WWE NXT report
October 12, 2011
Taped in Dallas, Tex.
Report by Justin James, PWTorch contributor

After last week's awful episode of NXT, it will be interesting to see if losing Darren Young helps any. I would be surprised if they kept him around after his 30-day suspension is up, since he's already washed out from the main roster and barely treading water on NXT.

Rookies (and Pros):
Darren Young - suspended (Chavo Guerrero - released)
Titus O'Neil (Hornswoggle - moved to Smackdown)
Derrick Bateman (Daniel Bryan - "on strike")
Conor O'Brian (Vladimir Kozlov - released)
Lucky Cannon - released (Tyson Kidd)
Byron Saxton (Yoshi Tatsu)
Jacob Novak - released (JTG)

Regular NXT Superstars:
Maxine
A.J.
The Usos
Percy Watson
Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks

[Q1] Well, Darren Young is still in the credits, at least. Korpella has more enthusiasm for this show than any of the viewers, that's for sure. But, how does he start the show? Talking about Triple H getting fired. Derrick Bateman and Maxine hit the ring, dressed to wrestle. They carry themselves very convincingly as a couple, especially in backstage segments. I actually wonder if they are a couple off-screen. Bateman starts off with a mic, talking about Raw, and thanks McMahon and Laurinaitis. He says that Johnny Ace is his friend. He's thankful that they've restored order, because the chaos had trickled down to NXT. Maxine reminds him to praise her, too, and he gets a local heat reference. Maxine intros the show and reminds everyone that the show is about finding the next breakout star.

Cue up generic hip hop music to bring out Titus O'Neil and Percy Watson in suits. Watson says that there are only two Rookies left on the show. Percy pulls a Matt Striker and decides that the WWE Universe's opinion is the only ones he is concerned about. O'Neil calls them a "nasty couple" and reminds them of the points lead, and Maxine reminds him that Bateman beat him last week. Watson cuts on Bateman for letting Maxine talk to him.

The school bell rings and Matt Striker comes out to reprise his role as NXT's host, and even claims that title. He says that Maxine can't book matches, but he can, and books Bateman vs. Watson, and Maxine vs. A.J.

[ c - "The Ladder Match 2: Crash and Burn" DVD ad ]

1 - A.J. vs. MAXINE

Back from break, Maxine is in control of A.J. and gets a nearfall. Maxine with her almost Sheamus-like offense, pounding on A.J. while she is tied up in the ropes. Regal gives us another story about one of Maxine's exotic relatives. Maxine continues to abuse A.J. Maxine with a nice-looking suplex for two, and her third resthold of the three-minute match. The crowd rallies behind A.J. as Maxine tries Ten Punches, but A.J. throws her off and goes up top. A.J. with a high crossbody for one, and a spinner heel kick for two. A.J. fires up, but Maxine ducks a punch and turns it into a backbreaker. A.J. with a Shining Wizard out of nowhere for two.

WINNER: A.J. in 5:00. Maxine has good brawling offense, but she needs to speed it up and use fewer holds. A.J.'s flexibility gives her that Evan Bourne quality of selling submission holds really well. A.J. has amazing charisma and get get anyone to want to cheer for her without a second of mic time. They're still learning to put on a good match, but the raw talent is there.

[ c - "Vengeance" ad focused on Big Show vs. Mark Henry ]

[Q2] Backstage, Striker interviews Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks. Reks cuts him off and says that they are going to focus on punishing The Usos. Hawkins says that they don't need to piggyback off their parents like the Usos, and says his elbow drop is a better tribute to Jimmy Snuka than their splash.

[ c - WWEShop.com ad ]

Raw Rebound, all about the Triple H drama, of course. They replaced the tasteless firing of Jim Ross. I still don't get why Laurinaitis would book Del Rio against Awesome Truth when Del Rio led the walk-out.

As Hawkins and Reks come to the ring, Regal reminds everyone of his brief stint as the Raw GM a few years ago.

2 - THE USOS vs. CURT HAWKINS & TYLER REKS - Tag Team Match

Jey Uso starts off strong against Curt. They do some back-and-forth tags to wear down Hawkins. The crowd is dead. Jimmy accidentally lets Reks tag in and Reks overpowers Jimmy. Jimmy turns the tide and Hawkins tags in, and gets punished, too. The faces continue to isolate Hawkins, in a total reversal of roles in the typical WWE tag match. Reks breaks up a pin and Hawkins gets cleared from the ring. Jey with a huge over the top rope dive onto Curt at ringside.

[ c - WWE Network ad ]

[Q3] Hawkins is still in trouble, but finally tags Reks in. Reks and Hawkins isolate their opponent. Hawkins and Reks drag out the typical heel beat down. There's just not enough crowd involvement to make this feel exciting. Regal says that Reks is using a hold he liked to use, and that he's glad that the new Superstars are studying the veterans. Jey finally tags Jimmy in who takes down Reks and knocks Hawkins out of the ring. Stinkface gets two. He goes up top but Reks transitions the crossbody into a powerslam, so very sweet. Reks ducks a superkick and hoists him up for the Burning Hammer, but he slips out and tag in, hit Reks with a double superkick, then hit Reks with a double Superfly Splash for the win.

WINNERS: The Usos in 10:00. The long periods of isolation by both teams was slow, but the ending was hot, especially the crossbody reversal into a powerslam. It was also good to see both Hawkins and Reks get some mic time before the match.

[ c - "Inside Out" DVD ad, Smackdown ad focused on Big Show and Mark Henry ]

3 -- PERCY WATSON (w/Titus O'Neil) vs. DERRICK BATEMAN (w/Maxine)

Watson and Bateman start off with some chain wrestling going both ways. Percy shows off his big dropkick. Watson looks like he is going for a moonsault and Bateman dropkicks him from behind. Bateman with a gutbuster that looked weak. The announcers say that Bateman's covers are slow, and they're right, Regal says they point it out to help them learn. Bateman with more basic offense.

[Q4] Percy with a bone-crushing crossbody for two. Bateman bounces right back though. Bateman with an abdominal stretch and Percy sells it like it is the worse pain ever, but hip tosses himself out. Bateman with a nice dropkick of his own and a powerslam, but whiffs on an elbow drop, allowing Percy to get back to his feet. Percy with some offense and he gets the crowd fired up. He does his jumping lateral press for two. Bateman with a gordbuster and Korpella attributes it to watching old tapes. Percy with a huge flapjack, and some sort of finisher (like a suplex/flapjack) for the win.

WINNER: Percy Watson in 8:00. Much better match than I expected. Both Bateman and Watson have the athletic talent, it's just a matter of them needing some spit and polish.

Final Reax: It's nice to see NXT back on track, with references to points, the "competition," Matt Striker as the host, and discussion of wins and losses mattering (even if it was only Maxine who said it). It's also a nice showcase for Maxine and A.J. to hone their skills. No Yoshi Tatsu or Tyson Kidd was a disappointment, but the lack of JTG was not. When's Maryse coming back?

I hate to say it, but I think that Darren Young's suspension was good for NXT. Dropping to two Rookies and losing one of the major storylines has forced WWE's hand, which hopefully means they'll wrap this season up soon. If there are no Pros left on the show, who is going to split the vote with the WWE Universe to pick the winner? They need to address that eventually.

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