Raw Results 10/4/10

Raw Results from Wichita, KS:

Wade barrett and The Nexus arrived to the ring to start off the show. Barrett spoke about how they're still standing before everyone in the ring, meaning he won last night. He said before they introduce the newest Nexus member, first he wants to address last night. Barrett identified the two guys who attacked Cena as Husky Harris and Michael McGillicutty of NXT Season 2. He said they are not part of The Nexus, and then he chastised Otunga and the others for coming to the ring during last night's match.

Barrett asked everyone to give a warm welcome to John Cena. Cena looked absolutely devestated as he slowly walked to the ring. Cena got into the ring with Nexus. Barrett said he knows this must be killing Cena, but he knows Cena's a man of his word. WB said in time Cena will realize this is the best thing ever to happen to him.

Michael Tarver stepped up and yelled at Cena for putting his hands on him and threatening his livelihood. Tarver presented a special wristband to Cena, who yanked it out of Tarver's hands. Cena stared at it and removed one of his Cenation bands off his arm as the crowd cheered for him. He looked around at all the fans, contemplating it, then put it on his left arm.

Slater spoke next saying the transition is going to be tough, but that's ok because The Nexus is there for him. Slater said everyone wants to know Cena's thoughts on this, but instead they have an official statement for him to read. Cena tried to argue about that, but Barrett said this is non-negotiable. Cena yanked a mic out of Slater's hands to read:

"I, John Cena, hereby acknowledge that I'm officially a member of The Nexus. Any enemy of the Nexus is now an enemy of mine."

Barrett said tonight Cena will help teach two enemies of Nexus a lesson: Evan Bourne and Mark Henry. Barrett said he'll even let Cena choose his tag partner for tonight. Cena smirked then walked over and got right in Tarver's face, choosing him. Barrett ok'd it, then called Bourne and Henry to come out right now for their beating.

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Evan Bourne & Mark Henry vs. John Cena & Michael Tarver

Cena got in and offered Bourne a handshake. Bourne looked around then obliged. Tarver yelled at Cena for being friendly, so Cena slapped Tarver and told him to show him the Nexus way. Tarver came in to beat up Bourne.

After a commercial break, Henry and Bourne gained control of Tarver. Cena stuck his hand out for a tag while Tarver was way over in the other corner. Cena kept teasing a tag as Tarver was getting beat up by Bourne.

Tarver was ready for a tag but Cena turned his back and decided to go sign autographs for fans in the front row. He even went over and signed one for Michael Cole. Meanwhile in the ring, Mark Henry finished off Tarver with World's Strongest Slam for the win.

Winner: Mark Henry & Evan Bourne win via pinfall over Michael Tarver & John Cena.

Post-match, John Cena grabbed the mic to give his own special message. He said he's going to do one thing while he's part of The Nexus: destroy it. He said he's going to prove tonight you can be Nexus and against us. he clocked Tarver with the microphone then beat him up on the outside. Cena tore apart the steel steps and ultimately slammed Tarver down on them. The fans chanted "One more time" and Cena obliged with another slam on the steps, before tossing Tarver into the ring for the STF to punish him even more. For some reason the rest of the Nexus were nowhere to be found.

Just then the lights flashed and the email chime sounded. Cena released the hold on Tarver as Cole got ready to read. The GM's message reiterated the stipulation for Cena's HIAC match, that if he lost he must join Nexus. The GM said as a member of Nexus, Cena must take direction from leader Wade Barrett or else his WWE contract is terminated. Cena was dejected as he left the ring, but the fans broke out with a "Never Give Up" chant and he headed backstage.

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Natalya vs. Alicia Fox

Natalya made quick work of Alicia Fox in this match. After Alicia slipped off Natalya's shoulders, she shoved her to the corner. However, Natalya soon recovered and was able to knock down Alicia. She applied the Sharpshooter and Alicia soon tapped out.

Winner: Natalya wins via pinfall over Alicia Fox.

Still to come tonight, Edge owes the Raw GM a public apology. Also, Jackass 3-D star Johnny Knoxville is the guest host.

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Johny Knoxville is backstage talking about Jackass 3-D to Melina and Gail Kim. All of a sudden, Zack Ryder walks in and yells hi to Knoxville. Knoxville pretends to go over to high five him, but instead Ryder gets hit with a huge hand and knocked down.

Josh Matthews goes up to John Cena who is backstage staring at the Nexus armband. He asks Cena about what the Raw GM said about joining Nexus or getting fired. Cena says this is all he's ever done, it's all he's got, he can't not be in the WWE, but then again -. Just then, Cena saw Harris and McGillicutty down the hall. He rushed down to chase after them and ended up in a lockerroom with Barrett and The Nexus. Barrett said he's glad Cena's there, they have a lot to talk about. Harris and McGill joined them in the locker room. Cena tried to walk out, but Barrett held him back and said they've got to talk about big plans for Cena's future.

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Lawler gave a special thanks to "Sacrifice" the official Hell in a Cell 2010 theme song by Atom Smash. Members of Atom Smash shown in the front row of the KS audience.

Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus

A surprising matchup just one night after Hell in a Cell. In this one, Sheamus kept attacking Bryan, and despite the referee ordering him to back off, Sheamus refused. Ultimately the ref called for the bell to DQ him. Sheamus hit his High Cross finisher before finally leaving the ring.

Winner: Daniel Bryan wins due to disqualification of Sheamus.

Edge was shown walking backstage, on his way out to make his apology to the Raw GM.

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Raw returned with Cole and Lawler going over the earlier events with the Raw GM threatening to terminate Cena from WWE if he doesn't comply with Wade Barrett and Nexus. They showed what happened backstage with Cena, Husky Harris, McGillicutty and The Nexus.

Cole was in the ring with a podium set up. He said from now on the Raw GM will speak through the voice of the WWE, Michael Cole. Cole addressed the Raw GM as a "he" when speaking. The Raw GM had highlights from last week shown when Edge beat Cena, and then the GM had the match restarted over a rules violation. Cena got the STF on Edge to win it. Afterwords, Edge was furious and beat up the laptop, smashing it on the ground.

Back to Cole on Raw, the GM said he wants Edge to come make his apology, and then he'll make a huge announcement about the WWE Championship. Edge got in the ring saying he's on a personal crusade against "all things stupid." Edge called Michael Cole "the personification of stupidity since 1997," saying "I'd rather listen to a recording of JR then a live Michael Cole."

The Raw GM chimed in with a special announcement saying tonight they will determine the new #1 contender for the WWE Title, by way of a 20 Man Battle Royal. The winner faces Randy Orton for the WWE Title in three weeks at Bragging Rights. The Raw GM told Edge he's disrespected him one too many times so he won't be in the Battle Royal tonight. Cole chuckled saying because the GM has officially traded Edge to Smackdown. The fans started a "Spear" chant up.

Edge said it's great he's traded, so he doesn't have to deal with this stupid GM or tool Michael Cole. Cole yelled at Edge saying his "Cole Miners love him." Cole told Edge to treat him with some respect. Edge threatened to go off Raw on a high note and Spear Cole into next week. Suddenly, The Miz's theme music came on and he and Alex Riley came to the ring. Miz told Edge he won't allow that to happen. Miz said Cole is a visionary who realized his awesomeness before anyone else.

As Cole scurried out of the ring, Edge called Miz an Edge wannabe. Edge insulted Miz saying he's never seen him successfully talk to a woman, unless Alex Riley counts. Riley dissed Edge a bit, but Edge had a comeback that Miz is awesome at tapping out. The Miz said in 3 weeks he'll either be winning the WWE Title or leading Team Raw to victory at Bragging Rights. Miz did his "I'm Awesome" right in Edge's face, prompting Edge to call him Raw's biggest jackass. That set up an attack, with Edge beating up Riley, then tossing Miz into the podium head first. From there, Edge scored a Spear on Riley, but Miz was back up and hit the Skullcrushing Finale on him.

John Cena was shown backstage in the locker room with Nexus. Barrett told Cena he did them a favor in getting rid of Michael Tarver. He said that's the kind of initiative he's been looking for, but not to rest on his laurels. Barrett ordered Cena to help him win the Battle Royal later tonight. Otunga chimed in that if Barrett happens to get tossed out, to help one of them win. Barrett asked him what he meant by that. Otunga said that came out wrong. Barrett told Cena to do what he tells him or he's fired.

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On Smackdown Friday, Alberto Del Rio vs Rey Mysterio.

The Bella Twins vs. Michelle McCool & Layla

Team LayCool was introduced and arrived out with headsets on so fans could hear all of their annoying commentary during the match. Some confusion happened in the match as Layla came in and beat up the legal Bella Twin. Michelle was legal for LayCool. As the ref was getting Layla out of the ring, the Bellas did their switch. Michelle tried for a pinfall, but it got reversed and they lost the match.

Winners: The Bella Twins win via pinfall over Team LayCool.

Backstage Maryse was confronting guest host Johnny Knoxville about the mysterious letters she's been getting. Knoxville said it wasn't him. Just then Dibiase walked in and yelled at Knoxville from across the room. Knoxville warned Dibiase not to walk forward but it was too late. The giant high five hand slapped Dibiase down to the floor. Maryse ran over to see if he was ok yelling at Knoxville. She tossed her shoes at Knoxville. As Maryse was standing up the big hand came and swatted her from behind knocking her onto Dibiase on the floor.

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They showed highlights from last week's mixed tag match where Eve and R-Truth defeated Maryse and Dibiase. After the match a mysterious message came on the Titantron for Maryse "I Will Have You."

Michael Cole introduced a preview clip from "Jackass 3-D." They shot paint guns as one of their stunt guys jumped onto a huge inflated balloon in a lake and bounced high up into the air.

Justin Roberts introduced tonight's special guest host Johnny Knoxville. Knoxville told the WWE fans to go see his new movie 'Jackass 3-D' on October 15th. He said that's all have a good night and tried to flee the ring fast. He was stopped as Ted Dibiase's music hit and he came to the ring with Maryse. Knoxville told Dibiase no hard feelings. Dibiase asked if he has any idea who he is and what he's capable of doing. Knoxville cracked a joke about Dibiase prompting the Fortunate Son to slap him in the face. He followed up with a sleeper hold then tossed Knoxville to the mat.

Suddenly, the Titantron had a new message appear on it, surprising Maryse and Dibiase. The Titantron said "You Are Mine." With Dibiase and Maryse staring out of the ring, Goldust appeared in the ring behind them. Goldust took down Dibiase, then said on the mic to him "I don't want you." Maryse was scared in the corner, so Goldust went over to her. He said "I don't want you either." Finally he went over and dropped onto the mat with the Million Dollar Belt. After doing his breathing he said "I want you," and began to clutch the belt in his hands.

Lawler said coming up next is the 20 Man battle royal. Various contenders were shown on sreen, with the winner getting the #1 Contender spot for the WWE Title at Bragging Rights PPV.

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Raw returned with an outside shot of the Wichita Kansas arena. Cole introduced a video piece about the charitable efforts of the WWE with Make a Wish Foundation. Shown in the photos were former superstars including The Rock and Hulk Hogan as well as Batista, John Cena, Melina, Mark Henry, Kofi Kingsotn, Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin. John Cena said the happiness of the children really lifts his spirits. The CEO David Williams praised John Cena and WWE for their efforts.

Backstage, Cena staring at the floor. David Otunga walked in and told him Nexus isn't all bad. Otunga said Barrett can be somewhat demanding at times. He told Cena if he ever needs to talk to just let him know. Otunga walked out and Cena stared blankly.

Cole and Lawler talked about how Cena's been ordered to help Wade Barrett win the battle royal tonight. Cole said Edge has been traded to Smackdown so he won't be in the match, and neither will Chris Jericho. They showed what Orton did to him last week with the punt kick. Back to the ring for Justin Roberts to introduce competitors for tonight's match.

20 Man Raw Battle Royal for #1 Contender Spot

The Winner of this Battle Royal gets to face Randy Orton at the Bragging Rights PPV for the WWE Championship. Competing in the match: Heath Slater, Santino Marella, Vladimir Kozlov, John Morrison, R-Truth, Sheamus. John Cena's theme music started up, but Cena didn't come out. The music stopped and Nexus' music started instead. Wade, Heath Slater, Otunga and Gabriel walked out with Cena trailing them. Raw went to commercial with about half the competitors in the ring.

Upon Raw's ring the match got started. Also competing were Tyson Kidd, DH Smith, Evan Bourne, Mark Henry, Zack Ryder, Darren Young, William Regal, Ted Dibiase, The Miz and Primo. Eliminated first was Evan Bourne, by Sheamus. DH Smith got eliminated next, then John Cena tossed Regal out. At one point, Mark Henry pressed Ryder over head and tossed him out of the ring, then did the same to Primo. He went over and attacked Sheamus next. Moments later, Henry had Barrett pressed overhead. Cena rushed over and yanked him down. Henry turned around and yelled at Henry to ask what he was doing. Nexus all pounced on Henry and eventually tossed him over the rope.

The Nexus turned their attention to Cena asking why Cena didn't help toss out Henry. Otunga yelled at Cena that he talked to him about this. Cena grabbed Otunga and tossed him out, causing Barrett to yell at Cena. Cena said Otunga isn't him, but Barrett pointed to the Nexus band on their arms. Raw went to break with them arguing.

During break Barrett eliminated Vlad Kozlov, and Nexus members eliminated Darren Young from the apron. Cena started to stand guard in front of Barrett in the corner at one point, fighting off any WWE Superstars who came at him. Morrison clotheslined Slater over the top rope to eliminate him. Truth and Morrison were about to toss Barrett out, but Cena rushed over to make a save. Kidd got eliminated by Morrison next. Morrison with an impressive springboard move into a leg scissors on Miz to toss him out.

It came down to a final four of Barrett, Cena, Morrison and Sheamus. Morrison ended up on the apron with Barrett charging at him. John did an impressive pendulum type kick but in the process he fell off the apron to eliminate himself. Next, with Barrett down by the corner, Sheamus and Cena fought it out. Sheamus missed on a running kick and got hung up in the ropes, so Cena rushed over to eliminate him. Cena rested on the top rope, then turned around to see Barrett was the final competitor left. Cena clapped his hands ready for a fight, but Barrett pointed for Cena to leave the ring. Cena stood his ground as Barrett continued to order him to leave.

The crowd started a chant and Cena put his forehead right up against Barrett. Barrett yelled at him again and Cena restrained himself from fighting. He finally went over and stepped out to the apron. Cena dropped down with both feet to the floor. Wade Barrett flashed a wicked smile as he was declared the winner.

Winner: Wade Barrett wins the 20 Man Battle Royal. Barrett will face Randy Orton for the WWE Title at Bragging Rights PPV.

Barrett's celebration was shortlived as The Viper Randy Orton's theme music. Orton got in the ring and paced around locking eyes with Barrett. Orton kept staring him down and held the WWE Title up high for him to see. Raw ended with the two in an intense stare down in the ring.

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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?

WWE NXT Recap 05.11.10

WWE NXT Recap from Buffalo, NY:

NXT opened with highlights from the past weeks of NXT showcasing the various rookies, the competitions, matches and storylines. Tonight, the first WWE NXT rookie will be eliminated when the new Pro's Poll is unveiled.

Matt Striker was at ringside to start the show. They brought out the eight NXT rookies who each came to the ring area one by one. Otunga came down to the ring wearing some funky red headphones listening to music. Striker had highlights of last night's 8 NXT rookies against 4 Raw Pro's on Raw. The NXT rookies won as Daniel Bryan pinned Santino Marella. Striker shook Bryan's hand and asked the audience to give some applause. Matt Striker singled out Michael Tarver and asked if he remembered what he said last week. They showed the replay of Tarver answering "who should be eliminated first?" Tarver told Striker "Me". Striker then informed him that WWE management doesn't know how a WWE Superstar can be part of their organization if that superstar doesn't believe in himself. Striker told Tarver he was eliminated.

Tarver smirked a bit and shook Striker's hand. He turned to stare at the NXT rookies, with Striker instructing him to head backstage. Tarver started up the ramp, then tore off his shirt, throwing a tantrum and yelling at the crowd. Finally, he went backstage. From there, Striker singled out Daniel Bryan. He asked if he remembered what he said last week. Bryan answered the "who should be eliminated" question by saying himself because he hasn't won any matches. In a shocking moment, Striker told Bryan he was eliminated from NXT. Cole even admitted he was surprised by that. Striker then dropped another bombshell. Tarver and Bryan were eliminated by WWE management. The Pro's are reconvening to determine the PRo's Poll, and there will be another possible elimination tonight.

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Heath Slater vs. Wade Barrett

In the lates stages, Barrett got Slater on his shoulders. Slater fought out and hit a neckbreaker to capture a near fall. He was frustrated by it and got up on the corner for the high risk move. Slater jumped off at Barrett who caught him mid air, put him on his shoulders, then slammed him to the mat for the pin.

After the win, Wade Barrett looked as if he had busted his bottom lip up a bit.

Winner: Wade Barrett wins via pinfall over Heath Slater.

NXT host Matt Striker was backstage asking Michael Tarver if he felt the elimination decision was fair. Tarver asked Striker if he knows what its like to sleep in a car or not know how you're going to feed your kids. Tarver said he felt the decision was fair, but not the competition. Striker asked if Tarver's approach to the competition was to try to get noticed. Next Striker asked Tarver what's Next for him. He stared at Striker, then walked off set.

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Darren Young vs. Skip Sheffield

Sheffield missed on a big splash attempt with Young taking advantage from there. He hit a series of Atomic drops on Sheffield then leveled Skip with a clothesline. Young was reverse whipped to the ropes and came back with the flying shoulder to take Sheffield down. He failed at the pin attempt. Sheffield put Darren Young up and then dropped down to the mat with a seated move like a neckbreaker. Regal nodded his head a bit looking semi-impressed.

Winner: Skip Sheffield wins via pinfall over Darren Young.

Josh Matthews reminded fans that one more NXT rookie gets eliminated later tonight. Michael Cole asked if Josh Matthews could be eliminated.

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The Raw Rebound showed the events of Friday's Smackdown when Drew McIntyre repeatedly attacked Matt Hardy at the start of the show. GM Teddy Long finally arrived to ringside and ordered McIntyre to stop. Drew refused to listen, so Teddy suspended him, then stripped him of the IC title, then finally fired him. McIntyre was escorted out of the arena by several WWE officials and Ricky Steamboat. Now this Friday on Smackdown, Christian will face Kofi Kingston for the vacant Intercontinental Title.

The official theme song for Over the Limit is "Crash" by Fit for Rivals. Josh Matthews and Michael Cole ran down the full card for Over the Limit so far.

They replayed the earlier eliminations of Michael Tarver and Daniel Bryan from NXT. Matt Striker was backstage with Daniel Bryan. Bryan started to hint at the fact his real name is Bryan Danielson, and how that guy was kicking people's heads in on YouTube and all over the place. He told Striker Daniel Bryan may be done, but you might see Bryan Danielson someday soon. Striker wished him luck.

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David Otunga vs. Justin Gabriel

They showed highlights of last week's match where R-Truth defeated Otunga in singles action. Late in the match, Gabriel had a near fall on Otunga, but Otunga kicked out and rolled onto the apron. Gabriel went for a suplex, but Otunga blocked him and then dropped Gabriel gut first onto the top rope. Back in the ring, Otunga did a one arm slam put down move to finally pin Justin Gabriel.

Winner: David Otunga wins via pinfall over Justin Gabriel.

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Matt Striker was down at ringside again with the remaining 6 NXT rookies standing in front of the ring. Striker said one rookie will go on to become the next WWE Superstar with a championship match live on PPV. Darren Young told Striker he feels Wade Barrett should be the first elimination. Slater told Striker that David Otunga doesn't belong there. Striker reminded Gabriel he has immunity but asked him who should be eliminated. Gabriel wouldn't answer at first, then said he's getting irritated by David Otunga. Skip Sheffield said Otunga doesn't belong there with the rest of them. Striker asked Otunga his thoughts. He said all of them should be eliminated but to pick one he'd choose Heath Slater. Wade Barrett also chose David Otunga. Finally, time for the Pros Poll results.

Here's the Pros Poll rankings & results:

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

With that, Skip Sheffield becomes the first "official" elimination on NXT by the Pros vote, however he's the third guy eliminated on the show. Good luck to Skip Sheffield in all future endeavors. It's down to just five now!

WWE's Unsolved Mysteries - Cena v Batista, SES, Dibiase & NXT

There's several good mystery style stories going on in WWE right now. These are the types of plots and storylines that keep fans more interested in what might happen next as they try to figure out "What's Up" in the words of R-Truth. We've seen a few of these mysteries start to unfold over the past few weeks, basically since the Extreme Rules Pay-Per-View. I think one of them is a bit easier to solve than the rest, so let's take a look. There's really four questions that need to be answered after the past few weeks of WWE action. These latest unsolved mysteries are:

1) What was the match that Cena was going to announce for he and Batista at Over the Limit?

2) Who is the mystery man who keeps helping Punk and SES attack Rey Mysterio?

3) Who will Ted Dibiase recruit to be his "Virgil"?

4) Who will be the first NXT rookie eliminated?

I'll start in reverse order because question #4 is probably the easiest to answer. Michael Tarver has yet to really prove much of anything on WWE NXT besides the fact he has a temper. While that's a great quality for a WWE heel, he just hasn't done much else. He's been DQ'd from almost all the challenges, and only has 1 victory, against an injured Daniel Bryan. It would truly be surprising if anyone besides Tarver is sent home next week. In fact, even Tarver responded he should be eliminated when Matt Striker asked him who should go. Daniel Bryan said that he should because he's yet to win, but if you look at Bryan's intensity and willingness to compete he has shown he has it. Tarver just hasn't shown much, so goodbye Michael Tarver NXT week.

Next up, who will Ted Dibiase bring in as Virgil? He's looking for a confidant aka "bodyguard" type to have his back. He already asked R-Truth, but that didn't work out so well. John Morrison offered his services but only if Dibiase could beat him on Raw. Morrison won that match. I believe the strong candidate is a recent Raw draft pick, Ezekiel Jackson. Jackson is currently injured but already has served as The Brian Kendrick's bodyguard. He'll likely be revealed as the bodyguard and take out frustration on R-Truth. This could be a bit of a waste though for Ezekiel who really could be a part of the WWE Title picture. Maybe eventually it becomes a feud between Dibiase and Jackson. Mark Henry might be another candidate at some point, but right now my money is on Big Zeke.

The mystery man for StraightEdge Society is quite intriguing. We've seen this guy in a hooded sweatshirt and Timberland boots rush the ring to attack Mysterio or interfere in his matches with CM Punk on several occasions now. It's obviously not MVP, because he was Mysterio's partner last week. What's not obvious is whether or not the hooded figure is Punk's NXT rookie Darren Young. He's one suspect who makes sense, but it could be a new person we've yet to even see. Maybe WWE brought back an older wrestler or it's a newcomer who left TNA. This will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Finally, we have John Cena who won Raw's "Beat the Clock Challenge" Monday night. That meant he got to choose the match stipulation for he and Batista at Over The Limit PPV. Cena was just about to announce it until he was attacked by Sheamus, leaving him laying on the mat. Cena and Batista have now competed in a Last Man Standing match. The options could of course be a Submission match, Falls count anywhere, or Hell in a Cell. Hell in a Cell is a separate PPV event, so maybe Cena goes for the Stretcher match. That would be a way to give Batista some time off, and bring in a new challenger for Cena's title.

What do you think about these latest mysteries going on in WWE? Who do you think is Punk's secret society member? Who's the first NXT rookie to go? Who will Dibiase bring on as his "Virgil"? What will be the match Cena picks for Over the Limit?

Feel free to leave your comments below...

WWE NXT Recap 05.04.10

WW recap from Charlestown, SC:

The show opened with the NXT opening video showcasing the 8 rookies and their pro mentors. Josh Matthews opened up on commentary reminding fans that David Otunga won last week's rookie challenge so he got to pick a main event match against any of the Pro's. Otunga chose his own mentor, R-Truth, and they'll fight tonight.

Striker was ringside with the 8 NXT rookies and reminded them that next week is the latest Pro's poll and the first NXT rookie elimination. Daniel Bryan was shown with taped ribs, most likely from his match against Batista last night on Raw. Tonight's challenge was the "Obstacle course challenge". The rookies each had to start on monkey bars, climb a suspended ladder to ring a bell, go around the ring area up the audience stands, go out to the concession stands, drink a concession beverage, juggle, come back to ringside and get dizzy with a baseball bat and eventually cross a finish line. The winner of the challenge gets immunity. If they are voted 8th in next week's poll, then they will not be eliminated but the one above them will be.

Daniel Bryan was first, but was favoring his ribs as he did the obstacle course. Bryan told the ref "I don't drink soda" and took his time chugging it down slowly. Michael Cole made jokes saying "Bryan's a weirdo." Next he would have to go back into the arena, into the ring and juggle. He finally crossed the finish line at 2:45.5 for the first time to beat.

The Miz' theme music came on and out came Miz to berate his rookie. He told him you don't use injuries as excuses ever, after Miz did so last night to get out of the match against Batista last night. Miz said Bryan will fight against the winless Michael Tarver tonight. Miz said if he loses, he can't see how Bryan will stay in this competition. Miz told him to get to the ring for the match, now.

Daniel Bryan vs. Michael Tarver

They showed highlights from last night's match with Bryan vs Batista in a Beat the Clock Challenge, which The Animal won eventually. After winning he delivered several more Batista Bombs on Bryan.

Tonight the 0-9 Daniel Bryan faced the 0-7 Michael Tarver. One of the two competitors would score their first victory. Miz and Carlito were both at ringside to watch their rooks battle.

Tarver targeted Bryan's ribs, whipping him hard to the corners. He charged at Bryan, but this time ate a boot to the chin. Bryan ran and delivered a flying kick to take Tarver down momentarily. Tarver responded by slamming Bryan for a near fall. After a commercial break, Bryan gained momentum with a series of kicks to Tarver who was down on his knees. He ran and landed a hard clothesline in the corner, then a DDT for a near fall.

Bryan put on an armbar submission hold but Tarver countered it and lifted Bryan up to toss him down. From there, Tarver picked up Bryan for a scoop slam and scored the pinfall. Tarver was ecstatic to get his first win, he's now 1-7. Carlito got into the ring and instructed Tarver to do something. Tarver got Bryan to his feet. Carlito went up behind him and hit the Backstabber on him.

Winner: Michael Tarver wins via pinfall over Daniel Bryan.

They showed Darren Young in the selling programs contest from last week saying "who wants to see Darren Young vs CM Punk..I'm sick of this!" They cut to Darren Young along with the SES back in the locker room watching a flatscreen TV. Punk called out Young for what he said, asking if he wants to fight him. Young said he's trying to make a name for himself. Punk told Young he needs to figure out who he wants to be, and he needs to start by winning the obstacle course.

Next obstacle course participant was Heath Slater. It seemed to take Slater a bit of time to drink the soda too. Slater shattered Bryan's time, with his new time to beat of 1:36.9. Darren Young came out quickly as the next competitor. He fell off the monkey bars, losing 5 seconds, then had trouble drinking soda. He also fell when jumping over the crowd barrier. Darren Young had a time of 2:07.8 so he didn't beat Slater.

---

After a commercial break, Justin Gabriel was up for the obstacle course. Gabriel chugged the soda down faster than anyone else did. He did one handed juggling as well. Gabriel was able to establish a new time to beat of 1:29 even.

David "A-List" Otunga went next. He yelled "this ain't diet" when he drank the soda down. Otunga was ahead of Gabriel's pace, but ended up at 1:35 just 6 seconds behind Gabriel. Right after Otunga had finished, Matt Striker informed him he would have his match against his pro R-Truth.

David Otunga vs. R-Truth

Truth came down to the ring doing his rap song entrance, while Otunga stayed in the corner looking like he wanted Truth to hurry it up.

Early on, Truth smacked Otunga in the face. Later on, Truth had Otunga in the corner, but Otunga kicked him, then threw him shoulder first into the ringpost. Otunga had a near fall, and then continued to knee Truth in the midsection. NXT went to commercial.

Otunga stayed in control after the break, using an abdominal stretch. Truth managed to reverse it and put his own stretch on Otunga, then dropped him. He kicked Otunga in the gut. Otunga reverse whipped Truth to the corner. Truth managed to jump out of the corner. He dropped down with his split move to duck Otunga's clothesline. He hit a leg kick to take Otunga down. Truth eventually hit the Lie Detector spinning take down for the pinfall win.

Winner: R-Truth wins via pinfall over David Otunga.

Michael Cole started acting hyped up that R-Truth is part of Raw saying he can't wait to hang out with Truth and say "Whats up whats up!" Matthews told Cole "you're pathetic, you really are."

Next obstacle course participant was Wade Barrett. Barrett fell off the monkey bars twice, then finally said the heck with it and walked backstage. Skip Sheffield came out next. Sheffield had a time of 1:31.2. Matt Striker said "Congratulations Skip Sheffield!" causing the commentators to question what clock Striker was looking at. Justin Gabriel still owns the time to beat. Michael Tarver is the final rookie of the challenge.

---

After break, Tarver started the obstacle course but fell off the monkey bars twice. Matthews noted at least Tarver is competing in tonight's event. Tarver hit 1:29 while he was still drinking the beverage. He began to hold his gut while trying to drink the soda. Cole said to Matthews "that looked like you the other night!" Tarver finally said he had enough, and the ref disqualified him.

Justin Gabriel was tonight's winner. He said he's happy that David Otunga didn't win because he's sick of him. Gabriel said Otunga's ego is a lot bigger than his talent. Otunga and Gabriel got in each others faces. Striker interviewed each of the rookies asking who should be eliminated. Michael Tarver actually said he should be eliminated. Many of the other rookies agreed when asked, except for Daniel Bryan who humbly said he has yet to win a match so he should be. Next week is the big elimination as the WWE NXT Pro's poll is revealed.

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WWE NXT Recap 04.27.10

WWE NXT recap from Hershey, PA:

Michael Cole said we're just two weeks away from the first official NXT elimination. Striker was in the ring to introduce the NXT rookie class one-by-one. The crowd booed and cheered various guys. Striker mentioned that Skip Sheffield won last week's challenge "Rock Em Sock Em", and got a feature on WWE.com which over 10 million visitors saw.

Tonight's challenge was called "Seal the Deal Challenge" and would test each guy's likability. Each rookie would have to go out into the arena amongst the WWE Universe and sell as much merchandise as possible in 60 seconds time frame. The guy with the largest cash amount at the end would win the competition and a match next week against a WWE Pro of their choice.

Skip Sheffield went first and sold four programs for $60 setting the first mark to beat.

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Christian & Heath Slater vs. Chris Jericho & Wade Barrett

Cole noted that Christian was drafted to Smackdown last night. They showed highlights of the huge upset on last week's NXT when Slater surprised Jericho with a rollup pin. Jericho went bonkers after losing.

Slater had a cover late in the match. Wade Barrett rushed in to break it up. Christian jumped off the corner onto Barrett, then jumped out onto Barrett outside the ring. Both guys were down. Slater went for another surprise rollup pinfall on Jericho. This time Jericho kicked out and then caught Slater with the Codebreaker for the pin.

Winners: Chris Jericho and Wade Barrett win via pinfall over Christian and Heath Slater.

They had their next competitor for "Seal the Deal", Daniel Bryan. Bryan got to go into the audience and just started throwing out programs to the audience free of charge saying he wasn't a capitalist. Bryan said "we don't need your money" and kept tossing them to the crowd. Striker announced Daniel Bryan's total was $0. Cole called Daniel a "complete tool" and Matthews asked Cole if he's ever looked in the mirror.

They showed Darren Young winning last week's Triple Threat match by pinning Michael Tarver. Luke Gallows got involved and messed things up when he tried to cost Young the win.

Earlier in the day, they showed Carlito coaching his rookie Michael Tarver. Carlito told him he needs to take advantage of opportunities. He said he needs practice and he can get started now. Carlito suggested that Tarver bring his suitcases in for him. Tarver was upset by it, but did it anyways.

---

Justin Gabriel was up in the audience next to sell a batch of programs. They seemed to have a ton of people ready to buy them from Gabriel. He kept selling programs all around him, and ended up selling 22 programs. A random kid stuck his face in the camera. It appeared that Natt Striker shoved someone away from him too. Cole said Justin Gabriel sold $210 worth of programs to take the lead.

Darren Young vs. Michael Tarver

Carlito came out with Michael Tarver. They had a segment where they showcased Michael Tarver and had various pros give their thoughts on him so far. Regal said Tarver is a sleeper and people aren't taking him seriously. Matt Hardy said he could be the first rookie voted off.

In tonight's match, Darren Young arrived down to the ring along with Serena and Luke Gallows. CM Punk was not with them. Young and Tarver ended up outside the ring early for a battle. Young got back in and Tarver got on the apron where he rammed Young in the gut, then yanked him by the arm against the ringpost. Serena came over to distract the referee, and Gallows swiped Tarver's leg out on the apron. With Tarver stumbling, Young finished him off for the pinfall victory. Michael Tarver is now 0-7, while Young is 7-2.

Gallows and Serena got in the ring and looked at Young as he celebrated, but refused to congratulate him.

Winner: Darren Young wins via pinfall over Michael Tarver.

Next up was David Otunga for "Seal the Deal Challenge". He got on the mic and said celebs don't do manual labor, so he asked a few kids to be his assistants. It was mass confusion as they all were handing out programs all over the place and Otunga collected the money. Striker said they'd tabulate Otunga's total during the break. He held up a wad of cash for the camera.

---

WWE NXT returned with a recap of last night's WWE Draft on the 3-hour Raw. Kelly Kelly, Big Show, Christian and Kofi Kingston went to Smackdown. Edge, R-Truth, John Morrison and Chris Jericho were all drafted to Raw. Edge made an immediate impact when he interfered in a Triple Threat match to determine the #1 contender for WWE Title. He delivered a spear to take down Orton allowing Batista to win by pinfall.

They showcased Justin Gabriel next with highlights and thoughts from the pro's. CM Punk said that Gabriel's biggest detriment is his pro, Matt Hardy. Jericho said he's a "one trick pony." R-Truth said he's got the right image, and Regal said he's got the talent. Hardy said Gabriel's got all the tools as an athlete but needs some more work.

They showed how R-Truth and David Otunga were having issues before Otunga's match last week. It cost Otunga the win as he looked to R-Truth for some help, but Gabriel ended up pulling Otunga down for a pinfall.

Earlier in the day, they showed Truth and Otunga back in the locker room. Truth was telling Otunga what he had to do to counter was the Sunset Flip and make his own pin. Otunga told him all he had to do was grab his hands. Truth asked if he wanted a handout. Otunga shook his head. Truth said "Truth don't play that" and "if you can't run with the big dogs stay on the porch."

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WWE NXT had the next competitor in "Seal the Deal", Heath Slater. Matt Striker announced that Slater has to beat $315 for the challenge. Slater started yelling out to the crowd and selling them, but was fumbling with the bag, programs and change. Striker said Slater didn't beat $315. Cole said that David "A-List" Otunga was officially in the lead.

They returned to the crowd with Darren Young for the challenge. Josh Matthews said that Darren Young might be scaring people. Striker announced that Darren Young didn't beat Otunga's total. Cole and Matthews said that Michael Tarver is up next and he's had some interesting challenges so far.

Tarver was out in the audience with Striker. He ripped the mic out of Striker's hand and said "in case you didn't notice I just had a match." Tarver said he doesn't have to sell anything. Striker had them start the countdown clock, but Tarver dropped the bag and walked backstage. Cole and Matthews were dumbfounded over Tarver not competing in another challenge.

Next they had Wade Barrett in the audience to sell programs. Barrett got on the mic saying he already proved tonight he's the top rookie by helping to win the tag match with Chris Jericho against Christian and Heath Slater. Barrett said he was going to take all the change money, put it in his back pocket and walk off. He said Striker or anyone else can't do a thing to stop him, then walked off. Later on Twitter, Barrett announced that he made off with over $100 of Mr. McMahon's money, calling himself the real winner in the contest. Cole and Matthews said they'd have the winner announced when NXT returns.

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Cole and Matthews introduced a segment to showcase Daniel Bryan. The NXT pros gave their feedback and opinions about Daniel Bryan as well. CM Punk said ranking Daniel Bryan #1 is dead on. William Regal, Chris Jericho and Christian all were positive about Bryan, but not surprisingly The Miz was not. Miz said "I bring the best out of people." Hardy said Bryan will need a personality to survive in the WWE and if he gets that he has a bright future.

Striker brought in the winner of tonight's "Seal the Deal" challenge, David Otunga. Striker asked Otunga who he chooses to face for his pro match next week. Otunga said it's a tough choice but someone has been bothering him a lot lately, R-Truth. Otunga said it's time for the rookie to school the teacher.

Skip Sheffield vs. The Miz

The Miz came out with a shiner on his left cheek area. Last night he got punched hard by Big Show following ShowMiz' loss to Hart Dynasty on Raw. Miz lost the tag titles after tapping out to Tyson Kidd's sharpshooter.

Miz got on the mic saying it hurt for him to even talk after last night's sucker punch from Big Show. He said he's in no condition to compete tonight so Daniel Bryan will take his place.

Skip Sheffield went for the finish early after the bell, but Daniel Bryan countered and started using striking attacks with kicks. Bryan was able to trap Sheffield in a leg submission hold, but Skip managed to grab the ropes and break it. Bryan used more hard kicks on Sheffield. Sheffield managed to grab Bryan's leg and shove him away, then nailed him with a clothesline. Skip then finished off his rookie opponent with a seated jawbreaker style move. Daniel Bryan is still winless on NXT. William Regal gave advice to Sheffield after the victory. Daniel Bryan looked visibly frustrated in the ring over the loss.

Winner: Skip Sheffield wins via pinfall over Daniel Bryan.

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Next week on WWE NXT on SyFy, David "A-List" Otunga will get his match against his pro mentor, R-Truth.

WWE NXT Recap 04.20.10

WWE NXT recap from Uncasville, CT:

Matt Striker was ringside to start things off with the NXT rookies in the ring already. Striker introduced them one by one. Most guys got cheers but Tarver was audibly booed. Striker discussed the upcoming Pro's Poll in a few weeks. Whoever is ranked last is eliminated.

Tonight's competition tested out balance and striking ability with an American Gladiators competition "Rock Em Sock Em Rookies". The object was to knock your opponent off a pedestal with a joust stick. They competed against each other as follows:

Slater def. Otunga
Skip Sheffield def. Wade Barrett
Daniel Bryan def. Michael Tarver
Darren Young def. Justin Gabriel

During the Barrett Sheffield match, Barrett sort of launched himself shoulder first into Sheffield, and lost. The two got into it afterwords with a ref stepping in. Tarver just dropped his joust stick and Bryan kept jabbing at his head with his stick. Tarver dropped off on purpose to lose, then shoved Bryan after. Slater, Sheffield, Bryan and Young will compete in the semifinals. The winner gets a feature on WWE.com as of 12 midnight Tuesday night.

Also tonight, Heath Slater gets a one-on-one match with Chris Jericho.

---

Cole and Matthews introduced the highlight reel to showcase the Batista Cena feud, starting with Batista losing the title at WM26. From there on, the two continued to attack each other on Raw. Batista delivered a Batista Bomb on Cena one night after he had lost a tag team title match, then announced they'd be fighting at Extreme Rules in a Last Man Standing match. A week later, Cena was able to get his revenge when he stormed the ring and put the STF on Batista. The two meet on Sunday to decide the WWE Title.

Cole and Matthews ran down the rest of the matches for this Sunday's Extreme Rules.

Next up was a promo video of Wade Barrett which featured highlights from his matches and interviews about Barrett given by the NXT pros.

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David Otunga vs. Justin Gabriel

R-Truth accompanied Otunga to the ring. Otunga put a hand up to wave Truth off for entering the ring as he was. Truth hopped onto the apron and gave a look at Otunga. Both Gabriel and Otunga had 4-2 records going into the match. During the match, Josh Matthews said from what he's heard Truth and Otunga aren't getting along lately.

In the closing moments, Gabriel was about to go for the 450 Splash but Otunga rolled out of the way. Gabriel went towards Otunga who yanked his shorts to toss him out of the ring. Gabriel got back in with a Sunset Flip. Otunga was falling back but was reaching both arms forward for some help from Truth. Truth shook his head, refusing to help. Gabriel got the pin and Otunga gave a dirty look to Truth who laughed about it with Matt Hardy.

Winner: Justin Gabriel wins via pinfall over David Otunga.

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Rock Em Sock Em Rookie Semifinals

Skip Sheffield def. Heath Slater
Darren Young def. Daniel Bryan

Skip Sheffield and Darren Young will compete in the finals later tonight. Josh Matthews started poking fun at Michael Cole for having a WWE Universe blog and talking about all his "Coal Miners".

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Carlito accompanied his rookie Michael Tarver to the ring who was getting booed as he got the mic. Tarver said he's done being overlooked in NXT and he doesn't play by everyone else's rules. Tarver said he didn't come to the show tonight to dance on a platform like a little monkey. Tarver said he's a pitbull dared anyone from NXT, rookie or pro to come stop him right now.

Regal's theme music hit, but Skip Sheffield arrived from backstage saying he's going to shut Tarver up. Sheffield said he's gonna do his mentor William Regal proud even though he's stuck in Europe right now. Just as Sheffield got to the ring, CM Punk arrived out to the ramp along with Luke Gallows, Serena and Darren Young. Punk said Young is looking for competition as well. Punk had them roll the highlights of Young defeating Gallows last week. Punk said he did what he did last week not for his own enjoyment, but to keep Young and Sheffield sharp. Punk said this match just became a Triple Threat, then pointed for Young to get down to the ring.

Skip Sheffield vs. Darren Young vs. Michael Tarver
Triple Threat Match

Tarver and Sheffield went for the doubleteam early, but Young made a comeback. He managed to dodge Sheffield near the ropes, then clotheslined Tarver outside before a commercial break.

As the match was winding down, it was Michael Tarver and Darren Young in the ring, after Young tossed Sheffield out. Tarver dominated for a bit, but then Young gained control. He got onto the corner for a high risk move, but Luke Gallows came over to shove him off. Young fell to the mat, then Luke jumped off the apron to take out Sheffield. Luke motioned for Tarver to pin Young. Young was able to get a flapjack on Tarver though and won it.

Winner: Darren Young wins via pinfall over Michael Tarver to win the Triple Threat match.

They did a video package on Heath Slater next. Various pros were interviewed and had a handful of comments. Miz said he's idiotic but he wants to see what Slater will do next. Christian had praise for his rookie.

---

They showed highlights from last week when Christian was able to defeat Wade Barrett despite Jericho trying to interfere. Heath Slater reached into the ring to grab Wade Barrett's leg and helped Christian win.

Rock'Em Sock'Em Rookies Challenge

It was Darren Young against Skip Sheffield in the finals. Both men fell off at once with the ref at first awarding Sheffield the match. They had a rematch and Sheffield won this time to take it. Striker interviewed him on the win and he quoted Keanu Reeves from the movie Hardball. Sheffield's WWE.com exclusive will start as of midnight Tuesday.

Winner: Skip Sheffield defeats Darren Young in the finals of the Rock'Em Sock'Em rookies challenge.

Heath Slater vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho slapped the rookie to start the match, then began stomping away on him. Rookie Wade Barrett admired his mentor's work in the ring. Jericho used a chinlock for a bit. Slater was able to make a comeback about 3 minutes into the match. He had a pinfall on Jericho, but Jericho kicked out. Later, Jericho went for Walls of Jericho. Slater grabbed him by the neck though and then got him with a surprise roll up pin. Slater defeats pro Chris Jericho ahead of WWE's Extreme Rules.

Following the match, Slater celebrated his win, but made sure to get up the ramp away from harm's way. Jericho was enraged and went off on the ref for the decision, then tore apart the commentators' table, throwing a chair into the ring as well.

Winner: Heath Slater wins via pinfall over Chris Jericho.

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WWE NXT Recap 04.13.10

WWE NXT recap from London, England:

NXT opened with highlights from last week's Keg carrying contest which Heath Slater won, just barely edging out Skip Sheffield by 0.4 seconds. Slater's prize was a main event match against Kane, which he later lost to put his record at 4-2. There's just four weeks left to get up in the ranks and avoid elimination as the last man in the Pro's Poll.

Matt Striker was in the ring to start the show where he introduced the NXT rookies one by one as they came out from backstage and down to the ring. The rookies arrived out from last to first in order of their current rankings, with Darren Young coming out first and Daniel Bryan coming to the ring last.

Striker interviewed Michael Tarver about being disqualified in the keg carry. Striker asked David "A List" Otunga about going against John Cena last night on Raw. The crowd chanted "You tapped out" at Otunga. Striker asked Justin Gabriel about defeating David Otunga last week, and how he'd do against Cena. Gabriel said give him a match with Cena and we'll see.

Tonight's NXT competition involved connecting with the WWE Universe audience. Striker said as a WWE Superstar they'll be competing on a global level. Striker said tonight's test is of mentality, with the live crowd being the judges tonight. The winner of the competition will get their own entrance theme music, so they won't have to use their pro's music anymore. Striker then gave a topic to each rookie and 30 seconds to speak on the topic, with the audience getting to just originality and creativity. Striker reminded them "it's not a popularity contest", then added Daniel Bryan is ranked #1 and had him step up to a podium.

Daniel Bryan's topic was flowers, Wade Barrett's was blase and Justin Gabriel's topic was flowers. Heath Slater had to talk about cereal, and Otunga's topic was sleep. Skip Sheffield was given a topic of rainbows but didn't really mention them at all. Michael Tarver was given the topic of itchy, but he put the mic down and walked off from the podium. Finally, Darren Young got the topic of toothpaste and said a lot of the people in England don't use it. Tarver grabbed the mic and went off on Young and the crowd.

Unfortunately, it was a popularity contest despite what Striker said in the begining. Wade Barrett and Skip Sheffield had the biggest crowd votes. They had a talk-off. Skip had to talk about bubble gum and Barrett had the topic of wind. Barrett won the crowd over saying he'd be the first English WWE champion. Barrett now gets his own original theme music.

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After commercial break there was a Raw Rebound. Highlights were shown of Randy Orton versus Batista. The match was back and forth, with Orton finally able to hit the RKO. As he was about to collect a pinfall win, Jack Swagger snuck into the ring and grabbed Orton to hit him with the Gutwrench Powerbomb. As Swagger backed up the ramp, John Cena rushed down to the ring, knocking Swagger down. Cena got in the ring to put the STF on Batista and kept it locked in until referees pulled him off.

Josh Matthews and Michael Cole talked about the various Extreme Rules matches so far including Cena vs Batista in a Last Man Standing match, a Street Fight between HHH and Sheamus, and the World Heavyweight match between Jack Swagger and Randy Orton.

Matthews and Cole looked at highlights from last Friday's Smackdown when CM Punk was going to shave off Darren Young's hair to induct him into StraightEdge Society. Young knocked Punk down, but Luke Gallows knocked Young down. Gallows held Young back as Punk readied the clippers, Rey Mysterio's music hit and Mysterio hit the ring to save Young.

Young was shown backstage with the Straightedge Society. CM Punk chastised Young for what happened last week, but also commended him for standing up for what he believes in. Young apologized, but Gallows kept giving his own comments. Punk asked Gallows if he thinks he can beat Young and Gallows raised his hand saying "I do". Punk told Young if he loses tonight he will have his head shaved.

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Wade Barrett vs. Christian

Barrett fought in a rookie versus pro match. Last week he made the winning pin on Christian during a 8 man tag match, thanks to a little outside help from Jericho.

Jericho was at ringside for tonight's match as was Christian's rookie, Heath Slater. Jericho kept yelling at Matthews to say stuff on commentary about his rookie Wade Barrett, as Christian gained momentum. Carlito and Michael Tarver were shown watching the match on a flatscreen backstage. Barrett got up to avoid Christian's move off the ropes, then hit a big boot on him for a near fall.

Christian avoided Barrett in the corner then hit several moves to take him down. He set up for Killswitch, but Jericho got up to distract the ref. Barrett countered Killswitch and had Christian on his shoulders, but Heath Slater grabbed Barrett's leg from ringside. Christian slid off Barrett's shoulders and hit the Killswitch for the win.

Winner: Christian wins via pinfall over Wade Barrett.

Matthews and Cole discussed how David "A-List" Otunga is showing up everywhere and was recently on Access Hollywood. They showed highlight footage from his NXT promo video and Access appearance. Former Raw guest host Maria Menounous interviewed Otunga about being married to Jennifer Hudson and their son David Jr. Maria also talked to Jennifer Hudson about their child and their training. Maria told Otunga to master the staredown for in the ring.

Backstage, The Miz was chastising Daniel Bryan where he called him the Susan Boyle of the WWE with no star power. Miz compared him to Otunga who's a star. Miz said the only reason Bryan got #1 is because of Miz and how the pro's like him. Miz told Bryan if he listens to him maybe he'll somebody. Miz screamed at Bryan to go out there and actually win tonight so he can be a star.

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Daniel Bryan vs. William Regal

Daniel Bryan's record is currently 0-7. Tonight he got to face pro William Regal in London. Skip Sheffield accompanied Regal to the ring. Matthews and Cole talked about how Bryan wears red trunks as an ode to his mentor William Regal. Early on, Bryan had the advantage with several impressive moves on Regal including forearm strikes and kicks in the corner. Regal gained control briefly, but Bryan jumped up on him and put a guillotine submission on him. Regal suplexed Bryan back then ran and caught with the Knee Trembler for the pinfall win.

Daniel Bryan is now 0-8. The Miz angrily got in the ring and clobbered Regal down from behind, knocking him out of the ring. The Miz helped Bryan to his feet then hit the Skullcrushing Finale on his rookie to leave him face down in the ring.

Winner: William Regal wins via pinfall over Daniel Bryan.

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Darren Young vs. Luke Gallows

If Young wins this match, CM Punk said he'd forgive him for his transgression on Smackdown. However, if Gallows wins, then Young would have to get his head completely shaved.

During the main event match, Matt Hardy was shown backstage with his rook Justin Gabriel giving him some things to consider about the match they watched. In just under 3 minutes time, Darren Young surprised Gallows and Punk with a roll-up pin to defeat Gallows. Punk got in the ring mulling over what he just saw, then raised Young's hand victoriously. Punk, Serena and Darren Young left the ring together, leaving Luke Gallows behind in the ring looking sad.

Winner: Darren Young wins via pinfall over Luke Gallows.

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WWE Superstars Recap 04.08.10

WWE Superstars Recap 04.08.10

Superstars started off with Team LayCool coming to the ring with Vickie Guerrero. Team Laycool came to the ring with Vickie Guerrero. She did her "excuse me" bit to get the crowd going. McCool talked about how Beth Phoenix was complaining she wasn't getting a Womens title shot. Michelle said Beth Phoenix is a man, "chromosome-challenged". They kept going on with the insults about the "Manazon", and Vickie thanked them for doing this work. Vickie said rule #1 for the divas division, you must be a diva, so she can't have a Womens Championship match. Vickie said instead she'll face Layla tonight in an Intergender match. A not-so-happy Beth Phoenix made her way to the ring, with Layla looking terrified.

Beth Phoenix vs. Layla

Beth went after Layla as soon as the bell rang, so Layla rushed out of the ring to hide. She got back in but this time ducked out under the ropes several times to avoid Phoenix. As Beth came towards her, Layla kicked her in the head then gave several more kicks. Finally, Beth Phoenix took her down with a chop, then lifted her with both hands to sit Layla on the corner. Beth tossed Layla off the corner, then grabbed her legs as Layla held the ropes. Beth dropped Layla to the mat, then got down yelling at her to "say it to my face." Michelle got near the ring to grab Beth's leg, so Beth jumped outside and went after her and Vickie. She knocked Vickie down, then realized who she had hit.

Michelle interfered from ringside with the ref not looking, allowing Layla to get the upperhand briefly. Beth stood up as Layla had a headlock on her and rammed her to the corner. Layla tried to jump off the corner, but Beth caught her then hit a backbreaker across her knee. From there it was the Glam Slam for the win.

After the match, McCool ran in to attack Beth as Vickie held her leg from outside. Phoenix ended up grabbing McCool onto her shoulder and kicking Layla down, before dumping Michelle out of the ring. Team Laycool and Vickie all rushed up the ramp.

Winner: Beth Phoenix wins via pinfall over Layla.

They showed the Pros Poll rankings for WWE NXT and a recap from the latest episode including the beer keg carrying contest that Heath Slater won. Slater's "prize" was a main event match against Kane which he lost in five minutes time.

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Evan Bourne & Yoshi Tatsu vs. Zack Ryder & Chavo Guerrero

Ryder was escorted to the ring by girlfriend Rosa Mendes.

Evan Bourne became the target of the heels' attack as they kept him away from the tag to Yoshi. He finally escaped to tag out, and Yoshi came in on fire. Things broke down at one point with all of them getting involved, until the ring was cleared of just Chavo and Yoshi. Chavo got his Tres Amigos suplexes in but as he went off the corner for a Frogsplash he saw Yoshi roll away, so Chavo rolled onto the mat. Zack Ryder came in to attack Yoshi from behind but got kicked out of the ring. Yoshi put a leg submission onto Chavo and then rolled towards the corner where he held Chavo in the leg lock and tagged Bourne. Boure set up his Air Bourne, and Yoshi got out of the way as Bourne hit the move for the win.

Winners: Evan Bourne & Yoshi Tatsu win via pinfall over Chavo and Zack Ryder.

They showed behind the scenes footage from Extreme Makeover Home Edition which will feature WWE Superstars R-Truth and Big Show, and The Bella Twins. The episode airs on ABC this Sunday at 8PM EST/ 7C.

---

They showed a lengthy highlight video of the new World Heavyweight Champion, The All American American Jack Swagger. Cole and Lawler introduced the Raw Rebound which featured Swagger in the intro. He ended up going one-on-one with Randy Orton who pinned him for the second straight week in a row. Also in the show, guest host David Otunga put himself in a tag team title match with John Cena against MizShow. However, Otunga abandoned Cena when he went for a tag late in the match, allowing Show to knock out Cena for the win. Batista came to the ring to do some further damage with a Batista Bomb, before announcing he'll take his rematch at Extreme Rules in a Last Man Standing match.

MVP made his ring entrance before a commercial break.

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MVP vs. Carlito

Carlito brought his NXT rookie Michael Tarver to the ring with him. MVP jawed with Tarver who was ringside before he and Carlito finally locked up. MVP took control early with a series of moves, but couldn't capture the pinfall. He worked on the left arm a bit with a hold before whipping Carlito against the ropes and hitting a backdrop. Carlito managed to gain his own momentum for a bit, but MVP regained control and had him set up for the Ballin' Elbow. Carlito rolled out of the ring to avoid getting hit, so MVP hit a baseball slide dropkick to knock him down. MVP went out to collect Carlito. Tarver started trash talking MVP as Carlito jabbed MVP in the gut. Superstars went to break.

During break, Carlito shoved MVP into a ringpost. He now had control in the ring with a headlock on Porter. MVP stood up to begin fighting out of it, and was able to convert a suplex into a near fall. MVP went for his running corner kick, but Carlito avoided it and MVP went to the apron. Carlito knocked him off the apron to the outside, then tossed MVP back in the ring. He failed at the pinfall attempt.

In the final moments, MVP had the momentum as he hit a Facebuster with Carlito's face against his knee. From there, he got the Ballin' Elbow drop. He went for the Playmaker, but Carlito countered and sent MVP against the ropes. Carlito went for Backstabber, but MVP held the top rope to throw him off. Carlito ended up on the apron but knocked MVP back, then went for a Springboard move. MVP booted him down for a near fall. Carlito got up and whipped MVP to the ropes. He went for a dropkick, but Tarver grabbed MVP's leg, and Carlito fell to the mat. MVP came back to hit the Playmaker for the win, as Tarver was beside himself for causing his pro to lose.

Winner: MVP wins via pinfall over Carlito.

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NXT Superstar - Daniel Bryan or David "Raw" Otunga

This past Monday night they turned the reigns of Monday Night Raw over to the A-lister, David Otunga. I'll admit, Otunga did a pretty good job as a host in his first time working the crowd of a show besides NXT. He effectively showed that he's got a persona which may even be better than Montell Vontavius Porter's. His speaking parts were done well, and you've got to wonder if the fact he went to Harvard Law School and rubs elbows with celebs has really helped his transition to sports entertainment. While he's ranked 5th in the NXT Pro's Poll, it's hard to see the WWE ditching this guy even if he doesn't win the NXT competition. Let's discuss NXT for today, because at least one guy will be joining WWE out of that show. We can hope for more though.

As far as NXT goes, the format now is becoming very similar to that of the WWE Diva Searches in the past. Last night they had to face a challenge: carry a 160-lb keg of liquid around the ring, and past a line at the bottom of the ramp. The guy who did it fastest would win. Oddly, the winner was Heath Slater, the guy who seems the least likely to beat Wade Barrett, Michael Tarver, Darren Young, Otunga or Skip Sheffield in any sort of strength test. He did it in 12.0 seconds flat, setting an early time to beat. Skip Sheffield came closest by a mere 0.6 seconds or so, but he started late. The strategies the guys used were interesting to see, but I'm not sure NXT wants to make this into a male version of Diva search, especially when fans aren't even voting, and the Pro vote isn't really shown (in terms of how they're voting). It's hard to believe that heels voted for Daniel Bryan to help him become #1, unless heels just despise Miz.

In terms of the NXT wrestlers' marketability factors, Heath Slater seems to me like another Brian Kendrick type. He's not particularly imposing and no offense to his skills, his look is that of a jobber. It's hard to see him becoming a credible WWE star. Most of the other guys do have that look, but if I had to pick 5 to disperse in WWE, I'd go with Daniel Bryan, Wade Barrett, David Otunga, Justin Gabriel and Skip Sheffield. Michael Tarver reminds me of an in-shape Big Daddy V, but he could be a viable heel too. Barrett really has the look of a future heavyweight champion, or contender. He's built almost to a Batista/Jack Swagger size. Daniel Bryan has the skills, Otunga has the "it factor". Skip Sheffield's got a cowboy character which WWE doesn't have right now, with JBL gone. It'll be interesting to see who WWE keeps around, because I find it hard to believe 1 guy will win and that some of the others won't resurface in WWE. I'd love for them to keep most of them around, even Darren Young to go after CM Punk. They could really play into the storylines. I'm expecting they are pushing a story with Daniel Bryan going 0 and whatever on NXT, or maybe he'll win his last match, possibly against The Miz. He'll win NXT and the title shot he chooses will be, of course against his hated mentor, The Miz, for the US Title. We'll see...

I find the banter between Michael Cole and Josh Matthews on NXT pretty entertaining. Sometimes I wonder if these guys really don't get along though, or if the point is to make it seem like Cole is being condescending to the newer broadcast partner.

As for David Otunga hosting on Raw, he did a pretty good job the other night in his few appearances. The matches he set up were well done, and putting himself into the main event was a good move. Whenever former or current wrestling talent hosts, we usually get a no-nonsense show (except for Sgt. Slaughter). As for Otunga dropping off the apron at the end when Cena went for a tag, that was a nice surprise, especially after Batista had done the same to Cena earlier in the night. I was wondering how the match would finish with the tag titles on the line. On NXT, Otunga noted that he did what he did in order to gain favor from The Miz, one of the pro's who can vote for him on NXT. By leaving Cena on his own, Otunga basically sealed the win for MizShow to retain their titles. However, will Cena go after Otunga for what he did or focus on his upcoming match with Batista?

Next week's guest host is David Hasselhoff. Not sure how much longer the guest hosts will appear on Raw, but we can only hope Mitch the lifeguard gives us a WWE Divas Baywatch swimsuit match!

WWE NXT Recap 04.06.10

WWE NXT Recap from Chicago, IL:

Josh Matthews and Michael Cole were on hand for commentary. Michael Cole said there's just five weeks to go until the first rookie is eliminated on NXT. They sent it to Matt Striker up on the ramp who introduced the NXT rookies to come out on the ramp. David Otunga, Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel got good response as did the #1 ranked Daniel Bryan. Striker reminded fans that whoever wins NXT gets a guaranteed championship match against the champ of their choice on a live PPV. Striker noted that Darren Young is in 8th and not happy about it. Striker also brought up how David Otunga hosted Raw and had the opportunity to win the WWE Unified Tag team titles with John Cena, but walked away.

Otunga said as the host of Raw he could do whatever he wanted. Otunga said he doesn't share the spotlight with anyone, said he helped out pro The Miz instead so he can eventually get himself a solo title shot. Striker asked Daniel Bryan if he deserves the #1 spot. He said no he doesn't deserve it, but he'll do his best to become a WWE Superstar from here on out. Michael Tarver was interviewed next as the #7 ranked. He snatched the mic from Striker saying Bryan doesn't deserve the 1 spot and like all the other rookies up there, he's a target for him.

Striker talked about how they will be testing the rookies' mental and physical abilities. He walked down the ramp to a keg in front of a yellow line. Striker said the keg is full of liquid weighing over 160 lbs. Striker said each rookie will have to carry the keg around the ring and get back past the line. Whoever does it fastest wins the competition.

Here's the order of competitors and their times:

Daniel Bryan 24.9 seconds
Wade Barrett 14.7 seconds
Justin Gabriel 13.6 seconds
Heath Slater 12.0 seconds
David Otunga 14.1 seconds
Skip Sheffield 12.4 seconds
Michael Tarver - disqualified (dropped keg)
Darren Young 13.6 seconds

Heath Slater won the keg carrying competition with his time of 12 seconds even. Striker said Slater not only won the competition but also gets to main event tonight's NXT. Striker introduced his opponent, Kane, who came down the ramp stared into Slater's eyes and then unleashed his pyro.

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Raw returned with David Otunga highlights from Monday's Raw which he guest hosted. On the show he set up a tag team title match between MizShow and Cena with Otunga. However, during the match, Cena was worn down by the heels and went for a tag, but Otunga dropped off the apron and walked up the ramp. MizShow defeated Cena, and Batista came to the ring to Batista Bomb Cena in the ring. Batista then informed Cena that he'll be getting his rematch for the WWE title at Extreme Rules, in a Last Man Standing match.

Matt Striker spoke with Skip Sheffield backstage about being favored to win the keg contest. Skip Sheffield said he is the NXT superstar. He said the universe isn't ready for Skip Sheffield. Sheffield said nice guys finish last, so no more Mr. Nice guy.

Daniel Bryan vs. Darren Young

During the frantic-paced final moments, Daniel Bryan tried a backslide pin on Young. Young kicked out, with Bryan going for another slide pin. Young kicked out and fought back, then whipped Bryan to the corner. Bryan flipped back and went against the ropes. The two men had an exchange of near falls on one another. They had a brief slapping match back and forth. Young finally held Bryan down over his legs to gain the pinfall victory.

Daniel Bryan is now 0-7 in his NXT matches.

Winner: Darren Young wins via pinfall over Daniel Bryan.

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Saliva's "Time to Shine" is the Official theme song for Extreme Rules Pay-Per-View.

Justin Gabriel vs. Michael Tarver

In the closing moments, Gabriel was in control and got on the corner for a high risk move. Tarver got to his feet though and went over to swipe out Gabriel's legs, so he fell on the corner. The two fought a bit, but Gabriel wisely jumped to the apron with Tarver's head hitting the top rope. Gabriel landed a roundhouse kick to knock Tarver down, then got back up on the corner to hit his 450 splash for the win. Tarver is now 0-5 in his NXT matches, while Gabriel improves to 4-2.

Winner: Justin Gabriel wins via pinfall over Michael Tarver.

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April 26th will be the special 3-hour presentation of the WWE Draft 2010.

David Otunga vs. Wade Barrett

Otunga was introduced by Savannah as David "A-List" Otunga. Otunga said in a earlier interview that he was voted #5 in the pro's poll because the pros are intimidated by him.

In the late stages of the match, Otunga took control after a neckbreaker and had a near fall on Barrett. Otunga went to the corner, but Barrett got up and yanked his leg out, causing Otunga to hit the mat. From there, Barrett picked up Otunga and got Otunga onto his shoulders then flipped him down to the mat for his finisher and the pinfall.

Winner: Wade Barrett wins via pinfall over David Otunga.

They showed Heath Slater getting himself hyped up backstage in the locker room for the upcoming main event.

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Heath Slater vs. Kane

They showed highlights from Smackdown when Kane decided to take on all 8 NXT rookies in a handicap match. He eliminated a few of them, but the remaining guys decided to gang up on Kane. Several hit their finishers, but Kane chased them up the ramp still wanting to fight.

In this five minute match, Kane withstood any potential attacks or momentum from Slater. Slater started fighting back from on his knees on the mat, but Kane leveled him with a clothesline. From the top rope, Kane hit his flying clothesline. After an uppercut and another clothesline, Kane hit the chokeslam and took the pinfall victory. NXT ended with Slater recovering in the ring and Kane up on the ramp.

Winner: Kane wins via pinfall over Heath Slater.

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WWE NXT Results - Pro's Poll #1

On Tuesday night's episode of WWE NXT on SyFy, they announced the first Pro's Poll. This poll was described in recent weeks as the standings for the NXT Rookies. Votes would be cast by each of the eight pro's involved in the NXT concept, but they could not vote for their own rookies.

The criteria for voting on the NXT rookies would come from four distinct categories: wins/losses, strength of competition, work ethic and "It" factor.

Here's how the first of the WWE NXT Pro's Polls went for 3/30/10:

#8 Darren Young
#7 Michael Tarver
#6 Skip Sheffield
#5 David Otunga
#4 Heath Slater
#3 Justin Gabriel
#2 Wade Barrett
#1 Daniel Bryan

Surprisingly, Bryan captured enough pro votes to come in at #1 on the list, despite an 0-5 record. He's faced some tough competition, including a good showing in his first week against World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho. Bryan also fought against The Great Khali and in several other matches.

The competition was also detailed a bit more by NXT host Matt Striker who noted that each week they'd reveal the rankings and whoever came in last in the poll would be eliminated from NXT. They'll come down to a Final Four, with the winner of it all becoming the NXT breakout superstar. In addition, they are given a title shot of their choice at a WWE Pay-Per-View (hmm seems like a Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz US Title match may be in the works?)

Fans from the WWE Universe can cast their own votes at WWE.com on which rookie has impressed them the most so far. Cast your votes here.

On NXT, they also held a special 8-man battle royal with the winner getting the opportunity to guest host this coming Monday Night's Raw episode. David Otunga was your winner, an attendee of Harvard Law school and fiance of singer/actress Jennifer Hudson. Otunga also is said to have other important connections in the entertainment world, so he may be bringing some surprises to the next Raw!