-- 2/23 NXT TV Reax

Jeff Van Solkema of Grandville, Mich. (8.0): Best Match: Chris Jericho vs. Daniel Bryan. Worst Match: Otunga vs. Young. This was a good debut show. It looks like they have solid rookies and interesting pro pairings. It will be entertaining to watch the Miz/Bryan team play out. Since ECW lost Evan Bourne, there wasn't a real star that I wanted to watch on the show. Daniel Bryan can be that star, the reason people tune in every Tuesday. His match with Jericho was excellent. Bryan's ability and intensity can only be compared to Chris Benoit. I was disappointed that they didn't introduce all of the rookies, though. Otunga looks like he can be very good, but probably not as good as The Rock, Triple H, or Cena, as the intro video suggested. The only drawback is that Otunga may put MVP out of business.

Simon Day of London, England (4.5): Best: Danielson vs. Jericho. Worst: Michael Cole! While I like the concept of NXT, after watching the first episode, I am still in the dark with regards to understanding the format of the whole thing! In the first ten minutes of the show WWE, Michael Cole and The Miz managed to ruin the reputation and ten years of hard work for Bryan Danielson. The only plus point is that all this could get Danielson over with the WWE fans quicker, and perhaps a feud with Miz could be on the cards with Danielson showing the world and Michael Cole exactly why he has gained such a good reputation. So far, I'm a little bewildered with NXT, and WWE now has a lot of surplus talent on the roster with the demise of ECW. The tag match was a pointless affair, and did nothing to get either rookie over, especially the tough guy Tarver. I don't get the hype over David Otunga. He managed to botch the finish to a one-minute match! At least the main event presented us with a good wrestling match. It was pleasing that Danielson was given his fair share of offense with the World Champion, and it was even more pleasing to see Jericho selling for Danielson. Jericho is a true pro in the ring, and obviously one of the few in WWE who respects Danielson's efforts over the last decade. I hope out of all this that Danielson goes on to become a star and makes a lot of money, otherwise I can't help feeling he might end up regretting letting WWE tarnish his reputation. Overall, the first NXT show left a lot of unanswered questions with its format, and I can’t help feeling sorry for a lot of under-utilized performers on the WWE roster who could really do with some TV time.

Alex Roberts of the U.K. (3.5): Thanks to the excellent promotion done by WWE, I've spent the past few weeks eagerly awaiting the debut of NXT, but having now watched the show, I find myself feeling incredibly disappointed. In fairness, the show produced wasn't in and of itself horrible. It just didn’t match up to what my expectation of what NXT would/should be. To their credit, WWE did a good job showcasing some of the talent on the show. Daniel Bryan was given a lot on his first night, and while there were a few missteps along the way, he handled himself well and made a strong impression. As it has been since the show was announced, his relationship with The Miz is easily the most interesting part of this show so far. Otunga also handled himself very well and on first impression my guess is both he and Danielson will be the only members of the cast graduating to the main roster anytime soon. I thought the interaction between Punk and his rookie was fun as well and has potential to develop nicely. My problem though is that this essentially feels like just another WWE show and not the innovative and exciting show I was promised. There were no details given of exactly how the show works or how someone wins a place on the main roster and we didn’t get to see what I thought would be the most interesting part of the show – the rookies interacting with the pros on the road. I want to see Miz and Danielson being forced to live in each other's pockets for the next couple of months and Punk berating his rookie for drinking and partying. I want the cameras backstage and following these guys on the road. To me, that's much more interesting than what we got this week. However, that might come over the next few weeks so NXT has my attention for a little bit longer.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for an "NXT TV Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on NXT, click here.

We suggest these recent related articles...

WWE PPV REAX #1: "I wanted the biggest event of the summer to end with an exclamation point; it ended with a semicolon and a question"

WWE PPV REAX #1: Battleground finish generates mixed reactions...

WWE PPV REAX #2: In-Person Battleground Report on overall show, reactions, more