-- 4/27 WWE NXT Reax

Joey B. of N.J., artist: Unless these contests become more relevant to the actual competition, the contests are becoming a drag. From a purely business viewpoint, WWE is damaging its own prospective money-making product. In this case, it's some of the Rookies. Justin Gabriel has the ability, the look, and the presence, but his shyness on the mic has really hurt him. As for Daniel Bryan, notice how the fans took a shine to him from the get go, and now the cheers for him diminish? 0-9, Cole's constant belittling, repeatedly saying he has no personality, etc.? Well, to whoever is trying to cut the legs out from him, congrats, it's working. It's like a football team signing a star college quarterback and letting the announcers goof on him and only showing clips of him throwing interceptions and getting sacked. Doing that instead of building on his established stardom and skills would be a waste of money. ... Wade Barrett again managed to figure out the twist on the challenge, and poor Darren Young - he's grown on me but he's too green (well, orange actually, but you get my drift)! He often has that deer in the headlights look, but with some experience and confidence, he has a weird charisma that could work. Heath Slater looks natural in the ring, and the Cornfed Meathead does well, too, but was that vest foreshadowing him as a member of a reincarnated Demolition, or LOD? Say it ain't so, but Tarver as a Virgil for Carlito? It'd be more interesting than whatever he is now.

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (8.0): No best or worst as it was a solid show. The matches themselves weren't spectacular and the challenge felt rigged (as noted by the backpedaling on Justin Gabriel's original total, which I think was legit). What struck me all night was how I feel they've taken major steps to develop the Rookies's personalities. The updated videos that contain the Pros's opinions do quite a bit to explain where the Rookies are ranked. Otunga is a spoiled brat using his Hollywood connections to justify his behavior. Tarver is anti-social. Gabriel and Slater are clear faces that have fans interested. Wade Barrett is an on-the mark snobby British heel. He may be taking lessons from Regal on the side for the characterization. Sheffield fits his Cornfed Meathead persona well, but really needs to pick a side. It's obvious that Darren Young isn't the cloaked stranger helping Punk lately, but Young's storyline with the Straight Edge Society had done a lot to wake up Gallows as a character. At the beginning, Daniel Bryan was a ready-made storyline: a not-so-rookie Rookie. Now, I'm not sure who he is. It's weird to be thinking this, but watching Danielson makes me think he's intentionally playing against the grain. It seems that Bryan feels the competition is beneath him. And, finally, Matthews calling Cole a toolbox for Cole's comments about Bryan was priceless. I don't know which would be a better drinking game: each negative comment about Daniel Bryan or the ever-present use of the word vintage.

Henry Jenkins of Seattle, Wash. (7.5): Best: Sales drive competition. Worst: Daniel Bryan. It's getting harder and harder to tell the shoots from the works on WWE NXT. Was that great makeup, or did The Miz have a horrible bruise on his cheek? Did the producers lie about David Otunga raising the most money, or was it a fair test of the competitor's strategies? I've been watching WWE for 19 years and I'm not sure. I'm enjoying Michael Tarver's Mike Tyson gimmick, but when he walked away, my first thought was "he's not playing to win; he's playing to avoid going home first." Daniel Bryan's half-crazed performance tonight reminded me of Howard Dean's scream. Justin Gabriel, meanwhile, actually reminded me of a Rockers-era Marty Jannetty. He's wholesome, but exciting. I hope WWE keeps doing these challenges as long as they test valid skills like commanding audience dollars. Here's my problem: tonight's show did need more matches, but that's not because they had too many backstage skits and in-ring promos. This week's show was gummed up with pure lard - recaps, ads for WWE products, random blathering by the announcers, etc. The actual content is just drowning. They're advertising their wares so constantly that I'm not listening to any of it. I'm just fast-forwarding.

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