-- 3/9 WWE NXT Reax

Alejandro Gonzalez, Engineer, of Tampa, FL (8.0): Best match: R-Truth/Otunga vs. Miz/Bryan. Worst match: None, considering they're rookies. I live in the Tampa area, so I catch FCW when it's on. Being already familiar with Justin Gabriel (Angel), Heath Slater, and Wade Barrett, I am extremely impressed with their progression. These guys put on barely tolerable matches in November/December and that was for the FCW Heavyweight Title. Now it's March and Barrett vs. Gabriel was as good as any standard match on Raw or Smackdown. That was one of my major concerns coming into NXT but no longer. The Miz-Bryan feud somehow feels like the most organic, natural feud in all of WWE. I can't wait until Daniel Bryan slaps Miz back. Kudos to both Miz and Daniel Bryan for that. Also impressive again was Wade Barrett. Jericho really must been mentoring him off camera. I already can't wait until NXT Season 2 possibly with Alberto Banderas (Dos Caras Jr.), Kaval (Low-Ki), Joe Hennig, and Curt Hawkins.

Joe B. of New Jersey, artist: Best: Bryan/Miz vs. Truth/Otunga. Up until three-fourths through this match, I thought that the avoidance of Bryan's past, the "no personality" shtick, and Cole's incessant putdowns were effective in cutting the legs out from his chances for success. But after that flurry of leg kicks, BD showed fire and the angle with Miz played out great - his checked punch and Miz's flinch were perfect, and the crowd got behind him again. Did Cole really say "brought-uppance" instead of "comeuppance?" He simply should not be announcing this show.
Heath and Carlito told a story. I still say his look, haircut, and that post-match dance are someday going to be amazing heat magnets. I like all the vignettes with the rookies; they're effective. I'm so glad Gabriel lost that white, futuristic Renaissance Fair shirt he was wearing. I hope it's on the scrap heap with Jeff Jarrett's old weird suspender get-up. The main event match was really Barrett's showcase and he did well, but I haven't seen his ability to sell yet. It's clear most of these guys are green and I'm still digging this show, but I wonder how some will fare under the WWE Wellness Policy. Point of confusion: since the Pros can't vote for their own rookie, why does Cole keep saying that the Rookie's fate is in the hands of his Pro, particularly when addressing the issues between Bryan and Miz? I mean, Miz can't fire him or cut him or vote him off, so...?

Justin James of Columbia, S.C., IT professional/author (9.0): Best Match: R-Truth/Otunga vs. Miz/Bryan. Worst Match: None. It was downright hard to find fault with this show tonight, other than the length of the main event (they should have skipped the Raw Rebound and added a few minutes to it). All of the rookies were outstanding in their roles. Justin Gabriel seems a bit off on the mic, but that might just be his accent. Daniel Bryan has won me over, the crowd was behind him, and I was dying to see him get Otunga to tap. When his team lost, I thought he was done per the pre-match stipulation. It's been months since a WWE program made me feel like it was real life, and they did it tonight with this match. Kudos to the whole team from top to bottom on this. Michael Cole is a different man on NXT, and I like it. I also liked the Darren Young segment. It was a good way to add some intrigue and story, and it explains why the SES helped him last week as a recruitment enticement. The Heath Slater interview was well done and I enjoyed the match, despite it being a bit formulaic. My favorite part was that after the pin, Christian motioned to Heath that he should make eye contact with the whole arena; that really showed Christian as a true mentor and was probably a shoot. The backstage segment before the main event was good. I liked how Jericho showed respect to Justin Gabriel and how it was returned, but not in a smarmy way. Wade Barrett is destined for good things, as is Justin Gabriel. Again, the end was kind of rushed, and felt a bit much like an Evan Bourne match where he sells for five minutes, blocks a superplex attempt, and hits the top rope finisher from nowhere. By the way, the crowd reaction for Daniel Bryan was strong. WWE would be stupid to give him the Bourne treatment (then again, they were stupid to give Bourne that treatment), and I hope they get him into a program against The Miz for the U.S. Title sooner rather than later.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for an "NXT TV Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on NXT, click here.

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

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