NXT: The Comeback

[Mr. C]

I was thinking NXT could do a season similar to the one The Ultimate Fighter did where former WWE wrestlers would come back to compete for one last shot at glory, with the winner getting a title shot. Who would you like to see on the show? Which gimmicks should they use? Who would you like to see as the pros? Who should win?

I’d love to see Carlito, Gene Snitsky, Jamie Noble, Muhammad Hassan, Paul Burchill (as a pirate with William Regal as his pro), Shelton Benjamin, and The Hurricane. Maybe Matt Hardy could return.

[St. Jimmy]

They really need to stop with NXT. I hasn't been interesting or watchable since the first season.

[Rammsteinmad]

Yeah I haven't watched any of this latest season which has apparently gone on forever.

However, season 1 and 2 were alright since they were new and all, and season 3 was great for Punks/Coles/Strikers announcing, but otherwise I don't really care about this show anymore.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Yeah, but it's not really hurting anyone by being there since there's nothing they could replace it with. If it's helping new talent work with a live crowd, I'm all for it.

[GD]

The Redemption thing is going on forever.

[Juan]

They really need to stop with NXT. I hasn't been interesting or watchable since the first season.

Doesn't get it

Yeah, but it's not really hurting anyone by being there since there's nothing they could replace it with. If it's helping new talent work with a live crowd, I'm all for it.

Gets it

[GD]

NXT Season 01: 15 episodes
NXT Season 02: 13 episodes
NXT Season 03: 13 episodes
NXT Season 04: 13 episodes
NXT Redemption (Season 05): 28* episodes

[St. Jimmy]

They really need to stop with NXT. It hasn't been interesting or watchable since the first season.

[Juan]

So don't watch it...?

[St. Jimmy]

I mean it's going to end in it's current incarnation anyhow. Once it moves over to WWEnet it will probably be a Tough Enough hybrid show. Something more "reality" based. I wish they'd bring back something like Tuesday Night Titans instead. Something actually interesting to get over some talent. Then again SmackDown will probably go live anyhow to not have to compete with UFC so it won't matter.

They really need to bring back a jobbers show so their week looks like:

Monday: Raw
Tuesday: Smackdown
Wednesday: WWE Jobberz
Thursday: WWE Superstars
Saturday: WWE Saturday Nights Main Event (night before PPVs)

[Gass]

Thursday would just be a rerun of Wednesday's show, though.

[loopydate]

They have the talent in FCW to put on another season-one caliber roster. Seth Rollins, Xavier Woods, Arturo Cesaro, Dean Ambrose, Peter Orlov, and Richie Steamboat would make for great matches and could put together some compelling storylines, too.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>I can't see them using all of their former indy guys in one season, fun as it would be.</font>

[Lock Jaw]

NXT is glorious right now.

[Triple Naitch]

I'm interested in next season, but it's time for this season to end. I wanna see them use NXT vets as the pros next season to give them some more air time.

Kinda like this.

Antonio Cesaro - Kaitlyn
Dean Ambrose - Heath Slater
Leo Kruger - Justin Gabriel
Peter Orlov - Wade Barrett
Richie Steamboat - Johnny Curtis
Seth Rollins - David Otunga
Titus O'Neill - Daniel Bryan
Xavier Woods - Alex Riley

[XL]

There's a huge list of guys I feel deserve another shot.

Rob Conway
Renee Dupree
Sylvain Grenier
Mark Jindrak
Sean O'Haire
Chuck Palumbo
Mike Sanders
Shelton Benjamin
Charlie Haas
Nick Dinsmore
Paul Birchill

To name just a few.

[Next Big Thing]

I'd kind of rather just watch FCW over NXT to be honest. Hopefully the WWE network showcases it.

I do like the idea of an NXT: Comeback though.

[XL]

Forgot Kenny Dykstra.

[Vastardikai]

There's a huge list of guys I feel deserve another shot.

Rob Conway
Renee Dupree
Sylvain Grenier
Mark Jindrak
Sean O'Haire
Chuck Palumbo
Mike Sanders
Shelton Benjamin
Charlie Haas
Nick Dinsmore
Paul Birchill

To name just a few.

problem for me is, if they did bring back Dinsmore, it'd almost certainly be as Eugene. And the guy really doesn't deserve that.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I really like the idea of an eventual NXT: Comeback. If I were to pick a cast, I would go with something like the following:

1. A-Train
Hyped as having spent in Japan honing his skills, and ready to finally be the monster he can be. Give him a Pro like Tyson Kidd -- a smaller guy with skill, looking to bestow his in-ring knowledge to a 300+ pounder. Kidd's been fantastic on NXT, and should probably be featured on the show again.

2. Chris Masters
This guy is still super young, and was really hitting a stride before he got cut from the WWE. Masters returns to the WWE again, looking to win his first championship and prove that he can be a headliner in the WWE. It might be interesting to give him a Pro that is younger and has less experience than he does, to really get under Masters' skin. Someone like Cody Rhodes could work nicely.

3. Domino
He still has friends in the WWE, and is still quite young himself. Plus, he's a former champion, which could be used to promote some mild success in association with the guy. Stay away from the lame greaser stuff, and just have him be a guy with decent size and athletic ability really looking to step up. I'd give him a Pro like a Tyson Kidd, but I've got him paired with A-Train. To be honest, a Domino/Daniel Bryan pairing could be really cool.

4. Finlay
He got released for political reasons, but when that blows over, he could be welcomed back. Finlay is still good in the ring, and although I would not give him the competition, he could definitely help put some of the guys around him over. A pairing between him and Wade Barrett would be bizarrely entertaining, in my opinion. It'd be another case of a Pro having less experience than the "student."

5. Jimmy Yang
I can't believe this dude is only like 30. He's competed in all the top promotions, and can still work his ass off. I always suspected the guy could cut a decent promo when he needed to, as well. Get rid of all the lame gimmicks, and just have him fly around the ring and look for a chance to get back in the WWE. I'm trying to think of who his Pro could be, and I'm not really coming up with anyone. Maybe Jack Swagger? I've always wanted to see Swagger take his "coaching" abilities to NXT.

6. Johnny Jeter
What the fuck happened to this guy? Personally, I really liked him, and he reminded me so much of Chris Jericho. He was even part of a tag team in OVW called "The Thrillseekers" and used a Lionsault at one point. Jeter's still young. I'm not sure why he was let go, and it may have even been his own choice, but the dude's Wikipedia page doesn't have any updates on him since about 2008. Give him another chance with his old Spirit Squad buddy, Dolph Ziggler, as a Pro.

7. Rhyno
I always had a soft spot for Rhyno, and there were times I felt he could become a major star. The Man Beast is only 35, and his ROH appearances are proving that he still has gas in the tank. He could easily Gore his way through the competition. It'd be good to see him in a bit of a mini-feud with Ezekiel Jackson. Who really deserves to be called the last ECW Champion? You could even give him Jackson as a Pro. My heart really wants to see a Rhyno/Christian reunion of sorts, though.

8. Scott Taylor
Good ol' Scotty 2 Hotty was such a good and loyal worker for years with the company. I'd like to see him come back sans gimmick, without a smile, and wanting to prove that he was perhaps the most underrated competitor in WWE history (his words). If you don't give Domino a Pro like Daniel Bryan, give him to Taylor. Justin Gabriel would also be an interesting choice. Taylor could take offense, like many of the other "comebackers," to a younger guy trying to coach him on how to be a successful WWE Superstar.

[Mr. Nerfect]

As for this current season of NXT: I still make it a point to watch. I find the commentary entertaining, and I like to see the new guys work. This season has become a real mess, though. Titus O'Neil seems to be in a tag team with Percy Watson now -- but he's still competing for a shot on the next season of NXT? Derrick Bateman and Darren Young also seem to be competing without Pros. It's just...messy.

Personally, I'd love to see Triple H come out this week on NXT, address what a mess it's become, and start the eliminations rolling. If I had to go with a winner for this season, I'd choose Darren Young. The guy is a decent worker, decent on the mic and could do really good work on another season of NXT. Let this "Showtime" team of O'Neil & Watson do their thing on RAW, and have Derrick Bateman worm his way into a SmackDown! contract. Personally, I don't think it would be a mistake to revive the Bateman/Johnny Curtis tag team pairing from FCW. They could be reminiscent of MNM.

It'd make perfect sense for Darren Young to choose either John Cena or CM Punk as his Pro for the new season of NXT (he has pivotal history with both), but they probably don't want big stars on the show (which is why I think it got bumped from television). If that's the case, I'd have him choose Tyson Kidd as a Pro, since Kidd has been tearing it up, and I'd like to see him back for a new season.

Also, I'm really looking forward to next season. I've got a good feeling that Richie Steamboat and Seth Rollins will be a part of it. I'd bring up Tito Colon under his "Epico" persona, and bill him as the first masked rookie in NXT history. It'd be amazing if they gave him Rey Mysterio as a Pro, but again, I don't think they'd do that. Dean Ambrose has been treated like the star he could be in FCW, but I don't think they'll blow a load with him yet. Abraham Washington has a past with the WWE, so I could see him in it, trying to break-in as a singles competitor. Give him Booker T as a Pro, and refer to them as "Booker T-Washington." :shifty:

Jack Swagger should absolutely be a Pro on the next season of NXT. Have him take his coaching there. Wes Brisco would have been great, but he's still injured, I believe. Swagger is a big enough star to add credibility to who he works with -- but not a big enough star that it's unlikely they'd use him in that capacity. Maybe have Xavier Woods paired with Swagger, using his Apollo Creed inspired look? Woods could get heaps over by turning on Swagger (and probably Vickie Guerrero). There's still two slots remaining. The FCW Champion usually gets called up, so Leo Kruger seems like a safe bet. Maybe have Wade Barrett mentor him? The NXT Season 1 Winner returning as a Pro would be a good angle for the show. The last rookie would probably be Peter Orlov. The WWE seems to have enough belief in him to have him work with Sin Cara prior to Cara's call-up (although that might have received mixed reviews). Put him with another wrestling machine. Daniel Bryan returning to NXT?

So you just need Pros for Richie Steamboat and Seth Rollins. Zack Ryder seems like a good choice as a Pro, given that he's the "Internet Champion" and all that. Could get a rookie over pretty fast, and gives Ryder more exposure. I really want to see The Miz back on NXT, too, and he'd make a great Pro for Steamboat, but I doubt they'll go that route. Maybe Ted DiBiase for Steamboat? Now that DiBiase is a face, he and Steamboat could make an interesting third/second generation face pairing.

Now, bear with me here: The WWE likes to make things a bit random of NXT. Maybe it's planned to do some switching and to spread chemistry around. I always thought that Regal and Barrett would have been an obvious choice on NXT Season 1, for example, but they had Regal with Sheffield. So with that, I'm going to put The All-American American with Orlov, have Ryder partnered with Woods, and Bryan and Rollins form an internet dream team.

So you'd have:

* Darren Young with Tyson Kidd
* Abraham Washington with Booker T
* Epico with Rey Mysterio
* Leo Kruger with Wade Barrett
* Peter Orlov with Jack Swagger
* Richie Steamboat with Ted DiBiase
* Seth Rollins with Daniel Bryan
* Xavier Woods with Zack Ryder

I'd get pretty excited for that season of NXT, to be honest. I think it's fairly realistic, too. Damien Sandow or Donny Marlow could easily find themselves in place of Orlov, though.