The NXT Episode – 27th April 2010
27/04/2010
Hello and welcome the NXT Episode!
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On with the show!
Quick Links
Opening Segment: Rookie Challenge: Seal the Deal Challenge
Match 1: Jericho & Barratt Vs. Christian & Slater
Segment 2: Seal the Deal Daniel Bryan
Segment 4: Seal the Deal Justin Gabriel
Match 2: Michael Tarver Vs. Darren Young
Segment 5: Seal the Deal David Otunga
Segment 6: Seal the Deal Heath Slater
Segment 7: Seal the Deal Darren Young
Segment 8: Seal the Deal Michael Tarver
Segment 9: Seal the Deal Wade Barratt
Segment 10: The Winner’s Choice
Main Event: The Miz Vs. Skip Sheffield
Segment 1
Rookie Challenge : Seal the Deal Challenge
Just two weeks to go now until someone gets kicked off (hopefully Heath Slater or Darren Young) and the first thing that had an impact on me this week was Skip Sheffield’s apparent character change.
After going crazy last week, saying he’d no longer pander to the crowd, Skip is now sporting a rather dangerous looking spiked leather waistcoat.
Matt Striker talked briefly about Skip’s online interview, which he won last week during the Rock Em Sock Em Rookies challenge, before moving onto tonight’s Rookie challenge.
The aim of the Seal the Deal Challenge is to vet the Rookie’s likeability, which is rather strangely being gagued by how much merchandise they can offload to their section of the crowd in a 60 second period.
Armed with a pile of programs ($15 RRP) Skip Sheffield tried valiantly to sell them to anyone and everyone in his area, but only managed to extract $60 from four kids at ringside.
Strangely enough, despite turning heel last week, Sheffield seemed particularly over with the crowd and actually gave a little girl her change when he could have displayed even more heelish tendencies by keeping it.
Sheffield also got a little pop from the crowd when he refused to accept a dollar off of one guy, claiming he just couldn’t do it.
Match 1
Singles Match
Chris Jericho & Wade Barratt
Vs.
Christian & Heath Slater
It’s kind of a shame that Slater is the rookie who gets to feud with Jericho, because personally I don’t think this kid has enough charisma to ‘win’ NXT, and I think someone else could have benefited from Jericho’s experience instead.
I’ve nothing against Slater’s in-ring work, he’s put on some decent matches, but I just don’t buy into his promos.
Anyway, this match didn’t last too long, but it did allow Slater some decent time in the ring, albeit quite unsuccessful time as Jericho avenged his loss last week with a CodeBreaker for the pin.
Wade Barratt didn’t really get a lot out of this match, other than another W in his column.
Chris Jericho & Wade Barratt wins by Pinfall.
Segment 2
Seal the Deal Daniel Bryan
Bryan sent the crowd into a frenzy here, dishing out the programs for free and at will, claiming he isn’t a capitalist and therefore doesn’t need the money.
Michael Cole called Bryan a tool after he’d finished, his total being a big fat Zero.
Segment 3
Carlito & Tarver
A clip from earlier in the day played, showing Carlito and Michael Tarver arriving at the arena.
Carlito told Tarver he’d missed a big opportunity last week, not cashing in on the interference from Luke Gallows.
He orders Tarver to focus, and tells him to carry his bags in order to ‘learn’ how to do so.
Tarver didn’t seem too impressed, but did it anyway.
Segment 4
Seal the Deal Justin Gabriel
Gabriel implored the crowd to help him win so that he could face a pro next week and the kids flocked round him.
A few people accused him of ripping them off, which he explained away by saying that all American money looks the same to him.
In the end he sold a total of 22 programs, pulling in an impressive $330, although the actual figure could have been more the way he was just snatching money at will and not handing out any change.
A video on Michael Tarver played afterwards, with the Pros all giving their verdict. Punk said that he’d been saddled with a less than impressive pro and William Regal described him as the ‘sleeper’ in the competition.
Match 2
Singles Match
Michael Tarver (w/Carlito)
Vs.
Darren Young (w/The S.E.S)
I like Tarver far more than I like Darren Young, so I wasn’t too happy to see Punk’s Rookie dominate a large part of this match.
Tarver finally looked like getting the upper hand when Luke Gallows struck behind the referee’s back and actually assisted Young, who picked up the victory moments later.
After the match there was yet more tension between Gallows and Young, despite the fact that they seemed to be on the same page moments before.
Tarver is 0 and 7 now, which doesn’t exactly put him in the best position with the first elimination just two weeks away.
Daniel Bryan is the only person who’s record comes close to being as bad, but he’s currently #1 in the poll and to his credit has faced much tougher opposition than Tarver.
Darren Young wins by Pinfall.
Segment 5
Seal the Deal David Otunga
Matt Striker announces that actually someone has messed up, and Gabriel’s total is actually $210, so I’m not quite sure where the other $120 went.
Otunga said that celebs don’t do manual work, so he enlisted two helpers who handed out the programs while he took all the money.
It looked a lot like some people didn’t get the programs they paid for by the end of this segment, leaving me wondering if this whole challenge was actually a really bad idea.
After some commercials R-Truth and David Otunga were shown talking backstage, from earlier in the day.
Otunga questioned why Truth didn’t rescue him last week, and his Pro explained that he’s got to learn to stand on his own two feet.
Segment 6
Seal the Deal Heath Slater
Otunga made $315 and Slater never really challenged it here, with his laid back attitude leading to only a handful of sales and a selection of dollar bills being thrown all over the floor.
Segment 7
Seal the Deal Darren Young
Darren Young declared right at the start of his pitch that he’d choose to face C.M Punk if he won, but it never looked likely as he sluggishly dished out the books and eventually got confused, freezing up almost completely.
Segment 8
Seal the Deal Michael Tarver
What a money-spinner this has been so far for the WWE.
Ok so Bryan threw out a few of them for free, but they’ve sold over $700 of programs that they probably wouldn’t have otherwise.
the reason I’m mentioning this now is because Michael Tarver once again ducked out without participating, claiming that he was the product WWE should try and sell.
Segment 9
Seal the Deal Wade Barratt
Barratt said that he’d already proven tonight that he’s the #1 Rookie on NXT by being part of the team that beat Christian and Slater earlier tonight.
He then pocketed the change that he’d been given and left.
A Daniel Bryan promo played after this, where he got a lot of praise from the Rookies, including some veiled positives from his pro The Miz, who was still sporting his Blue Peter badge by the way.
Segment 10
The Winner’s Choice
Matt Striker introduced David Otunga as the victor of tonight’s Challenge, then asked him which Pro he would like to face.
Otunga pondered over the options he had before deciding that he wanted to face his own mentor R-Truth next week.
Main Event Match
Singles Match
The Miz (w/ Daniel Bryan)
Vs.
Skip Sheffield (w/Willian Regal)
Just as it looked like the match was about to start The Miz grabbed a microphone and explained that due to his incredibly bruised and swollen face courtesy of The Big Show, he wasn’t going to be able to compete tonight.
Instead he broke the news that Daniel Bryan would be taking his place, which seemed to be news even to the Rookie, who reluctantly jumped in the ring to start the match.
Main Event Match V2
Singles Match
Daniel Bryan (w/ The Miz)
Vs.
Skip Sheffield (w/Willian Regal)
Bryan started strongly but after mere minutes Sheffield hit a Clothesline that turned his opponent inside out.
He delivered a rather clever finisher where he hung Bryan on his back then hit a kind of Stunner, to pick up the 1..2..3.
Skip Sheffield wins by Pinfall.
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