The seventh edition of WWE NXT came to you from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, IL. One week after learning of their standings in the first WWE Pros Poll, the eight NXT Rookies would be looking to step up their game for the second round of Pros Poll voting in five weeks where the least popular NXT Rookie will be eliminated from the competition!
Match Results
- NXT Rookie Keg Challenge: Heath Slater def. Daniel Bryan, David Otunga, Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel, Darren Young, Michael Tarver, & Skip Sheffield with a time of 12.0 seconds.
The rules of the Keg Challenge were that the eight NXT Rookies would take turns (in order of their Pros’ Poll rank from number one to number eight) carrying a full keg around the ring and over the finish line. Whoever crossed the finish line in the least amount of time would win the competition. If a Rookie dropped the keg during the race, they would be disqualified. Heath Slater won the contest and, after his win, it was announced that his "prize" would be a main event match on NXT against Kane!
- Darren Young def. Daniel Bryan by roll-up.
- Justin Gabriel def. Michael Tarver by pin with the 450 Splash.
- Wade Barrett def. David Otunga by pin following the Barrett Wasteland.
- Kane def. Heath Slater by pin following the Big Red Chokeslam.
Detailed Results
The show kicks off with the Host of WWE NXT, Matt Striker, who brings out the eight NXT Rookies in order of their rank from number eight to number one; Darren Young, Michael Tarver, Skip Sheffield, David Otunga, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Wade Barrett, and the number one Rookie, Daniel Bryan! The NXT Host asks “A-List” David Otunga to explain his actions on the previous night’s RAW and Otunga responds by saying that he could have won the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles with WWE Champion John Cena, but cites that he “does not share the spotlight with anyone” and states that he did it to curry favor with WWE Pro The Miz since Miz can help him win NXT and led to him getting his own title shot! Matt Striker then turns his attention to the number one Rookie, Daniel Bryan, as he asks Bryan if he “deserves” to be the number one Rookie! Bryan responds by pondering if The Miz “deserves” to be a WWE Pro, if David Otunga “deserves” to be the Guest Host of RAW, and if his worst critic, commentator Michael Cole, “deserves” to replace Hall of Famer Jim Ross! Bryan then states that, no, he does not “deserve” to be named number one! Striker then questions the number seven Rookie, Michael Tarver, about Bryan’s status. Tarver says that, like all of the Rookies, Bryan is a “target” and proclaims that he is “the most dangerous man in NXT, period”! NXT Host Matt Striker then reveals that, every week, the Rookies will undergo mental and physical challenges before introducing a competition where the eight Rookies must carry a full keg around the ring and over the finish line! The first Rookie to step up to the challenge was the number one Rookie, Daniel Bryan, who establishes a time of 24.9 seconds in the keg challenge! Continuing with the order of rank, Wade Barrett was up next and shattered Bryan’s time by registering a time of 14.7 seconds! Next up was Justin Gabriel, who finished with a time of 13.6 seconds! Up fourth was Heath Slater, who got a time of 12.0 seconds! Then it was time for the confident “A-List” David Otunga to step up to the challenge and he registered a time of 14.1 seconds! With a time of 12.0 seconds to beat, it was Skip Sheffield’s turn and Sheffield came close with a time of 12.4 seconds! Then it was Michael Tarver’s turn in the keg challenge. However, Tarver was unable to register a time as he was disqualified for dropping the keg! Looking to raise his status with the WWE Pros, it was time for Darren Young to take the challenge, but Young was unable to beat the time as he scored a time of 13.6 seconds! With his time unmatched at 12.0 seconds, Heath Slater was the winner and the keg challenge winner stated that he is going to “blow the minds” of the WWE fans! NXT Host Matt Striker then revealed the “prize” for the winner of the keg challenge as he will main event NXT against “The Big Red Machine” Kane! Heath Slater won the keg challenge, but can the Rookie win his main event match against Kane?
The Rookies were also in in-ring action as the number one Rookie would face the number eight Rookie as Daniel Bryan would go one-on-one with Darren Young! Young was able to catch Bryan with a roll-up to pick up the essential win and put Daniel Bryan further in his losing streak with a 0-7 record! Being the least popular NXT Rookie in the Pros’ Poll has seemingly lit a fire under Darren Young, but will it keep Young away from elimination in just five weeks’ time?
“The South African Aviator” Justin Gabriel, was also in action on NXT as he went one-on-one with the NXT Rookie of Carlito, “The Akron Assailant” Michael Tarver! In the end, it was Justin Gabriel who proved why he is number three in the Pros’ Poll as he hits the 450 splash en route to picking up the win over Michael Tarver! As Justin Gabriel continues to impress, will Gabriel ascend to the top of the list over the last five weeks?
Fresh off of his impactful night as Guest Host of RAW the previous night, number five in the Pros’ Poll, David “A-List” Otunga, was in action on NXT as he went one-on-one with the number two NXT Rookie, Wade Barrett! After hitting the Barrett Wasteland, Wade Barrett was able to pick up a dominant win over David Otunga! Could this impressive win lead to Wade Barrett unseating Daniel Bryan as the top NXT Rookie?
Then it was time for the main event as the winner of the earlier keg challenge, NXT Rookie Heath Slater, would earn his “prize” as he would face “The Big Red Machine” Kane! The number three Rookie, Heath Slater, had a valiant effort against Kane, but Slater was no match for the thunderous chokeslam of “The Big Red Machine”, which led to Kane picking up the win! As the first elimination in the NXT competition draws closer, who will find themselves on the outside looking in as an eliminated Rookie in five weeks’ time?