By Jon Mezzera, Torch Specialist

NXT HITS

None: There wasn't anything to like enough on NXT to give it a Hit.

NXT MISSES

Kissing Contest: I'm not sure where to start in analyzing a segment this bad. There are so many different angles I can take. 1) It was boring. 2) It went on forever. I kept wanting it to be over and it kept going. 3) It was another in a string of contests that if NXT were real would have no bearing on how these rookies will succeed in WWE. What's even worse is that if you can accept the fact that the competitions show what a rookie can do in terms of certain attributes that are important behind-the-scenes qualities for a pro wrestler to have (mic skills are important, but shouldn't be discussed on camera for instance), this competition failed that test as it had nothing to do with being a good wrestler. 4) It was disrespectful to women. I'm not surprised. WWE loves to degrade any woman who doesn't fit in with the body type of the Divas (look at how many babyfaces have made fun of Vickie Guerrero's weight over the years, when there are so many other heelish parts of her character to focus on instead). LayCool were pretty amusing at times during the segment, but they couldn't come close to saving what is probably my least favorite WWE segment of 2010 (and that includes a lot of crap from Raw involving guest hosts).

Wrestling: There were four matches on NXT which is one too many. They were all too short to amount to much. Kaval vs. Husky Harris was good before it ended. Once again, Kaval who is the best in ring performer of the group is booked to look like the worst as he keeps losing. Michael McGillicutty vs. Lucky Cannon was about a minute long. I haven't been very impressed with Cannon (I assume / hope he will be eliminated nest week), but at least give him some more ring time to show what he can do. I have been impressed with McGillicutty's presence, but his matches have all been so short. We haven't seen much of what he can do. He is being booked to look strong having the best record of Season 2, but what do we fans know about him other than he has a weak finisher (a swinging neck breaker? What is this, 1988?). Percy Watson vs. Alex Riley was ok, although there were a few sloppy spots. They both have potential in the ring, but I would like to see more than a 3 minute match. The longest match of the show was McGillicutty vs. The Miz, and while McGillicutty got more of a chance to show what he can do in the ring, he spent most of the time selling for the Miz, once again having NXT getting a pro over more than the rookies (a pro who is already over). So what's the point? Even this match was under 5 minutes. Also, the bickering between the announcers gets in the way of any type of enjoyment you might get from watching. Michael Cole's ass kissing of the Miz and Riley has gotten so far over the top that it isn't believable any more. Maybe WWE is trying to build anticipation for someone to finally shut Miz, Riley or Cole up. If that's the case, then they are doing a good job making the fans tired of those three. But, will the payoff ever come?

Jon Mezzera is PWTorch.com's WWE Hits & Misses Specialist, providing his point of view for Raw, Smackdown, NXT, and Superstars each week. s him at jmezz-torch@sbcglobal.net.

For another view from the original Hitlist author, compare Jason Powell's views to mine by visiting prowrestling.NET's "Hitlist" section here.

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

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