NXT/Smackdown Weekend Review – Mar. 29th & Apr. 1

Pretty quick review this weekend as we head into Wrestlemania.

NXT

Titus O’Neil wins Arm Wrestling Challenge ( redemption points)

Titus O’Neil, Byron Saxton & Conor O’Brian def. Jacob Novak, Darren Young & Lucky Cannon

• A lot of cheating in the Arm Wrestling Challenge
• William Regal doesn’t seem to like JTG. It’s very entertaining.
• Titus O’Neil picked up the pinfall in the 6-Man Tag Match

Smackdown

Kofi Kingston def. (c) Wade Barrett by DQ

Cody Rhodes def. Chris Masters

• Corre interfered in the Intercontinental Championship rematch and ganged up on Kofi afterward
• Santino Marella, Vladimir Kozlov, Kane & The Big Show came down to make the save
• Matt Striker interviewed Cody Rhodes, who was channeling his inner Heath Ledger’s Joker
• Rey Mysterio came out after Rhodes’ victory with “an intentionally exposed knee braced” 619 in mind
• During Wrestlmania Axxess this weekend Corre attacked Kozlov injuring him
• Theodore Long announced that Kofi Kingston will be taking his place in the 8-Man Tag Match

And that’s it! Enjoy Wrestlemania. We here at The 1/8th Nelson will be.

Weekend NXT/Smackdown Review – Mar. 15th & 18th

NXT

Titus O’Neil wins Talk The Talk Challenge (2 redemption points)

Darren Young def. Conor O’Brian

Tyson Kidd & Lucky Cannon def. Yoshi Tatsu & Byron Saxton

Titus O’Neil wins St. Patrick’s Day Keg Carry Challenge (3 redemption points)

• O’Neil won with his dead on Hornswoggle impersonation but other highlights were Saxton’s jokes on Cannon and Novak’s awful, awful rap.
• Young ended his match with a Fireman’s Carry Gutbuster. It may not be as original as his Full Nelson Flapjack but it’s actually in Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 so that’s a plus.
• Cannon, AKA De-Lish, AKA Mr. Steal Your Girl has made it his mission to win Maryse over Yoshi Tatsu going so far as to recite poetry (in what seemed like recently learned French) instead of winning the Keg Carry Challenge again (he won his seasons Keg Carry).
• O’Neil was set up to win the Keg Carry from the start as Matt Striker and Maryse ribbed him about his season 2 fumble complete with video footage. The plan worked out as he pulled off a win in this very heated Challenge.
• I do suspect the keg was drained as the Rookies were putting down some seriously fast times this season.

Saturday Morning NXT/Smackdown- Feb. 15th & 18th

NXT

Brodus Clay wins Smash & Grab Challenge

Brodus Clay def. R-Truth

Brodus Clay wins Save Yourself Trivia

Daniel Bryan def. Derrick Bateman

• The night opened with Derrick Bateman challenging his Pro Daniel Bryan to a submission exhibition with pinfalls legal. Confused, Bryan accepted but needed to change so that people could tell them apart. Cue shot of them in matching “DB” trunks.
• There must have been a sale on piñatas last weeks. That’s the only explanation I have for the Smash & Grab Challenge.
• Big Brodus Clay had a big night before next weeks elimination round.
• It seems the NXT writing staff were fans of Nickelodeon with their You Can’t Do That On TV homage trivia challenge.
• The Bryan/Bateman match started off a little slow but picked up about halfway through finishing with a series of LeBell Lock attempts and counters.
• Voting is going on now thru Tuesday so vote now.

Saturday Morning NXT/Smackdown – Feb. 8th & 11th

NXT

Another elimination night this week with a heated race for immunity between the final four.

 

Byron Saxton wins Rock Em Sock Em Rookies Challenge

Derrick Bateman def. Byron Saxton

Brodus Clay wins WWEShop.com Challenge

Brodus Clay def. Johnny Curtis

Byron Saxton eliminated from NXT

• Clay refused to compete in the Rock Em Sock Em Challenge giving Saxton a free ride to the finals.
• After a controversial victory Saxton picked up a decisive victory against Bateman in the video replay mandated rematch.
• Josh Matthews commented that he thought the loser of Bateman vs. Saxton would be eliminated this week.
• Dolph Ziggler was sporting the Zack Ryder t-shirt this week under his sports coat.
• The WWEShop.com Challenge brought back AJ & Naomi from season 3 as Striker’s Beauties in this Price Is Right style challenge.
• Saxton almost won the WWEShop.com Challenge and immunity but was over by a few cents giving Clay the victory.
• Tension between Curtis and his Pro R-Truth continue.
• Curtis & Clay were tied for immunity and because they left it up to the easily swayed Green Bay audience Curtis won by saying “Go Packers!”
• I really don’t like Johnny Curtis.
• Byron Saxton’s reaction to being eliminated came in 3 stages :

1. About 2 minutes of silence fighting back tears.
2. Angrily shout he doesn’t understand how the WWE Universe wouldn’t vote for him.
3. He forgave the WWE Universe for their mistake and left smiling knowing they’d embrace him on day.

His Pro Ziggler got into his face as he left , berating him in the process. The fans, and Chris Masters, started chanting for Saxton to punch him but he was the bigger man and walked away with a smirk.

Elimination Thoughts

I’m a little disappointed in Saxton’s elimination as he was one of my favorite Rookies to watch this season. He has the ability to get booed by playing to the crowd. I felt he needed to win this season to make it to the main roster in a relatively quick time span. As for the remaining 3, Derrick Bateman should win with Brodus Clay in 2nd. I don’t get the hype they’re putting over on Johnny Curtis. The other two are more entertaining in and out of the ring.

Del Rio beats the odds: WWE Royal Rumble 2011

The newly expanded Royal Rumble match had thrills, chills and excitement, and even a shocking finisher when relative newcomer Alberto Del Rio survived the onslaught of talent, last eliminating both Randy Orton and Wade Barrett to earn his way to the main event of WrestleMania XXVII.  John Cena rounded out the final four, but while the referees were busy trying to break up a brawl outside of the ring, The Miz, who had joined the commertary team upon the entrance of his protege Alex Riley, slid into the ring and dumped Cena over the ropes.  Before leaving the ringside area, Cena left an ominous message with Miz’s biggest fan, Michael Cole, that he’d had enough.

The Rumble almost ended with the most shocking upset ever when Santino Marella, who had earlier been knocked through the ropes, returned to the ring after Del Rio had seemingly captured the match.  Marella loaded up the Cobra and nailed Del Rio, but as he tried to throw him over the ropes for the win, Del Rio shifted his weight and sent Santino flying.  And with that, Del Rio claimed victory and was heading to WrestleMania.

Rest of the show after the jump.

Raw 1/24/11

On this episode of Raw, we got a champion versus champion match.  The de facto leader of the old Nexus, The Corre, would take on the leader of the new Nexus with their groups’ participation in the Rumble on the line.  Melina got her shot at the Divas title.  The story between Daniel Bryan and the Bella twins had a shocking twist.  Match results are below and full details are after the jump.  If a match doesn’t appear within the details, then nothing you need to know about happened during the match.

Match Results
Alberto Del Rio & Sheamus def. Mark Henry & John Morrison by submission.
Divas Title match:  Natalya (c) def. Melina by submission.
Edge def. The Miz by DQ.
Maryse, Ted DiBiase & Alicia Fox def. Daniel Bryan & The Bellas by pinfall.
Non-title match:  Husky Harris & Michael McGillicuty def. Santino Marella and Vladmir Koslov by pinfall.
Wade Barrett vs. CM Punk ended in double-DQ. 

Saturday Morning NXT/Smackdown – Jan 18 & 21

NXT

Derrick Bateman wins Know Your Pro Challenge

Chris Masters def. Byron Saxton

Daniel Bryan & Derrick Bateman def. Ted DiBiase & Brodus Clay

Ricardo Rodriguez def. Conor O’Brian

Conor O’Brian was eliminated

• Bateman & Bryan totally cheated on the Challenge this week to secure immunity and it was hilarious
• As usual, Byron Saxton plays the arrogant chump to a tee
• DiBiase’s losing streak continues when Brodus refuse to take his scolding any long and left his Pro to fend for himself
• The mach result above is not a joke, Alberto Del Rio’s ring announcer really did win his first ever WWE match

Elimination Thoughts

I didn’t think it was his time but after losing to Rodriguez it’s probably best he leave and move on away from this. I still think he’s got a future on the main roster and I hope to see him up there soon. And that takes the cheese, see.