The Stockwell Section – NXT

Finally, WWE NXT has arrived and is hitting satellites around the globe. 8 Rookies, 8 Pros and a supposed concept that will shape the landscape of sports entertainment. So how did the WWE fair on their first outing with their new concept? How were the Rookies that were showcased on the debut and how was their relationship with their mentors? More importantly, how promising does the show seem after its first effort?

 


 

First and foremost, let’s discuss the man of the hour Daniel Bryan. Firstly, Bryan’s match with Jericho was a great little encounter which had me particularly interested from start to finish. Bryan gave it all on his first WWE showing and luckily, he was with a man who greatly assisted him in showing how good he actually is. Whilst I thought the Miz beat down was a little unneeded, I liked how he interacted with his mentor throughout the night.

One thing that stood out to me was a comment the young star made regarding William Regal. For me it seemed a tad odd that the young buck would mention Regal considering his taking the face role in his interaction with The Miz. Now I understand that the young star may in fact prefer to work with Regal over any other star, but for a scripted face character to state he would prefer to work with a heel seems odd. Now, here’s a theory I have. I have a feeling (which I’m sure many others feel) that Bryan will go head on with the former reality TV star once he transfers up to the big leagues. However, I can’t see Daniel lasting long as a face. IF we are treated to a match which pits the rookie against Regal, I have a feeling that Daniel will show respect, even if it is just by a simple handshake – which I’m assuming will only infuriate The Miz more. After his debut, I have a feeling Regal could approach Bryan about having a ‘real’ mentor and this in turn will set up a heel Bryan with Regal backing. Of course, this remains to be seen but as I said, it’s just a theory I have.

The big problem with Daniel is his size. Even compared to Y2J, the guy was small which could be his downfall in the WWE. Secondly, whilst he does lack a certain charisma, he does have a quality similar to that of Chris Benoit and if the star does succeed, I feel he will follow the same path and be used extensively in programming but rarely as a top tier player of the WWE – I suppose Big Show and possibly Kane are other examples of this happening.

Anyway, moving onto another new star – Darren Young. Now, without knowing the finale of NXT but assuming that only one or two stars graduate to the big leagues, I think it’s fair to assume that Darren Young is going nowhere. He looks like a joke, he was nothing but a jobber in his first official WWE match and finally, his whole persona is not going to work in his favour when partnered with Punk. If anything, he seems like he is just there to make other stars look dominant and further the gimmick of his mentor. Congratulations Mr Young, I think you have been successfully nominated as the very first jobber of WWE NXT.

His opponent however looks like he may have a big future with the WWE. David Otunga just has WWE written all over his large frame, by that I mean that Otunga has everything the WWE like in a star. He has a good look to him for one, he has the build of a typical WWE big guy and to top it off, his actual life will be a huge bonus for the young buck as it will undoubtedly create more publicity – ‘People Mag highlights Jennifer Hudson and finance, WWE Wrestler David Otunga’ – Vince knows about publicity and whilst the guy isn’t screaming mainstream like Trump or Mayweather, he still has enough of a outside influence to interest the company. His mentor however, seemed a little misplaced. Hopefully they decide to do something with the pair because as it stands, Otunga and Truth just don’t mix. A nice mentor and rookie switch between the pair and the aforementioned Punk and Young however could work nicely.

Wade Barrett and Michael Tarver seem to be flash in the pan stars. Hard to say at such an early stage but they didn’t leave any impression on their first outing, other then you may be accepted into the TNA locker-room once the WWE are finished with ya. Both stars better pray that they can make an impression otherwise that may be their only choice.

Finally, Heath Slater. An interesting character to say the least but we already have a Miz and an Edge so whether you make it remains to be seen.

The show itself didn’t break any boundaries. It wasn’t a new concept but rather a continuation of Raw and Smackdown in that, instead of stars just airing vignettes, they can test the waters with the big boys on NXT rather then jumping straight into the deep end. On that note, I think the WWE have created something interesting and the product looks to be a great way to warm our younger stars to the WWE audience. If anything, the young stars should count their blessings, because many other young stars of the past haven’t had the luxury of such a platform to showcase yourself to the WWE audience and the fact that the WWE are using their mentors to further the stories, works even more in your favour.

Two final points before I go. Firstly, I noticed the new camera angles for NXT and I particularly liked them. At times, it actually felt like you were a member of the audience which was great. I’ll see how I feel about it as it progresses but first impressions were good.

Secondly and to round off this column – the announce team. I’ve always liked Josh Matthews and he seems to have a far superior knowledge to that of Cole so it seemed odd that Cole called him ‘his’ rookie. However, Josh’s response was said to perfection.

Cole came across badly on NXT – his argument over internet fans and him arguing about Bryan being ‘known worldwide’ made him sound like a fool, Josh made him look like a fool when he mentioned his ‘tips’ and if anything the young buck outshined him at the announce table. Supposedly WWE are gearing towards a Cole versus the internet feud so all the aforementioned would make sense but Cole isn’t a star who can do anything so the only thing this could lead to is the eventual firing and/or resignation of one Michael Cole, that or it just make the vintage announcing veteran even more unpopular then he already is with internet fans, something I didn’t actually think possible considering most people already hate him.

On the bright side, Josh could step up to the plate. If not, Matt Striker could – who by the way, I thought was great – for me, Striker truly was the better of all three.

Anyway, until NXT time…

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