WWE NXT – Season 1 Results

2/23/10; Milwaukee, WI; Bradley Center
2/23/10 – debut episode – featured an opening backstage segment in which WWE US Champion & WWE Unified Tag Team Champion Mike Mizanin sized up all the rookies before singling out Daniel Bryan, calling him an Internet darling, noting he had travelled the world, and that bloggers say he’s ready for the WWE; Miz then said Bryan needed to go out to the ring and prove he was worth watching each week, which Bryan agreed, and Miz then said he had to go out to Miz’s theme music, which Bryan had a problem with; after Bryan left for the ring, Miz said if Bryan didn’t show the fans enough personality, he would slap it out of him; included Michael Cole & Josh Matthews on commentary; featured Matt Striker as the host and backstage interviewer; included Savannah as the ring announcer; featured an in-ring promo by Bryan in which he apologized to his fans for the fact Miz was his pro and he wished it was William Regal; Bryan said he had been wrestling around the world for the past 10 years and said he was looking forward to being part of NXT, with Miz then interrupting and saying he could tell he had his work cut out for him; Bryan responded by threatening to make Miz submit then and there, with Miz asking if that was how Bryan expected to become a star; Bryan responded by saying he planned to go on a reality show, get a fauxhawk, and act like an idiot – but then remembered Miz already did all that; Miz then challenged him to come up with a catch phrase, then leading the crowd in saying “I’m the Miz and I’m awesome;” Bryan responded by saying if he faced Miz then Miz would tap or he would snap; Miz then said Bryan failed and slapped him before leaving the ring, with Bryan saying moments later that he would slap Miz back; included Striker conducting a backstage interview with Bryan regarding being slapped by Miz, with Bryan saying he slaps harder; Striker then questioned Bryan about his comments, noting he hadn’t been in the WWE a minute, despite having wrestled twice as long as Miz; Bryan then said he could be a star on his own; featured a WrestleMania 26 ad to the tune of Kevin Rudolf’s “I Made It;” included the announcement Matt Hardy and Justin Gabriel would appear the following week:
Christian & Heath Slater defeated Carlito & Michael Tarver at 4:24 when Carlito pinned Tarver with the Unprettier; prior to the bout, Carlito introduced Tarver at the entrance stage and showed a vignette of Tarver in which he spoke about his father being a pro fighter working with Mike Tyson and the fact Tarver could knock anyone out in 1.9 seconds; Tarver said he had worked hard, from sleeping in his car to wrestling for $20; the vignette was edited with clips of him in action; during Christian & Slater’s entrance, a vignette of Slater aired in which he said he was a rock star without the instruments and said he wanted to be a WWE superstar since the day he was born; clips were then shown of him in action mixed with childhood photos and video of him showing his devotion to wrestling (Slater and Tarver’s TV in-ring debut)
David Otunga (w/ R-Truth) pinned Darren Young (w/ CM Punk, Sarina, & Luke Gallows) with a modified spinebuster at the 40-second mark; prior to the bout, Punk cut an insert promo in which he questioned why he was on the show and who Young was, then saying Young should accept Straight Edge if he expected to succeed; prior to his entrance, a vignette of Otunga aired in which he spoke about being Jennifer Hudson’s fiancee, visiting the White House twice this year, graduating from Harvard Law School, and being a star from Hollywood; after the bout, Punk, Sarina, & Gallows left ringside without Young as R-Truth and Otunga celebrated in the ring (Otunga and Young’s TV in-ring debut)
World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho (w/ Wade Barrett) defeated Daniel Bryan (w/ WWE US Champion & WWE Unified Tag Team Champion Mike Mizanin) via submission with the Walls of Jericho in a non-title match after hitting the Code Breaker; prior to the bout, Jericho said he didn’t want Savannah to introduce him and instead gave the mic to Barrett, with Barrett saying it was an honor to be paired with somoene like Jericho; Jericho then cut him off and said he just wanted an introduction; the other rookies were shown watching on backstage during the contest; after the bout, Miz repeatedly punched and stomped Bryan in the ring, then yelled at him for being disrespectful (Bryan’s in-ring TV debut) 3/2/10; Wichita, KS; Intrust Bank Arena
3/2/10 – featured a vignette of Daniel Bryan in which he spoke about wrestling 10 years, his passion for submission holds, and the fact he was trained by Shawn Michaels; during the segment, in which footage of Bryan in action was shown, Bryan said he was the best wrestler among the rookies and his dream was to headline WrestleMania; included a backstage segment in which Bryan was tended to by a trainer until WWE Unified Tag Team Champion & WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin walked in and said Bryan would have to compete against Wade Barrett later in the show, despite Bryan’s injury; featured a WrestleMania 26 ad; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read hte previous week’s show was seen by more people than any program on The CW, TLC, A&E, Comedy Central, Discovery Channel, Spike TV, and TBS; featured Matt Striker conducting a backstage interview with David Otunga regarding his loss, during which R-Truth appeared, confronted Otunga, and the two had to be pulled apart by referees; included an Undertaker-Michaels WrestleMania commercial to the tune of Johnny Cash’s “Ain’t No Grave;” featured a backstage segment with Christian and Heath Slater, in the gym, in which Christian calmed Slater down from being overconfident following his debut win; included Striker conducting a backstage interview with Justin Gabriel and Matt Hardy regarding Gabriel’s in-ring debut later in the show; featured a WrestleMania 26 ad to Kevin Rudolf’s “I Made It;” included a closing backstage segment in which Carlito interrupted Striker, surrounded by the rookies, and spat an apple in Slater’s face before responding with “That’s cool”:
Darren Young (w/ CM Punk, Luke Gallows, & Sarina) pinned David Otunga (w/ R-Truth) at 9:43 with a modified uranage after Punk tripped Otunga from the floor as Truth and Gallows argued on the opposite side of the ring; prior to the bout, Matt Striker spoke backstage about the fact that the winner of NXT would have to win the votes from the eight WWE pros, but that no pro could vote for or against their own rookie; after the match, Punk and his entourage left ringside without Young; moments later, Otunga shoved Truth, frustrated over the loss
Wade Barrett (w/ World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho) pinned Daniel Bryan at 2:02 following a modified Samoan Drop; prior to the bout, Jericho introduced a video package on Barrett in which he spoke of his bare knuckle fighting history and goal of becoming the next WWE superstar, mixed with footage of him in action; during the match, WWE US Champion & WWE Unified Tag Team Champion Mike Mizanin and Carlito were shown watching on backstage; Bryan’s ribs were heavily taped for the match following his match with Jericho the previous week; after the contest, Jericho repeatedly kicked Bryan and locked him in the Walls of Jericho (Barrett’s in-ring debut)
Matt Hardy & Justin Gabriel defeated William Regal & Skip Sheffield at 11:13 when Gabriel pinned Regal with a 450 splash after Hardy dropped Regal with the Twist of Fate; prior to the bout, a vignette aired of Sheffield in which he spoke about being an entertainer, said he wanted to be a WWE superstar since the age of 12, and was living out his dream (Gabriel and Sheffield’s in-ring debuts) 3/9/10; Seattle, WA; Key Arena
3/9/10 – featured a backstage segment in which Matt Striker explained the premise of the show; included comments from Heath Slater regarding Carlito spitting an apple in his face the previous week; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read more people watched the previous week’s show than college basketball on ESPN and ESPN2; included Striker conducting a backstage interview with WWE US Champion & WWE Unified Tag Team Champion Mike Mizanin regarding his comments made to Daniel Bryan earlier in the show and the fact it was Miz, not Bryan, that lost the match; moments later, Bryan interrupted to say all of Miz’s tag team partners carried him and said if Miz was so talented then why was he the one who lost?; featured a vignette of Justin Gabriel in which he spoke about his style as clips of him in action were shown; included a backstage segment with Matt Hardy and Gabriel in which Hardy talked about Gabriel being in the main event for the second week in a row, this time against Wade Barrett; moments later, Barrett and World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho walked in, with Jericho and Barrett talking about how Barrett would have his way with Gabriel; Hardy then told Jericho that Gabriel would win, then used Jericho’s own line of “Do you understand what I am telling you right now?” against him; featured a vignette focusing on Darren Young regarding his persona, mixed with clips of him in action, during which he said his favorite stars growing up were Ricky Steamboat and Shawn Michaels; included a backstage segment with CM Punk, Luke Gallows, & Sarina in which Punk talked about the fact Young only won his match the previous week because of Punk’s interference; Young then walked in and questioned why he can’t be himself, with Punk saying Straight Edge was the only route to go to become a winner; featured an Undertaker-Michaels WrestleMania commercial to the tune of Johnny Cash’s “Ain’t No Grave;”:
R-Truth & David Otunga defeated WWE US Champion & WWE Unified Tag Team Champion Mike Mizanin & Daniel Bryan at 10:05 when Otunga pinned Miz with a spinebuster after Truth kicked Miz in the face behind the referee’s back; following the entrances, Miz took the mic, noted Bryan was 0-2 on NXT and that he hadn’t proved anything to the fans or the WWE pros; Miz then said he would make sure Bryan didn’t become a WWE superstar and would throw him off the show if he proved to be the weak link in the bout; during the final moments of the bout, Bryan had Otunga in a heel hook but Miz tagged himself into the match, with Miz and Bryan arguing leading up to the finish; after the contest, Miz yelled at Bryan on the floor and said he would have him off NXT; Bryan then pulled back as though he was going to punch Miz, with Miz flinching
Heath Slater (w/ Christian) pinned Carlito (w/ Michael Tarver) with a roll over at 8:45; during his entrance, Carlito cut a promo in which he said Slater should thank him for spitting in his face the previous week, considering how many top stars have had the same thing done to them
Justin Gabriel (w/ Matt Hardy) pinned Wade Barrett (w/ World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho) with the 450 splash at 3:51 after blocking a superplex and knocking Barrett off the top; prior to the bout, it was announced Jericho would host the Highlight Reel Friday on Smackdown! with Edge as his guest; during the match, Jericho stopped by the commentary table to brag about how well he’s taught Barrett; after the match, Jericho knocked Hardy to the floor and dropped Gabriel with the Code Breaker; moments later, Jericho locked Gabriel in the Walls of Jericho before raising Barrett’s arm in victory as the show went off the air 3/16/10; Los Angeles, CA; Staples Center
3/16/10 – featured a backstage segment in which Matt Striker said the first round of NXT voting would take place in 2 weeks, after which someone would be off the show; included an ad promoting “Shawn Michaels: My Journey;” featured a video package profiling David Otunga; included a backstage segment in which William Regal tried to speak with Skip Sheffield regarding Sheffield’s match later in the show; featured an Undertaker-Michaels WrestleMania commercial to the tune of Johnny Cash’s “Ain’t No Grave;” included an ad promoting the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame on USA:
CM Punk (w/ Luke Gallows & Sarina) & Darren Young defeated Matt Hardy & Justin Gabriel at 14:07 when Young pinned Hardy after Punk dropped Hardy with the Go To Sleep behind the referee’s back; after the match, Gallows laid out Gabriel, with Punk and Young celebrating until Gallows dropped Young with the 12th Step
The Great Khali (w/ Runjin Singh) pinned Daniel Bryan at 2:03 with the tree slam after hitting a chop to the head as Bryan came off the top; after the bout, WWE Unified Tag Team Champion the Big Show came out, dropped Bryan with the chokeslam, and immediately left the ring
Heath Slater pinned Michael Tarver at 2:50 with a roll up after Tarver missed a charge in the corner; during and after the bout, Christian and Carlito were shown watching on backstage; after the contest, Tarver attacked Slater and dropped him with a t-bone suplex
Wade Barrett (w/ World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho) pinned Skip Sheffield (w/ William Regal) at 3:50 with a fireman’s carry into a forward slam after pulling Sheffield off the top rope 3/22/10; San Jose, CA; HP Pavilion
3/23/10 – featured a backstage segment in which Matt Striker promoted the following week’s episode in which the WWE Pros would vote on the Rookies; included a vignette on Daniel Bryan regarding his experience, submission style, training under Shawn Michaels, and goal of main eventing WrestleMania; featured a WrestleMania 26 ad to the tune of Kevin Rudolf’s “I Made It;” included a video package hyping the Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels match at WrestleMania; featured an ad promoting Steve Austin’s “Damage” on DVD; included an ad promoting the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame airing on USA; featured a graphic promoting all the WrestleMania events from Wednesday through Sunday; included a video package recapping the Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon rivalry to the tune of “Human” by Civil Twilight; featured a vignette of Darren Young regarding his persona and growing up a fan of Michaels and Ricky Steamboat; included a WrestleMania Recall focusing on WrestleMania 21 and the debut of Money in the Bank; featured a video package hyping the John Cena vs. WWE World Champion Batista match at WrestleMania:
Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel defeated Skip Sheffield (w/ William Regal) & Wade Barrett at 5:31 when Slater pinned Sheffield after Barrett accidentally kicked his opponent in the face; Christian came ringside early in the match to be in the corner of Slater & Gabriel
David Otunga & Darren Young (w/ CM Punk, Luke Gallows, & Sarina) defeated Daniel Bryan & Michael Tarver (w/ Carlito) at 12:54 when Otunga pinned Bryan with a spinebuster after avoiding a dropkick from the middle turnbuckle; following Otunga & Young’s entrance, footage was shown from the previous week of Otunga and WWE US Champion & WWE Unified Tag Team Champion Mike Mizanin at a SyFy red carpet event in New York City, during which Miz said he and Otunga were on hand because they were stars and Bryan wasn’t a star 3/30/10; Las Vegas, NV; Thomas & Mack Center
3/30/10 – featured an opening in-ring segment with Matt Striker in which he introduced all the NXT rookies to the ring before showing the results from the WWE Pro poll – #8: Darren Young, #7: Michael Tarver, #6: Skip Sheffield, #5: David Otunga, #4: Heath Slater, #3: Justin Gabriel, #2: Wade Barrett, and #1: Daniel Bryan; Striker then conducted an interview with Young and Bryan regarding their respective rankings, with Otunga then taking exception to Bryan’s spot; moments later, Striker said the pros would vote again in six weeks, with the person coming in last would be eliminated; in the weeks that followed, all the men would be eliminated until it came down to the final four; Striker then said the NXT winner would challenge for any championship they wanted at a future pay-per-view and that all the rookies would compete in a battle royal later in the show, with the winner earning the chance to host Monday Night Raw the following week; included an ad promoting WrestleMania 27 coming to Atlanta April 3, 2011; featured a music video recapping Shawn Michaels’ farewell speech at Raw and highlights of his career to the tune of the Verve Pipe’s “Colorful;” included an ad promoting “Shawn Michaels: My Journey”:
CM Punk (w/ Luke Gallows & Serena), Wade Barrett (sub. for World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho), R-Truth, & Matt Hardy (w/ World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho) (Smackdown!) defeated Christian, WWE US Champion & WWE Unified Tag Team Champion Mike Mizanin, Carlito, & William Regal (Raw) at 15:15 when Barrett pinned Christian with the fireman’s carry into the forward slam after Jericho grabbed Christian’s leg from behind the referee’s back, distracting him from the floor; Jericho provided guest commentary for the match
David Otunga won a 8-man battle royal at 8:04 by last eliminating Justin Gabriel; other participants included Michael Tarver, Heath Slater, Skip Sheffield, Wade Barrett, Daniel Bryan, and Darren Young; order of elimination: Barrett by all the other men (0:09); Sheffield by Young & Gabriel (during commercial break); Young by Bryan following a jumping knee to the head (during commercial break); Tarver by Bryan following a body scissors over the top (5:28); Slater and Bryan following a crossbody by Slater (5:35); Gabriel by Otunga following an eye rake; stipulations stated the winner would host Raw the following week; after the bout, R-Truth came out to the ring to celebrate with Otunga; moments later, Matt Striker conducted an in-ring interview with Otunga regarding his hosting Raw the following week 4/6/10; Chicago, IL; AllState Arena
4/6/10 – featured an opening segment at the entrance stage with Matt Striker and the NXT rookies in which Striker spoke about the newly released pro poll rankings before speaking with #5 David Otunga about his actions the previous night on Raw, with Otunga saying he walked out on WWE World Champion John Cena because he didn’t want to share in the glory with someone else; Striker then questioned Daniel Bryan on whether he deserved to be ranked #1, with Bryan questioning whether Michael Cole deserved to replace Jim Ross, then admitted he didn’t deserve to be #1 but he would continue to work hard; Striker then asked #7 Michael Tarver about Bryan’s ranking, with Tarver saying he was done following the rules and he was the most dangerous man in NXT; Striker then said the rookies would have to carry a keg around ringside as their next competition; Slater eventually won with 12.0 seconds; after the competition, Striker announced that Slater’s victory was a main event spot for later in the show; Kane then appeared and confronted Slater regarding their match later in the show; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read that “WrestleMania” was the #1 searched word on Google on WrestleMania Sunday; featured Striker conducting a backstage interview with Skip Sheffield regarding the keg competition, during which Sheffield said he was done being a nice guy; included an ad promoting “Hart & Soul: The Hart Family Anthology”:
Darren Young pinned Daniel Bryan following a double leg takedown at 2:03
Justin Gabriel pinned Michael Tarver at 2:28 with a kick to the head from the apron followed by the 450 splash; prior to the bout, Gabriel cut an insert promo in which he spoke about his ranking and advice his late dad once told him; during his entrance, Tarver cut an insert promo in which he compared himself to a pitbull
Wade Barrett pinned David Otunga at 3:30 with the fireman’s carry into a forward slam; during his entrance, Otunga cut an insert promo in which he said the WWE pros were threatened by him, which is why he was ranked #5; prior to the match, Barrett cut his own insert promo saying he wasn’t pleased with his #2 ranking
Kane pinned Heath Slater with the chokeslam at 5:00 4/13/10; London, England; O2 Arena
4/13/10 – featured an opening in-ring segment with Matt Striker in which he introduced all the NXT rookies before interviewing Michael Tarver, David Otunga, and Justin Gabriel regarding their recent matches; during the segment, Tarver wore a “RUN NXT” shirt in the same style as “RUN DMC;” Striker then said whomever won the next challenge would get their own distinct entrance music; Striker then said each man would get 30 seconds to talk about whichever topic Striker chooses; Striker then gave the rookies such words as flowers, cereal, and toothpaste, with Wade Barrett and Skip Sheffield coming out the winners; Striker then had the two have a talk off, with Barrett winning; included a backstage segment with Darren Young, CM Punk, Luke Gallows, and Serena in which they discussed Young backing out of the Straight Edge Society the previous week on Smackdown, with Punk saying Young would face Gallows – if Young won, they would forget about what happened and, if Gallows won, Young would get his head shaved; featured an ad promoting the WWE Draft in 2 weeks; featured a look at Otunga’s recent feature on Access Hollywood; included a backstage segment with Daniel Bryan and WWE Unified Tag Team Champion & WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin in which Miz said Bryan was the Susan Boyle of the WWE and told him to be a star and win for once; featured a “Don’t try this at home” PSA:
Christian (w/ Heath Slater) pinned Wade Barrett (w/ Chris Jericho) with the Killswitch at 7:47 after Slater grabbed Barrett’s leg from behind the referee’s back; during the bout, Carlito & Michael Tarver were shown watching on backstage
William Regal (w/ Skip Sheffield) pinned Daniel Bryan (w/ WWE Unified Tag Team Champion & WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin) with the knee to the head at 1:24; after the bout, Miz knocked Regal to the floor and dropped Bryan with the Skull Crushing Finale
Darren Young pinned Luke Gallows (w/ CM Punk & Serena) at 2:03 with a reversal into a roll up; during the bout, Matt Hardy & Justin Gabriel were shown watching on backstage; stipulations stated Young would have his head shaved if he lost and that the previous week’s altercation between Young and the Straight Edge Society would be forgiven if he won; after the bout, Punk raised Young’s hand in victory 4/20/10; Uncasville, CT; Mohegan Sun Arena
4/20/10 – featured an opening segment in which Matt Striker introduced the NXT rookies already in the ring and said they would compete in a Rock’em Sock’em Rookies event in which they would try to knock each other off pedestals at the entrance stage, with the winner getting their own feature on WWE.com; in the opening round, Heath Slater defeated David Otunga, Skip Sheffield defeated Wade Barrett, Daniel Bryan defeated Michael Tarver when Tarver refused to participate, and Darren Young defeated Justin Gabriel; included an ad promoting the following week’s draft; featured a video package recapping the feud between WWE World Champion John Cena and Batista leading to their last man standing match at Extreme Rules; featured a video package on Barrett with comments from Matt Hardy, Chrisitian, William Regal, WWE US Champion & WWE Unified Tag Team Champion Mike Mizanin, Carlito, and Chris Jericho; included an ad promoting “Hart & Soul: The Hart Family Anthology;” in the semi-finals of the contest, Sheffield defeated Slater and Young defeated Bryan; featured a video package on Slater with comments from Christian, Hardy, Regal, Carlito, Miz, and Jericho; in the finals of the contest, Sheffield defeated Young when both men fell off the pedestals at about the same time; moments later, Striker said an immediate rematch would take place, with Sheffield then beating Young more convincingly:
Justin Gabriel (w/ Matt Hardy) pinned David Otunga (w/ R-Truth) with a sunset flip into the ring at 4:10 and Truth refusing to grab Otunga’s hand for leverage from the floor
Darren Young defeated Skip Sheffield and Michael Tarver (w/ Carlito) at 7:38 by pinning Tarver with a modified full nelson slam, despite Luke Gallows attacking Young late in the bout; prior to the bout, Tarver cut an in-ring promo in which he said he didn’t play by the rules and didn’t show up to dance like a monkey for the fans; moments later, Tarver issued an open challenge to any of the other rookies, with Sheffield then appearing and saying even though his pro William Regal was stuck in Europe, he aimed to make him proud by beating Tarver; as the two agreed to a match, CM Punk, Serena, Gallows, & Young appeared at the entrance stage with Punk mentioning Young’s win over Gallows the previous week and being in the finals “of the little stick fighting thing;” Punk then called for the match to be a triple threat
Heath Slater (w/ Christian) pinned Chris Jericho (w/ Wade Barrett) at 3:07 with a cradle as Jericho attempted the Walls of Jericho; after the bout, Jericho protested the call with the referee before throwing a fit at ringside 5/4/10; North Charleston, SC; Coliseum
5/4/10 – featured an opening ringside segment in which Matt Striker addressed the eight NXT rookies, noted the Pros poll would be revealed the following week, and one of the men would be eliminated; Striker then introduced the obstacle course challenge, with the winner winning immunity the next week; Daniel Bryan’s ribs were heavily taped after sustaining three sit-down powerbombs the previous night from Batista; after Bryan, who went first, completed the course at at 2:45.5, WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin appeared, insulted Bryan’s performance, and said his injury was not an excuse; Miz then said Bryan’s winless record would go up against Michael Tarver’s winless record, and that if he did not win then there was no way the other pros would advance him; Miz then said Bryan’s match was next; included an ad promoting WrestleMania 26 on DVD; featured a backstage segment in which CM Punk, alongside Luke Gallows & Serena, confronted Darren Young about his comments the previous week in which Young said he was tired of dealing with Punk; included Heath Slater finishing the course at 1:36.9 and Young at 2:07.8; following the commercial break, Justin Gabriel finished at 1:29.0 and David Otunga at 1:35.0; after Otunga finished, Striker said his match with R-Truth would take place immediately; featured Barrett walking out of the course after twice falling off the monkey bars; moments later, Sheffield finished at 1:31.2; included Tarver being stopped from his course after he failed to beat Gabriel’s time; moments later, Striker interviewed Gabriel about his immunity, Otunga about why he should not be eliminated, and Tarver about who should be eliminated – with Tarver saying himself to keep all the other rookies safe, citing his win over Bryan earlier in the show; moments later, Striker asked Sheffield about who should go home, with him saying Tarver and the two then arguing; Striker asked Slater, who said Tarver should be eliminated; Otunga then alluded to Gabriel being gay as the two had words; Barrett said Tarver should be eliminated, with Bryan saying he himself should be eliminated due to not winning a match; Striker then spoke to Young, who said he wanted it more than everyone else before then brawling with Barrett as the show ended:
Michael Tarver (w/ Carlito) pinned Daniel Bryan (w/ WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin) at 6:51 with the modified sidewalk slam; after the bout, Tarver pulled Bryan to his feet so Carlito could drop him with the Backstabber
R-Truth pinned David Otunga with the Lie Detector at 5:55 5/11/10; Buffalo, NY; HSBC Arena
5/11/10 – featured an opening segment in which Matt Striker, at ringside, introduced the NXT rookies to ringside before showing footage of the rookies’ win on Raw the night before; Striker then showed footage of Michael Tarver saying the previous week that he would eliminate himself, with Striker then announcing that Tarver had been eliminated; Tarver then began yelling at the fans, taking off his shirt in the process and claiming he had been held back; Striker then showed footage of Bryan saying he should be eliminated since he hadn’t won a match, with Striker then announcing Bryan too had been eliminated; Striker then said a third man would be eliminated later in the show following another pros poll; included a vignette promoting Buzz Aldrin hosting the following week’s Raw; featured Striker conducting a backstage interview with Tarver in which Tarver spoke about sleeping in a car and not knowing how he’s going to take care of his children, with Tarver saying the ruling was fair but the contest was not; Tarver then walked out after being asked what was next in his plans; included an ad promoting WWE Classics On Demand; featured an ad promoting WrestleMania 26 on DVD; included Striker conducting a backstage interview with Bryan in which he said he would find a way to make it despite his elimination; Bryan then noted his tenure in the independent scene, being a champion in Mexico and Europe and said you wouldn’t find any footage of him under the name “Daniel Bryan” and that he could take Batista to the limit but couldn’t beat a rookie; Bryan then said he wasn’t sure if “Daniel Bryan” had a future but “Bryan Danielson” might; Bryan tried to say his name earlier in the segment but Striker cut him off; the camera was shaky throughout the later part of the segment; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read NXT has been the #1 show on SyFy Tuesday since its premiere 11 weeks earlier; included a closing ringside segment in which Striker addressed the rookies, first asking them individually who they thought should be eliminated; all of them said David Otunga, with Otunga saying Heath Slater; the pros poll was then revealed with Wade Barrett #1, Otunga #2, Gabriel #3, Slater #4, and Young #5; Skip Sheffield was eliminated as a result, with Sheffield then saying he had been misguided and the fans never saw the real him but he would be back; Striker then said another rookie would be eliminated the following week:
Wade Barrett pinned Heath Slater at 4:14 with the fireman’s carry into a forward slam after catching Slater coming off the top
Skip Sheffield (w/ William Regal) pinned Darren Young at 3:07 with a modified jawbreaker
David Otunga pinned Justin Gabriel at 2:46 with a modified uranage 5/18/10; Ottawa, Ontario; Scotiabank Place
5/18/10 – featured an opening segment on the stage in which Matt Striker introduced Chris Jericho, Matt Hardy, Christian, CM Punk, William Regal, and Mike Mizanin as the WWE pros; Carlito and R-Truth did not appear; Striker then asked the pros individually what they were looking for in the next breakout star; the pros sat at the entrance stage for the duration of the show; included a vignette on David Otunga with comments from Truth, Jericho, Mizanin, Christian, Punk, Hardy, and Regal; featured Striker conducting an in-ring interview with Michael Tarver and Daniel Bryan regarding their controversial eliminations the previous week, with Tarver complaining that he was told eliminations would come from the pros and not unnamed management and that his refusal to participate in changes was a sign of that something different he would bring to WWE; Striker then spoke to Bryan who said he knew coming into WWE that the company likes big guys and the guys they’ve made themselves; Bryan then said he was a self-made man, the best man for the job, that the fans, Jericho, and Regal knew how good he was, and that Miz knew Bryan was better than him; Miz then spoke up, saying Bryan was nothing more than an indy star, with Bryan challenging him to come to the ring; Bryan then looked at Michael Cole on the floor, saying he was just a parrot for Vince McMahon, then confronted Cole on the floor, calling him a proor man’s replacement for Jim Ross; Bryan briefly assaulted Cole until he was pulled away by referees and Striker; included a backstage promo by Skip Sheffield in which he said he was voted off the show because the pros saw him as a threat; featured a vignette on Darren Young with comments from Punk, Jericho, Truth, and Miz; included an ad promoting WWE’s Best Pay-Per-View Matches 2009-2010; featured a closing segment in which Striker introduced the pros poll: Barrett #1, Otunga #2, Slater #3, Gabriel #4, and Young #5; Striker then gave Young the mic, with Young thanking the fans, and saying he had respect for all the WWE pros; the fans then chanted “Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye” before Young said it would not be the last time they would see him:
Wade Barrett (w/ Chris Jericho) pinned Darren Young at 3:14 with the fireman’s carry into a forward slam after crotching Young on the top rope; prior to the bout, CM Punk appeared to join Young at ringside but instead took his seat at the entrance stage
Justin Gabriel (w/ Matt Hardy) pinned Heath Slater (w/ Christian) with the 450 splash at 2:46; early in the bout, Michael Cole left ringside, leaving Josh Matthews to call the remainder of the match; after the bout, the four men shook hands; Cole later returned minutes later 5/25/10; Cleveland, OH; Quicken Loans Arena
5/25/10 – featured an opening in-ring segment in which Matt Striker introduced Chris Jericho, Mike Mizanin, Matt Hardy, William Regal, Christian, and WWE US Champion R-Truth who sat at the entrance stage for the show (CM Punk was introduced but Striker then said he would not appear due to the events of Over the Limit); Striker then brought out Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel, David Otunga, and Heath Slater and asked each rookie who they thought should be eliminated next, with Barrett picking Slater, Gabriel picking Otunga, Otunga picking Gabriel, and Slater picking Barrett; Striker then announced the rookies would team with their pros as part of the show; included an ad promoting WWE Classics On Demand; featured an in-ring segment in which Michael Cole, flanked by security, reviewed footage of the assault he sustained the previous week from Daniel Bryan; Cole then said his legal team told him he could sue Bryan for everything he’s worth but said he would take Bryan’s apology; Bryan then came out and apologized, noting he didn’t have a job, and admitted he stepped over the line; Cole asked the security to leave the ring but stay ringside, with Cole then extending his hand and Bryan shaking it; Bryan then said he was sorry Cole was the worst announcer in WWE history, then wouldn’t let Cole escape the handshake; Bryan then said WWE management had tried to hold him back by pairing him with the Miz and having Cole rip him on commentary; Cole then said he ripped Bryan because he didn’t deserve to be in the WWE and needed to stop making excuses and that he was a loser; Cole slapped Bryan in the face, with Bryan running around security on the floor to get at Cole; security eventually pulled Bryan away and up the aisle; moments later, Miz confronted Bryan at the entrance way until Bryan punched him in the face and security had to pull the two men apart; following the segment, Striker replaced Cole on commentary; American Bang, who perform the NXT theme song “Wild & Young,” were shown in attendance; included a closing in-ring segment with Striker and the NXT rookies in which Striker unveiled the pros poll: #1: Barrett, #2: Otunga, #3: Gabriel, and #4: Slater; as a result of the poll, Slater was eliminated; Striker then asked Christian why Slater was eliminated with Christian saying he saw good things in Slater’s future and he would be OK; Striker asked the same question to Miz, with Miz saying he never saw passion out of Slater; Striker asked Truth, with Truth saying it was survival of the fittist; Striker asked Jericho, with Jericho saying Barrett will win NXT and he was too good to be losing to the likes of Gabriel and Otunga; Slater then took the mic and spoke about his accomplishments and beating the likes of Jericho during his run on NXT before saying the WWE fans would see him again:
WWE US Champion R-Truth & David Otunga defeated Christian & Heath Slater at 5:26 when Otunga pinned Slater when the momentum of a crossbody off the top by Slater put Otunga on top for the win
Justin Gabriel (w/ Matt Hardy) pinned Wade Barrett (w/ Chris Jericho) with the 450 splash at 3:33 6/1/10; Dallas, TX; American Airlines Arena
6/1/10 – season 1 finale; included an opening video package recapping the highlights of season 1; included an opening in-ring segment in which Matt Striker pointed out the five eliminated rookies sitting in the front row – Daniel Bryan, Michael Tarver, Skip Sheffield, Heath Slater, & Darren Young – before introducing the pros Chris Jericho, Mike Mizanin, Matt Hardy, WWE US Champion R-Truth, William Regal, Christian, and CM Punk; Striker then brought out the finalists, Wade Barrett, David Otunga, and Justin Gabriel, said there would be two Pros Polls later in the show, and that the three would face off in a triple threat match later in the show; included a vignette introducing season 2 rookie Husky Harris, during which he spoke about being Blackjack Mulligan’s grandson and Mike Rotunda’s son; it was then noted Cody Rhodes would be his pro for season 2; featured an ad promoting the following week’s 3-hour Viewer’s Choice Raw; included a backstage promo by John Morrison regarding his season 2 rookie, then introducing a vignette of Eli Cottonwood; featured an ad promoting Steve Austin’s ‘The Stranger’ on DVD; included a backstage promo by MVP regarding his rookie before introducing a vignette on Percy Watson; featured a WWE Classics On Demand ‘This Week in History’ segment focusing on the career of the Junkyard Dog and noting his passing on this week in 1998; included a backstage promo by Zack Ryder regarding his season 2 rookie before introducing a vignette on Titus O’Neil; featured a segment in which Striker asked the eliminated rookies who they would pick to win NXT, with Tarver picking himself, Bryan picking Barrett, Sheffield saying he didn’t care, Young picking Barrett, and Slater picking Barrett; Striker then introduced the Pros Poll: Barrett #1, Otunga #2, and Gabriel #3; Gabriel then took the mic from Striker and said he would keep coming back until he made it in the WWE and that he would be a world champion; moments later, Gabriel and Hardy shook hands at the entrance stage, with Hardy then saying Gabriel was a lot like him in that he will not die; included a backstage promo by WWE Women’s Champions Michelle McCool & Layla in which they spoke about their season 2 rookie before introducing a vignette on Kaval; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read NXT has been the #1 show on SyFy for each of its 14 weeks; included a backstage promo by Mark Henry in which he spoke about his season 2 rookie before introducing a vignette on Lucky Cannon; featured an in-ring segment in which Striker gave Otunga and Barrett each 60 seconds to cut a promo on the other; included a backstage promo by WWE IC Champion Kofi Kingston in which he spoke about his season 2 rookie being the son of Mr. Perfect before introducing a vignette on Michael McGillicutty; featured an in-ring segment with Striker, Barrett, and Otunga in which Mizanin interrupted to announce he would return as a pro for season 2 before introducing a vignette on Alex Riley; moments later, as the Pros Poll was about to be revealed, Regal prematurely congratulated Jericho for his rookie winning; Truth took exception, with Regal and Punk saying the only reason Otunga was around was because of his wife; Regal continued to praise Barrett, with Christian and Truth speaking out against him; moments later, Regal and Truth faced off, with Christian saying Regal should sit down because he hasn’t won a fight in a year; Punk walked out as Jericho said Barrett made it this far because he was his pro and not because he was British; Regal responded by saying he always liked Jericho’s two moves, with Jericho telling him not to touch him; Regal said Barrett would have won regardless of his pro; the Pros Poll was then released with Barrett #1 and Otunga #2; Striker spoke with Otunga, with him saying even Stevie Wonder could see he was the next breakout star; Striker then spoke with Barrett regarding his win, with Barrett then cutting a promo as Jericho joined him in the ring; Barrett then said the winds of change were blowing and they would take him to the world title; included a closing video package recapping the highlights of the season:
Wade Barrett (w/ Chris Jericho) defeated Justin Gabriel (w/ Christian) and David Otunga (w/ WWE US Champion R-Truth) in an elimination match at 10:14; Barrett pinned Otunga at 3:24 when Barrett pulled Gabriel to the floor after Gabriel hit the 450 splash on Otunga; Barrett pinned Gabriel with a cradle after lifting his knees to block the 450 splash; during the bout, it was noted the fans and pros would share 50 percent of the vote for the season 2 rookies