NXT
Date: May 16, 2012
Location: Giant Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Commentators: William Regal, Josh Matthews
Reviewed by Tommy Hall
This is the final regular taping for NXT as after this the show is
going to move to Florida permanently which is probably a good thing. We
can now get the FCW guys on the show and give them some time. Also we
don’t need to sit through this show on Smackdown tapings because about
80% of the fans don’t have a clue who these guys are. Let’s get to it.
Johnny Curtis vs. Percy Watson
Apparently Curtis has stolen tape (as in Scotch) tape from the
announcers at some point. As they talk about Josh’s shoes, Watson takes
over with an armbar to start. Leg lariat sends Curtis to the apron but
he guillotines Watson on the top for two. Quick chinlock goes nowhere
and Curtis chokes him a bit. This time the hold of choice is a surfboard
with a knee in the back. Watson gets out of that pretty easily and hits
a few dropkicks. Heisman gets two. Persecution is escaped and Curtis
hits a spinning Falcon’s Arrow for the pin at 4:40.
Rating: D+. This was ok enough I guess, but Curtis’
weird gimmick doesn’t do much for him. It’s good for promos but in
matches he’s just kind of standing around and looking at the fans
instead of really being strange. Watson is a guy that the fans seem to
like but there’s nothing to him as far as a personality goes. It’s the
completely opposite of how he was in Season 2.
Great Khali/Ezekiel Jackson vs. Curt Hawkins/Tyler Reks
See, THIS is what NXT needs: appearances from bigger names that are
regulars on the main shows. It gives us some fresh faces but we don’t
need to spend a month to figure out who they are. Weren’t Hawkins and
Reks security guards or something recently? I vaguely remember something
about Ace rehiring them but they don’t seem to care enough to let us
know and neither do the announcers.
Khali and Hawkins start things off. The taller one chops him a lot
and tags in Jackson, who seems to scare Hawkins a lot more than Khali
did. Off to Reks who gets knocked into the corner with ease. Reks takes
him down and Hawkins adds a top rope clothesline before tagging right
back out. Jackson plays Ricky Morton, which is one of the most curious
casting choices I’ve ever seen.
Reks is the legal evil one at the moment, kicking away at Jackson
followed by a chinlock. A slam gets two. Off to Hawkins who again is
only in for a few moments. Back to Reks who has more luck, hitting a big
boot for two. Another chinlock goes on but Big Zeke comes back with a
backdrop and makes the tag to Khali. He cleans house and the Plunge ends
Reks at 6:04.
Rating: D+. Another so-so match here which was fine
for filling in a few minutes. Still though the problem here is why
Hawkins and Reks are back in the ring. I checked and last week it was
said that they were security and not wrestlers. Therefore, we should get
an explanation as to why they’re wrestling here. That’s basic
storytelling and for some reason it’s just not happening at all.
Maxine vs. Kaitlyn
This is billed as a big showdown, which would make sense if this
wasn’t what, the third time they’ve fought in a month or two? Maxine is
in more traditional attire here and it’s working for me. Kaitlyn
immediately takes her down with a rollup for two, followed by a slam for
the same. Maxine hooks her guillotine choke but Kaitlyn eventually
breaks it up by draping her over the top rope.
Maxine comes back with forearms and a chinlock. She’s very fired up
this week. There’s another chinlock with a knee in the back which is
shifted into a kind of camel clutch. Kaitlyn fights up but gets ax
handled down for two. Kaitlyn comes back with a dropkick and a bad
crossbody for two. Maxine grabs a rollup for two and hooks a Last
Chancery. That’s easily broken and Kaitlyn grabs a Bubba Bomb. She drops
onto her back and puts on a full nelson with her legs for the pin at
6:00.
Rating: C-. You know when these matches go longer
than 90 seconds they’re a lot more enjoyable. At the end of the day,
having some decent matches by girls in small outfits is something that’s
hard to mess up. Having a match get six minutes makes it more enjoyable
instead of having them go like a minute. Matches like those are
pointless whereas something like this wasn’t bad.
Raw ReBound is about Big Show getting fired.
Cena Make-A-Wish video.
Tyson Kidd vs. Michael McGillicutty vs. Derrick Bateman
They have almost fifteen minutes for this. McGillicutty lets them
fight while he chills on the floor. The good guys take turns with
armdrags until it’s a stalemate. After another stand off the pair goes
outside and chases McGillicutty back into the ring. There’s a double
hiptoss and a LONG delayed double vertical suplex to put Michael down.
Bateman has a smart idea and rolls up Kidd for two.
Bateman gets knocked to the floor but McGillicutty breaks up a
suicide dive attempt. He hammers on Kidd for awhile until Bateman
finally revives from his coma. The pair sends McGillicutty to the floor
and Bateman hits a GREAT suicide dive. He may have hurt his knee on that
though. Kidd goes up top and tries a moonsault press onto them but
mostly lands between them as we take a break. Back with Kidd stomping
down on McGillicutty in the corner.
Here’s a Sharpshooter attempt but Michael kicks him into Bateman who
is on the apron. Saito Suplex gets two for McGillicutty. McGillicutty
sends Bateman into the post as Regal talks about having a step ladder
because his real ladder left him. Everyone is back in now and Kidd kicks
out of a dropkick. McGillicutty and Kidd collide on stereo cross body
attempts.
Bateman comes up and hits a few clotheslines on Michael for two.
Tornado DDT is broken up but here’s Kidd with the kicks to Michael.
Bateman hits a flip neckbreaker to Kidd but McGillicutty hits a
backbreaker on him for two. Kidd hits a high kick to McGillicutty to
send him into a northern lights bridging suplex by Bateman. Kidd breaks
that up with a springboard elbow for two. McGillicutty breaks up a
rollup and hits a Perfecplex for two on Kidd. Bateman breaks it up and
sets for a superplex on McGillicutty but Kidd breaks it up and sends
Michael to the floor. Sharpshooter followed by the Dungeon Lock gets the
tap at 13:40.
Rating: B. Best NXT match in months, hands down.
This was really entertaining and I legitimately didn’t know who was
going to win the whole way through. Also, I LOVED the knee injury coming
back to cost Bateman the match later. That’s a great little bit of
storytelling in there and it made the match that much better. This was
Bateman’s best match ever by about a thousand miles.
Overall Rating: B-. Pretty good show here with a
great main event and some other ok wrestling on here too. It does have
problems like the attacks in the back not being mentioned at all and
Reks/Hawkins all of a sudden being back as active wrestlers, but if you
throw out a nearly 15 minute main event like that every week I can more
than over look it. Good show this week and check out that triple threat.
Results
Johnny Curtis b. Percy Watson – Spinning Falcon’s Arrow
Ezekiel Jackson/Great Khali b. Curt Hawkins/Tyler Reks – Punjabi Plunge to Reks
Kaitlyn b. Maxine – Leg full nelson
Tyson Kidd b. Michael McGillicutty and Derrick Bateman – Dungeon Lock to Bateman
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