Hello! I missed the first half of tonight's show -- I was eating spaghetti! -- but apparently all I missed was THE KEG CHALLENGE. Aw MAN.
Three guys -- Michael McGillicutty, Husky Harris, and Titus O'Neil -- drop the keg and are disqualified. Kaval refuses to even participate, citing possibility of injury.
"Lucky" Cannon comes in first, and gains immunity from the elimination tonight. He's followed by Percy Watson, Eli Cottonwood, and Alex Riley.
Husky Harris vs. MVP: I tuned in halfway through this match and it was ALL Harris until the very end, when MVP got in a knee to turn the tide. Ballin' Elbow and the 305 get MVP the win.
Husky Harris' 5 BEST MOVES:
1. Running senton 2. Running splash 3. Hitch up trunks 4. Elbow drop 5. Kip-up
Harris has four good moves.
After the match, MVP offers his hand to Harris, who responds by making the "this close" gesture.
Michael McGillicutty, Kaval, & "Lucky" Cannon vs. Eli Cottonwood, Alex Riley, and Titus O'Neil: This is really dull for a while, with Cannon playing face in peril to a revolving door of opponents, but when Kaval finally tags in -- wow, it's amazing how EXCITING things get all of a sudden. Kaval kicks the heck out of Riley, including a Tidal Krush.
Kaval goes for the pin off that but is thwarted by Cottonwood and O'Neil. They grab Kaval and throw him out of the ring under the ropes. While the ref is getting them out of the ring, McGillicutty sneaks in and plants Riley with his SWEET neckbreaker, and then Kaval comes back and finishes Riley with a HUGE Warrior's Way. Lay-Cool are ecstatic! They're dancing!
Replay of the Nexus attack from RAW. We're told that Ricky Steamboat has cracked ribs and internal injuries.
Finally, it's time for the votes to come in. The Rookies are lined up ringside and Matt Striker is here as well. Remember, the rankings are determined by 50% Pro votes, 50% internet votes (unfortunately, we get no breakdown).
1. Kaval (Michael Cole: "That doesn't surprise me, with the internet voting.") 2. Percy Watson 3. Michael McGillicutty 4. Alex Riley 5. Lucky Cannon 6. Eli Cottonwood 7. Husky Harris 8. Titus O'Neil
O'Neil is given the mic and talks about how lots of people have tougher obstacles than he does, but life is a game, nd you must -- MAKE IT A WIN. Everyone agrees that he's a class act.
And we're off the air.
That's not a bad list, I think. I thought for sure Cannon would come in last, and they would play up how "lucky" he was to have won the keg challenge. O'Neil gets eliminated, which is probably for the best -- he looks great, but he seemed lost and awkward in the ring. More seasoning would maybe help.
--K
Last 5 movies seen: Iron Man 2 ***1/2 - The Book of Eli *** - Mermaid *** - Youth in Revolt **1/2 - Shutter Island ***1/2
Michael McGillicutty is a disgrace to his Perfect heritage. I can't believe how royally he fucked up the keg challenge. His father WOULD HAVE NEVER failed something like that. NEVER. Mr. Perfect covered his head with his towel in shame watching NXT in Heaven.
Husky Harris also blew the keg challenge. Both sons of WWE legends were huge disappointments.
The highlight of NXT every week now is LayCool cheering on Kaval. They were so happy when he almost murdered Alex Riley with the Warrior's Way and got the win. (He looked like his left foot crushed Riley's right arm but Riley seemed okay during the poll.)
It's not as obvious this time around that the rankings are a work. Are the Pros really voting this time, I wonder? Is the WWE.com polling legit? After last night, I'm guessing one or both of them are legit. Kaval as number one surprised me a little, but I guess it really shouldn't. Cole is right, the Internet spoke with that one, and LayCool deserves credit as well for helping Kaval get over. Percy Watson as number two, that was a nice surprise. The WWE Universe must find Percy as funny as I do.
At 10:59pm while Striker was still blabbing before the Poll was announced, I said on IM to LanceJr, "Titus is gone." And sure enough, it was Titus. (Take my word for it, I called it.) But it was an easy call. I also called Eli instead of Husky as second runner up so I'm not quite Kreskin.
The thing about Titus is that he was Otunga-esque in the ring. His exit speech was classy. So classy, he should attack John Cena on Monday as part of Nexus.
Husky Harris has become the stand out to me. He worked a good match and has developed an interesting character. I'd probably rank him second, behind Kaval, and probably only because I'm familiar with what Kaval can do, not necessarily what he's done so far.
Line of the Month Josh: You used to play basketball, didn't you? Cole: I played a lot of basketball! Started 4 years! Josh: That's because you were home schooled!
Titus O'Neil may be lacking in the ring but I imagine he's probably a hell of a football coach and clearly has a future as a motivational speaker. Also, his Don't Drink & Drive speech after nearly breaking his neck falling over the keg makes him an obvious candidate to help the Straight Edge Society finish that No DQ match with Kane that's presumably still going.
Kaval's refusal to participate in the challenge made sense. He didn't heel it up and dismiss the challenge, he just pointed out that the rest of the guys were clearly stronger than him and he had no chance of winning, so why detract from his performance in the ring by wasting his energy carrying a keg?
Are they just going to let the attacks on Striker go or is he eventually going to get some revenge? I know that as a general rule, ex-wrestlers who become announcers automatically lose 90% of their testicular fortitude unless they're pushed to extreme circumstances or have their delicious Subway sandwich stolen but as far as I know, Striker's transition to announcer wasn't as a result of injury and he was a competent enough worker so surely he could pull out a match if needed. Hell, his old ally Mark Henry is right there, put them in a tag match with Dashing and Husky.
I can't stand Percy Watson but that's a matter of personal preference. Even some of the things that annoy about him, I'll give him credit for standing out, but I'd have ranked him 5th at the highest.
If the challenges are a shoot, which they appear to be, what happens if Lucky Cannon keeps winning them and makes it all the way to the top 3? Granted, if they keep the same challenges as last season, next week will be Promo Night so Cannon will probably be screwed. Then again, Skip Sheffield came close to winning last season, so maybe Cannon will get lucky and get an easy to discuss topic.
Titus O'Neil will not be missed. He brought absolutely nothing to the table, and I hope to never see him on TV again.
I thought Husky Harris deserved to be ranked a little higher, but by god that match with MVP was sloppy (and it wasn't all Harris's fault).
I think NXT would be so much more interesting if WWE used guys who were actually seasoned. It's hard on the eyes watching some of these FCW guys attempt to wrestle, so many of them look like first day wrestling school trainees. Akward movements, turning their heads early to see if they're in the right place for a spot, botched spots. Not everyone needs to be Daniel Bryan or Kaval, but using actual wrestlers would make NXT much more entertaining.
Originally posted by thechiefTitus O'Neil will not be missed.
Bullshit. I miss him already. He kept saying "make it a win," turning an extemporaneous embarrassment into an inspirational coda. He was a great man.
Akward movements, turning their heads early to see if they're in the right place for a spot, botched spots.
Yeah, it's weird to see such rudimentary wrestling on national TV. I'm not exactly a savvy in-ring technician but even I can see guys hesitating, guys hitting the ropes and not knowing what the called spot was, guys being in the wrong position. Then Kaval tags in and looks like a grad student in elementary school.
"Why didn't Percy pick up the keg and dance with it" is the most pressing question I've heard asked.
You're missing the bigger issue that no Titus means no emotional backstage segments with Zack Ryder, and probably much less Ryder on NXT in general. Even if O'Neil wasn't the paragon of classiness his exit would be a shame.
Husky Harris looks kind of like Andy from Parks and Rec.
Having noticed that his attitude towards the pros hasn't translated into a good ranking he could set up a shoeshine stand on the entrance ramp to curry favour.
I think they could do a switched child storyline. Have Cody Rhodes somehow end up being the son of Mike Rotundo and have Husky Harris actually be the son of the American Dream Dusty Rhodes and their is a feud right there
spf is right on the money -- imagine Lita at her tail-end stint of teaming with Essa Rios -- remember how cool she was? That's what Trinity's like now. --K
Thread rated: 5.72
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