NXT
Date: April 18, 2012
Location: 02 Arena, London, England
Commentators: William Regal, Josh Matthews

We’re in Regal country tonight and after a good show last week, hopefully this time things pick up even more. We’ve had some stories on the show lately and they’ve been done well with the long backstage segments. For the first time in a long time I’m actually looking forward to this show. Let’s get to it.

The opening video now has a recap which is the exact same format of Glee. I think that’s Bateman narrating. It covers the whole Stolen Striker story. This even has the bell and the title in lower case letters.

Percy Watson vs. Johnny Curtis

Regal gives us a quick story about hang gliding without any clothes on and being in jail for two days, getting here just in time. The announcers are talking about Glee now as Maxine sits in on commentary. Watson hits a leg lariat for a quick two. Maxine blames Curtis for being the mastermind for the whole Striker caper. There’s no relationship between Curtis and Maxine. Curtis makes his comeback but walks into an armdrag.

That gets Watson nowhere so it’s right back to Curtis choking away. The majority of this match is about Maxine and the plot which she denies connection to, meaning the camera is on her for most of the time as well. Regal talks about going to the Himalayas and how they can pick up a mountain gazelle for its hair and how it was made into something he’s wearing today. That’s a bigger lie than anything Maxine has said today.

Curtis hooks a chinlock as this is getting more time than it probably should given the guys that are in there. A jawbreaker gets Watson out of the hold and he speeds things up. A dropkick puts Curtis down as does the jumping clothesline. Heisman gets two and the Persecution gets the pin at 8:19.

Rating: C-. I’m really hoping this commentary with Maxine/Regal is leading to SOMETHING with Watson as he’s having the same match every week and there’s nothing coming out of it that I can see. Watson is athletic but he needs some reason for us to care about him which he doesn’t have at all right now.

Post match Regal calls Curtis to the back. Curtis has to sit in on commentary with Regal during Maxine’s match, which is next.

Maxine vs. Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn has new music. She grabs two quick rollups for two and a backbreaker for the same. Maxine comes back with a neck crank and some chest slaps. Curtis talks about playing as Regal in WCW/NWO Revenge which is a cool thing to hear. Kaitlyn breaks out of it and hits a cross body for two. Maxine sends her into the buckle and a dragon sleeper with a body scissors gets the submission at 3:33.

Rating: D+. They look good and that’s about it. Maxine is one of the few Divas with an actual personality and it helps her a lot. That and she’s not just another blonde. The match was nothing that good but it was better than most of the 40 second matches that I’ve gotten used to lately from the girls.

Post match Regal says he doesn’t believe either of them about Striker, so Maxine is required to be his manager or they’re fired. He has a contract to make it official. They go to sign it and Regal handcuffs them together. That’s from the arrest story he told to start the show.

Titus and Young are in the back and…..THEY’RE GOING TO SMACKDOWN???? AS IN PEOPLE ARE LEAVING THE SHOW???? SOMETHING IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING ON THIS SHOW??? They do a stupid dance.

Striker is looking in a mirror and has Hawkins’ cane. There’s a showdown tonight.

Raw ReBound is about Punk vs. Jericho.

Reks and Hawkins are yelling at each other in the back and say they’re done. Maxine and Curtis come in and yell at each other as well because they’re stuck together. Watson comes up and laughs at them. Bateman comes up and finds it hilarious. Kaitlyn thinks Maxine should be used to handcuffs. Comedy ensues.

Here are Hawkins and Reks who say that Regal doctored the footage which said it was them that kidnapped Striker. Striker pops up and says that he’s not 6’3 and 300lbs but he’s been accepted. He calls the two guys chavs which will make sense if you’re from England but the name fits. Striker talks about being chloroformed and beaten. The people don’t believe the lies and everyone knows it was them. Hawkins says so what so Striker swings the cane at both of them. Regal stops them and says right now it’s Reks vs. Hawkins, loser gets fired.

Curt Hawkins vs. Tyler Reks

Oh and Striker is guest referee. He just happened to be wearing a referee shirt under his jacket. Reks says they’re friends but in the middle of it Hawkins decks him. We take a break with Hawkins on the floor. The bell rings when we come back and Hawkins is sent to the floor again. Reks pounds on him as Regal talks about throwing a ferret in a bucket with a rat. Reks misses a top rope shoulder and Hawkins takes control.

Off to a chinlock as the fans make Reks the face by default. A kind of suplex gets two and Hawkins guillotines him on the top rope. He spends too much time yelling at the people though and Reks hits a pescado to take him out. Downward Spiral gets two in the ring for Tyler. Hawkins tries what looked to be a suplex of some sort but Reks gets behind him and a rollup pins Hawkins at 5:30.

Rating: D+. I’m glad one of them is gone as this isn’t an interesting pairing at all. The heel team of them didn’t work either and I don’t know of a single instance where I cared about these two at all. Not a good match either although Hawkins isn’t terrible I guess. At least the match was short though. Striker didn’t mean anything at all in this match.

Striker punches Hawkins post match.

Regal fires Reks post match as well because he wants to.

Overall Rating: C. Hokey smoke FOUR PEOPLE left the show tonight. Considering there hasn’t been anyone gone in months, this is catching up for lost time to say the least. I’m very glad that they’re actually changing some things for once as now the only rookie left is Bateman, assuming Titus and Young don’t stick around anyway. I can’t imagine them hanging out on Smackdown that much, but at least we might get some fresh blood here. That’s a huge step in the right direction for this show and that’s a good thing.

Results
Percy Watson b. Johnny Curtis – Persecution
Maxine b. Kaitlyn – Dragon Sleeper
Tyler Reks b. Curt Hawkins – Rollup

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Results

Percy Watson b. Johnny Curtis – Persecution

Maxine b. Kaitlyn – Dragon Sleeper

Tyler Reks b. Curt Hawkins – Rollup

NXT
Date: March 28, 2012
Location: Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Josh Matthews, William Regal

Who would have thought that when we started this season that it would run through Wrestlemania 28? That’s the point we’re going to reach unless there’s some divine intervention and this season ends after today. Now the good thing is they have an angle that has a mystery to it after last week with Striker disappearing. Let’s get to it.

Hunico vs. Derrick Bateman

Bateman controls to start but gets backdropped into the corner as Hunico takes over. Elbow drop gets two. Oh make that one. Regal explains why Camacho hangs out with Hunico, which is apparently due to a gang attack that Hunico bailed him out of, resulting in a stab wound which is why Hunico wears a shirt in the ring. See how easy a story that was to explain?

Bateman gets beaten down for awhile until he comes back with a cross body. Hunico hits one at the same time though and both guys are down as we take a break. Back with Hunico chopping and pounding on Bateman. His shirt is torn now too. Hunico goes up but jumps into a dropkick as Bateman gets a breather. He launches Hunico over his head and into the buckle chest first.

Hunico pounds down on him again as Regal is talking about WCW. He seems to think it was funny and I can’t say I argue. Bateman tries to suplex Hunico in from the apron but Hunico falls on top. Bateman rolls through for two but stops to go after Camacho. The distraction allows Hunico to hit his modified Angle Slam (it’s the Angle Slam but he hooks the other guy’s head, almost like a torture rack) for the pin at 7:00.

Rating: C-. I wasn’t really all that into this. I’ve been liking Hunico more lately but this was a miss for him. Granted that could be because Bateman is a waste of time and space but maybe that’s just me. Nothing that great here as they went back and forth, but there wasn’t much selling in between.

Video on Rock vs. Cena from Once In A Lifetime, which wasn’t bad.

Video on HHH vs. Taker, which I think is the same one from Raw.

Video on Punk vs. Jericho, which I don’t think has aired before. It’s about Punk’s rise to the top of WWE over the years and then shows Jericho exposing Punk’s family history.

Maxine is on a phone and wants a list next week. Curtis comes up and apparently the list is about Regal, who is into some freaky stuff. This is news? Maxine gets off the phone and Curtis says that the company has been trying to keep Striker’s whereabouts on the DL. It happened on NXT. How much more DL can you get?

Maxine yells at him because Curtis hasn’t found out anything about Striker. Watson and Riley pop up and Watson yells at her for taking the spotlight during his match by rubbing Regal’s feet. Maxine asks how mad Watson is at her in a strange bit. They go down the hall and run into Natalya and Kidd. They’re talking about the economy. Ok then. The walk continues and they run into Gabriel. I think they’re looking for who stole Striker.

Now they run into Titus and leave, but the camera stays on Titus. Young comes in with a flower pot which Young says is for Tamina. O’Neil says take her to McDonalds. Young says he lies, cheats and steals in the ring but he can’t do that with Tamina. I’m not the biggest Eddie fan ever, but NO WAY does Young deserve to be able to say that.

Curtis and Maxine pop up again and accuse Titus of the kidnapping (they haven’t actually said those words yet, but rather “it was you” every time). Titus tries to kiss her for some reason but Curtis pulls her away. Young and O’Neil leave and Maxine gets a text. The kidnappers say that after Mania, she’ll give them what they want and they’ll get Striker back. LONG backstage segment here but it covered a few things which is good.

Video on the Divas tag, I think from Extra. I have no issue looking at Maria Menunos.

Titus O’Neil vs. Jey Uso

Young and Jimmy Uso are on commentary. So I’m assuming we’re not going to talk about the Striker stuff on commentary are we? Josh points out that the Usos aren’t that successful when they’re in singles action. Jimmy says that’s true, because they’re a team. Simple yet true. This is your usual power vs. speed match with Titus controlling early but Jey taking him down. He goes up but Titus rolls to the floor before the jump and we go to a break.

Back with Titus hammering on him, using the clubbing forearms. Jey gets in a shot and comes off the top with a cross body for two. Titus runs him over with another clothesline for two. Off to a chinlock to eat up some time as Jey comes up with exactly the same kind of offense you would expect from him. The Umaga attack hits in the corner as does the Samoan Drop. The Superfly Splash hits knees though and the Clash of the Titus ends this at 6:22.

Rating: C-. I wish I could care about this feud, but it’s just not happening. The problem in modern WWE for guys like the Usos is that the tag titles are never defended and the champions are basically jobbers when you need to get bigger names over as singles guys. Titus is a heel now but he’s the same guy he’s always been, just with a sneer now. Nothing match but technically it was fine.

Tamina comes out to check on Jey and glares at Young for some reason.

Overall Rating: D. The problem here is that this show was a commercial for Mania with a backstage segment and about 15 minutes of wrestling to fill in some gaps. That’s totally understandable as well as no one is going to care about anything with four days before the biggest show of the year. Not a good show or anything, but this had zero expectations coming in so it’s fine.

Results
Hunico b. Derrick Bateman – Spinning Torture Rack Slam
Titus O’Neil b. Jey Uso – Clash of the Titus

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NXT
Date: March 7, 2012
Location: Mohegan Sun Casion, Uncasville, Connecticut
Commentators: Josh Matthews, William Regal

This is the real anniversary show as the season debuted on March 8, but as you know something like counting eludes WWE. Anyway, Regal is now in charge as the boss and Striker will continue on as host. The only confirmed match is Titus vs. Watson, which is a match we’ve seen and means that another character’s story is going around in circles. Let’s get to it.

We open with Striker in the ring to remind us that Regal has chosen the matches tonight. Regal gets in the ring to talk about tonight’s show. He confirms the main event we already knew and here’s Maxine. She keeps flirting with him and says she’s looking forward to working underneath him. However Teddy makes Aksana vs….oh sorry wrong show. Anyway it’s Maxine vs. Tamina next.

Maxine vs. Tamina Snuka

Maxine grabs what appears to be an octopus hold but Tamina drops back into a rollup. Tamina chases Maxine to the floor as Josh quotes Spider-Man. Regal goes into another long rant/song/poem that I don’t recognize. He got stuck halfway through it which is understandable. Anyway, Maxine misses a charge and the Samoan Drop sets up the Superfly Splash for the pin at 3:00. Usual Divas match but a bit longer and not as annoying.

Here are Hawkins and Reks with something to say. Hawkins says he should have been made in charge of NXT but it’s Regal instead. Reks says that Regal hasn’t done anything and since he can’t get it done in the ring anymore (just like Striker), they run their mouths and make matches. Regal says if they want to get back in the ring next week, he’s got a job for them. He pulls out some brooms and says that after how they’ve treated the roster, they’ll be whatever Regal wants them to be. Either do it, or they won’t be getting matches. The fans chant at him to do the job. Hasn’t he been doing that for years?

Yoshi Tatsu vs. Johnny Curtis

Yoshi sends him to the floor to start and we take a break with Curtis down on the outside. Back with Yoshi controlling in the ring. They go to the mat and Curtis takes over on the arm. Back up and Curtis suplexes him for two. Josh thinks Maxine likes Regal, because most people in this company don’t get women that are evil anymore. They slug it out to give Curtis a small advantage, but Yoshi avoids a charge and chops away. A hard kick to the chest gets two. A big kick misses and Curtis rams Yoshi’s arm into the buckle. They go to the corner where nothing happens, so Curtis hits a Falcon’s Arrow for the pin at 6:17.

Rating: C-. Not a bad match but Curtis continues to reach new levels of uninteresting. Regal graded Curtis’ performance as an A. I’m not sure I’d agree with that, as Curtis isn’t anything of note in the ring or on the mic. Naturally that makes him perfect to keep on TV right?

Speaking of things that aren’t perfect, McGillicutty is looking at the tape of his win over Kidd last week with Striker. He’s watched it multiple times and Kidd comes up. Kidd has been tweeting his rematch requests and tells McGillicutty to man up. Michael goes after him but takes a knee to the ribs to stop him.

Curtis rubs lotion on himself when Maxine comes up. She says she hates him but play along. Maxine kisses his ear when Bateman comes in. He wants to know where Kaitlyn is but they won’t tell him. There’s a mixed tag next week. Bateman is left alone when Curtis/Reks come up. Bateman leaves so Percy comes up to make unfunny janitor jokes.

Raw ReBound.

Jey Uso vs. Darren Young

All hail the new regime? Jimmy sits in on commentary. Jey controls early on but Young takes over with a powerslam. Backbreaker sets up the slingshot into the bottom rope for two. There’s a body scissors and then Young really gets the crowd going with a reverse chinlock. Jimmy talks about how Samoans love to eat because it’s how their culture celebrates. Regal wants to know if it winds up being a big Samoan fight and of course it does. See, FINALLY someone gets their racial stereotypes right. Jey makes his comeback but the running hip attack misses and Young rolls him up for the pin at 4:41.

Rating: D+. I would love an explanation from a higher up in the WWE as to what they see in Darren Young. There’s nothing about him that makes me want to watch him. His matches aren’t anything of note, his talking basically consists of the same thing 80% of heels say today, and his look is nothing we haven’t seen on a bunch of others. I don’t get it at all.

Percy Watson vs. Titus O’Neil

Percy speeds things up to start but he tries to jump over Titus in the corner but lands on a boot. Titus yells about how he knows the rules and controls with power. Off to an abdominal stretch and then a chinlock. Watson makes his comeback with his usual stuff. The dropkick and backdrop set up the Heisman for two. Clash of the Titus is countered into the Persecution for the pin at 5:13.

Rating: D+. As you could say with all of the matches tonight, it’s not bad but who cares? Josh certainly didn’t. This is the first loss for Titus since his change in attitude and Josh sounded like he was watching an old rerun of Cheers. This is another feud that has lost whatever story it had, so why should I care?

Hawkins and Reks clear the ring and tell Regal that they’re just getting started. Regal is mad to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. How foolish I was to think that something was actually going to change on this show. Regal has done nothing but take the place of Striker. We still have the same boring stories and nothing ever changes. Would a big named guest star once in awhile kill them? They have a huge roster and it wouldn’t hurt to have someone pop in, say they’re fans of NXT and have a match would it? Apparently so, because this show is the ugly step child of WWE. Another bad show, which I really should have expected.

Results
Tamina Snuka b. Maxine – Superfly Splash
Johnny Curtis b. Yoshi Tatsu – Falcon’s Arrow
Darren Young b. Jey Uso – Rollup
Percy Watson b. Titus O’Neil – Persecution

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NXT
Date: February 22, 2012
Location: BMO Harris Bank Center, Rockford, Illinois
Commentators: Josh Matthews, William Regal

This show still isn’t up on WWE.com and I had to find it on Youtube. Apparently if you watch it on here, they cut out all the commercials and the show is about 12 minutes shorter. I think I could get used to this. Anyway this is the 51st episode of this season, making next week a milestone in its own right. Let’s get to it.

We open with Striker in the ring but he’s quickly cut off by Hawkins and Reks. Let me guess: they want more time. Hawkins has the Obama shirt on still and complains about being put in an impromptu match last week. Tyson Kidd comes out to interrupt and talks about how the fans want to see high impact fast paced offense. Reks and Hawkins can’t even get into the main event properly. Reks says the two of them are the future. Striker has authority back apparently and here’s a match.

Tyson Kidd vs. Tyler Reks

Reks takes him to the mat and grabs the wrist. Hawkins tries to cheat and is thrown out. Kidd dives on both of them and we take a break. Back with Kidd missing a charge into the corner and off to a double underhook. The match just dies with Reks in control. He ducks his head and Kidd gets a kick to the face to get some momentum. He loads up a sunset flip but winds up backdropping Reks to the floor. A running knee from the apron puts Reks down again. Springboard missile dropkick gets two.

Reks comes back and hits a reverse fallaway slam for two. Tyler goes up top but Kidd runs up to try a superplex. Kidd gets knocked off but he hits a kick to slow Reks down. Tyson goes up again but gets caught in a fireman’s carry while Reks is on the ropes. He drops Kidd ribs first onto the buckle for two. In another homage to Bret, Reks drops a leg between Kidd’s legs but Tyson grabs the foot ala Summerslam 1991. He pulls Reks into the Sharpshooter for the tap out at 8:36 shown.

Rating: C+. Quick summary of this match: Reks boring, Kidd good. The problem is that Kidd isn’t going to get a serious push on either show because he’s too small and there isn’t room for him on Raw or Smackdown. I’m all for him getting a push though, especially if he’s getting time like he has for the last two weeks. Reks is just bad though.

Maxine yells at Bateman who is wearing an American Psycho t-shirt. She’s going to find a way off this show. Maxine walks off and Bateman runs into Kaitlyn. Bateman wants to have fun and go win the Intercontinental Title. Please, give me another Godfather reign before that. They have an awkward moment where they’re friends that accidentally flirt. Bateman leaves and Curtis comes in to be creepy. She knees him in the groin and leaves. Good grief get some better actors please.

Striker is playing the guitar when Kaitlyn comes in. She thinks he’s doing a great job and would like a rematch with Maxine. Maxine comes in and they act all catty with each other. Maxine wants to get out of NXT because she can’t be around Kaitlyn anymore. I think the end result is the rematch Kaitlyn wanted.

We get hopefully the only Raw recap video on here: Eve’s saga with Cena.

Kidd is on the phone with someone that needs to get back on NXT. Apparently it’s Barretta. McGillicutty comes in and says he drove six hours to get here and he doesn’t have a match. He talks to Kidd and says that Kidd will never be one of them because he’s not a second generation guy. A match is made for next week.

Titus O’Neil vs. Alex Riley

Young is on commentary here. Titus clotheslines him down and starts a Let’s Go A-Ri chant. Riley gets up and O’Neil bails for a bit. He ducks his head though and Riley is sent to the floor. Percy comes out to stop Young from interfering. Riley is rammed into the table and we take a break. Back with Riley in a chinlock as Watson and Young get in an argument. Riley makes his comeback but when he tries ten punches in the corner, Titus powerbombs him out and puts his feet on the ropes for the pin at 4:56 shown.

Rating: C-. Better match here for the most part and I’m starting to buy O’Neil as a heel. However, I’d like to see him use his power more. I’m not saying make him the bald Mark Henry, but use it some. Being the guy who acts the same way but cheats to win instead of doing it through sheer skill is a nice change of pace though.

Striker pops up on screen and says next week is the one year anniversary of NXT. Actually it’s the 52nd episode so the anniversary would be the next week but WWE has never been good at complicated things like calendars. Next week there’s going to be a huge announcement that will effect everyone on NXT. I won’t hold my breath on that.

Don’t be a bully! That ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. Well despite Regal not having power anymore, I’m somewhat intrigued by what might be coming from this announcement. There are a bunch of things that could make NXT a lot more interesting, from an NXT Championship to some new faces to someone actually being eliminated to ANYTHING to fight for other than pride. Good show this week as things seem to be shaking up a little bit.

Results
Tyson Kidd b. Tyler Reks – Sharpshooter
Titus O’Neil b. Alex Riley – Pinned Riley after a powerbomb with his feet on the ropes

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NXT
Date: February 8, 2012
Location: BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: William Regal, Josh Matthews

Here we are again. I really don’t know what to talk about here other than Young and Titus seem to have formed a new alliance after hating each other for so long. I don’t know how well Titus’ heel turn is going yet because he doesn’t have anything to gain. I’m sure nothing will change here because that’s how this show works. We’re at a month away from this being running for a year. Let’s get to it.

We are Wild And Young and feel the need to sing about it.

Striker opens the show and tells us that there are four matches tonight, including the Usos vs. Hawkins/Reks. You know, to freshen things up a bit.

Derrick Bateman vs. Heath Slater

Bateman takes over to start but misses a corner charge. Regal talks about punching a homeless man as Slater punches him down. A leg lariat puts Bateman down and it’s off to a chinlock. Bateman fights up and hits something like a modified STO for two. A flip neckbreaker like the one John Morrison used to use gets the same. Slater pops up and hits his running spinning sleeper drop for the pin at 3:27. That needs a bad name.

Rating: D. This didn’t click at all for me as there was a severe lack of selling. Granted at the same time it’s Heath Slater vs. Derrick Bateman in a match that runs three and a half minutes so how good was it possibly going to be? Bateman’s stock somehow manages to fall even further, which I didn’t think was possible.

Percy Watson vs. Darren Young

Titus is on commentary. Percy starts out fast and takes him down where he stomps away on the ribs. They go to the floor and Percy gets caught in the ring skirt. Back in a swinging neckbreaker gets two for Darren and it’s off to a body scissors. Titus goes on a rant about how no one has done anything for him so he’s controlling his own destiny. Young charges at Watson in the corner but Percy moves, sending Young chest first into the buckle. The Heisman (spinning splash) gets two and the Persecution gets the pin at 4:24.

Rating: D+. Better match but it still wasn’t anything great. This was more about furthering Percy vs. Titus post match which is a much more interesting feud. Titus turning is fine, but like I’ve said many times, it doesn’t mean anything without there being something for him to win. At least it wasn’t Slater though.

Titus gets in the ring and tells Percy that when Titus attacks him, Percy will know it.

Johnny Curtis hits on Kaitlyn and implies that Bateman has a crush on her.

Trent Barretta vs. Tyson Kidd

Yes please. They run the ropes a bit with Kidd hitting an elbow to the face to take over. Trent knocks him off the apron and they head to the floor. Whisper in the Wind off the barricade takes Kidd down but he goes down as well. Back in the ring Kidd comes off the top but jumps into a dropkick which gets two for Trent. Kidd charges in the corner but Trent gets up two knees to take him down.

He tries what looks like a one legged Codebreaker but Kidd counters into a Sharpshooter attempt. That’s countered as well but Kidd kicks his head off and a release German gets two. These kickouts and counters are getting good. Trent gets in a shot to take Kidd down and heads up. A missile dropkick gets two and Barretta is getting frustrated. They go into a pinfall reversal sequence and Kidd hooks him into a sunset flip for the pin at 5:22.

Rating: C+. These guys are very fun at what they do but they’re stuck here on NXT so that we can see guys like Jinder Mahal on Smackdown. Kidd used to be my favorite guy on this show and I wish he’d get more time to showcase his stuff because he really is fun to watch when he gets more than a few minutes.

Kidd helps Trent up post match which is a different style for him.

Kaitlyn goes up to Bateman in the back and Maxine comes in to yell about the loss earlier. There’s a match set up. Curtis can be seen watching in the back as the girls argue.

Kaitlyn vs. Maxine

Regal goes into a LONG rant which almost has to be a song lyric or a poem. He literally talks for 34 seconds and says that’s what Maxine said. It ended with what sounded like “shoplifters of the world unite.” From what I can find that’s a song by The Smiths. Kaitlyn drops a leg and Regal says her legs could crack walnuts for him at Christmas. Maxine hooks a dragon sleeper to slow things down. Kaitlyn comes back with some knees and the worst cross body ever, due to a lack of jumping. Maxine wins with a crucifix at 2:59. This was your usual NXT Divas match.

Video on the Chamber which I think is the same one from Raw.

Trent is getting out of his gear in the back when Kidd comes up and says Trent has earned his respect. Kidd proposes a tag team and asks Trent to think about it. Can we please get an NXT Tag Title already? In this case there actually is a division for it.

Usos vs. Tyler Reks/Curt Hawkins

Curt and let’s say Jey start us off. Hawkins takes him down a few times but walks into a northern lights for two. Off to Jimmy vs. Reks as the Usos do their “I say Us, you say O” thing which gets a reaction as it always does. Hawkins is sent to the floor and the Usos double team to dive onto Hawkins. Reks and Hawkins use a nice misdirection move to get a boot to Jey’s head and we take a break.

Back with Reks hooking Jey in a chinlock and then hitting a boot for two. Back to Hawkins and things slow way down. Reks and Hawkins are very uninteresting in the ring and they slow matches down so much when they’re in there. Reks and Hawkins double team even more but Jey blocks a charge in the corner with a boot.

Hawkins gets Reks back in again though and Jey gets pounded on even more. The heels tag again and it’s back to Curt for a chinlock. Jey takes him down and brings in Jimmy. Everything breaks down and Jimmy escapes the spinning Rack neckbreaker. He gets shoved into a cane shot by Hawkins and Reks gets a rollup pin at 7:29.

Rating: C. The problem with this is the same as the problem with most of the feuds on this show: we’ve seen it so many times that there’s no point in watching them anymore. This might have been the first time that Reks and Hawkins have beaten them, but does it really matter after they’ve lost about four or five times in a row?

Striker runs out to report the cane shot (why doesn’t this happen more often?) and Hawkins drops him with a right hand.

Overall Rating: B-. This show flew by and in a good way. A lot of new stories were started tonight and it was like there was a brand new writer for it, which shakes thing up a lot which is what this show has needed for a very long time. I’m actually looking forward to this show now because there’s something new to see, which is the best thing that could have happened on NXT.

Results
Heath Slater b. Derrick Bateman – Spinning Sleeper Mat Slam
Percy Watson b. Darren Young – Persecution
Tyson Kidd b. Trent Barretta – Sunset flip
Maxine b. Kaitlyn – Crucifix
Tyler Reks/Curt Hawkins b. The Usos – Rollup to Jimmy after a cane shot from Hawkins

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NXT
Date: February 1, 2012
Location: Qwest Center Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska
Commentators: William Regal, Josh Matthews

We’re continuing with this show because someone up there hates me. This week we continue with the Titus Is Evil story as Alex Riley ran in for the save last week because…well because someone had to I guess. Other than that we have Bateman, Maxine and Curtis promising to get along for the purposes of…..I have no idea. Let’s get to it.

This didn’t come up until Thursday for some reason.

Here’s Titus to open the show. He says that the fans are being good and quiet like small people. The best thing they can do is shut up according to him. He gets on to Riley very quickly and says that he’s ready for him. Here’s Darren Young of all people who says he hates being here. Young says they have unfinished business. Titus says the only unfinished business Young should have is with his barber.

Young talks about how he’s respected Titus lately and extends his hand for a shake. Titus doesn’t care about respect from the people or from Young. Titus seems to be stumbling over his lines in this. Percy comes out and yells at Titus and calls him stupid. Them are fighting words pardner! Young calls him into the ring and as Watson gets ready, here’s Riley to even the odds. The following is exactly what you would expect: brawl, Striker, tag match main event.

Tyson Kidd vs. Trent Barretta

Yes please. Tyson takes it to the mat quickly and gets some two counts but Trent bridges out. They fight for control and Tyson sends him to the floor where he hits a suicide dive. Back in an enziguri sends Tyson to the corner. A running elbow in the corner knocks Kidd back but Trent walks into a spin kick for two. Trent hits his corner stomp and a running knee gets two. They go to the corner and Tyson gets crotched. Trent goes up and tries a rana but Kidd rolls through for the pin at 4:10.

Rating: B-. As usual the cruiserweight style guys go out and have the most entertaining match of the night. Trent continues to be awesome and it’s hard for Kidd to have a bad match as well. Good stuff here and there needs to be an NXT Title so these two can have a 15 minute match for it. And yes I know that’s nuts.

Striker is in the back on the phone when Hawkins and Reks mess with him. The screen messes up during this. Hawkins and Reks want matches, so Striker says next week everyone licensed gets a match. That’s about it.

Here’s Slater to brag about ending his losing streak last week. We get a clip and as Bateman brags, here’s Bateman. Slater wants to see the clip again but instead Bateman makes fun of him. “I didn’t even know you had a finisher.” Neither did I actually. Bateman says it was almost as impressive as the Undertaker’s Streak. Slater talks about how he’s won three titles and has main evented Summerslam and all that jazz.

Bateman says he has a career highlight reel of Slater which is nothing but stills of him losing and the word loser over the top, including Horny winning the over the top rope challenge. A brawl starts and Slater is knocked to the floor. Cue Maxine who kisses Bateman and that’s about it.

Maxine vs. Alicia Fox

We get a clip from three weeks ago that set this up. They immediately go at it and head to the mat. Curtis comes out and the distraction lets Alicia get a rollup for the pin at 41 seconds. Someone please explain to me why this division exists.

Five minute video on Cena that aired at the Rumble.

Maxine and Bateman go looking for Curtis and Kaitlyn finds it ironic that Maxine is always looking for Curtis. Kaitlyn says she’s looking out for Bateman because they’re friends but Maxine doesn’t buy it. Curtis comes out of a door after they leave and smiles.

Percy Watson/Alex Riley vs. Titus O’Neil/Darren Young

Watson vs. Young starts us off. Watson sends him to the floor and hits a perfect plancha to take him out as we take a break. Back with Riley in control of Young and getting two off a clothesline. Percy comes back in and knocks Young to the floor with a dropkick. As they get back in, Young hits the belly to back on the apron for two. Titus comes in for the first time and puts a neck crank on Watson.

Young comes back for a neckbreaker which gets two. Titus brings the power back in and chinlocks Watson, but gets caught in the corner and Watson makes the hot tag to Riley. He cleans house and hits the elevated DDT for two on Young. O’Neil breaks it up and everything breaks down. Titus gets a blind tag and hits the Clash of the Titus for the pin at 9:33.

Rating: C. For a main event tag match this was fine. It’s nothing of note but it pushed Titus’ heel turn a bit stronger and gives us a new guy in the main event with Riley. I’m a fan of his so seeing him in a featured match is a fun thing. The match itself was nothing all that bad but it was as there as any NXT main event.

Overall Rating: C+. This show wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t that good, but it certainly wasn’t anything bad. The best thing you can ask for from this show anymore is that it goes by quickly and this one pretty much flew by. We get a new program with Slater vs. Bateman which is something other than Bateman vs. Curtis so it’s an automatic improvement. Not bad here but it’s just another show in this never ending series.

Results
Tyson Kidd b. Trent Barretta – Sunset flip off the top rope
Alicia Fox b. Maxine – Rollup
Titus O’Neil/Darren Young b. Alex Riley/Percy Watson – Clash of the Titus to Riley

NXT
Date: January 25, 2012
Location: Tucson Arena, Tuscon, Arizona
Commentators: Josh Matthews, William Regal

We enter the second century of episodes of this show and apparently the time has been moved to 10pm EST now. Not that there was any notification of that but an article on there mentioned tuning in then to find out. Anyway, the wedding is over, Bateman and Maxine are together again, and Titus is now a heel. Let’s get to it.

Here’s Titus in an awesome looking suit to open things up. We get a clip of his rant last week against the fans. Titus talks about an apology but means the fans owe him one. The people are booing so this is at least somewhat effective. He says he did everything the fans asked for like taking pictures and he’s gotten nothing out of it. Titus talks about how he’s the big dog and the man around here.

Cue Watson who says he’s been there for Titus since day one. Now Titus wins one match (that’s a stretch isn’t it?) and he’s turning his back on everyone? Watson says the people love Titus and Titus doesn’t buy that. He says the fans don’t love him. Percy loves him, but not the people. Titus says this is just business and he did all the meaningless points and such and now even Percy is dragged into it with the stupid talk show.

He invites Percy to join the dark side because together they’re unstoppable. Percy declines because that isn’t winning. Percy says Titus sounds like Darren Young and that doesn’t sit well with O’Neil. Titus says there’s one option: be with him or against him. That would be two but I’m no NXT rookie. Percy says he’s not with him and drops the mic. Titus drops him so Striker comes out and makes the main event.

In the back, Hawkins and Reks want to know why they’re not in the main event. Striker says worry about the Usos tonight and he’ll worry about NXT.

Usos vs. Tyler Reks/Curt Hawkins

You can really see the issues with tag team wrestling at this point. You only have room for one successful tag team at a time and right now, that’s Primo/Epico so a team like the Usos who are very solid aren’t allowed to get any wins on the main TV shows. It’s a shame too because it’ll probably be a few months before that happens. Jimmy vs. Hawkins to start as Regal talks about dancing.

Reks tries to jump Jimmy which doesn’t work at all. Hawkins tries to come in but has to duck a superkick. The heels take over and my goodness this place has gone silent. It’s almost eerie. Reks takes over on Jimmy with a quarter nelson and it’s back to Hawkins. Suplex gets two. Reks hammers away and the announcers talk about how every star is eligible for the Rumble. I’m not entirely sure what that means. I believe it means champions but I’m not sure.

Jimmy finally gets a shot to the ribs and the fans wake up for the tag to Jey. He jumps and spins around a lot as he hits the running hip attack in the corner, which ISN’T RIKISHI’S MOVE!!! Everything breaks down and Hawkins hits kind of a mat slam for two. The cane is brought in but Jey superkicks Hawkins for the pin at 5:20.

Rating: C-. I’m sure you all know the drill here: this match has happened so many times and it’s still not interesting. There’s nothing being gained from these matches and the Usos aren’t going to get on TV other than anything as guys that get to lose to Primo/Epico so the champs can continue to bore people to death.

Bateman is very happy when Kaitlyn asks why Bateman would go back to Maxine. He says if I have to be here, be here with a hot chick. Curtis is here too apparently, because saying THIS ENDS doesn’t end a thing.

Heath Slater vs. Trent Barretta

Regal says Trent makes him want to compete again. Slater takes over early and knocks him to the floor as Regal talks about being a world champion. Slater keeps control and loudly calls spots as he sends Trent into the corner. A charge misses and Trent takes him down with an enziguri. A running knee gets two. Northern lights suplex gets the same. He goes up and Slater runs the ropes and gets a powerslam off the top for two. That was pretty cool. Trent sets for a DDT but Slater escapes and charges at Trent, jumps around him and pulls him down in kind of a jumping spinning sleeper drop for the pin at 4:41.

Rating: C-. Not bad again and if I remember right, that’s Slater’s first win since something like July. He’s a jobber so that’s to be expected, but over Barretta? Why? Anyway this wasn’t bad, although I’m really getting tired of these annoying finishers which have mostly sucked anymore. Doesn’t anyone use basic moves anymore?

We get a clip from the wedding last week and Maxine rejoining Bateman. Here’s Curtis but Bateman interrupts him. Maxine complains about being stuck here, Striker says get over it because we have to get along. Maxine makes them shake hands and they get slapped. That’s it.

Rumble by the Numbers. That’s always cool.

Titus O’Neil vs. Percy Watson

Percy controls to start but Titus beats him down and throws him to the floor. He’s still in purple and does the dog bark so there isn’t much different here. O’Neil pounds him down into the corner and hooks a chinlock. Titus hammers him in the corner and hooks a chinlock. Some of you may be noticing a pattern here. Oh wait Titus told the fans to shut up. He must be evil then. Watson gets his first offense in including a clothesline, a splash and a shoulder block. Spinning splash gets two. Persecution is countered and a very bad looking Clash of the Titus ends this at 5:49.

Rating: D-. What a miserable match. Titus is just not cut out to be a heel, or at least he’s really bad at it. The problem is that he’s the same guy that he’s been the entire time now and he’s still stuck here so nothing has changed, which means the turn didn’t really do anything. Terrible match and basically a squash.

Titus beats him down even more until Alex Riley makes the save. I like that style: just bring in random people for basic stories and matches as a result.

Overall Rating: D+. This wasn’t horrible but it’s very much about the same things we’ve seen all the time. Bateman and Curtis didn’t do anything of note here and I really hope it doesn’t turn into yet another tag team. Without titles, there’s no real point to them all fighting because there’s nothing to fight over. Not a terrible show, but until the major problems are fixed, this show isn’t going anywhere.

Results
Usos b. Tyler Reks/Curt Hawkins – Superkick to Hawkins
Heath Slater b. Trent Barretta – Jumping Sleeper Drop
Titus O’Neil b. Percy Watson – Clash of the Titus

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NXT
Date: January 11, 2012
Location: Laredo Energy Arena, Laredo, Texas
Commentators: William Regal, Matt Striker

It’s episode 99, and somehow that’s not just of this season. This is only episode 45 of this one. You would think they would be good and redeemed by this point but I guess not. Titus should be back this week and next week it’s off to the Meadows for the wedding between Maxine and Curtis. Let’s get to it.

There’s a new intro, which looks like any other WWE TV show intro. Well at least they’re admitting it now.

Striker says next week is the 100th episode from Vegas. He brings back another former member of NXT: Alicia Fox. Oh because she used to be a Pro. Apparently it’s impressive that she’s on Raw and Smackdown now, which is what got her a position as a Pro in the first place. The hooded fur thing looks stupid but that’s “fashion” I guess. Maxine was her rookie and Alicia says she tried to sell her on Ebay but it didn’t work.

Cue Maxine who says this is her ring and show now. Alicia is a waste of space and they get into an argument. Striker tries to calm them down and Maxine says shove it Striker. Alicia tries to be nice and asks how…or I mean who, are you doing? Brawl starts and we get a referee for a match.

Alicia Fox vs. Maxine

Regal asks an interesting question: how did Striker get all this power? Alicia tries to do the splits but Maxine drops a knee onto her to take over. There’s no fascinating fact about Maxine this week because all she would talk about was the wedding. As for the match, it’s your usual Divas match. Maxine beats on her for awhile but as she tries an O’Connor Roll, Alicia rolls through it for the pin at 2:10. Nothing else to say here.

Trent Barreta vs. Tyler Reks

Reks pounds him away to start. They’re playing up Barreta as a prankster or something like that. Trent takes it to the floor and hits a big dive. Reks has a bad ankle now. And never mind as he kicks Trent’s head off and was playing possum. A Downward Spiral into the middle buckle gets two and it’s off to the chinlock. They’re using the camera angle that was used in Season One, which is practically eye level with the top rope.

Trent gets two feet up in the corner as the announcers talk about star quality, which Reks says, so says Regal. Trent misses something off the top and Reks puts him in a torture rack. When you’re channeling Lex Luger, there might be something wrong with you. Either way, Barreta rolls through it and gets a backslide, yes a backslide I say, for the pin at 4:20.

Rating: C. I’m a sucker for Trent Barreta as he’s just good at what he does. If you give him a gimmick and some kind of a different look which actually sets him apart, you’ve got something interesting. Still though, fun little match and it worked fine. Reks is in desperate need of a change as well but for NXT he’s ok.

Reks yells at the announcers as Hawkins pounds Trent down. Yoshi comes in for the save.

Gabriel and Bateman are in the back and Gabriel mentions the e-mail that broke up Maxine and Bateman. Derrick has no idea what’s going on and says he never sent it, even pulling out his phone. Now they’re stealing ideas from Raw? Gabriel suggests that Bateman’s e-mail was hacked. He freaks, shouts CURTIS and walks off.

Usos vs. Tyson Kidd/JTG

Great. It’s JTG. No Tamina here. Kidd vs. let’s say Jey to start. The twins double team him and a double back elbow gets two. Off to JTG as the Samoan hits a European Uppercut to the American. The crowd is dead for this. When a Siva Tao can’t fire them up, the show is pretty bad. Kidd is in and there’s some cheating with Jey getting beaten down. Off to the chinlock which Jey breaks pretty quickly. Double tag off to JTG and Jimmy and the corner hip smash gets two. Kidd hits a suicide dive to take Jey out but Jimmy hits a superkick for the pin at 4:16.

Rating: C-. Nothing of note here but anytime someone as annoying as JTG gets kicked in the face it’s a good match. Other than that there was nothing to see here. The Usos have nothing to do because they’re way better than any team on this show but they can’t get a push at all on a main show.

Raw ReBound.

Aksana and Maxine are in the back and Maxine freaks out. Aksana offers any help she can give with the wedding. Bateman comes up and they get in a mini argument. She says she and Curtis are going to the top.

Rumble 94 is the moment this week.

Alex Riley vs. Johnny Curtis

I love Riley’s music. Curtis however couldn’t be more generic if his life depended on it. Striker makes marriage jokes and the fans seem to be into Riley. Riley sends him to the floor where he gets a kiss from Maxine. And scratch that as Curtis takes him down and hooks a chinlock. Regal won’t be bringing a gift to the wedding. Riley gets in a boot but Maxine distracts him, allowing something like a falcon’s arrow brainbuster ends Riley at 2:04.

Bateman comes out and says next week, this ends. OH PLEASE LET HIM BE TELLING THE TRUTH!!!

Here’s Darren Young and we get a recap of their feud. After he says he’s better than Titus he calls the big bald one out. Titus goes off on Young and partially on the idea of the show, saying Striker has given up on the challenges and he doesn’t care about the points. There’s no Watson, no JTG and no Tamina here, so let’s deal with this right now, one on one. Young says he’s beaten him more times than he can count and he’s won all the matches.

Actually from what I can find they’ve had 7 one-on-one matches and Titus leads 5-2. Young yells at Titus and Titus says watch it. Darren insults Titus’ kids a few times and it’s on. Striker breaks it apart and says next week, those two in a No DQ match. That would be better if it hadn’t already happened back in May with Titus winning but whatever. The brawl end the show.

Overall Rating: D. Just awful. The matches were ok, but these stories with the rookies have got to stop. Darren Young is the least interesting person I have seen on a WWE roster this side of Johnny Curtis. Who does the other main story involve? JOHNNY CURTIS OF COURSE. These same stories have been going on for four months now and they’re not interesting, at all. Striker says they both end next week and why should I believe him? Anyway, bad show this week as I’m totally burned out on these stories.

Results
Alicia Fox b. Maxine – Rollup
Trent Barreta b. Tyler Reks – Backslide
Usuo b. JTG/Tyson Kidd – Superkick to JTG
Johnny Curtis b. Alex Riley – Sitout brainbuster

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