow on me. Danielson stammered a few times and does seem to be weak on the promo side. I do agree Jericho's guy seems like he is a natural on the stick......Oh yeah you know Otuga is going through just based on his connections and the publicity he can generate....

[cactusjames]

Shit, how did I miss this with Lost and White Collar on last night? Guess I know what the must see TV is next week.

[grover]

Daniel Otunga's video montage was funny, and I can see him getting some good heat. A-list is a great name.

Bryan is doofy.

It's different, sure, but just ok. Might get old quick.

Not to impressed with the other guys though, looks wise.

Also LOL @ Punk & Co. just starting at his goofy NXT rookie. Punk's face was awesome. LOOLLGMFDHNFADKLNFD

[MSBNYY]

I haven't watched this yet, but couldn't this also be a way to get former wrestlers/HOFers back in the mix as mentors? I'd much rather see an ex-WWE personality than a low end Raw guy.

[grover]

Because no one wants to see ex wwe guys.

Besides, its better to pay guys you have to be useful than old guys who may or may not want to do it more money.

[$heriff Tom]

Balls, this is a DEVELOPMENTAL show, not a NOSTALGIA show. A big part of the show are the wrestlers getting in the ring with their mentors, and against the mentors. We had Jericho vs Daniel Bryan last night. WWE is not interested in Daniel Bryan vs Al Snow, or David Otunga vs Hacksaw Duggan, nor are the fans.

Emphasis is on current and NEW, not on OLD!

[grover]

Also, that would tank the ratings.

I can't even think of that many old timers to bring back.

[MSBNYY]

Wouldn't it depend on which exWWE guy? People don't exactly want to see Chavo Guererro or the like either. You can have both developmental and nostalgic aspects to it.

So the "pros" wrestle on this show too?

[grover]

Yes, Bryan and Jericho went at it last night.

A guy like Daniel Otunga can get over by defeating a guy like R.Truth, ect, which is the point of having a few lower end stars there.

[MSBNYY]

I watched the first half hour, so I see why HOFers don't work in the mentor role.

Bryan must be a phenomenal wrestler, because he doesn't really have the look of someone that can make it. Liked his catchphrase though.

Also liked Stryker calling Bryan out about respect.

I stopped watching after that Carlito/Tarver v. Christian & Slater match.

I got a kick out of the whole Christian Slater thing. I wonder if that pairing was intentional because of that.

I don't think old timers would tank ratings because while they may not have the skills anymore, they still have the charisma. But that said, they definitely don't work on this show.

Will all of these rookies get to Raw or Smackdown?

[$heriff Tom]

Not every "rookie" will have a role after this. A handful will move to Raw or Smackdown, some may return to the "system" for more seasoning, and a couple may even be released.

Jericho was not the only talent to wrestle last night, Carlito and Christian also were in tag action with their mentors. I dont think anyone outside of you, Balls, cares about the Christian - Slater connection, although when you hear the names together yes, you catch it. Its surely unintentional.

Daniel Bryan is thought by MANY to be the best all-around pro wrestler in the world.

[grover]

They do have to work on Bryan's look. He looks the part of a Ring Of Honor guy, which is not what I want to see in a top tier wrestler.

I don't like the look of a lot of these guys.

[MSBNYY]

If I am the only one who cares about the Christian Slater connection, then you can add that to the list of things that make me better than you! WOOOHOOO!!!!

They would be the coolest tag team ever.

And Christian Slater could be their manager. What's HE doing anyway?

I stopped watching after the tag match, but I still have the rest on DVR. I really look forward to seeing Bryan in action.

[$heriff Tom]

Well, it didnt take WWE long to mess all this up - NXT rating this week was down under a 1.0, and is now lower than ECW was pulling! This after a 20% decrease in views from weeks 2 to 3. Its partially due to not establishing rules, partly due to the same formula every single one of their shows uses.

Even for me, I watched the first 2 episodes live, and then started DVRing and watching later on like I did ECW. Bloom was off the rose. I do, however, enjoy a few of the talents on there, especially Daniel Bryan, Wade Barrett, and Skip Sheffield.

[MSBNYY]

Not a shock. I even stopped DVRing it.

[$heriff Tom]

Why, too much actual WRESTLING on the show for you?

[thecaptain15]

Last night's show was basically a Wrestlemania infommercial with only two matches.......Will Daniel Bryan ever win a match......I love how Vince sh*ts on anything that the smart marks or internet geeks love like ECW and Bryan...Funny part is he is the still the one most over with the crowd.......Be interesting what the "standings" reveal next week......I am surprised they haven't made this like an American Idol type thing by having the pros judge but then also have the audience vote as well.......

[$heriff Tom]

They dont want the audience involved cause Im sure they had their plans going in, and they dont want the pesky audience getting in the way. Im not worried about Bryan, its obvious to me the storyline is simply that he will continue on even though he keeps losing...the ultimate underdog. Its working, the crowd are buying into him, I think this is being played perfectly well. I dont think its Vince crapping on it, in the end Bryan will be fine.

[thecaptain15]

Tom I was thinking more along the lines where the audience could vote as a "part of the total" not having the total decision..I know that would mean Vince could pull chicanery behind the scenes (just like any of these reality type shows) with the results but at least the fans psychologically might be into it more....

[$heriff Tom]

Well, this didnt take long....NXT's ratings have now dropped as low as ECW has ever gotten. Man, they bungled this show....it started strong, the premise is great, but it simply became yet another formulaic WWE offering.