7/11/12 NXT

Ratings:
Tyson Kidd vs. Camacho: **1/2

Bray Wyatt vs. Alex English: 1/2*

Titus O'Neil & Darren Young vs. Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso: *1/2
_________________

Reviews/Thoughts:
Byron Saxton and William Regal are announcing at the start of the show. Heck, even a new (male) ring announcer this week. Not sure if that'll be permanent or if it's just testing new people for the job. Regal just called Titus and D-Young the main event players. Isn't it Primetime Players?

(NOTE: Anyway, just read that these tapings were done on May 17, so it's really the inaugural stuff when they still may have been testing ring announcers.)

Kidd and Camacho start, and Camacho even has his own entrance video. No bike today. Saxton is monotonic in announcing. Meanwhile, Kidd now impressing me with his mat wrestling. Ref ejects Hunico and the announcers didn't even catch it initially. The crowd looks like it had no idea as well. Perhaps a disadvantage of being in a small arena? It's clear that Kidd is the ring general here, even when Camacho is on offense. It's people like Tyson that can make any midcarder a star. McGillicutty is a logical choice to distract Kidd and get Camacho a win. MM and Tyson with more matches coming up? I'm all for that as well.

Justin Gabriel back on NXT. And so is Heath Slater. Really? Yup, Slater's on RAW every week -- jobbing to legends. Gabriel and Slater square off next week on NXT. *facepalm* Can't they put that on Superstars?

Aiden English gets another chance to shine. Bray Wyatt to the ring, because apparently this match was taped before he got seriously hurt. Wyatt is a nutcase, long story short. He dances with English and hits some sort of move that's a hybrid of a Mic Check and Cross Rhodes. Such a loving, endearing pin for three. I think his character's basically been doing too many drugs, and WWE simply doesn't acknowledge that.

Seth Rollins video package. Even promotes his Blackout finisher. Very good, I like this.

Richie Steamboat and Leo Kruger get into a brawl backstage. Guess this sets up a feud.

Exfoliating Ugliness Tour starring Raquel Diaz. Yeah, that's Shaul Guerrero, daughter of Eddie and Vickie. Diaz is dubbed The Alpha Diva. She debuts on NXT next week (and, from what I read, will face Paige in a match that was taped May 17). Doesn't take a genius to figure out that Diaz's character is yet another spoof of The Beautiful People -- albeit a solo act.


More on Raquel Diaz: she's the last reigning "Queen of FCW" champion and the longest-reigning FCW Divas champion (still champ as of this date). She's known for using the Gory Bomb and the Frog Splash. Look for those if she's wrestling.


Main event time with Usos and Primetime Players. No pyros for Usos, probably because the Full Sail University won't allow it safely. ROFL, Jim Ross with a classic line right from the get-go...brothers from the same mothers! Why isn't Ross on ALL the time? Primetime Players don't have AW this week, which may make sense if this too was taped in mid-May.


Usos with nice offense at the start to pump the crowd up. Saxton appears out of place when doing commentary. Jey gets the hot tag, but it only feels like a whimper in this crowd. Ref tends to Jimmy for who knows why, and Titus/D-Young hit their Demolition-like finisher for three. Yup, millions of dollars!

Crowd really was pretty bad. Too quiet, for the most part.


One huge gripe: NXT all of a sudden has become WWE's fourth show AGAIN, instead of being that place to showcase new talent all the time. Why? Kidd, Hunico, Camacho, etc., are already getting a good amount of screen time. OK, I don't mind seeing Tyson Kidd on every show, but give more of the newbies a chance to show their stuff. Otherwise, cut the jobbers.