Twilling's WWE NXT Hitlist: New season means new approach, Brodus Clay, Daniel Bryan and Alberto Del Rio, interesting pairings, Jacob Novak, Todd Grisham

By Rich Twilling

WWE NXT Hits

Serious nature of the show: I'm sure a lot of people were disappointed not to see Michael Cole in the announce booth, but I think it was a positive thing. By not having Cole there, the announcers took the show more seriously and nobody wanted to sit through another season like the previous one. They are back to being professional about this again and that is a good thing.

Brodus Clay: He's the early favorite. He has a very intimidating look that will get him noticed. I was more impressed, however, by his ability to speak. He is very articulate and intelligent when he opens his mouth. Truth be told, you don't see a lot of huge guys like that wow you with their verbal skills. Now, if he can go in the ring and keep his weight in check, he could be a huge star.

Daniel Bryan and Derrick Bateman: Having a good pro is very important and Bryan is going to do wonders for Bateman. He will root and cheerlead for him, which means nobody will ask, "Which one is Bateman again?" Bateman did some impressive things in the ring during the main event as well. Good night for the rookies overall.

Alberto Del Rio and Conor O'Brian: Del Rio and O'Brian will be the male version of Vickie Guerrero and Kaitlyn from season three, which is a good thing for O'Brian, because it will give him the opportunity to be in the spotlight a lot. I love that Ricardo Rodriguez is even doing the announcing for O'Brian. O'Brian has a nice physical style in the ring.

Johnny Curtis: Curtis has a lot of charisma and the ability to wow in the ring. He can be sloppy at times, but that should diminish with more ring time. I'm not loving his pairing with R-Truth because I think a pro that is over leads to a rookie that is over. Truth came out to crickets last night.

Pro and rookie pairings: I like these dynamics for the most part. Even Chris Masters and Bryon Saxton could prove to be entertaining as they could compete to be the same guy. Ted DiBiase and Brodus Clay could end up being a very fun duo, especially with Maryse factored in.

Individual video packages: These are the best I have seen since the show began. They are longer and they really let the audience know who these guys are. I wonder if John Cena and Byron Saxton wrestled together when they were kids.

WWE NXT Misses

Jacob Novak: It seemed as though Novak was trying to play a Wade Barrett type of character, with the suit jacket and nose in the air. Actually, it reminded me a bit of the Hunter Hearst Helmsley character. Nonetheless, this is just a first week judgment. I don't really see the appeal right now, but he could turn himself into the man to beat next week.

Todd Grisham: Not sure if he was trying to be the next Michael Cole or what, but he was just bad. It's one thing for Cole to call someone else a dork because at least he has been around for several years. Grisham trying to do it holds absolutely no water. Get him the hell out of there.