WWE NXT Results 06/22/10

WWE NXT results from Manchester, NH:

After the usual NXT intro video, Michael Cole said we're one week away from the first NXT vote. He said at ringside are he and Josh Matthews. Cole kicked it over to the newest member of their broadcast team, Ashley Valence who was in the ring. Striker wasn't in ring to start things off like usual. Early on, it's tough to tell if Matt Striker is no longer the host, and Ashley is. No explanation given as to her role. Ashley talked about the Pros and fans getting to vote and said voting will open one week from tonight at 10PM EST on WWE.com.

Ashley introduced the WWE Pros next one by one John Morrison, Cody Rhodes, Team LayCool, Mark Henry, Kofi Kingston and Zack Ryder. Ashley said it was time for the first match of the night. The Miz and Alex Riley arrived to the ring, followed by MVP and Percy Watson.

Percy Watson & MVP vs. Alex Riley & The Miz

During this contest, Watson and MVP had a nice doubleteam move to slam Riley to the mat, the MVP tossed him out of the ring. Miz jumped off the apron and got in Riley's face telling him to get back in the ring, causing Riley to glare at Miz.

Later still, Watson escaped Riley for a tag to MVP. MVP hit the Ballin' Elbow drop, but couldn't hit the 305 finisher. MVP rushed over for a tag to Watson, and Riley tagged in Miz. Watson hit an interesting splash move on Miz. It eventually broke down in the ring with MVP taking Riley out over the ropes. Miz dropped Riley against the top ropes then hit Skullcrushing Finale for the pinfall win. Miz started talking trash in Watson's face on the mat, so MVP rushed in to get him away. Riley is now 2-0 on NXT.

Winner: The Miz & Alex Riley win via pinfall over MVP & Percy Watson.

Josh Matthews introduced the NXT background video on rookie Titus O'Neil, who is a former pro football player. Zack Ryder brought out Titus O'Neil for the next match.

Michael Cole said later tonight they'll update what happened last night to Mr. McMahon on Raw at the hands of the NXT season 1 guys.

---

Michael McGillicutty vs. Titus O'Neil

Zack Ryder and Kofi Kingston were at ringside to watch their rookies square off. Early on O'Neil picked up Mike and Mike responded with a slew of punches to the head. O'Neil rammed him against the corner to take control. Late in the match, O'Neil hit a scoop slam, but as he went for the splash, McGillicutty put up both knees. From there, O'Neil got up crouching. McGillicutty ran from against the ropes and hit a spinning neckbreaker for the pin. Mike is 2-0, while O'Neil is 0-2.

Winner: Michael McGillicutty wins via pinfall over Titus O'Neil.

---

Josh Matthews reminded fans to check out WWE.com for results from Fatal 4Way PPV.

Kuval vs. Eli Cottonwood

Team LayCool was at ringside for the match. John Morrison accompanied Eli Cottonwood to the ring for the battle of David vs. Goliath. Kuval went for the quickness early on, while Cottonwood went for the power moves, tossing Kuval face first to the corner turnbuckle. Cottonwood put Kuval near the corner ropes, where Kuval managed to lock on some sort of submission hold. It was illegal so the ref forced him to break it off.

Kuval continued with quick strike attacks, while Cottonwood appeared to be in pain. Kuval had an impressive springboard kick from the ropes, and also a jump off the corner to drive both feet into the back of Cottonwood's head. However, Eli kicked out Kuval's pin. He picked him up and smashed Kuval to the mat for the win.

Team LayCool chased Kuval as he walked hurt up the ramp, acting concerned over their rookie.

Winner: Eli Cottonwood wins via pinfall over Kuval.

Next up was a background video of NXT rookie Lucky Cannon who was once in a coma for weeks, but learned to walk and talk once again.

---

NXT returned backstage with Kuval looking to be in serious pain. Michelle and Layla helped him up. They told him he lost twice but third time's a charm. Team LayCool presented Kuval with a gift, a pink property of LayCool T-shirt.

Matt Striker had finally joined the commentators at ringside. Josh Matthews brought up how Striker is not all smiles after what happened to him due to Cody Rhodes last weekend. They reviewed Mike McGillicutty defeating Lucky Cannon last week in a match. Cody Rhodes gave his opinion from up on the ramp, criticizing Lucky as all style and no substance. Mark Henry stood up for his rook and told Cody to take on Lucky. Cody said he accepts but needed a week to get ready. Striker asked what we can expect from Cody Rhodes. Rhodes ended up clubbing Striker down off the ramp.

Josh Matthews asked Striker his thoughts about last week after seeing the footage. Striker said he'll keep it professional and chalk it up to Cody being heated over Mark Henry's challenge. Striker said "Let's move on." Michael Cole moved on to bring up last night's Raw and the NXT beat down on Vince McMahon. They showed the beatdown in the ring once again.

Michael Cole said an email has been received from the new "anonymous" GM of Monday Night Raw. The statement said "these actions will be met with the appropriate consequences."

Lucky Cannon vs. Cody Rhodes
Five Minute Challenge

Cody got on the mic prior to the match saying they will have a five minute challenge to see if he can even last five minutes in the ring with him. The countdown clock started up on screen as Cody shoved Lucky into the corner and pointed towards the big screen. Michael Cole talked of the achievements of Cody Rhodes including former tag champ and son of Dusty Rhodes. Mark Henry and Husky Harris were at ringside to watch.

Rhodes continued to stay in control and at the 2:30 mark he put Cannon up in an interesting submission hold on his back. Cannon managed to escape it and use a schoolboy pinfall attempt. Cannon seemed to be building some momentum with a huge boot kick on Rhodes. Rhodes kicked out at 1:41. Cannon jumped off the corner but Cody dodged him, then came back with his own spin kick to the head of Cannon. Cody followed up with Cross Rhodes to win by pinfall with 1:02 remaining on the clock.

Winner: Cody Rhodes wins via pinfall over Lucky Cannon in 3:58.

---

The show closed out with Striker in-ring with all of the NXT rookies, asking for them to present final cases to get fan votes. One-by-one the Season 2 rookies got 45 seconds to speak. When it came time for Husky Harris he told Matt Striker he doesn't need to talk for 45 seconds. Harris knocked Striker down before delivering a sentaun bomb on him. Harris left the ring and headed backstage with his pro Cody Rhodes. The first NXT voting will be next week. Fans can start voting as of 10PM EST on Tuesday 6/29/10 at WWE.com.

Raw Revelations - NXT crew roughs up Bret Hart!

On Monday Night Raw this past week, Wade Barrett and his NXT crew were back in the ring. This time it was because Barrett said Raw GM Bret Hart demanded an apology. Instead of an apology, Barrett and company all stood behind what they did, saying they were treated like animals on NXT so that's how they acted on Raw. Barrett said they made a statement that has everyone still talking, but that it wasn't just about John Cena. From there, Bret Hart came out to the ramp, and listened as David Otunga presented a list of demands they had, or things would keep getting worse. Those demands included WWE contracts for all of them, fancy dressing rooms and travel accommodations.

Hart laughed off their requests, and then proceeded to fire Wade Barrett. He told the rest of the NXT troop to hit the road, or he'd bring the cops in. Of course we all saw what happened later in the show. Cena called them all out, then had backup from the Raw roster as they drove off the NXT stars. Later still, during the main event, the arena went dark while the entire Raw roster was up on stage to protect the inner arena and main event tag teams (Cena/Orton vs Sheamus/Edge). That left the backstage unprotected, where the NXT guys ripped apart the equipment and kidnapped the GM. They loaded Bret Hart into a limo so it could crash around the garage and shake him up. The show closed with Barrett telling Hart they want an answer by Sunday, most likely about getting all his NXT cronies signed to WWE contracts.

I think we can fully expect to see the NXT guys signed to WWE contracts. It's a good storyline (although it's been done before with WCW), but again it makes the whole NXT competition seem pointless. Why make fans sit through weeks of real time competitions, if all of the guys will end up being part of WWE anyways? The competitions they had between one another were definitely not staged. Was the point just to preview them all so the fans could adjust and be ready for this new angle? I think many of the guys will work well in WWE though, so we'll have to see what Bret Hart decides to do, and what it brings forth with the NXT stars. Having new guys for fresh matches won't hurt at all.

Another issue - The explanation of why Daniel Bryan wasn't part of the NXT crew any more was that "he showed remorse". Barrett said he won't be seen with them ever again. Is that supposed to mean, they ordered a hit on Daniel Bryan Mafia style, or gave him concrete shoes and dropped him in the ocean? I think a much better explanation could have been used with Michael Cole saying he pressed charges and Bryan isn't allowed near him due to a restraining order. Or even that Bryan was arrested and had pending legal charges. At least that would tie several loose threads together. The whole Daniel Bryan attack on Michael Cole makes more sense that way too, but the writers chose their way. It also would have given Bryan a way back in to WWE. Even John Cena seems in favor of him being around.

As for Season 2 of NXT, it's been better than Season 1 so far. There's been more interactions with Pros and Rookies and some of the new talent is very intriguing. I like the variety of personalities of these guys more so than most of Season 1. Again, many of these latest NXT rookies seem like they have potential for a future WWE gig. My early favorites would have to be Alex Riley, Eli Cottonwood, Kuval and Michael McGillicutty. I can see the fans favoring Percy Watson or Kuval. Kuval got some oohs and ahs out of the crowd Tuesday night despite losing to Riley who seems like a good heel. Michael McG looked good with his finisher, but he really needs to change up the name though. It's a doozy, especially for those of us recapping his matches!

Tuesday's episode of NXT had a good close with Cody Rhodes knocking host Matt Striker down. Wonder if anything will come out of this from Matt Striker, or if he'll stick to commentary and hosting?

We're heading towards the Fatal 4Way PPV full speed, so there should be plenty to come on Friday's Smackdown and possibly Superstars. Stay tuned for the blog's predictions for this Sunday's big PPV event!

WWE NXT Results 6/15/10

NXT Recap from NC State University:

NXT opened with highlights from last week's introductions by the Pros of their new rookies. At the end of the show, the Pros gave the rookies an in-ring beatdown as part of their initiation.

Striker was in the ring and said there's a lot of unanswered questions after last week's in-ring Pros vs Rookies confrontation. Striker said it's time to bring out the rookies and pros to get some answers. He introduced each of the rookies one by one, then each of the Pros.

Striker gave the mic up to MVP to explain what went down last week. He said last week's beatdown was an initiation. MVP said they paid for the transgressions of the Season 1 guys who attacked Raw. He said they want to do this season the right way in teaching the new class of rookies. MVP asked if they can move forward now. Everyone shook hands and made up so it appeared things were smoothed over.

Striker reminded fans that in 5 weeks will be a poll with 50% vote from the Pros, and 50% vote from fans. Striker told Kuval and Alex Riley to step forward. He said it's all about opportunities for them, and tonight they'll face each other one-on-one, next. For some reason, The Miz was MIA.

---

Kuval vs. Alex Riley

Team LayCool were in the ring and said it's time to see another look at their rookie, he's cute, he's cuddly...Kuval! They rolled the Kuval NXT tape with him talking about his youth and previous wrestling experiences. Team LayCool joined Cole and Matthews on commentary, talking up their rookie.

Riley took control as he dropped Kuval face first onto the ropes right before a commercial break. After break, Riley remained in control after using a back suplex to slam Kuval for a near fall. Kuval started gaining momentm though, using a seres of strikes and clotheslines. He went to the outside and from the apron slapped a submission choke on Riley. He finally broke it off, then hit a missile dropkick off the corner for a near fall. Kuval missed as he went for a high risk move moments later. He landed on his feet, possibly tweaking his ankle. Riley grabbed Kuval, put him on his shoulders and hit a spinning slam type move for the win.

Winner: Alex Riley wins via pinfall over Kuval.

Matt Striker interviewed Riley after the match, asking about The Miz being away and him still winning. Riley said Miz had a big night last night, winning the US Title. Riley said Miz offered to have him come party out in LA but he declined and said he'd get things done tonight on his own. LayCool said that Kuval did ok, they're not used to losing but it was his first match. Striker asked Morrison and Ryder their thoughts on what they saw from up on the ramp. Morrison said both guys impressed in this match. Ryder said he only cares about his guy Titus O'Neil, but the ring announcer girl is hot, "call me".

Cole and Matthews tossed it to a highlight video of NXT rookie Eli Cottonwood. He said he's afraid of himself, because he doesn't always know what he's going to do next.

---

NXT returned with an outside shot of the NC State University arena. Cole said last night was another scary incident on Raw, which began with Wade Barrett and the NXT rookies confronting Bret Hart. Barrett opened the show with the other former rookies telling why they attacked Cena, the ring and everyone around it last week. They did it to make a statement. Bret Hart came out to tell them what they did was cowardly. Barrett said he's got a WWE contract and guaranteed title shot. The other NXT guys wanted contracts, but Hart said no way and also fired Barrett.

Later still, John Cena arrived to the ring and called out the NXT guys who attacked him. They showed up, but so did members from the Raw roster like Mark Henry, Edge, Sheamus, Orton, Mark Henry and Santino Marella. They chased off the NXT guys out of the arena.

Later in the night, it was the main event of Cena/Orton vs Sheamus/Edge. Bret Hart called all of the Raw roster members out to stand on stage and keep the peace. During the main event, the lights went out in the arena. The NXT guys were backstage destroying the place, where they also grabbed GM Bret Hart. They loaded him into a limo and had it driving around in the parking garage, smashing into parked cars. They eventually pulled Bret Hart out and put him against a smashed car. Barrett said they want an answer by Sunday.

Michael Cole said Bret Hart suffered physical and emotional trauma, but there's no indication from the GM's office if he'll give them an answer. Cole and Matthews talked about the Fatal 4Way including the WWE Championship and World Title Fatal Fourways.

A previously recorded video footage piece was shown from earlier when Zack Ryder approached his rookie Titus O'Neil in the locker room. Ryder talked about losing his temper and said you've got to learn to control it. They gave each other a fist bump and sat down in the locker room. Cole said that's a side of Ryder he's yet to see.

They showed a video of WWE NXT rookie Husky Harris, who is the son of Mike Rotunda, aka "IRS".

Kofi Kingston and his rookie Michael McGillicutty were introduced and came to the ring.

---

Kofi Kingston & Michael McGillicutty vs. Mark Henry & Lucky Cannon

The NXT Pros were shown seated up on the stage to watch the matchup. Henry requested that Kofi tag in his rookie McGillicutty to start things off. Henry quickly showed his power and strength off with an overhead press and drop. Henry made a tag to Cannon for his first ring action.

Cole told the story of Lucky Cannon who was hit by a steel pipe when he was younger and came to the aid of a friend in trouble. He was in a coma for several weeks and lost 45 pounds in weight. Kofi made his first in-ring appearance of the night to work on Cannon a bit. Lucky Cannon ended up outside the ring. Kofi and McGillicutty did a double dropkick to kick Henry off the apron before break.

In the late stages of the match, Lucky Cannon had a headlock on McGillicutty on the mat. He stood him up and rammed him to the corner. On the whip, Lucky was reverse whippead and tried for a reverse crossbody off the corner. McGillicutty ducked it and then moments later hit a spinning neckbreaker to grab a quick victory.

Winners: Kofi Kingston & Michael McGillicutty win via pinfall over Mark Henry & Lucky Cannon.

Mark Henry and Lucky Cannon shook hands with the winners. Henry said he thinks his rookie has potential but a long way to go, but he'll get him there. Kofi said he was impressed with his rookie tonight. Cody Rhodes was asked for his thoughts. He said in the WWE the winners get paid more than losers, and Lucky is a loser. Henry defended his rookie and told him to put his money where his mouth is. Henry challenged Cody to try to beat Lucky Cannon in the ring.

Host Matt Striker ran up the ramp to ask Cody about the challenge. Cody said he thinks Lucky would be lucky to last five minutes in the ring with him. He said he'd need a week to get ready for the match. Striker asked what we can expect from Rhodes next week. Rhodes sarcastically asked "what can we expect?" then clocked Striker with his forearm to knock him off stage. Cody went backstage with Mark Henry rushing back to find him. MVP and others checked on Striker's condition.

---