11/16 Kester's WWE NXT Live Coverage Review: Derrick Bateman vs. Percy Watson, Yoshi Tatsu vs. JTG, Titus O'Neil vs. Tyler Rex

By Ryan Kester

NXT on WWE.com
Taped earlier in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Percy Watson and Titus O'Neill welcomed us to the show. Watson put over his buddy, and Titus barked for the crowd. O'Neill talked about how NXT has gone on forever, but he's always been around and at the top.

O'Neill said that he woke up every morning with a light that burns bright. He said it was the same light that all of the parents in the audience feel when they wake up and work their hardest to put food on their family's table. He said that light is what he's using to win this season of NXT.

Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks made their way out and they mocked O'Neill's little speech. Reks said that the only thing O'Neill has ever done was get eliminated first on NXT. Reks and Hawkins talked about each other's previous accomplishments in the WWE, and they said they are the ones that fell from grace, not O'Neill.

The heels mentioned that Watson and O'Neill are just ex-football players trying to make a name for themselves, but they were real wrestlers. O'Neill got heated and was promptly interrupted by derrick Bateman, who came out and said "Worst. Show. Ever." Amen, good sir.

Watson and O'Neill immediately began making fish jokes, and my eyes about rolled out of my head. Matt Striker showed up and made a few matches, Tyler Reks vs. Titus O'Neill for the main event, and Derrick Bateman vs. Percy Watson up next... [C]

Ryan's Rant: Matt Striker looks like he enjoys the authority role just a bit more than he should. O'Neill had a decent babyface start, and I enjoyed Reks' and Hawkins' promos, but everything came crashing down when we heard dumb fish jokes for the tenth week in a row from O'Neill and Watson.

1. Percy Watson beat Derrick Bateman in 4:10. Watson took to his offense immediately and he worked over Bateman's midsection.

Bateman made a comeback with a running neckbreaker and he choked Watson on the ropes. Bateman followed up with a rest hold.

Watson fought out and hit a series of dropkicks followed by his Showtime Splash for a near fall. Watson hit Persecution a few moments later for the pinfall victory.

Backstage, Johnny Curtis approached Maxine and flirted with her. Maxine rebuffed his advances with a slap… [C]

Ryan's Rant: Decent enough action, but it never really got out of first gear.

2. JTG (w/Tamina) beat Yoshi Tatsu in 4:05. Tatsu took the early advantage, but JTG quickly rebounded with a series of strikes and chops. JTG hit a neckbreaker for a two-count before locking in a rest hold.

Tatsu made a comeback off of a kick, but JTG threw Yoshi into the steel post and rolled him up for the win… [C]

Ryan's Rant: Boring. The vast majority of that match was rest hold, and not the type of rest hold that keeps your attention. Both men just sort of got into the move and stayed still as they counted down the seconds to the next spot.

The Raw Rebound focused on the Rock's various appearances throughout Raw.

Backstage, Tamina and JTG flirted and they ran into the Uso Brothers, who were not happy that they were together.

Johnny Curtis caused Derrick Bateman issues by saying that Maxine can be touchy-feely. Maxine showed up, and the happy couple fought. Maxine ran off, and Curtis offered to help Bateman with some advice. He said Bateman could get his number form Maxine. Bateman got on the phone and called Teddy Long… [C]

3. Titus O'Neil beat Tyler Reks in 7:18. The two men traded control several times in the early going.

The fight spilled to the floor briefly, and Reks caught O'Neill with a shot on the way back in the ring, Hawkins and Watson got involved, and the ref promptly sent them both to the back… [C]

Back from the break, Reks was working over O'Neill with a series of knee drops. Reks hit a neckbreaker for a near fall. Reks locked in a rest hold, and both men actually kept working so that it didn't look stupid.

Reks blasted O'Neill with a boot and taunted him with a series of light slaps. O'Neill caught Reks with a back body drop. Titus ran through his offense briefly. Reks fought back and tried to jump from the second rope to attack Titus, but Titus caught him and turned his momentum into the Clash of the Titus for the win.

After the match, Darren Young showed up and attacked O'Neill. Young grabbed a mic and told Titus that he talks about redemption when he should be worried about retribution.

Ryan's Rant: O'Neill has some of the worst music in wrestling. The match was the best of the show, but O'Neill still feels terribly clunky in the ring.

This was by no mean the worst edition of NXT, but it certainly wasn't something I'd recommend going out of your way to see. The show was just sort of there without anything really compelling or memorable taking place.

If you have any questions or comments or just wish to chat with a fellow wrestling fan about whatever, then feel free to email me at ryan.kester@gmail.com, or follow me on Twitter at @TheRyanKester.