NXT – May 2, 2012: This Show Is Actually Getting Good

Regal is back from scouting talent so we may have some new names popping up this week. The show has gotten better with the change in talent recently so I have some hope for this show. Now if they can get a singles title in here then things would almost be set. Also Josh is back from his Brock beating so let’s get to it.

Striker are in the ring to open things up. Josh and Regal are both welcomed back. Regal says we’ll be having some new faces in the next few weeks. Cue Curtis who looks different along with Maxine who he’s still handcuffed to. They yell at each other and have issues getting in the ring. Maxine falls getting in but they get cut off by JTG. He’s been trying to get ahold of Regal but Regal won’t respond. Regal says all three of these people were thorns in Horny’s side last week so tonight, Curtis and JTG will be a team.

Tyson Kidd/Alex Riley vs. JTG/Johnny Curtis

Maxine sits in on commentary for this. Kidd and Curtis start and Tyson frustrates him on the mat. A slick armdrag puts Johnny down as Maxine complains about being handcuffed to him. Kidd hooks an armbar and it’s off to Riley for a big pop. JTG comes in and walks into an armdrag for two. Spinebuster puts JTG down but Riley takes out Curtis instead of covering.

JTG gets kicked in the face as he tries to help his partner and Riley goes up, only for Curtis to shove him off for two. We take a break and come back with JTG getting two on Riley after a neckbreaker. Maxine says she might become a new Maxine and it’s chinlock time. Riley grabs a suplex but Curtis makes a save and hooks a chinlock of his own. Maxine keeps complaining about what Regal did and Regal replies with a great line: “I’m a villain. Why would you expect me to be nice?”

The double teaming continues for a few minutes but Riley breaks up a superplex. This match is getting a lot of time for an NXT match as it’s already over ten minutes. Middle rope dropkick allows the tags to Kidd and JTG. Kidd hits a dropkick for two and the heels go to the floor. Riley backdrops Kidd over the top onto both of them and almost everyone is down. Kidd throws JTG back in and the Dungeon Lock gets the tap at 12:00.

Rating: C. Pretty decent tag match and while the time helped it, it didn’t really make it great or anything. Most of this was JTG and Curtis working over Riley until Kidd came in to dominate. Kidd is just so far and away better than the majority of the roster of this show that it’s almost unfair to have him against other NXT guys.

McGillicutty makes fun of Watson in the back and Watson maintains that he was attacked. They have a match tonight because Watson thinks McGillicutty jumped him last week. McGillicutty says he would have finished him off and that he’ll see Watson out there.

Raw ReBound is Lesnar injuring HHH.

Hawkins and Reks are in the front row with Regal Sucks signs. Great. Regal goes over to them and they hold up their ticket stubs. Regal throws them out anyway and they argue with security the whole way. This is going to keep going isn’t it?

JTG is mad in the back when he runs into Alicia Fox. He’s mad about losing all the time and she says look in a mirror because he looks like he’s stuck in Brooklyn from 1998. She thinks he needs a makeover and asks for a week to change him and make him a future champ. He says no then comes back and says she has one week.

Bateman and Kaitlyn are fired up about Bateman’s match on Smackdown. They find Riley with a bad knee. He says it was McGillicutty but Kaitlyn thinks it wasn’t. They carry him off to get help.

Percy Watson vs. Michael McGillicutty

We have almost fifteen minutes for this match. Watson controls to start and hits a butterfly suplex for two. McGillicutty comes back with some forearms and works on the bandaged knee of Watson. Watson knocks him away but gets caught in a dragon screw leg whip and we take a break. Back with Michael working on the knee even more. He rams it into the apron and puts on a Figure Four. Regal points out how it’s on the wrong leg, making me love him even more.

Watson sends him to the floor and comes back with an elbow but he’s only got one good leg to work on. Elbow takes McGillicutty down and a facebuster into a neckbreaker gets two. Watson can’t follow up quickly because of the knee. He loads up Persecution but McGillicutty slips down the back and hits a chopblock. McGillicutter gets the pin at 11:32.

Rating: C+. This was kind of a singles version of the previous match. It’s not bad and the leg work played into the ending which is all you can ask for. I like that they’re giving McGillicutty time out there but please, let him be called Joe Hennig. Are you that worried about him going somewhere else and becoming a huge star? Really? Good match here though.

Post match Striker comes out with what looks like a piece of paper that has gone through a shredder. He hands it to Regal who is mad. Oh it’s a tassel off Percy’s boot. McGillicutty had been making fun of them earlier in the back. Security wants to talk to Watson in the back. Striker escorts him out as we go off the air.

Overall Rating: C+. This show continues to work well with really basic stories. They’re mixing things up and the attacker in the back is a good story as you now have two possible suspects. Adding in a decent story with pretty good matches makes NXT a pretty solid show lately, although less JTG would be a plus.

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