WWE NXT Weekly Rankings & Evaluation
By George Chiverton, PWTorch specialist

January 4, 2012 - Week 44

Rookie: Derrick Bateman
This Week's Performance: 7
Gimmick: 7
Last Week's Rank: #1
Rank: #1

Comments: Derrick had a very solid week in and out of the ring, and his character was once again enhanced. His off-beat humour made me laugh, and, as good as he and Maxine were as a pair, I could see him and Kaitlyn working well together. They seemed to be on a similar wavelength during a backstage segment. I have no complaints, all in all, so, well done, Bateman.

***

Rookie: Titus O'Neil
This Week's Performance: -
Gimmick: -
Last Week's Rank: #2
Rank: #2

Comments: You can only assume the injury they are playing up on-screen is legit. His return could do good things for him if it gives him momentum to advance and win the show. Then again, that would mean WWE would actually finish this season of NXT and, let's be honest now, really?

***

Rookie: Darren Young
This Week's Performance: 4
Gimmick: 1
Last Week's Rank: #5
Rank: #3

Comments: He's improving, but it's still nowhere near WWE standards for my money yet. There was a slightly scary botch where he dropped Bateman very awkwardly off the apron when he was supposed to land on it. Other than that and his finisher, I honestly can't remember what else he did. Not a great reflection on him. Still, let's take the positives. He's slowly getting there.

***

Other Comments: So; Brodus. I must admit that on Tuesday morning when I woke up to the news that Planet Funk had delivered this monstrosity, I was far beyond agitated. Having re-watched the whole series of events about five times, I've come to the conclusion that this is not necessarily a bad thing for three key reasons.

(1) The whole Brodus funk persona was made awkward by Brodus not being completely sold on the idea and he seemed a couple of steps behind the music, his dancers, and his lip-syncing efforts. By dropping his part in the routine during his entrance (allowing him to freestyle, if you will), the awkwardness would be wholly reduced.

(2) This whole thing could just be a 'Christian moment,' as I like to call them. When Christian lost the World Heavyweight Title two days after winning it, hardcore fans went crazy and people freaked out that he was going to slide down the card again. Obviously, that wasn't the case in the long run. Now, there is no denying this gimmick could stick, but there is a chance it's part of a greater story and to forget that so quickly would make me a foolish chap. Which I was. So, my bad.

(3) The most significant point - Brodus was something to talk about. Sure, I hated that initially as that seemed the only purpose for the ridiculous gimmick, but, on reflection, you have to remember how many WWE Superstars are labeled 'intense' on a weekly basis. Take Tyler Reks, who this week on NXT had an Xbox controller superglued to his hands. His entire image was based on dark intensity and that was essentially Brodus's image. Now, in my opinion, Brodus did it far better with his tattoos and hair, size, and everything, but there was still a chance he could eventually be lost in the shuffle. This way, if he dropped off the radar, people would notice.

Finally, and I think it's important to recognize this, a lot of big names have come out in support of Brodus: Jim Ross, King Kong Bundy (who surely has insight into a man of Brodus's stature), and Goldust all came out in support of the Funkasauarus and their opinion seems highly valued. Basically, I'm going to give it a chance. Good luck, Brodus.

As for the rest of NXT, thank goodness Regal is back. Mark Henry and he could make quite the team ten years down the line, but, for now, I'm just happy Regal is home ,as it genuinely increased the quality of the show.

On that topic, A-Ry is a star. He deserves better than NXT. He managed to draw a huge reaction despite not being on TV for ages and his pacing in the ring was excellent. I think he deserves more TV time (although that could be applied to a million wrestlers), perhaps going after Cody. They could have some great matches, even if Cody shouldn't drop the IC Title.

[Photo credit WWE.com]

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