Scouting Developmental - aka the WWE NXT Thread

[Warner2BruceTD]

<iframe frameborder="0" width="480" height="270" src="http://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/x105194"></iframe><br /><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x105194_wwe-nxt-5-22-13-full-show-hq_sport" target="_blank">WWE NXT 5/22/13 - Full Show (HQ)</a> <i>by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/WrestlingVidsUploaderHQv2" target="_blank">WrestlingVidsUploaderHQv2</a></i>

whole show

[Warner2BruceTD]

Didn't like the banana peel finish in the Cesaro match, but that's the WWE.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

FUCK HIM AND THE HORSE HE RODE IN ON

Agree with most of these. I think, unfortunately, we are higher on Ohno than the company is. Also, the company seems to be much higher on Langston than you are.

Rollins has acquitted himself much better than I thought he would. This is going to sound horrible, but he sounds like a pussy when he speaks. He will never sound tough. So I think he needs to be in a whiny kind of role to take advantage of that.

I think Ohno, is at minimum, a big time midcarder.

I think, eventually, Big E Langston levels out at midcarder. Think a bit higher on the food chain than Kofi, although, he may get a push to the top of Smackdown if he gets lucky. That's not an insult, btw. I think he's quite good actually with some untapped potential. I just think he settles in just below the upper card. They've wanted to push guys LIKE him before (Zeke Jackson comes to mind), but I think he's got a bit more upside than him.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Didn't like the banana peel finish in the Cesaro match, but that's the WWE.

I didn't expect them to give Zayn the win over a Cesaro (even a de-pushed Cesaro) with some super clean finish. As you said, that's the WWE.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Is that a good debut for a former ROH type? I've only seen a couple his matches with Steen, but that match seemed a bit short and sloppy. Maybe it's just me

Every recent big time WWE signing from the Indies...Generico, Hero, Claudio, PAC, and to a lesser extent Sterling James Keenan (Graves) and Brodie Lee, have been pushed immediately in developmental. You aren't going to get 30m in the WWE unless you're Punk, Cena, HHH, or the Undertaker, so you gotta make due with your 5-10 and they've all had very good, quality matches in that time span in developmental.

Also, when I say a good match or very good match...its by TV standards.

[Warner2BruceTD]

I didn't expect them to give Zayn the win over a Cesaro (even a de-pushed Cesaro) with some super clean finish. As you said, that's the WWE.

Here's my thing. If you are going to have the guy get dominated for the entirety of the match, score a fluke roll up pin, and then get destroyed after the match, then you might as well just beat him. Forget who got their hand raised, that was pretty much the opposite of getting somebody over.

Remember when Billy Kidman "pinned" Hulk Hogan?

I think a spirited "rookie" performance, and coming up short, does more for a guy than winning on a fluke and then getting his ass beat on top of it. But again, this is WWE, I feel like a fool for analysing it to this degree.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Yup.

Watching it, I was instantly struck that holy shit, this is just El Generico without the mask. He even does what is essentially the same entrance, running the apron and jumping over.

I want to see mask-less Generico get pissed off.

When Generico got pissed off, when say, facing Steen, he never said a word, but he could sell being hell-bent pissed off better than anyone in the business. I want to see good ol Sami Zayn get pissed...it'll be fantastic. I imagine a promo by him will be glorious as well.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Here's my thing. If you are going to have the guy get dominated for the entirety of the match, score a fluke roll up pin, and then get destroyed after the match, then you might as well just beat him. Forget who got their hand raised, that was pretty much the opposite of getting somebody over.

Remember when Billy Kidman "pinned" Hulk Hogan?

I think a spirited "rookie" performance, and coming up short, does more for a guy than winning on a fluke and then getting his ass beat on top of it. But again, this is WWE, I feel like a fool for analysing it to this degree.

Well, here is the thing...clearly they are pushing him. They aren't going to hand a fresh-out-of-the-Indies character everything all at once...but its obvious they are pretty confident in him to have him go over cleanly Curt Hawkins (who they did puff up as a former WWE tag champ) and within 5 minutes, beat the former US Champ (albeit, the ol rollup)...all in the same show...in his debut. Considering this will probably lead to a mini-feud with Cesaro, I can't complain too much. I would have liked to see him escape the post-match shenanigans, but, I'll live.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Well, here is the thing...clearly they are pushing him. They aren't going to hand a fresh-out-of-the-Indies character everything all at once...but its obvious they are pretty confident in him to have him go over cleanly Curt Hawkins (who they did puff up as a former WWE tag champ) and within 5 minutes, beat the former US Champ (albeit, the ol rollup)...all in the same show...in his debut. Considering this will probably lead to a mini-feud with Cesaro, I can't complain too much. I would have liked to see him escape the post-match shenanigans, but, I'll live.

I concede i'm nitpicking to some degree. I guess my gripe is that this type of finish is nothing new for them, and they seem to legitimately think it's a strong finish for the babyface. And you know what? Maybe it is, since they've been conditioning fans to think it is for so many years. I don't know. I just think there are stronger ways to get the guy over, even without winning.

I think the larger point is this. If it was RAW, I would give no fucks because I threw the towel on trying to make sense of RAW a looong time ago. It bothered me on this show, because...well, this show is good so I care.

[SuperKevin]

I knew they wouldn't allow him to keep doing the brainbuster so I am pleasantly pleased with the tornado DDT finisher

[Warner2BruceTD]

I knew they wouldn't allow him to keep doing the brainbuster so I am pleasantly pleased with the tornado DDT finisher

good point

He hit a lot of his familiar spots.

I can't wait for the first time he does this, hopefully saved for a RAW or PPV:

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

I concede i'm nitpicking to some degree. I guess my gripe is that this type of finish is nothing new for them, and they seem to legitimately think it's a strong finish for the babyface. And you know what? Maybe it is, since they've been conditioning fans to think it is for so many years. I don't know. I just think there are stronger ways to get the guy over, even without winning.

I think the larger point is this. If it was RAW, I would give no fucks because I threw the towel on trying to make sense of RAW a looong time ago. It bothered me on this show, because...well, this show is good so I care.

Rollups are super fucking old school. Its old school house show type stuff where the win is a win, but...its not really a win. Kind of like...the count out, the outside interference, the Dusty Finish, the heel shenanigans for a win, the held tights...all kinds of non-finish finishes that help continue shit onto the next city where...maybe the heel gets their comeuppance.

The rollup is better than many of the aforementioned finishes, and a bit cleaner if you're a babyface, but they just had the guy "beat" two main roster guys, in 10 minutes, in his debut, so, I'll live with it...but I understand the gripe.

They did KIND OF the same shit back at the Rumble.

They had Bo Dallas flukey knock Wade Barrett out of the Rumble. They had Bo Dallas get a flukey win over Barrett, only to have Barrett give him the post-match beat down, and then have Barrett beat him in the next match...and BOOM, sent back down to developmental and re-packaging him a bit as a heel.

As long as they have Zayn ultimately go over Cesaro clean to blow off the feud, I'll just consider the road traveled a fair one. Or, if they don't continue the feud...well, whatever.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

The next taping of NXT just took place.

LOTS of stuff from it. Title Change. A match that getting said to go out of your way and see, and a ton of other shit that looks very good. Women's title tourney is starting.

Big five weeks of NXT ahead.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

This is a short episode (clocked in at 39 minutes)

They are hyping this show around the 18-man Battle Royal and a big announcement from Stephanie McMahon.

But we start with a squash.

-The Wyatt Family v. Travis Tyler/Sawyer Fulton - I count the jobbers getting in a total of three punches before the Tornado clothesline from Luke Harper.

Stephanie McMahon here for a "big announcement"...she announces the new NXT Women's Championship. Belt looks decent.

-Emma v. Audrey Marie - This Emma dance is fucking catchy. As Brad Maddox says "stupidly awesome." I'd bang Audrey Marie though...but unfortunately the next time I'll be seeing this chick is in Shine or Shimmer or something...which means probably never until TNA hires her. This Emma chick has everything she does with the name "Emma-" in front of it. LOL. She taps out Audrey Marie with the Muta Lock that she does while doing her goofy fucking dance as she arches into the finsher. The whole crowd does her special ed dance. Fandango should bring in Emma as his dance parter.

Fuck, one of those anti-tobacco commercials. I gotta see some old lady covering up her breath-hole in her neck. My boner dun turned soft.

Meeting of the jobbers. Scott Dawson and Garrett Dylan say nothing, but are interrupted by their manager(?) Sylvester LeFort(?)

-Jake Carter/Brandon Traven v. Scott Dawson/Garrett Dylan - Yeah, its Sylvester LeFort. Dawson and Dylan are drinking barbeque sauce (I believe its some Sweet Baby Rays) and are straight out of Georgia Championship Wrestling. Dawson/Dylan win and I really don't care, but I guess they are putting together some more tag teams out of the jobbers that don't work TV much.

-Big E. Langston v. Derrick Bateman - Derrick Bateman gets a haircut...and then gets his future endeavors and squashed. Thanks for the memories, bro. Big E. wins with three moves of doom. Post-match shenanigans where Big E goes for the five count. Crowd always digs it.

18-man Battle Royal.

Big E. on commentary.

Lets see if I can name all 18.

Corey Graves, Bray Wyatt, Kassius Ohno, Adrian Neville, Bo Dallas, Mason Ryan, Yoshi Tatsu, Conor O'Brian, Sami Zayn, Alexander Rusev, Mojo Rawley, Sakamoto, Briley Pierce, Curt Hawkins, Baron Corbin, Jessie Neal's brother (Knuckles Madsen?) token black guy (I think Dane Dash), Aiden English. Is that 18?

They basically have Mason Ryan throw out every jobber in the match within the first three minutes, including Sami Zayn. Ryan is thrown out when Adrian Neville reverses a powerbomb. Quickly down to the guys at the top of the card. Graves, Wyatt, Neville, Dallas, Ohno, O'Brian.

Big E. is pretty boring on commentary. Ohno and Graves elimintes O'Brian. Wyatt eliminates Ohno and Graves. The Rotunda boys and Neville left. Neville eliminates Wyatt.

Neville goes for the corkscrew, Dallas puts his knees up...Bo Dallas eliminates Neville for the #1 contender spot. Quickest Battle Royal ever?

There is nothing to go out of your way to see. Tons of jobbers. But, it was a lots of shit packed into 40 minutes and the Battle Royal will have a payoff to it.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Conor O'Brian

What He's Up To - The former Ascension member went on a little singles run after his former teammate Kenneth Cameron was released. He was pushed as a contender for the NXT title, lost to Big E. Langston and is now being put together in a new tag team, probably called The Ascension, with seemingly, Rick Victor.

Look/Physical Presence: 3.5
- He's a big dude. But, he looks goofy with his big ears, disproportionate head size, and somewhat soft looking physique. When he's got his gimmick gear on, he can look kind of cool.

Promo Ability/Charisma: 1
- Eh, none, really.

In-ring Ability: 2
- He's your token big man. He can put together some strong spots, but as a singles wrestler, its tough to see him putting together anything much more than passable on a consistent basis.

Overall: 6.5/15
- This cat is a classic tag team guy. You could push him to the moon as a singles wrestler, but it wouldn't mean much because he couldn't stay there by himself. He'll get over with a good gimmick, which I think The Ascension is, and in tag teams, of which, The Ascension was a promising tag team with a good gimmick, and cool entrance. Saying a guy is a tag team guy seems a bit of an insult these days, but it shouldn't. That is what he should be and if the WWE ever focused on tag teams, this guy and a partner would do some things with the Ascension gimmick.

Is He Ready? As a tag team, The Ascension, before Kenneth Cameron got fired, was about ready for a call up. A few months later, if they can get a new guy (perhaps this Rick Victor kid) ready to go, the tag team could come up at any time and be pushed.