By Shane McKinley, Torch specialist

-The debut of WWE NXT was a muddy, confusing affair. The intro of a bunch of FCW dudes cowering before the almighty Miz was a sight. And yes, it's true folks, WWE NXT is not at all about wrestling. I could feel the WWE undertones as "charisma" and "presence" were valued over wrestling ability.

-The pairing of Bryan Danielson and the Miz might be the tag team of the year. Here you have a short, bag boy whose has a rabid Internet fan base, and then you have the reality star Miz, who can sure cut a promo, but is standard when it comes to wrestling ability.

Danielson looked like he was ready to crack up at any time. Him beefing with Miz is somewhat surreal. And I've got a bad feeling that a year from now, Danielson will be back on the independent scene and this whole "WWE NXT" thing will be seen as an embarrassment. Hopefully NXT will be a springboard for Danielson to work on his character (which needs improvement).

I know, forgive me, but I was bored with the Danielson-Miz segment and wanted to see some wrestling. I know wrestling nowadays is all about characters, but most of the characters in wrestling are insipid stereotypes. Hell, Wade Barrett got unnecessary cutaway camera shots during the Danielson-Jericho match.

-Anyone else feeling a Miz vs. Bryan Danielson at a PPV?

-The main problem I see with WWE NXT is that unless the writing is up to snuff, soon people will lose interest because of the controlled format. I have no idea if so-and-so is the next big deal because the focus isn't on the wrestling ability of the wrestlers; it's about the characters of the wrestlers. NXT matches look to be two-minute affairs and unless you're a favorite (Danielson, Otunga), you're expected to get in, do your thing, try to make a connection, and get out.

Even the wrestling matches are confusing to watch, with the camera in way too close (probably designed to focus on the wrestlers's faces, but it's hard to keep track of the action. I'm one of those fans who make-believe that the wrestling matches are real competitions. It's a dying breed.)

-Health Slater reminded me of "The Flying Tomato" snowboarder. Michael Tarver is already future endeavored (I'm sure he worked hard on this "T" arm sign).

-I wasn't at all impressed by David Otunga, but WWE loves him. I have no doubt that even if David Otunga couldn't wrestle his way out of a wet paper bag, he would still get signed because he's got the look, character, and connections.

-Yup, WWE is right in knowing I don't really care about Darren Young, so they paired him up with C.M. Punk. It's a win-win: even if Mr. Young doesn't go anywhere, at least Punk gets some airtime.

-Now for the main event of Danielson-Jericho. I was thinking that this was going to be a great treat. Okay, here we go (Wade Barrett camera shot) Danielson lands an arm drag, (Michael Cole: "The indy scene is a pile of trash!") Jericho lands a move, (Josh Matthews: "Haven't you even checked out the Internet, Cole?") Danielson wraps in a leg lock, (Matt Striker: "Why don't you tell us your thoughts, Mr. Barrett") more of Cole and Matthews yelling at each other about how much WWE hates the indy scene, compound this with that too-damn-close camera, and this whole bit caused great sadness.

Personally, I thought Jericho got pathetic "he's the World Heavyweight champion" love by the announcers.

-So, as far as the actual "contest" goes, that's a bit of a wash. Imagine watching "The Ultimate Fighter," but it was overly controlled, and you get the idea of what WWE NXT is. I'm not quite sure yet what I'm supposed to take from this show.

Is NXT better than the dead ECW? WWE already has it fill of wrestling during the week, and NXT can be intriguing with guys like Danielson and Otunga leading the charge. But WWE NXT is not a wrestling show; it appears to be a performance show designed to get over characters that most likely wouldn't even get a Smackdown dark match. WWE NXT was a disturbing YouTube video hashed up by Vince and company. I need a shower.

Email is mckinley.torch@gmail.com. Follow me on facebook - facebook.com/ShaneMcKinley88.

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