WWE NXT Report
March 7, 2012
Taped 3/6 in Uncasville, Conn.
Report by Justin James, PWTorch contributor

Opening Thoughts: This week's NXT features William Regal's full debut as the official "matchmaker" of NXT. Does that mean if I am nice to him, he can set me up on a date with someone? With my luck, I'd get to meet Johnny Curtis. I asked Mr. Regal what the difference between "GM" and "matchmaker" was on Twitter, but he didn't respond. Oh well. Speaking of Twitter, Derrick Bateman is definitely one of the most fan-friendly folks there. He often answers fans's questions and such. Smart move on his part if you ask me. On with the show! Incidentally, the Zack Ryder situation on Raw feels more and more like a re-hash of the BetaMax story line at this point. I'm just waiting to find out that Dolph Ziggler used to date Eve or something, which makes Zack jealous...

[Q1] Matt Striker starts in the ring to introduce the show. He reminds everyone that William Regal is the "matchmaker" and Regal comes to the ring. Regal says that it will be an honor to deliver a good show. He actually panders to the crowd a bit, then books a one-on-one match between Titus O'Neil and Percy Watson for the main event. Maxine decides to come out and interrupt. She looks ready to flirt with Regal a bit. And, yes, she does. She says that she "looks forwards to working underneath" him. Did she go to the Aksana School of Subtlety? He tells her that he's looking forward to seeing her in action tonight, against Tamina Snuka. Tamina comes out for the match.

1 - TAMINA SNUKA vs. MAXINE

Maxine pushes Snuka to challenge her, but Snuka pushes her down. Maxine runs in and twists around for a crucifix, but when Snuka doesn't go down, Maxine slides down and tries a schoolgirl, which gets one. Very fluid on Maxine's end of things. Maxine sends Snuka to the mat with a hair pull. Maxine eats a big chop after mocking Snuka, but slips out of the ring and jumps Snuka on the way back in. Mazine goes to work on Snuka in the corner, then locks in a tight chinlock. Maxine is looking really strong. Snuka tries to stand up, but Maxine puts her back down. Maxine to the top rope, but Snuka dodges a splash. Snuka with a Samoan Drop and up to the top rope for the Superfly Splash for the win.

WINNER: Tamina Snuka in 3:00. I am getting really tired of seeing booking just like this, where someone is doing great in a match, and one simple move knocks out that person long enough for the person losing the match to hit a finisher. This was a repeat from last week in a Justin Gabriel match, and I believe it hurts the loser. Maxine was looking like a #1 contender for two minutes and 50 seconds, and lost literally in ten seconds. That's silly and gets no one over.

[ c - "The Epic Journey of Dwayne The Rock Johnson" DVD ad ]

Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins came out for a match. Hawkins complains about not being put in charge of NXT. Tyler Reks runs over William Regal. He calls Regal and Striker has-beens. Regal drops the headset and gets a house mic. Regal says he has a job for them, and brings out a pair of mops and a bucket, and asserts his authority. He orders them to clean the toilets. He says they can do it or they can not return next week and he can just never book them again. He's acting more like a GM than a mere "matchmaker." Hawkins rolls out of the ring and takes the mops. The crowd chants "do the job," which is ironic considering that they are talking to Reks and Hawkins. Regal brings out Yoshi Tatsu for a match.

[Q2]

2 - YOSHI TATSU vs. JOHNNY CURTIS

Curtis starts off this strong offense, but Tatsu comes out of the corner strong. Curtis to the outside and eats a slingshot splash.

[ c - WWE on YouTube ad ]

Tatsu in control out of the break. A pair of Japanese armdrags and a dropkick from Tatsu gets two. Curtis yanks Tatsu onto the ropes, then tosses him into the ringpost. Curtis works the left wrist and settles into a nasty keylock. Regal praises Tatsu's skills. Tatsu tries to chop out, but Curtis chops back and nails a big suplex for two. Curtis with more vicious work on the arm. Regal promises not to abuse his power like he has in the past, and Matthews sounds doubtful. Tatsu finally gets a bit of separation.

Tatsu goes on the offensive, but is selling pain. Tatsu just lets loose and hits a high knee in the corner and follows up with a Shining Wizard for two. Tatsu calls for the end and whiffs the roundhouse, and Curtis shoves Tatsu in the corner. Curtis is selling heavy pain and hits a pair of headbutts, and puts Tatsu on the turnbuckle. Big slap and Curtis wants a superplex. Tatsu shoves him down, but Curtis dodges a spinning heel kick and follows him with his brutal dangerous buster for the win.

WINNER: Johnny Curtis in 6:30 Very good match; I really enjoyed it. Curtis has come so far with his ring work.

They recall last week's match between Tyson Kidd and Michael McGillicutty. Backstage, McG walks through his victory talking to Striker. Kidd comes in and says he wants a re-match. McGillicutty turns him down, so Kidd insults his masculinity. McGillicutty shoves Kidd's hand away, and Kidd knees him in the gut and says that he's ready for a re-match.

[ c - WWEShop.com ]

Backstage, Johnny Curtis is rubbing lotion on himself with a faraway look in his eyes, and Maxine appears out of nowhere to hit him. She says she hates him, but tells him to play along. She acts like she's kissing his ear or telling him a secret. Derrick Bateman walks in and says, "What is this, an NXT re-run?" He wants to know what they did to keep Kaitlyn from being there. Curtis says Maxine wasn't responsible, but that she got gingivitis from Bateman. He's still rubbing lotion on himself. Maxine says they have a mixed tag team match next week, Bateman and Kaitlyn against her and Curtis. Curtis keeps touching on Maxine, but she's disgusted by him. Bateman doesn't seem concerned. Bateman bumps into Reks and Hawkins, who are dressed in janitor outfits (complete with handwritten nametags). Bateman tells them that they stink. Percy Watson runs into them too and calls them "Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez." That's dated. He makes fun of them and Hawkins makes a "Family Matters" reference. That's dated, too.

Raw Rebound, focus on The Rock and John Cena.

[Q3] The Usos head down the ramp for a match. It amazes me that they still have pyro when almost no one else does. Apparently, Jimmy Uso will be on commentary. Darren Young comes out to face Jey Uso.

3 - JEY USO (w/Jimmy Uso) vs. DARREN YOUNG

Lock-up puts Jey in the corner after a struggle, but he uses speed to get out. Jey with some dance-like strikes, including a spinning heel kick for two. Big bodyslam from Jey for two. Young runs over Jey and lands a powerslam. Backbreaker from Young barely gets a count. Side suplex and Young gets a two count. Mathews asks Jimmy about training with Booker T before coming to WWE, which was a good way to give them talking points. Young mouths off to Jimmy, and Regal promises that Jimmy will get a chance for payback. Jimmy actually references redemption points.

Young with a catapult into the ropes and that's good for two. Young slows it down with body scissors, but Jey turns it around for a moment. Regal offers to hook The Usos up with his twin daughters. He references again that his daughters are conjoined. Jey hits a big uppercut from the corner to get back in control. Jey whiffs a stinkface, and Young capitalizes with a schoolboy for the win.

WINNER: Darren Young in 6:00. Basic match, but it didn't look bad. It gave Darren Young and The Usos something to do.

[ c - "Bending the Rules" ad, Smackdown hype ]

4 -PERCY WATSON vs. TITUS O'NEIL

O'Neil with Kicks and punches to start, but Watson fires right back with a corkscrew elbow. O'Neil kicks Watson in the gut on a corner leap, then methodically wears Watson down. Watson comes out of the corner, but O'Neil cuts him off. Mathews questions Regal's decisions around Reks and Hawkins. Backbreaker from O'Neil for two. Regal praises O'Neil for becoming more "deliberate" in his style. O'Neil fights hard for an abdominal stretch, which is the first time I've seen one that looks painful in a while. O'Neil says, "Come over here and count old man!" to ref Scott Armstrong, but he still can't get more than a two count despite multiple attempts. He asks the ref if he's incompetent.

Watson with a jawbreaker to reset the action, and he lands punches and a dropkick, followed by a big shoulder tackle. Watson with the Highsman to get two. O'Neil dodges a corner splash and tries the Clash of the Titus, but Watson double foot stomps out at the peak of elevation to escape. (He looked like M. Bison there.) Watson immediately responds with the Percycution for the win.

WINNER: Percy Watson in 5:00. I really enjoyed this despite its short length. Watson is a star in the making.

Post-match, Tyler Reks runs into the ring to ambush Watson. Hawkins comes in, too, and they dump Watson from the ring. Hawkins says they they've cleaned up the mess. Regal contemplates his next move to close the show.

Final Reax: No Kaitlyn and no match from Derrick Bateman made for a lack of fun from WWE, to be honest. They seem to bring a real spark to the show. Moving past that, Regal basically hit the reset button on many storylines in a positive, organic way. It will be nice to see where this goes from here.

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