Just minutes ago, last night's television ratings were released. Last night's episode of NXT was the first thing I looked for, and lo and behold, its ratings were way up. Last week, NXT came in around 0.8, while this week checked in at a stout 1.1 in comparison. Of course, the difference between the weeks was the appearance of Nexus, a phenomenon that is proving to be a ratings dynamo.
What's most interesting about this development is that just a couple of months ago, this very group were making fools of themselves just like the current crop of NXT rookies. A solid angle later, they are bona fide stars, drawing people to the show the way established pros like Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry, and the Miz have not. Perhaps it is due to the perpetuation of the major angle, but make no mistake about it, people tuned in to see what this group would do next.
Of course, Nexus did not fail to deliver, as their work on the show was superlative. As entrants in the featured battle royale, Nexus never once deviated from their plan to dominate as a group, and picked apart the competition like a hyena at a carcass. Some chose to simply avoid the torture and eliminate themselves, while others bravely entered the abyss, only to be devoured and removed from competition with ease. In the end, all 6 Nexus members were left standing, not one abandoned or taken victim by the rest of the lot.
About the only negative here is that the season 2 rookies got completely overshadowed on this episode. However, the improved ratings may have gotten additional people who don't usually watch NXT to see what they had to offer in at least small doses, and with the season 2 rookies prepared to attack MVP before the other pros intervened, one is left to wonder whether this set of young guns will also align themselves to find success. Perhaps they will take over Smackdown? Maybe they will try and take down the original Nexus? Maybe they won't band together at all? The point is, there is at least some intrigue as to where these talents might go, as opposed to just who will win. This can only be construed as a positive for NXT, as the ratings are proof that having an actual story interjected into the normalcy of rookie competition can old yield positive results.
(Editor's note: I was planning and am still planning on doing a spotlight on the eliminated contestant as the weekly column regarding NXT, but since no one was eliminated, this is what you got! Hopefully, it was just as informative and stimulating.)
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