Eli Cottonwood will not be the NXT winner. He was eliminated on Tuesday. (pwmania.com)
WWE NXT took place on July 27, 2010 in Corpus Christi, TX. Michaels Cole and Josh Mathews were the commentators. Matt Striker and Ashley Valance were the hosts of the program.
Before the show started, the WWE hyped up the poll and someone was going to be eliminated tonight.
Matt Striker started the show by introducing the NXT Rookies. The first one to enter the ring was Percy Watson, then Watson was followed by Alex Riley, Michael McGillicutty, Kaval, Husky Harris, Eli Cottonwood, and Lucky Cannon. After this edition of NXT, only six rookies will remain. Striker reminded the rookies that not only are the pros voting, but the WWE Universe voted all week for the outcome. Striker mentioned that tonight was a big night and that each one could plead their case with an open mic. The catch was they were not allowed to talk about why they should not be eliminated.
Cannon talked about friends. Cannon said he was friends with "nobody" for years and he did not seem to care. Now, Cannon said he was lucky to be close to this competition and "everyone" cared about him and cheered for him. Cannon said that he became somebody.
Cottonwood talked about eyes. Cottonwood said he could do something no one on this roster can do, and that was to see eye to eye with a giant, especially The Undertaker.
Harris talked about "husky". Harris mentioned that all the rookies but him "dress like Tarzan, look like Jane" when they wrestle. Harris mentioned that he was real and to ask MVP about that.
Kaval talked about dreams. Kaval had a dream to perform on a great stage. He talked about being rejected, but for ten years he competed as Low-Ki (his in-ring name in TNA and ROH) and now he was in the WWE.
McGillicutty said he had a topic, but to wait for it. McGillicutty said that last week, he won the obstacle course. McGillicutty mentioned how the pros critiqued him and one WWE Pro said he was "mediocre". McGillicutty put over how he was 4-0 in this competition and called The Miz out for his comments. The Miz said unless he had a contract, then he was nothing more than a wannabe.
Riley talked about Starbucks. Riley said if it was up to the pros and people who are educated, then he would easily win this competition. Riley then bullied Kaval over his voice and Watson's appearance. Riley refused to cater to the WWE Universe and somewhat called the other rookies "starbuck employees."
Watson was the last to grab the open mic. Watson talked about having a good time. Watson said life was hard and then said his motto was to play harder. Watson then asked the crowd to chant "Oh Yeah" if they agreed.
Striker then thanked the rookies and again mentioned that someone will be gone tonight.
After the open mic, the commentators discussed who was the better speaker. Cole, in complete heel mode, went with Alex Riley. Mathews said that he was entertained by Percy Watson.
A WWE critique was featured on Percy Watson. All admit that he is charismatic, but one pro complained about the glasses not having lenses in them.
Match #1: Percy Watson (w/MVP) defeated Zack Ryder via pinfall.
Ryder was able to overpower and ground Watson throughout the quick contest. Watson gained momentum when Ryder missed on his Rough Ryder Leg Lariat and finished Ryder off with a Floatover DDT and the 180 Frog Splash (which I call the "Oh Yeah Splash") to score the upset victory. This was the first time on NXT Season 2 that a WWE Rookie pinned a Pro. The win improved Watson's record to 2-3.
The camera crew is backstage where John Morrison has a conversation with Eli Cottonwood. Morrison told Cottonwood to look forward, not back. Morrison then made Cottonwood watch his performance in the obstacle course, in which he was disqualified from. After watching the clip, Cottonwood said that he was not an acrobat. Morrison said that the course is over and go forward. Cottonwood said that he was not worried about fighting Michael McGillicutty next and had one word for him. Morrison asked if it was intensity, but Cottonwood said "mustache".
After some hype for this year's Summerslam, Cole and Mathews talked about who could be eliminated. Then there was a video package on last week's obstacle course, in which Michael McGillicutty won.
Match #2: Michael McGillicutty (w/Kofi Kingston) defeated Eli Cottonwood (w/John Morrison) via pinfall.
Cottonwood had his best showing on NXT with a powerful performance against McGillicutty with throws to the corner, a side slam, and a couple of holds. But when Cottonwood attempted a boot, McGillicutty ducked out of the way. McGillicutty then good the big man down with a couple of dropkicks, a leg DDT, and finished Cottonwood with a Swinging Neckbreaker to improve to 5-0. Cottonwood fell to 2-2.
Ashley Valance was backstage and mentioned the poll, but first we saw a video critique on Kaval. The WWE Pros talked about how Kaval is polished and confident. Almost all of the pros talked about his kicks. However, some said his flaw is a lack of personality. Even with that flaw, many are considering Kaval the favorite to win NXT.
After the critique, the camera is backstage again where Kaval was with LayCool (Layla and Michelle McCool). LayCool asked Kaval where his shirt was and Kaval was about to explain when Husky Harris bumped into Kaval. Harris and Kaval argue a bit and Kaval then said he does his talking in the ring. Kaval said their match will be a lot of fun.
Match #3: Husky Harris (w/Cody Rhodes) defeated Kaval (w/Michelle McCool and Layla)
In a very spirited battle of quickness vs. power, Harris was able to catch Kaval off guard and hit a suplex-style Facebuster and ended the match with a Back Senton. Kaval had the upper hand near the end of the match, but LayCool feel off the ring and Kaval looked to see if they were alright. This was probably the best match of the night.
After the match, Matt Striker hoped that LayCool was alright and he told the pros to huddle up and finalize their poll.
Then there was a plug for the highlights of WrestleMania 26, which will be on NBC in August.
After a commercial, we saw a Raw Rebound. This rebound featured Nexus' unity and Cena's turmoil surrounding his teammates.
Michael Cole and Josh Mathews ran down the updated card for Summerslam 2010.
Coming up next, the WWE/WWE Universe Poll.
After the final commercial of the evening, all seven NXT rookies were lined up outside the ring. Striker mentioned that one's dreams will be shattered and the others would be one step closer to their dream coming true. Striker also said that Michael McGillicutty is safe from elimination. The poll was announced.
1) Michael McGillicutty (5-0)
2) Kaval (1-4)
3) Alex Riley (3-2)
4) Percy Watson (2-3)
5) Lucky Cannon (2-4)
Striker then had Husky Harris and Eli Cottonwood step up. And finally the elimination happened.
6) Husky Harris (3-2)
7) Eli Cottonwood (2-2) was eliminated from NXT.
Striker asked if Cottonwood had any closing thoughts. Cottonwood paused, then took out Harris and then fought with the other rookies. When Cottonwood walked up the ramp, his pro John Morrison tried to calm him down, but Cottonwood shoved Morrison out of the way. Striker than asked Harris for his comments, and Harris said that he did not know what happened but he should still be in the competition. McGillicutty was asked by Striker how it felt to be #1. McGillicutty said that he was 5-0 and at the end of the competition he will still be undefeated. Striker then asked Riley for his thoughts. Riley said that even though he is #3, he is not worried and he will climb to #1. McGillicutty and Riley exchanged words and then exchanged attacks. Cottonwood then ran back to the ring and attacked the other rookies. The show ended with total anarchy on NXT.
Now, some quick thoughts on NXT this week.
The Good - Husky Harris. Harris was near elimination the last two weeks, but he proved that he belonged on this roster with a very impressive performance over Kaval. Harris struggled a bit with his execution and character, but I think now it is starting to gel and it is nice to see Cody Rhodes have an interest in his rookie. Harris is still a pretty good talent, but right now he will need to do more in order to be ranked higher.
The Bad - Lucky Cannon. He did not perform along with Alex Riley. But at least Riley got a bit if heat with his words. Cannon's character is just bland and uninteresting right now. His open mic segment this week did not help and if he does not perform well in the ring, Cannon will be next to be eliminated.
Keep an eye on - Eli Cottonwood. I was not a fan of his work previously, but he showed some really good quickness and power for a guy his size this week against Michael McGillicutty. He may not be ready now, but he is a guy that the WWE will promote to the company in some direction either right after NXT or in 2011.
For a more in-depth take on WWE NXT, please check out Mike Tedesco's NXT Recap on WreslteView.com.
Comments
Saturday night the NWA will be sending in "storm troopers" to try and quell the hostile takeover attempt of the NWA East by Lou Marconi and his 2-1-6 Clique. There is word that someone else is behind this takeover but no one knows who the mastermind is...yet! Visit www.nwaeast.org for all the latest!
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!