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**Evil Vito** · 02-23-2015, 10:39 PM

Week 1: April 3, 2002

Segment 1: Introduction of the cast

After the pyrotechnics go off, our host Tazz welcomes us to the premiere addition of NXT. Ten of the WWF�s hottest prospects will compete for a chance to be the WWF�s next breakout superstar. These rookies will get the opportunity to learn from five Raw pros and five SmackDown pros, so let�s meet them first:

�Across the Nation�, Raw�s new theme song that debuted two nights ago blares over the PA system. The crowd lets out a cheer right away as Intercontinental champion Rob Van Dam is the first one out through the curtain. Following him out is the feisty underdog Crash Holly. The cheers turn to boos as the arrogant Mr. Perfect is out next, towel in hand as he spits out and swats his gum on the way to the ring. The dark and deranged Raven walks out next, extending out his arms as he walks. Finally, Scott Hall in his nWo garb saunters out last, taking his sweet time.

�The Beautiful People� hits next, signifying the arrival of the SmackDown pros. The boos come right back as the Olympic hero Kurt Angle poses on the rampway. Hardcore Holly follows him out, looking surly as only he can. The always positive Diamond Dallas Page is out next, flashing the sign of the Diamond Cutter to the fans� appreciation. Al Snow follows him out as he also plays to the crowd. Finally the crowd lets out their biggest cheer of the night so far as Edge comes out in his trademark trenchcoat and sunglasses.

With the pros all assembled, Tazz briefly explains the rules to the pros and the fans. Each pro was randomly assigned a rookie to mentor, the pros will vote out rookies periodically, yadda yadda yadda. Now comes the time to meet the rookies.

The first rookie is assigned to Mr. Perfect�from St. Louis, MO, it�s Randy Orton! Out comes an impressive looking, clean cut young man wearing shiny metallic blue tights bearing his last name. He slaps hands with fans on the way out, Perfect does not seem too impressed.

The next rookie goes to RVD. A native of Orangeburg, SC�Shelton Benjamin comes out and also chooses to play to the crowd. His pro seems much more enthused with his assignment, as RVD and Benjamin shake hands as soon as he gets in the ring.

Out third is Al Snow�s rookie, Chris Nowinski from Watertown, MA. As soon as he makes the announcement, Tazz and Snow exchange glances of disbelief. Fans would recognize this Harvard graduate as a contestant from the first season of Tough Enough, and how he�s back for more. He comes out wearing the colors of his alma mater, looking even more arrogant than he did on Tough Enough.

Kurt Angle jumps for joy at the next announcement. From Pittsburgh, PA, Kurt�s own brother Eric Angle comes out from the back as a participant for NXT. The overexcited Kurt wraps up his brother in a huge bearhug right out of the gate, taking Eric off guard a bit.

A massive, hulking bald man with a chain around his neck emerges from the back. He jumps over the top rope into the ring. The man from the Pit of Danger known only as Leviathan will be Raven�s rookie, and Raven can�t help but look impressed at this beast of a man he will be mentoring.

Out next comes another well-built man but with a distinctly different look. An impressive physique with purple and yellow tights, this man is John Cena from West Newbury, MA. He points at the crowd and respectfully shakes hands with his new mentor, Edge.

Charlie Haas is out next to greet his mentor, Scott Hall. The energetic Haas from Edmond, OK jogs down to the ring and enters into the increasingly crowded ring. He extends his hand to Hall, but Hall just looks completely disinterested. Hall removes the toothpick from his mouth and throws it in Haas� face. I guess they�ll need to work on that partnership.

The next guy out is somebody who should look familiar to fans of other promotions � it�s Mike Sanders from Atlanta, GA. Sanders comes out looking like Joe Cool with his cutoff t-shirt and cargo shorts. DDP seems a bit skeptical having him as his rookie, but being who he is he puts out a big smile and a hand for Sanders. Sanders accepts the handshake but seems to roll his eyes as he does so.

An imposing, jacked up figure with a white goatee, black ski hat, and black TAPOUT pants makes his way down the ramp. This is Ron Waterman from Greeley, CO. Hardcore Holly can�t help but nod in approval of his rookie, and he can�t help but flash a cocky smirk towards the direction of his little cousin Crash who is the last to meet his rookie.

Hardcore�s smirk soon turns into a look of disbelief as the final man out is a large, heavily tattooed man from the isle of Samoa. Crash points and laugh at his cousin as his rookie, Umaga, gets right into the ring and stands face to face with Waterman.

Tazz implores the crowd to give one last round of applause to the cast of NXT. Waterman and Umaga are nose to nose at this point, so Tazz asks everybody else to clear out so these two big men can settle their differences in the inaugural match of the contest. And that match is - next!

Overall Rating: 93%, Kurt Angle and Raven gained overness

Segment 2: Ron Waterman w/ Hardcore Holly vs. Umaga w/ Crash Holly

With two guys this big, this was never going to be a scientific wrestling classic. But that�s just fine, as both men brawled most of the time. Both pros stood at ringside to shout instructions and encouragement to their rookies. Waterman peppered Umaga with plenty of rights and lefts, but when Umaga got his second wind it barely phased him. Late in the match Waterman and Umaga reverses into a huge Samoan Drop. Umaga ascends to the top and the big man flies through the air, landing a massive splash and getting his first win of the competition. Crash attempts to raise Umaga�s hand but Umaga has none of it. This guy is gonna be a force to be reckoned with.

Crowd Reaction: 53%, Match Quality: 82%, Overall Rating: 67%

Segment 3: Charlie Haas video

We cut to a pre-taped sit down interview with Charlie Haas, complete with clips of him hitting some of his signature moves on opponents down in developmental promotions. Haas talks about his collegiate wrestling background at Seton Hall. But don�t let that fool you, Haas assures us he�s a lot of fun to be around and he�s been known as quite the impressionist. He�s looking forward to showing off his big personality to the NXT crowd.

Overall Rating: 61%, Charlie Haas gained overness

Segment 4: Randy Orton and Mr. Perfect vs. Chris Nowinski & Al Snow

Tag team action up next. Perfect tagged Orton in fairly early and then spent a lot more time doing tricks on the apron than he did trying to coach his rookie or even be on the lookout for a tag. Snow and Nowinski worked as a much better unit than the opening of the show would have had you think, perhaps rekindling some of the chemistry formed on Tough Enough last year. The Harvard graduate got a bit too headstrong near the end though. After excessively showboating following a routine dropkick, Orton caught him offguard with a unique backbreaker maneuver. Mr. Perfect then suddenly came alive, tagging Orton on the back and then picking Nowinski back up with a Perfect Plex and the win. Snow facepalms while Perfect acts like he won the World Series. Orton may be 1-0 but his pro hogged the glory.

Crowd Reaction: 64%, Match Quality: 72%, Overall Rating: 68%

Segment 5: Mike Sanders video

Another pre-taped interview video, much in the same style as Haas� video from earlier. This time, the subject is Mike Sanders. Sanders has no idea why he�s on NXT in the first place. He�s a former WCW Cruiserweight champion and former WCW Commissioner. He didn�t invade last year with the rest of the WCW losers, so why is he being punished? Regardless, he�ll win this show easily. His opposition is average, and he�s above average.

Overall Rating: 66%, Mike Sanders gained overness

Segment 6: Eric Angle w/ Kurt Angle vs. Edge w/ John Cena

Kurt Angle boasted about his brother on the microphone before the match, saying Eric was a shoe-in to win with the best wrestler in the WWF by his side. Eric seemed a bit uneasy with the claims, but regardless he had a huge task ahead of him with a match against one of the fastest rising superstars and reigning King of the Ring Edge.

The inaugural NXT main event did not disappoint, as Angle more than held his own against the more seasoned Edge. After a pretty good technical wrestling match, Eric whipped Edge to the ropes and Kurt jumped onto the apron. Edge wound up reversing, sending Eric colliding into his brother. Eric turns right into a Spear and Edge wins. Kurt jumps right in and blindsides Edge with a clothesline, but Cena jumps in and delivers a big clothesline of his own to Kurt, saving his pro in the process.

Crowd Reaction: 67%, Match Quality: 78%, Overall Rating: 72%

Segment 7: Tazz makes an announcement

Tazz grabs a mic to put a wrap on the first-ever episode of NXT. After what we just saw, next week�s main event only makes sense: John Cena will make his debut against Kurt Angle! That�s a huge opportunity for Cena straight off the bat � and it�s sure to make next week�s edition can�t-miss television.

Overall Rating: 84%, Tazz and John Cena gained overness

68% Overall Rating for NXT
1.16 Rating

I�m quite happy with that debut. All of the matches delivered and nobody lost overness. Besides Cena, I�m planning on having Haas, Benjamin, Leviathan, and Sanders all make their in-ring debuts during week two.

02-23-2015, 10:39 PM	#2425
Evil Vito President of Freedonia Posts: 58,167	Week 1: April 3, 2002 Segment 1: Introduction of the cast After the pyrotechnics go off, our host Tazz welcomes us to the premiere addition of NXT. Ten of the WWF�s hottest prospects will compete for a chance to be the WWF�s next breakout superstar. These rookies will get the opportunity to learn from five Raw pros and five SmackDown pros, so let�s meet them first: �Across the Nation�, Raw�s new theme song that debuted two nights ago blares over the PA system. The crowd lets out a cheer right away as Intercontinental champion Rob Van Dam is the first one out through the curtain. Following him out is the feisty underdog Crash Holly. The cheers turn to boos as the arrogant Mr. Perfect is out next, towel in hand as he spits out and swats his gum on the way to the ring. The dark and deranged Raven walks out next, extending out his arms as he walks. Finally, Scott Hall in his nWo garb saunters out last, taking his sweet time. �The Beautiful People� hits next, signifying the arrival of the SmackDown pros. The boos come right back as the Olympic hero Kurt Angle poses on the rampway. Hardcore Holly follows him out, looking surly as only he can. The always positive Diamond Dallas Page is out next, flashing the sign of the Diamond Cutter to the fans� appreciation. Al Snow follows him out as he also plays to the crowd. Finally the crowd lets out their biggest cheer of the night so far as Edge comes out in his trademark trenchcoat and sunglasses. With the pros all assembled, Tazz briefly explains the rules to the pros and the fans. Each pro was randomly assigned a rookie to mentor, the pros will vote out rookies periodically, yadda yadda yadda. Now comes the time to meet the rookies. The first rookie is assigned to Mr. Perfect�from St. Louis, MO, it�s Randy Orton! Out comes an impressive looking, clean cut young man wearing shiny metallic blue tights bearing his last name. He slaps hands with fans on the way out, Perfect does not seem too impressed. The next rookie goes to RVD. A native of Orangeburg, SC�Shelton Benjamin comes out and also chooses to play to the crowd. His pro seems much more enthused with his assignment, as RVD and Benjamin shake hands as soon as he gets in the ring. Out third is Al Snow�s rookie, Chris Nowinski from Watertown, MA. As soon as he makes the announcement, Tazz and Snow exchange glances of disbelief. Fans would recognize this Harvard graduate as a contestant from the first season of Tough Enough, and how he�s back for more. He comes out wearing the colors of his alma mater, looking even more arrogant than he did on Tough Enough. Kurt Angle jumps for joy at the next announcement. From Pittsburgh, PA, Kurt�s own brother Eric Angle comes out from the back as a participant for NXT. The overexcited Kurt wraps up his brother in a huge bearhug right out of the gate, taking Eric off guard a bit. A massive, hulking bald man with a chain around his neck emerges from the back. He jumps over the top rope into the ring. The man from the Pit of Danger known only as Leviathan will be Raven�s rookie, and Raven can�t help but look impressed at this beast of a man he will be mentoring. Out next comes another well-built man but with a distinctly different look. An impressive physique with purple and yellow tights, this man is John Cena from West Newbury, MA. He points at the crowd and respectfully shakes hands with his new mentor, Edge. Charlie Haas is out next to greet his mentor, Scott Hall. The energetic Haas from Edmond, OK jogs down to the ring and enters into the increasingly crowded ring. He extends his hand to Hall, but Hall just looks completely disinterested. Hall removes the toothpick from his mouth and throws it in Haas� face. I guess they�ll need to work on that partnership. The next guy out is somebody who should look familiar to fans of other promotions � it�s Mike Sanders from Atlanta, GA. Sanders comes out looking like Joe Cool with his cutoff t-shirt and cargo shorts. DDP seems a bit skeptical having him as his rookie, but being who he is he puts out a big smile and a hand for Sanders. Sanders accepts the handshake but seems to roll his eyes as he does so. An imposing, jacked up figure with a white goatee, black ski hat, and black TAPOUT pants makes his way down the ramp. This is Ron Waterman from Greeley, CO. Hardcore Holly can�t help but nod in approval of his rookie, and he can�t help but flash a cocky smirk towards the direction of his little cousin Crash who is the last to meet his rookie. Hardcore�s smirk soon turns into a look of disbelief as the final man out is a large, heavily tattooed man from the isle of Samoa. Crash points and laugh at his cousin as his rookie, Umaga, gets right into the ring and stands face to face with Waterman. Tazz implores the crowd to give one last round of applause to the cast of NXT. Waterman and Umaga are nose to nose at this point, so Tazz asks everybody else to clear out so these two big men can settle their differences in the inaugural match of the contest. And that match is - next! Overall Rating: 93%, Kurt Angle and Raven gained overness Segment 2: Ron Waterman w/ Hardcore Holly vs. Umaga w/ Crash Holly With two guys this big, this was never going to be a scientific wrestling classic. But that�s just fine, as both men brawled most of the time. Both pros stood at ringside to shout instructions and encouragement to their rookies. Waterman peppered Umaga with plenty of rights and lefts, but when Umaga got his second wind it barely phased him. Late in the match Waterman and Umaga reverses into a huge Samoan Drop. Umaga ascends to the top and the big man flies through the air, landing a massive splash and getting his first win of the competition. Crash attempts to raise Umaga�s hand but Umaga has none of it. This guy is gonna be a force to be reckoned with. Crowd Reaction: 53%, Match Quality: 82%, Overall Rating: 67% Segment 3: Charlie Haas video We cut to a pre-taped sit down interview with Charlie Haas, complete with clips of him hitting some of his signature moves on opponents down in developmental promotions. Haas talks about his collegiate wrestling background at Seton Hall. But don�t let that fool you, Haas assures us he�s a lot of fun to be around and he�s been known as quite the impressionist. He�s looking forward to showing off his big personality to the NXT crowd. Overall Rating: 61%, Charlie Haas gained overness Segment 4: Randy Orton and Mr. Perfect vs. Chris Nowinski & Al Snow Tag team action up next. Perfect tagged Orton in fairly early and then spent a lot more time doing tricks on the apron than he did trying to coach his rookie or even be on the lookout for a tag. Snow and Nowinski worked as a much better unit than the opening of the show would have had you think, perhaps rekindling some of the chemistry formed on Tough Enough last year. The Harvard graduate got a bit too headstrong near the end though. After excessively showboating following a routine dropkick, Orton caught him offguard with a unique backbreaker maneuver. Mr. Perfect then suddenly came alive, tagging Orton on the back and then picking Nowinski back up with a Perfect Plex and the win. Snow facepalms while Perfect acts like he won the World Series. Orton may be 1-0 but his pro hogged the glory. Crowd Reaction: 64%, Match Quality: 72%, Overall Rating: 68% Segment 5: Mike Sanders video Another pre-taped interview video, much in the same style as Haas� video from earlier. This time, the subject is Mike Sanders. Sanders has no idea why he�s on NXT in the first place. He�s a former WCW Cruiserweight champion and former WCW Commissioner. He didn�t invade last year with the rest of the WCW losers, so why is he being punished? Regardless, he�ll win this show easily. His opposition is average, and he�s above average. Overall Rating: 66%, Mike Sanders gained overness Segment 6: Eric Angle w/ Kurt Angle vs. Edge w/ John Cena Kurt Angle boasted about his brother on the microphone before the match, saying Eric was a shoe-in to win with the best wrestler in the WWF by his side. Eric seemed a bit uneasy with the claims, but regardless he had a huge task ahead of him with a match against one of the fastest rising superstars and reigning King of the Ring Edge. The inaugural NXT main event did not disappoint, as Angle more than held his own against the more seasoned Edge. After a pretty good technical wrestling match, Eric whipped Edge to the ropes and Kurt jumped onto the apron. Edge wound up reversing, sending Eric colliding into his brother. Eric turns right into a Spear and Edge wins. Kurt jumps right in and blindsides Edge with a clothesline, but Cena jumps in and delivers a big clothesline of his own to Kurt, saving his pro in the process. Crowd Reaction: 67%, Match Quality: 78%, Overall Rating: 72% Segment 7: Tazz makes an announcement Tazz grabs a mic to put a wrap on the first-ever episode of NXT. After what we just saw, next week�s main event only makes sense: John Cena will make his debut against Kurt Angle! That�s a huge opportunity for Cena straight off the bat � and it�s sure to make next week�s edition can�t-miss television. Overall Rating: 84%, Tazz and John Cena gained overness 68% Overall Rating for NXT 1.16 Rating I�m quite happy with that debut. All of the matches delivered and nobody lost overness. Besides Cena, I�m planning on having Haas, Benjamin, Leviathan, and Sanders all make their in-ring debuts during week two.