1/11 Powell's WWE NXT Live Coverage: Two new rookie challenges


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WWE TV Reports


1/11 Powell's WWE NXT Live Coverage: Two new rookie challenges
Jan 11, 2011 - 09:00 PM


By Jason Powell

WWE NXT on WWE.com
Taped earlier tonight in Birmingham, Ala.


The show opened with a recap from last week... The opening montage aired as that awful "Wild and Young" theme song played... Todd Grisham checked in on commentary to set up the show. He turned it over to Matt Striker, who was on the stage with the rookies. Striker announced that there will be another elimination next week.

Striker reminded the rookies that if they win the contest, they will team with their pro in a WWE Tag Title match. He also introduced the slingshot challenge. The pros stood in the ring and fired t-shots at the rookies. The goal was to catch as many t-shirts as possible in 30 seconds and put them in a bucket.

Curtis was going to try to catch the t-shirts with the bucket. Striker told him that's why he has hands. He said he didn't need to use the bucket even though that's where his career was headed. Yes, he really said those things. R-Truth failed miserably to launch the t-shirts. He and Curtis failed to connect.

Byron Saxton and Dolph Ziggler hooked up for a whopping one to take the lead. Josh Matthews said whoever came up with this idea should be shot out of a slingshot. He was referring to the challenge, but I'm sure the same sentiment applies to the actual NXT contest. Daniel Bryan and Derrick Batemen with two.

Maryse handled the launching for Brodus Clay. I think I dozed off for 30 seconds. Alberto Del Rio, who is above this freaking show, launched shirts at Conor O'Brian, who caught two shirts. However, controversy ensued when it was determined that O'Brian failed to put the t-shirt in the bucket. Thus, Bateman was declared the winner...

Powell's POV: I'm sure this controversy will be the lead story on ESPN tonight.

Backstage, Ricardo Rodriguez called an exterminator about a giant rat. He spoke in Spanish, but there were subtitles. He's apparently not a fan of O'Brian, who has compared himself to a rat... Johnny Curtis vs. Ted DiBiase was hyped for later in the show... [C]

1. Conor O'Brian (w/Alberto Del Rio) defeated Byron Saxton (w/Dolph Ziggler) in 6:20. Dolph wore his white tie. Alberto wore his white scarf. Fashion conflict!!! The match was basic and the fans didn't seem to have a major preference, although some did count along with a pin attempt.

Saxton was in control down the stretch, but O'Brian hit a Rock Bottom out of nowhere to get the win. After the match, Ricardo Rodriguez delivered an intentionally half-assed announcement of the win for O'Brian...

Highlights aired from "last night after Raw" of Daniel Bryan and Derrick Batment getting reading for their date with The Bella Twins. Bateman wore a nice jacket and tie, but he was wearing red, white, and blue Zubaz. He said something about them being from Bad Street in a rib on Michael Hayes. The comedy hilarity continued with Bateman pulling out big sunflowers to present to the women... [C]

Powell's POV: Bateman has comic timing, but he strikes me as a less funny version of Colt Cabana.

Striker said Bateman earned two immunity points. It was time for "Superstar Password." They even had game show music. Johnny Curtis was given the clue. He looked at it and had no idea what to say so he just kept breathing into the mic. He eventually said spear. R-Truth guessed Edge and was right. They ended up getting two answers correct.

Saxton and Dolph were up next. They also got two right. Bateman and Bryan finished with three. Brodus Clay played with Ted and Maryse. She said stuff like Armani. They finished with one. Brodus just stared at Ted and Maryse with a pissed off look on his face. No one cared.

Alberto Del Rio and O'Brian were the last pair. O'Brian said he didn't want to play, he wanted to talk about how great Del Rio was. They cut him off quickly. Striker declared Bateman the winner... [C]

Powell's POV: If this is the type of shit we're going to get from a WWE Network, I will go out of my way to sign up for whatever cable or satellite provider doesn't sign on. This show has been Season Three with the Divas bad.

The Shawn Michaels video from Raw was shown...

Powell's POV: Congratulations to HBK for stealing his second show of the week. Yes, a video package that I've already seen is the highlight of tonight's NXT. In terms that HBK fans understand, NXT has made me lose my smile.

The announcers congratulated HBK... The announcers didn't even try to see genuinely enthused as they set up the next video of Bryan and Bateman on their date with The Bella Twins. Bateman had his foot on the table and was wearing his wrestling boots. The Bellas ignored him and flirted with Bryan. Bateman eventually flipped out and tipped over the table for reasons I don't care to understand... [C]

Powell's POV: Bryan stated at one point that he and Bateman could earn a tag title shot if they won. The only thing worse for Bryan's career than the Bella Twins have been would be if he were stuck doing comedy crap with Bateman. Bryan and Bateman - the new Killer Bees.

The announcers plugged the Finger Eleven song that serves as the Royal Rumble theme song. They also hyped that voting takes place tomorrow for the second elimination...

Powell's POV: Is there a "vote for the end of the show" option?

2. Johnny Curtis (w/R-Truth) defeated Ted DiBiase (w/Maryse, Brodus Clay) in 9:15. It sounded like a tennis match during the opening match when the announces were quiet because the fans were dead silent. The announcers said something about there being another month and a half left in this horrible competition. They mocked the idea that it was going to be going on that long. [C]

Mathews predicted that O'Brian will be the next person eliminated from the competition. Based on what they were setting up with Ricardo Rodriguez, that's probably the case. DiBiase gave the rookie plenty of offense and a good near fall down the stretch. Maryse stood on the apron, and Clay reached up and took a shot at Curtis.

R-Truth nailed Brudus Clay. DiBiase was distracted by the fighting. Curtis rolled up DiBiase and got the 1-2-3. One of the announcers said he thinks Curtis saved himself from elimination...

Powell's POV: Nicely done. The fans didn't give a damn about the match early. It's not like they were red hot by the end, but they got behind the Curtis win to some extent. I don't know why WWE didn't do something to set up the match throughout the show with promos, etc. Call me crazy, but I think a better evaluation for the rookies would be seeing how they set up a match on the mic rather than playing WWE Password and showing off their inability to catch t-shirts.

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