The focus going into the debut show of NXT was on Daniel Bryan, who has earned a name for himself as the "Best Wrestler in the World". There was a lot of buzz and outcry on the internet over The Miz, who has half his experience, mentoring him. The Miz has been cutting promos for the last couple of weeks that have acknowledged Bryan's wrestling ability, but attacked his supposed lack of charisma, saying he looked like Miz's accountant. After today's show, one thing is apparent: Miz has a point.
Bryan had a great main event match with Chris Jericho, but seemed to lack the look and the "it" factor that WWE wants in its main eventers. Miz asked him to go to the ring and connect with the crowd (though I'm not sure if Bryan was aware of it) and Bryan fumbled a bit before gaining his composure. Miz came out and insulted him some more, slapped him and left. Bryan did say he would get his revenge. The clash of personalities between these two will make entertaining television though. Coming back to the match, boy, can the guy wrestle. Unfortunately the match was a bit short, but Jericho gave Bryan a lot of offense and made him look good before he defeated him with the Walls of Jericho. There was an amazing spot where Bryan performed a suicide dive onto Jericho, who caught him and slammed him onto the announce desk. It seemed like Jericho too was enjoying wrestling Bryan, as he moved faster than I've seen him do in a long, long time.
Other thoughts:
* David Otunga seemed the most impressive of all the rookies. He exuded confidence in the profile they showed of him, and actually came off like a legit celebrity, what with a Harvard Law student, Jennifer Hudson's boyfriend, visits to the White House et al. His ring skills weren't on display much as he basically squashed Darren Young, CM Punk's rookie. On a side note, the look of horrified disapproval with which the Straightedge Society were treating Young (who is a polar opposite of the Straightedge look) wrestling was priceless. Punk, Gallows and Serena are really in a fantastic zone right now.
* The Carlito/Michael Tarver vs. Christian/Heath Slater match was ok. Both Tarver and Slater seem like interesting characters.
Overall, I like NXT as a concept. The interaction between Pros and Rookies will provide a lot of entertainment, as I fully expect the Pros to show their proteges some tough love. A show to watch.
Highlights of the Night:
Best Performers: (1) Chris Jericho (2) Daniel Bryan (3) David Otunga
Best Match: Chris Jericho vs. Daniel Bryan
Best Promo: David Otunga
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