WWE NXT alt. perspective report
June 21, 2011
Taped in Hershey, Pa.
Report by Justin James, PWTorch contributor

Pre-credits, there was a video package summarizing Lucky Cannon's elimination last week.

[Q1] Titus O'Neil and Hornswoggle come out, and it looks like there will be an elimination next week. Hornswoggle tries to cut a promo, and passes it to Titus. Titus translates, and says that Hornswoggle has a beef with Maryse. After a bit of a wait, Maryse comes out to a mild "lonely guy pop." Hornswoggle has a surprise for her if she holds out her hand and closes her eyes. Hornswoggle has a jewelry box. She acts rather pleased. Of course, it's a Ring Pop. She mocks him for getting a gift like that for a woman like her, and says he needs to get a woman his own size, throws the ring in his face, and storms out.

Zack Ryder's music hits and he comes out to a pop. Zack cuts a promo about Titus not getting anywhere with him as a Pro and disses Hornswoggle. Titus talks up Hornswoggle as a Pro. Zach Ryder's YouTube push is enough to get him a pop against Titus with the leprechaun vote. Matt Striker comes out and books Ryder against O'Neil for the main event.

[ c - "Raw Roulette" ad ]

[Q2]

1 - VLADIMIR KOZLOV & CONOR O'BRIAN & YOSHI TATSU vs. CHAVO GUERRERO & DARREN YOUNG & JTG

In the chat during the intros, Howard Finkel confirmed Sin Cara vs. Evan Bourne on Raw next week. With any luck, they'll get enough time to really work. Darren Young and Conor O'Brian start it off with an extended lockup, moving to a double headlock, but O'Brian arm drags Young into an armbar. We're getting the long-form house show pacing here, hooray. Young counters with an armbar of his own. O'Brian gets an armbar of his own. They trade shoulder tackles and O'Brian punches, Young who leaves the ring.

Young tags in Chavo - I guess "business is about to pick up." Chavo with some fast-paced punches to take O'Brian down, yelling "that's how it's done" to Young. O'Brian takes Chavo down, who tags in JTG. O'Brian tags in Yoshi Tatsu. JTG runs to the ropes. JTG tags Young in. Young brings Tatsu into the corner and Chavo tags in. Chavo with his fast-paced heel offense makes the match watchable. Tatsu comes back with a drop tie hold and fast kicks.

Tatsu tags in Kozlov, who starts up his plodding offense. Kozlov catches Chavo off the top turnbuckle and powerslames him. Young cheap-shots Chavo and pays the price. Chavo gets dumped to the outside. Young comes in the ring to interfere, but O'Brian takes him out. JTG declines to get involved.

[ c - new WWE All Stars ad, with a lot of focus on Hulk Hogan and Macho Man, excellent ad]

Coming back, Kozlov is in the middle of delivering a powerslam to Chavo, then putting him in the corner. O'Brian tags in, but Chavo gets away from his furious armbar power. Some back and forth and Chavo tags in Young, who shows off his sloppy offense, including a slam into the ropes. Ouch. JTG tags in, and he starts working O'Brian's hamstring. Unique belly-to-back suplex into a neckbreaker, sweet move that could be a neat finisher. Chavo tags in and keeps working the leg. Young is back in with a move that looks like half a Boston Crab plus a leg bar. Chavo tags in, with more work on the leg. How many times will O'Brian play the damsel in distress for long stretches?

JTG tags in. More of the same. Chavo comes in. The crowd is dead, and I can't blame them. I'd rather be cleaning out the junk email folder or shopping for a staple gun right now. Young tags in. O'Brian comes back by catching Young off the top rope and transitioning it into a suplex. JTG tags in, but Tatsu is able to tag in even though JTG was on him. Tatsu quickly takes over and goes straight to overdrive. Grisham: "... like a breath of fresh air." Indeed.

Tatsu clears the apron and gets JTG with a spinning heel kick and a shining wizard. Chavo and Young break up the tag, Kozlov comes in. Young and Chavo try the double suplex, but Kozlov suplexes them both. JTG clears out Kozlov, and Tatsu catches JTG with his head kick finisher for the three count.

WINNER: Yoshi, Conor, and Kozlov. That was one of the most brutally boring matches I've ever watched. Every piece of that match was been offered before, like the team suplex attempt on Kozlov that gets turned into a double suplex.

[ c - Best of WCW Nitro DVD ad ]

[Q3] Grisham talks up the Bourne-Sin Cara match. That may be a first - an Evan Bourne match advertised a week in advance.

Next is the Raw Rebound, focusing on C.M. Punk.

Backstage, Tyson Kidd is on the phone with Lucky Cannon. Kidd finds a strange shrine to Yoshi Tatsu in the locker room. Tatsu tells him to not touch it. Kidd cut off his "crown." Kidd leaves, and Tatsu reveals a giant Hershey bar and puts it on the shrine, and acts like he is praying to it. Cheap local pop ensues.

Next is a Smackdown ad looking at Christian's screwjob loss to Orton.

2 - DARREN YOUNG vs. ZACH RYDER

Zack with early punches and kicks, but O'Neil fires up and puts him in the corner. Typical O'Neil offense with shoulder tackles and a slam, while a pro-Ryder chant breaks out. Ryder leaves the ring. O'Neil throws him back in and moves into a headlock. O'Neil with a shoulder tackle, and then blocks an arm drag attempt. Hornswoggle bites Ryder in the trucks behind the ref's back, O'Neil gets a roll-up for two. Ryder protests.

[ c - "That's What I Am" ad. This episode is dragging on so badly that they have to dust off old ads now?]

[Q4] O'Neil is still in control while the crowd rallies behind Ryder a bit. Big backbreaker for a two count. Ryder gets his knees up in the corner and hits a mid-ring Broski Boot. Multiple people in the chat have mentioned that they are only watching because of Ryder. O'Neil gets his legs up in the corner this time, and moves onto the attack, but Ryder knocks him down and goes into a headlock. Ryder throws up the LI sign and gets the Broski Boot in the corner to a good pop and gets a two count.

Another headlock by Ryder. Ryder powers out with a suplex. More shoulder tackles from O'Neil, including his diving shoulder tackle. O'Neil with the fallaway slam. Ryder ducks outside and menaces Hornswoggle. O'Neil chases and gets ambushed when he comes back to the ring after stopping to make sure Hornswoggle was OK. Ryder signals for the end and hits the Rough Ryder for the win.

WINNER: Zack Ryder. Not a bad match and nice to see Ryder in the ring, even if it is just NXT.

Final Reax: NXT is showing the pain of not having enough Rookies on the show. There are endless commercials, long, dull matches, and no effort put into the writing. O'Neil being featured in a one-on-one match against a roster member who isn't a Pro is a big indicator that WWE has plans for him. Unfortunately, I don't see O'Neil as a long-term player for WWE. He is a lot like JTG or Heath Slater - someone with average in-ring skills, little charisma, and the audience only cheers or boos out of habit.

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