WWE NXT Weekly Recap – Week 1

The premiere episode of NXT is in the history books, and I absolutely loved it. I was a big fan of ECW in the same time slot. ECW was a great hour of wrestling, and I believe it accomplished a lot of good things and was a success in making new stars. NXT I believe can top that and really shine as a special show. If the first show is to be judged, then I think it should be fantastic more often than not. The show is more in tune with what I wanted to see when I wrote my ECW/NXT column a few weeks back. Some had said it would be like Ultimate Fighter and that they would really go for the reality aspect. It isn’t like that, I’m glad. The realism aspect was there, and was a nice touch the way I wanted it to be (American Idol like). I love the feel of it with the different camera angles. Overall, the show should be a success and I’m glad they’re doing it. If ECW had to end, this is a great replacement.

– Daniel Bryan did a great job in cutting a promo in front of a large WWE crowd for the first time. Most people know that he is exceptionally gifted in the ring, but this was certainly a good step forward in the department that doesn’t involve actual wrestling. He got the crowd behind him and he delivered some good lines. Saying he wanted Regal as his mentor was good fun for those of us on the Internet, because of their history, but it isn’t the thing a babyface should be saying to the WWE Universe. But that’s no big deal. Miz was great in his role, no doubt. Just a great opening segment and yes, I do believe Daniel’s catchphrase can catch on; TAP OR SNAP!

– Really enjoyed the American Idol-esque profile videos on Michael Tarver and Heath Slater. Wasn’t overly impressed by the match, but it was okay. Tarver is very green, there’s no denying that. It will be interesting to see how he develops on the show. He has the look, but in the ring, it really wasn’t there. Maybe his promo skills will be better. Heath Slater on the other hand can be a star. He displayed good charisma and was solid in the ring. He has a bright future. I saw Slater wrestle Primo at a house show back in October of last year, and he did an excellent job of generating heel heat both on the mic and in the ring. He can connect with the audience. Slater is definitely one to watch, and with Christian as his mentor, should have an excellent run on NXT.

– David Otunga has the look, and the personality, to be a big star. I would say he has a very long way to go in terms of developing as a wrestler, but then it’s not like that’s every stopped WWE from pushing someone with “the look” before. Presence wise, Otunga overshadows his mentor R-Truth and I love the way he essentially paid no attention to Truth’s crappy entrance. All business, I dig that. Darren Young should be thankful CM Punk is his mentor, because he certainly wasn’t given the opportunity to make a very good impression tonight. He has an interesting look. To be honest, he looks like a white guy who tanned a little too long. The match between Otunga and Young resulted in a 37 second victory for Otunga, and a hilariously disgusted CM Punk. These two had 37 seconds, and managed to botch a relatively simple spine-buster. Much work here, but there’s definitely something to Otunga. And if nothing else, Young/Punk should be a fun pair.

– Daniel Bryan and Chris Jericho had a really solid match. Jericho did more than enough to let Daniel look good, as he should. Jericho is the World Champion, he’s going to be main-eventing WrestleMania, and Daniel is the “rookie”, so it was obvious that Jericho would pick up the win (which he definitely should have). Bryan got in a lot of offense though, and he took it to the World Champion. He did enough to make a great impression, and I think the whole show really solidified the belief many of us have that Daniel will be the focal point of the show. He almost made Jericho tap out. He then tapped to the Liontamer. Note, not the Walls of Jericho, but oldschool LIONTAMER. Fantastic. The post match beat down was very well done. Season One last three months, and by the time it is over, Daniel and Miz will have really gotten the WWE Universe behind Daniel. Once Bryan has enough and gets the opportunity, the crowd will explode when he silences the loud Miz. I can’t wait to see that.

Week one has to be considered a success, as far as a wrestling product. As a fan, the ratings don’t mean much of anything to me. This show has kicked off with a bang. It did have its faults; I don’t like that they didn’t mention any sort of scoring/measuring system. It’s suppose to be a reality competition, so let the people know who is doing the judging and on what criteria. Of course the commercial breaks near the end, there was just way too many. Could have also done without the eight minute RAW Rebound, but whatever. The finale annoyance was Michael Cole’s commentary. This show, more than any other, could really benefit from having Jim Ross and Matt Stryker calling it seriously. I don’t know how we’re suppose to take babyface brown-nosing Cole seriously again, when he comes out on NXT trying to be a heel. And he failed. Being a heel commentator takes talent, and Cole has none. There’s a difference between being a heel, and being a douche who is burying someone. Commentators burying the talent are failing at their job, even if they are being fed lines by McMahon. Besides that, no legitimate commentator of any sport would admit to not knowing who a top prospect is. Other than those things, this debut show was great and I look forward to next week’s.