There was many a week where we would say NXT was the best show in wrestling just because it was delirious fun in the face of tedium. This week the show was just disconcertingly, conventionally good. WEIRD.
Daniel Bryan and Ted DiBiase took about 20 minutes to have a legit ***3/4 match. Why they wanted to try so hard for NXT, I couldn't say. But they had a longer match than the one they did at Survivor Series that was better in every way except the context (PPV title match vs. NXT environment while Dolph Ziggler makes sarcastic observations on a live mic).
Also, Derrick Bateman was shoot penalized for NXT challenge collusion last week, which was pretty delightful. He then showed himself to be a pretty big WWE fan, nailing a bunch of trivia questions from 10-13 years ago and then getting screwed in the most unjust challenge since Naomi won limbo. Asked what PPV Undertaker first met Kane, he answered Bad Blood but they apparently wanted WM14. Bateman is smarter than your questions, you dicks.
Finally, Brodus Clay won a match and was able to switch pros so he dumped Ted for Alberto del Rio, who lost his guy last week (RIP Conor O'Brien :(). By the Novak Principle that's not good for Ted, but I'd guess it was just to keep Alberto involved in the show.
Bateman is legit. Who in the world would've confidently known that Edge won his first title from Jeff Jarrett? And he was totally right about Badd Blodd.
Was anyone else distracted by the blurring of a fan's sign that read 'BORED'?
Did Finkle eat Harvey Whippleman?
Pretty great little match between Bryan and DiBiase.
Daniel Bryan and Ted DiBiase took about 20 minutes to have a legit ***3/4 match.
I...don't know about that. Mostly because of the thing you said next.
that was better in every way except the context (PPV title match vs. NXT environment while Dolph Ziggler makes sarcastic observations on a live mic).
The show really dragged it down. The announcers, the fans, and people on the stage and the Maryse were all totally uninterested in the match until the last couple of minutes and only one of those things was helping the story of the match. Tough to get into a match when no one else is.
Originally posted by thecubsfanI watched this because your post convinced me to.
Daniel Bryan and Ted DiBiase took about 20 minutes to have a legit ***3/4 match.
I...don't know about that. Mostly because of the thing you said next.
that was better in every way except the context (PPV title match vs. NXT environment while Dolph Ziggler makes sarcastic observations on a live mic).
The show really dragged it down. The announcers, the fans, and people on the stage and the Maryse were all totally uninterested in the match until the last couple of minutes and only one of those things was helping the story of the match. Tough to get into a match when no one else is
See, that's why I was impressed. It was just surreal to watch these guy go all-out and give the full Daniel Bryan show in the stupidest context possible. And by the end, their good work got through and the crowd was popping for a match even though it had the NXT ring apron and Ziggler randomly stealing their heat. It was like an experiment to determine whether Danielson is good.
Maryse was all kinds of great on this show.
Maryse couldn't carry herself as more of a star. If she was part of the Miz act and got main event TV time, she'd probably end up being one of the bigger personalities in the company. But then she couldn't give Josh autographs or tell Brodus he's such stupid.
I smiled when Bryan went all "Danielson" with the stretching of the arm in the beginning. The match was good, Ziggler was annoying.
The penalty for Bateman didn't make much sense. Actually I don't even remember what the penalty is now. -2 points? He should be exempt from immunity or something. But maybe they don't wanna risk that at this point.
I am never quite sure what to make of Brodus Clay. He looks impressive. He -can- talk like a big man. But then at other times he's too soft spoken and demure.
Maryse was awesome. Though I did shout at the camera man to go back to the ring when they showed her giving the autograph. That's how interesting the match was, when I don't wanna look at Maryse.
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If think they blew a chance here tonight. If they're going to have the pregnancy ended by a nobody, why not make it a nobody who might actually get seen again. That would have instantly given some underused guy a bit of a rub.