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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We’re in the south this week and allegedly there might be some new talent if you can believe Regal. Then again he’s a villain by nature so he’s likely not to be trusted. Also it’s apparent that Hawkins and Reks aren’t gone yet and therefore we’ll have to deal with that never ending saga for a few more weeks. Let’s get to it.

We throw it to Striker and Regal to start. Have they always had those ring skirts? Regal is going to address the attacks in the back the last few weeks. He doesn’t believe Watson had anything to do with it, and he’s also not sure if McGillicutty had anything to do with it. There’s new security tonight….and it’s Hawkins/Reks. Just because they’re fired, it’s no excuse not to plug their Twitters. Dang that sounds a lot dirtier than it really is.

They make fun of Striker for being kidnapped which causes Striker to lunge. Apparently if they’re good and win their match on Superstars this week, they’re on the track to getting reinstated. Regal threatens them to stay in line or being fired will be the least of their worries. Josh: “So apparently Hawkins and Reks are now the Avengers of NXT.” I love that movie but that line made my eyes roll.

Tamina Snuka vs. Maxine

Before the match Maxine says that this is about working together (this was set up by a tag match) and calls herself the New Maxine. Feeling out process to start and Maxine is knocked to the floor. She trips Tamina up and takes over back inside. A facejam gets two. There’s a full nelson and then a front guillotine choke by Maxine but Tamina sends her into the buckle to break. A side slam looks to set up the Superfly Splash but Maxine moves. A dragon sleeper with a body scissors gets the submission for Maxine at 3:50.

Rating: D+. Not much here and I’m really not sure why they were fighting other than they’re both women. Maxine is supposed to be “new” or whatever now, which means I guess we’re dropping the whole idea of her trying to blackmail Regal with those papers or whatever they were using last time. Eh not that it matters much as long as it was short.

Post match Maxine volunteers to be cuffed again.

Yoshi Tatsu vs. JTG

This is the debut of JTG’s new look at the hands of Alicia Fox. He’s got a vest and regular trunks but the same music. Yoshi kicks him around to start but misses a charge in the corner. A clothesline gets two as does a modified Regal Cutter. Off to a neck crank but a knee drop misses. Yoshi rolls forward and hits a kick to the chest. JTG hits that spinning clothesline of his for the pin at 3:31.

Rating: D. It’s just JTG. That’s the problem with him at the end of the day: there’s nothing different to him here other than his clothes are different and even that’s not a major change. He’s still annoying and nothing but being loud and from Brooklyn. I’m not a fan of the guy at all and this change isn’t helping any of my problems with him.

Raw ReBound sees Heyman returning and Cole acting like it’s a new stoplight in his hometown.

Curtis and Maxine run into Hawkins and Reks security. The security says let’s work together and if there’s an NXT left when this is all over, they’ll be on the same team. Reks gives them the key to the handcuffs. Striker comes in and calls Hawkins Terra Ryzing. Regal is watching and doesn’t seem to complain about this.

Watson and Kaitlyn are in the back and talking about the attacks. Bateman pops up and says Watson can’t be trusted. She complains about how much of a jerk Bateman has been since his match on Smackdown. A heel turn is the last thing Bateman needs after his last one bombed so hard. Kaitlyn walks away and hears a scream. She runs back and sees Bateman holding his knee, saying it wasn’t Watson.

Michael McGillicutty/Johnny Curtis vs. Tyson Kidd/Percy Watson

McGillicutty and Kidd start things off and Kidd puts on a variety of holds to control quickly. Michael escapes an armbar and brings in Curtis, only for him to be pulled down into a hold of his own. Watson comes in for an armbar of his own but Curtis makes a blind tag. That gets his team nowhere as McGillicutty is sent to the floor along with Curtis. Kidd and Watson rule the ring as we take a break.

Back with Kidd holding McGillicutty in a chinlock. Kidd goes to the apron for a springboard but Curtis hooks the rope to send him down and into the heel corner. Michael keeps him on the mat with a chinlock. He backslides Kidd down and Curtis adds a slingshot legdrop onto Kidd for two. Cool double team move there. Suplex gets two for Curtis. Kidd gets up and turns up the speed, hitting a dropkick on McGillicutty and making the tag to Watson. He cleans house and avoids a splash in the corner before finishing McGillicutty with the Persecution at 8:05.

Rating: C. Just a main event of NXT tag match here with nothing of note to it. Kidd is still better than anyone else on the roster so having Watson get the win is more beneficial than having Kidd making McGillicutty or Curtis tap out again. Not a bad match or anything but it was just kind of there.

Post match Hawkins and Reks come out and say that Watson attacked Bateman and say he has to come with them. Watson says no so a brawl ensues and Watson is dragged out by Hawkins and Reks.

Overall Rating: C-. This wasn’t as good as last week’s but it’s still far more entertaining than it was the past few months. I have a bad feeling this mystery attacker is going to wind up being Hawkins/Reks which is going to be dull in the end, but other than that the show’s stories have been a bit more interesting lately. Now if they can get that fresh talent in there it’ll be a lot better.

Results
Maxine b. Tamina Snuka – Dragon Sleeper
JTG b. Yoshi Tatsu – Spinning Clothesline
Percy Watson/Tyson Kidd b. Johnny Curtis/Michael McGillicutty – Persecution to McGillicutty

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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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We have an actual changed show this week as we’ve got a bunch of people gone from the show after the great NXT purge last week. I’m not sure what to expect this week but it should be interesting to see who they bring in to replace the guys that have left. Either way it’s a good thing to get some fresh blood in here. Let’s get to it.

Striker is in the ring and says that Josh isn’t able to do commentary tonight because of the beating that Lesnar gave him on Monday. He recaps the firings and hirings of Young/O’Neil, which gets limited responses. That means there are some roster spots open and Regal is going to bring in some new talent. He’s out looking for that talent at the moment, so tonight Horny is the match coordinator. Oh good grief.

He says there are no more redemption points or challenges (duh) and brags about how he can talk. Hasn’t he been able to do that for the last six months or so? Tonight it’s Watson/Kidd vs. Curtis/McGillicutty. First of all though, he calls out Derrick Bateman. Wasn’t that his rookie like 6 months ago? Bateman says something to Horny from the aisle but JTG jumps him. Oh great he’s back. He complains about being off the show and that he has to beg Horny for a match. Bateman jumps him so here we go.

JTG vs. Derrick Bateman

Bateman immediately dropkicks him down and takes over. Clothesline takes JTG down as Horny says Bateman will be on Raw or Smackdown very soon. Out to the floor but Bateman misses a missile dropkick from the apron. JTG takes over back in the ring and hooks a chinlock. The video messes up now but the audio is still good.

JTG gets two off something as Horny is talking about Brodus while Striker corrects his English. The video is back now as Bateman rams JTG into the corner and starts his comeback. JTG speeds around behind him though and hits Jay Lethal’s belly to back suplex into a neckbreaker which is awesome. It only gets two and Bateman hits his falling bulldog for the quick pin at 4:42.

Rating: D+. I’m not wild on either of these guys but JTG getting his head smacked against a mat is always a good thing. I really hope he’s not going to be one of the main heels on this show now but for a one off appearance he’s a breath of bad air after the weeks of Young boring me to death.

Horny leaves commentary. I think there’s going to be someone different with Striker every match.

Maxine and Bateman arrive and a referee handcuffs them together as per Regal’s orders. Maxine tries to flirt her way out of it but it doesn’t work. Horny comes up and laughs at them. There’s a Divas tag later.

A shortened version of Brock/Ace/Cena from Monday is shown.

Watson comes up to Kidd to talk about their match later and Kidd says he hopes Watson isn’t another victim of Kidd’s bad luch with tag teams. Kaitlyn comes up and asks for the name of the new submission hold he used on McGillicutty. He says he’s going to let the fans pick when Natalya comes up and gets in her face about flirting with Tyson. The girls leave and the guys make fun of them but it’s nothing harsh.

Maxine has managed to change her clothes while being handcuffed. Natalya comes up and asks about the tag match which they agree to work together for. Curtis has to go with them.

Natalya/Maxine vs. Tamina Snuka/Kaitlyn

We get a video comparing Tamina to her dad. This is an insult to Jimmy. Kaitlyn and Tamina hit dropkicks at the same time to start the match. We have Natalya vs. Kaitlyn to officially get things going. Natalya throws her around to start and hooks a quick stretch which Curtis can’t explain the pain behind. Kaitlyn comes back with a bad looking cross body which gets two.

Off to maxine who hooks a front chancery with a body scissors. Striker gives a quick explanation of how the move works which Curtis can’t do or doesn’t know. Natalya comes in to break up a tag and hooks a leg lock. Kaitlyn knocks her off and it’s a double tag to Tamina and Maxine. The Samoan destroys her and the Superfly gets the splash at 4:40.

Rating: D+. Another dull match here and that splash really isn’t anything special at all. It’s just a top rope splash rather than a top rope splash that looks awesome, which is what Jimmy’s was. Kaitlyn continues to be all looks and little skill in the ring, but that could apply to almost all of the Divas.

Striker says Maxine has to stay here because Curtis has a match.

Kidd finds Watson in the back holding his knee. He thinks it was Michael McGillicutty.

Johnny Curtis/Michael McGillicutty vs. Tyson Kidd/???

McGillicutty is a surprise partner apparently. Ok then. I could have sworn they announced that earlier but whatever. Horny throws out McGillicutty so it’s a one on one match.

Tyson Kidd vs. Johnny Curtis

Maxine is at the table but doesn’t have a headset. McGillicutty hits on her as Curtis has to keep moving to avoid the technical skill of Kidd. He gets in a shot on Kidd’s arm to take over but Kidd speeds things up, sending Curtis to the floor. Tyson hits a sweet rana off the apron to send Curtis to the floor and we take a break. Back with Curtis putting on an armbar to keep Tyson on the mat.

During the break Kidd’s springboard elbow hit Curtis’ knee to set up the arm work. McGillicutty is quoting country songs for some reason. The arm work continues and the announcers talk about Cena vs. Lesnar to fill time. Kidd comes back with some kicks but goes up and is caught in a superplex for two. Kidd goes up again and hits a Blockbuster for two. I’ve always been a fan of that move. Sharpshooter is countered into a wheelbarrow suplex by Curtis for two. Guillotine legdrop misses and the Hart Lock (which is the name from FCW from what I can tell) gets the submission at 10:23.

Rating: B-. Good match but not a great one. Kidd is one of those guys that can go out there and have a good match with anyone it seems, even someone like Johnny Curtis who is hardly the most interesting person in the world. I’m hoping one of these changes that’s coming in NXT is a singles title for him to compete for.

Overall Rating: C. This show is kind of a placeholder until Regal can come back and bring in some new talent with him. That’s fine as the show wasn’t horrible or anything, but the wrestling wasn’t much to see. Still though, it’s so nice to have some fresh blood coming soon on this show and that’s a rare thing on Wednesdays.

Results
Derrick Bateman b. JTG – Falling Bulldog
Tamina Snuka/Kaitlyn b. Maxine/Natalya – Superfly Splash to Maxine
Tyson Kidd b. Johnny Curtis – Hart Lock

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