WWE NXT Report
April 11, 2012
Taped 4/10 in Hampton, Va.
Report by Justin James, PWTorch Contributor

Opening Thoughts: It is funny how NXT, outside of the video packages and announcers talking about it, was completely insulated from WrestleMania to the point where no one even acknowledged it. Last Friday on Smackdown, a bunch of NXT folks laughed as Ryback (former NXT alum Skip Sheffield) destroyed a jobber. I really do not know why they call him "Ryback" now; it makes me think of "Casey Ryback," Steven Seagall's character in the "Under Siege" films. I was watching the match and waiting for Aksana to pop out of a cake, and Skippy to explain, "I'm just the cook."

The big event for this week should be the Tyson Kidd-Michael McGillicutty match. Not only have their past matches been good, but Twitter was buzzing even by Tuesday night about it, which has never happened before for an NXT match since I started to pay attention to Twitter. And, of course, Maxine and Johnny Curtis have to help Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins with their situation with William Regal.

[Q1] Percy Watson hits the ring to start NXT. Josh Mathews asks William Regal why he keeps booking Watson, and Regal says that he wants Watson to get the in-ring experience needed to succeed. Great answer! Johnny Curtis comes out with Maxine. Watson gets on the mic and demands that Maxine leave because she always gets involved. Regal on the house mic acknowledges Watson's issues and orders Maxine to stay away from the ring. Once again, William Regal is the only WWE authority figure that makes any sense.

1 - PERCY WATSON vs. JOHNNY CURTIS (w/Maxine)

Maxine decides to hang out near Regal during the match. Back-and-forth between Curtis and Watson. The crowd went from "boring" chants to a big pop when Watson turned up his offense, and that's a good sign. Watson works Curtis's left arm, but Curtis is able to get some offense. Watson turns it around with an atomic drop then stomps on Curtis and lands a leg drop. Regal finally questions Maxine's presence, and she talks in his ear and puts her arms around him. Curtis on continued offense, and Maxine and Regal are talking away from the booth.

[ c - WrestleMania 29 ad ]

Curtis is still looking strong out of the break. Regal comes back to the booth and brings up the disappearance of Matt Striker. Regal says that something has been brought to his attention, but Regal struggles to say what it is. Curtis with a crazy-looking leg drop on Watson's arm from the "Old School" hold from the top rope. Regal is acting conflicted and won't elaborate. Watson finally gets some strikes in, with lots of chops to Curtis on the turnbuckle, then he sends Curtis to the mat with an overhead slam. Watson speeds it up with dropkicks and shoulder tackles. Maxine and Regal leave up the ramp. Watson gets mad that they are leaving, letting Curtis surprise him with a schoolboy for the win.

WINNER: Johnny Curtis in 8:30. This was a tough match because there was a lot of focus on the Maxine-Regal angle, but the in-ring action was very good, too. The production crew balanced their focus well and Regal carried his part with aplomb. Curtis had some really nice moves in there and Watson was a thrill as always.

Backstage, Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks are talking when Maxine walks in. Maxine says that Regal will be looking for them, and Reks says that she will get Striker when they are sure that they aren't double-crossed. Reks and Hawkins make a lot of broom and mop related jokes about Striker's whereabouts, and Maxine guesses that he is in the janitor's closet. Reks and Hawkins walk off. Maxine puts some water on her face to look like she's crying as Kaitlyn and Derrick Bateman show up. They're both wearing the "Chicks, and America" shirt (still available from Barber Shop Window, I just got mine last week and it looks great!). Maxine starts sobbing and tries to hug on Bateman, but Kaitlyn interrupts and says that Maxine should just get Curtis. Maxine says that Hawkins and Reks have been harassing her and talking about Bateman. Bateman seems to agree to help, and he and Kaitlyn walk off. Maxine looks smug as her plan comes together.

[ c - New WWE.com ad ]

[Q2] Backstage, Tamina Snuka bumps into Titus O'Neil. She rails at him for the way he treated Darren Young last week. He says he wants to apologize to her, and says he got her a coconut tree. She thinks he's sweet, and gives him a kiss on the cheek. Then, Darren Young bumps into her, and he asks where she got the coconut tree from, and she tells him that O'Neil gave it to her. She leaves and Young spots O'Neil and calls him out on giving her the tree he was trying to give to her. O'Neil says that it was to prove a point, that he is better than Young. He says, "We're partners, but I'm better than you." He rubs it in struts off. Young looks steamed.

Cut to Kaitlyn and Bateman. She says she misses when NXT was "simpler" with Talk the Talk challenges and Capture the Flag. Bateman says he doesn't miss those days. Bateman says that maybe Maxine lied, that Hawkins and Reks weren't going to meet them. Just then, they hear noises from behind a door. They go in, and of course, it's Matt Striker in the janitor closet. Striker is going nuts like a rabid animal. They find Hawkins's cane, then Striker says he is going to handle it and leaves. Wow, I am shocked that Maxine didn't set it up for Regal to stumble across this and think that Bateman and Kaitlyn kidnapped Striker.

[ c - "You Think You Know Me? The Story of Edge" DVD ad ]

Raw Rebound.

Backstage, Reks and Hawkins are arguing because Hawkins lost his cane. Regal comes up and apologizes for all of the things he called Reks and Hawkins, and they soak it up until he demands to know where Striker is. Hawkins, too funny, says, "Little guy, used to be a teacher?" like he almost forgot who Matt Striker is. They act like they have no idea. Regal promises serious consequences if Striker is hurt, and walks off. Reks starts to panic. Hawkins says they are going to fake a rescue of Striker, so they go to the closet. Of course, Striker is gone and they go berserk trying to figure out what happened. They bump into Maxine and Curtis. They call her "Scary Sherri." Can this show get any better? She mocks them for losing Striker, then asks them if they find it ironic. Curtis jumps in by singing "Ironic" by Alanis Morrisette in falsetto. Maxine and Curtis leave.

[ c - Smackdown hype, "Blast from the Past" episode ]

[Q3]

Pre-match, they play a good video package on the Kidd-McGillicutty feud. Wow, clips of Mr. Perfect in there. Kidd's slingshot reverse sunset flip is a thing of beauty. This should be a top-flight match, but sadly the video feed has just over ten minutes on it left when the match starts.

2 - TYSON KIDD vs. MICHAEL MCGILLICUTTY

Chain wrestling to start and they stare each other down, unable to get an advantage. Kidd overcomes McGillicutty's power with speed and wits. Kidd looks for a slingshot move to the outside, but McGillicutty dodges and hangs Kidd up on the apron crotch-first, then tosses Kidd over the announcer's booth.

[ c - WWE and YouTube partnership ad, "Bending the Rules" DVD ad ]

Out of the poorly-placed break, McGillicutty is still in control. Kidd reverses a suplex into a lateral press for two. McGillicutty goes back on the attack. This crowd is awful, it sounds like a local promotion in a high school gym. McGillicutty torques on a tight headlock, then cuts off a comeback. McGillicutty jaws at Kidd and continues to torture him. Regal says that there is a difference between showing off like Watson does and stalking an opponent like McGillicutty does. Kidd with an armdrag, then a double clothesline to reset the action.

Kidd comes out of the ten count on fire, with rapid offense to gain a two count. Wow, Regal referred to Lance Storm as a teacher of Kidd. McGillicutty sends Kidd to the outside, then Kidd traps McGillicutty in the apron. Kidd to the top rope and lands an incredible neckbreaker, then he jumps off the turnbuckle, over McGillicutty, flipping 360 and hitting the neckbreaker. That should go on SportsCenter. Close nearfall off the move.

Kidd with an enziguri from the apron, then looks for a top rope cross-body, but McGillicutty counters with a huge dropkick for a nearfall. McGillicutty blocks a neckbreaker and returns with a Saito suplex. McGillicutty with a Sharpshooter, but Kidd won't tap. The crowd gets hot as Kidd crawls for the ropes and gets there. Kidd looks half-dead as McGillicutty tries to maneuver him. Kidd suckers McGillicutty in, and counters a suplex attempt with a unique, new submission move that looks like a cross arm-breaker, but with his head next to McGillicutty's feet and his own feet wrapped around McGillicutty's head. After a few moments, McGillicutty taps out.

WINNER: Tyson Kidd via submission in 9:45. What a sound match, very enjoyable, and the crowd that was dead actually rose to their feet at the end, proving the quality. The crowd was the only problem with this match. I loved some of the moves in this match, particularly Kidd's insane neckbreaker, the trading of the use of the apron as a weapon, and Kidd's new submission move. Great match to end the feud.

Final Reax: NXT usually has more action than this, but all of the non-wrestling developments were well done. Reks and Hawkins got their comeuppance, but at the hands of another heel duo, which was unique. The O'Neil-Young split is progressing nicely, and O'Neil keeps tweaking his character to make himself even more hatable. It was nice to see the Striker story go to the next chapter. Hawkins and Reks are hilarious in the roles of bunglers, and they remind me of the thieves in "Home Alone" at this point. Regal is shining in his "match coordinator" role, being the only WWE authority figure who seems to want to maintain any kind of order on his show. All in all, a fun episode.

[Torch art credit Neal Obermeyer (c) PWTorch.com]

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