-- 5/25 WWE NXT Reax

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (10.0): Best: Bryan "apologizes." Worst: Otunga remains. Wow! I'm not surprised by Slater's elimination, but I'm really hoping that David Otunga doesn't win this in the end. His gimmick is okay because it is true to him, but he's lagging way behind in the ring, and "charismatic" is becoming a cliche in wresting. The Rookies telegraphed the elimination on Raw when three out of four named Slater. This bad habit really needs to stop. ... The whole Daniel Bryan vs. Michael Cole segment was very well done; great intensity by most throughout. And I really like the Devil's Advocate review of the matter by Matthews and Striker. Cole, Cole, Cole. I would have thought the "most traumatic, most unprofessional" thing that ever happened to him was getting atomic wedgies by the '97 version of DX.

John of Cocoa Beach, Fla. (8.5): Best Match: Gabriel vs. Barrett. Worst Match: none. Finally, we got an episode that was worth viewing, and gave fans a reason to want to watch the final episode. The Michael Cole-Daniel Bryan brawl was so much fun, and reminiscent of all the times Stone Cold Steve Austin would trick Vince McMahon into thinking he wasn't going to get beat up, only to have Austin open up on Mr. McMahon. Cole, as the cowardly heel, was great! I have a huge prediction that next week Daniel Bryan will insist he deserves a job with WWE. Michael Cole will then order security take Bryan away, only to have Bret Hart make a surprise visit to NXT after Wade Barrett is chosen the winner by the Pros and hires Daniel Bryan to Raw. Hart then announces his first match will be at the new PPV, Fatal Four-Way, in a No Holds Barred match against The Miz. I do see Justin Gabriel getting a spot on Smackdown with Matt Hardy, and perhaps a storyline can be worked where Gabriel turns heel on Hardy. David Otunga is a natural on the microphone, yet, as Jericho said, his ring skills need a lot of work. Otunga's natural connection to entertainment makes him someone WWE can't afford to let get away. And I do see Heath Slater making the main roster in the future, perhaps also on Smackdown. NXT is not a bad concept, but as I've seen in the last couple weeks, I want to see more true analysis by the Pros, even if they break character. Also, more outside examples of the students and Pros working on in-ring basics and talking skills. The only odd thing I saw last night was a WWE Shopzone promo saying you can unload Batista's ring entrance onto your cell phone or computer. He did quit, right?

Richard H. of Wilmington, Ohio (5.0): The show was entertaining in spurts, as too much time was devoted to recaps or talking heads. So, I give the show a 5.0 for the good spots, which included yet another beat down of Michael Cole and a scrum involving Danielson and Miz added in. Cole's commentary has always been subpar at best and annoying at worst, mostly due to following in J.R.'s boot steps. If he had "replaced" a lesser talent like Tony Schiavone in WCW, it would not have been so obvious, but he was stuck following arguably the best voice in wrestling history. As for The Miz, he is so good at his job of being annoying that any time anybody smacks him down, it feels good. If they had programmed the Daniel Bryan character with this much fire from the get-go, he would not have flamed out. As it is, Danielson is tearing up the show more as a castaway than any performer of the season to date. Slater was eliminated during the overrun, which is mind boggling as they had a grand total of two matches and one "impromptu" brawl to schedule in 60 minutes. If the program stays in its current format, it will follow ECW rather quickly into the canceled show bin and be yet another of McMahon's failed ideas.

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.

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