WWE NXT 1st Elimination thoughts

So the NXT show had its first rookie elimination on Tuesday. Actually it was three eliminations in a shocker. At the top of the show, Michael Tarver was reminded how he said he should be eliminated. Striker told him WWE doesn't want a guy around who doesn't believe he should be there. Tarver threw a tantrum but eventually left. Next, Striker reminded Bryan what he said last week. Bryan's response that he should be eliminated was more humble, citing he hadn't won a match. Now let's be real for a moment, Bryan didn't actually lose the matches, that was just his given story from WWE. So the dismissal just doesn't make sense. In fact, they held a poll at WWE.com which you can see here, comparing the WWE Universe poll to the Pros Poll. The fans clearly like Bryan, Gabriel and Slater, as those were their top 3 choices. Sheffield and Tarver ranked last.

I'm the first to admit I'm shocked by Daniel Bryan's departure from WWE NXT, if it was a real dismissal. However, if they were going to release a rookie from the competition for the reason Tarver was, then they had to follow suit with Bryan. This may very well be a storyline as well, from what we saw in Bryan's backstage interview. It's very odd for them to build up this situation between Bryan and The Miz, as well as the consistent losses for no payoff other than to dismiss him from WWE. We'll see him back in some capacity at some point. Tarver may return as well, as he played a downright annoying heel character pretty well. They may have even be sent away to get extra training for WWE debuts. Good for them if that's the case.

The third elimination on NXT was the one where Skip Sheffield was ranked dead last in the re-done Pros Poll. Skip Sheffield, while he has the look of a big cowboy and the cornhead gimmick, was sort of annoying. Maybe they can re-work him into a different sort of character and bring him back for something at a later time. Here's how the Pros Poll went:

1) Wade Barrett
2) David Otunga
3) Justin Gabriel
4) Heath Slater
5) Darren Young
6) Skip Sheffield

My only gripe is that Barrett was ranked #1 in the Pros Poll, but didn't compete in the past two challenges. Tarver didn't really compete in any of them, but I just can't see why the Pro's would give Barrett the nod. At least David Otunga put forth some effort on the silly challenges. It must have been a close decision though. Both guys have had some high profile matches too, with each man facing John Cena and Otunga also battling his pro mentor, R-Truth. It'd be interesting to see how long Otunga lasted in his match with Cena, versus Barrett in his Beat the Clock match against Cena. Otunga has also hosted Raw and did better than some of the recent guest hosts, even if that's not saying too much.

As for the front runners to win NXT right now, personally I'd give it to Wade Barrett or David Otunga. Unfortunately, both are heels, but they just have the presence. Barret's got the size, skills and despicable Englishman heel act down. Darren Young is useful as someone for Punk to manipulate or berate, but I can't see him winning NXT. Gabriel and Slater have shown some skills, but Gabriel lacks the ring personality that the other guys have. Also, his pro Matt Hardy seems out of commission right now. Heath Slater still strikes me as an amateur in terms of his look, and The Brian Kendrick already did the rock star thing before.

Speaking of rock music, when do we get to hear the entrance theme song that Wade Barrett won for the in-ring competition on NXT?