IWE NXT
From Iwe
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| - | |style="text-align:left;"|[[ | + | |style="text-align:left;"|[[Jamie James]] |
|style="text-align:left;"|[[The Gozelanski Twins]]<br><small>(Crystal and Tierney Gozelanski)</small> | |style="text-align:left;"|[[The Gozelanski Twins]]<br><small>(Crystal and Tierney Gozelanski)</small> | ||
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Revision as of 00:20, 23 December 2011
| IWE NXT | ||
| ||
| Format | Wrestling | |
| Created by | Grant Mayer | |
| Opening theme | "Wild and Young" by American Bang | |
| Country of origin | United States | |
| No. of seasons | 5 | |
| No. of episodes | 78 (as of August 16, 2011) | |
| Production | ||
| Running time | 60 minutes | |
| Broadcast | ||
| Original channel | Syfy (February 23, 2010 – September 28, 2010) Webcast (October 5, 2010 – Present) | |
| Original run | February 23, 2010 – Present | |
| Chronology | ||
| Related shows | IWE Raw IWE SmackDown IWE Superstars IWE Tough Enough | |
| Website | ||
| IWE.com | ||
IWE NXT is a program produced by IWE that debuted on February 23, 2010. Described as a hybrid between reality television and IWE's scripted live event shows, the premise of the show follows select talent contracted to IWE's developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) in a competition to become IWE's next breakout star with the help of mentors from IWE's Raw and SmackDown brands.
The show originally made its debut on Syfy in February 2010, replacing XCW, which concluded the previous week. Less than a month after its premiere, it was announced that IWE SmackDown would move from MyNetworkTV to Syfy in October. NXT aired its final episode on Syfy on September 28 to make way for SmackDown, and began airing as a webcast at IWE.com for visitors from the United States on October 5. Outside of the United States, the show is still televised.
Although this show has a similar premise to IWE Tough Enough, and debuted after Tough Enough was canceled the first time, NXT ran concurrently with the new Tough Enough series that debuted in April 2011.
Contents |
Format
IWE NXT pairs up wrestlers from IWE's developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (dubbed "Rookies") with wrestlers from IWE's existing Raw and SmackDown brands (dubbed "Pros"). Each episode features the Rookies being mentored by the Pros as they develop their characters and performance skills in front of a live audience. The pairings also enable the show to crossover into IWE's Raw and SmackDown programs. As the length of each season differs, features of the competition occur at different times accordingly.
Weekly challenges
In addition to matches, weekly challenges are held during the competition to further test the Rookies' physical and mental skills. Past physical challenges include a keg carrying contest, an assault course contest and a "Rock 'Em Sock 'Em" tournament. Past non-physical challenges include making 30-second promos on a given topic and selling programs within a time limit.
During seasons 1 and 2, the winner of the weekly challenge receives a special prize such as a main event match, a talk show segment or a feature on IWE's official website. One of the more frequent prizes given out to the winner is an "Immunity Pass", which gives the holder immunity from elimination in the next round of polls.
From season 3 onwards, a greater emphasis on challenges was placed on the show. Instead of awarding prizes to the winner of the challenges, points are instead awarded to the winner with a cumulative tally of points recorded before each of the first three polls. The Rookie with the most points before the next upcoming poll is awarded immunity. In season 3, one point is awarded for winning the challenge. In season 4, the number of points vary on the difficulty of the challenge. In the result of a tie-break, the audience is then asked to vote for the Rookie they want to get immunity.
Season 4 also saw the introduction of challenge matches involving the entire roster of Pros or Rookies where the winner would be given the chance to swap their respective Rookie or Pro for another.
Polls and elimiantions
In various weeks, polls are held and evaluate the success of each Rookie and determine the winner of the competition. The poll rankings are entirely determined by votes from the Pros and starting from season 2, votes from fans via IWE's official website. Their votes are based on the following four criteria:
- Win-loss record within the show
- Strength of opponents
- Work ethic
- "It" factor
Initially in seasons 1 and 2, the full results and rankings from the poll were revealed. However since Week 11 in season 2, only the elimination is revealed. The first poll, usually held a third of the way through the competition, determines the Rookies' rankings. Subsequent polls are held several weeks later near the end of the season, where the lowest ranked Rookie without immunity is eliminated. Season 2 was set to use this format, but was changed to have the first poll an elimination poll.
The show continues until the season finale, where final two or three Rookies appear. One or two final polls are then held to determine the winner of the competition. The prize for the winner is a (kayfabe) IWE contract as well as a championship match at any pay-per-view.
Outside of the polls, Rookies can still be eliminated via an executive decision from IWE management. Season 1 saw Kevin Elbert and Kody Brown eliminated by management for a lack of self-confidence.
Seasons
Season 1
| IWE NXT | ||
| Season 1 | ||
| Broadcast from | February 23, 2010 – June 1, 2010 | |
| Host(s) | February 23, 2010 – June 1, 2010 | |
| Broadcaster | February 23, 2010 – June 1, 2010 | |
| No. of episodes | 15 | |
| Winner | ||
 Daniel Gonzalez, winner of season 1 | ||
| Name | Daniel Gonzalez | |
| Hometown | Manchester, England | |
| Pro(s) | Kris McGowan | |
| Runner-up | ||
| David Mahrt | ||
The first season of NXT began airing on Syfy on February 23, 2010 and ended on June 1, 2010. The majority of the season 1 cast was revealed a week before the premiere on the series finale of XCW. However, before the season's premiere aired, Rob Truax's Pro was changed with William Kapphan replacing the announced Mikhail Schmalzried (MVP).
Near the end of the season, several changes were made to the original plan of the format. The season was shortened from the planned 17 episodes to 15 episodes. In the first elimination episode on May 11, both Kevin Ebert and Kody Brown were eliminated by IWE Management and removed from that night's Pros' Poll after both made comments about wanting to be voted off. The show ended with three eliminations, with Truax ranked last in the Poll. Michael was released on May 21 for refusing rehab after violating IWE's Wellness Program. Subsequent Pros' Polls were held without him for the rest of the season.
The winner of season 1 was Wade Barrett, who began performing on the Raw brand. Immediately after the conclusion of season 1, the Rookies were used in a storyline that had them forming an alliance called The Nexus. Led by Gonzalez, the group invaded the Raw show in an attempt to gain IWE contracts for the losers of NXT season 1. The invasion consisted of the group attacking Dustin Simpson as well as other wrestlers and IWE personnel. Kody Brown was (legitimately) released from his contract when he strangled ring announcer Justin Roberts with Roberts' tie during the first ambush, which IWE reportedly felt was too violent for their TV-PG programming. The group were eventually all signed to Raw, but continued their disruption of the show, including an attack on IWE Chairman Grant Mayer. Brown eventually returned to IWE two months later at SummerSlam, when he became the surprise seventh member of Team IWE in a seven-on-seven elimination tag team match against The Nexus. After their initial attacks, Gonzalez along with the other Nexus members were barred from competing for a IWE championship. However, more than a month later, the ban was lifted and Gonzalez announced that he would invoke his title shot at Night of Champions for the IWE Championship in a Six-Pack Challenge. At the event, Gonzalez lost in his title match to Kevin McAlmond. Meanwhile at the same event, Brown became the first Rookie to win a IWE championship when he defeated his former pro, Joe Smith, for the IWE United States Championship.
Gonzalez later got a fair singles match against Kevin McAlmond once more, which he also lost, in spite of having Nexus weakening Kevin McAlmond before. This set up Kevin McAlmond to be defeated by Jose Smith who cashed in his Money in the Bank, which he had held in spite of losing his US title. Gonzalez would later win the Intercontinental title on Smackdown from Jose Serrano.
Contestants
| Rookie | Pro | Wins | Losses | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Gonzalez | Kris McGowan | 8 | 5 | Winner |
| David Mahrt | B-Truth | 6 | 5 | Eliminated (Week 15) |
| Jeremiah Garcia | Matt Hooper | 7 | 4 | Eliminated (Week 15) |
| Devin Keller | Khristian | 5 | 6 | Eliminated (Week 14) |
| Eli Eason | Justin Eldridge | 7 | 4 | Eliminated (Week 13) |
| Rob Truax | William Kapphan | 2 | 5 | Eliminated (Week 12) |
| Kody Brown | Joe Smith | 0 | 10 | Eliminated (Week 12) |
| Kevin Ebert | Michael | 1 | 7 | Eliminated (Week 12) |
Poll results
| Winner of competition | Safe in competition | Eliminated from competition by Pros' Poll | Eliminated from competition by IWE management | Won immunity prior to that particular poll and is ineligible to be eliminated | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rookie | Week 6 (March 30) | Week 12 (May 11) | Week 13 (May 18) | Week 14 (May 25) | Week 15 (June 1) Round 1 | Week 15 (June 1) Round 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Gonzalez | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st |
| David Mahrt | 5th | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd |
| Jeremiah Garcia | 3rd | 3rd | 4th | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd |
| Devin Keller | 4th | 4th | 3rd | 4th | ||
| Eli Eason | 8th | 5th | 5th | |||
| Rob Truax | 6th | 6th | ||||
| Kody Brown | 1st | Eliminated by management | ||||
| Kevin Ebert | 7th | Eliminated by management | ||||
| Eliminated | N/A | Ebert, Brown & Truax | Eason | Keller | Garcia | Mahrt |
Career Highlights
- World Heavyweight Championship (1 time, current) - Kody Brown
- United States Championship (1 time) - Kody Brown
- IWE Intercontinental Championship (1 time) - Daniel Gonzalez
- IWE Tag Team Championship (5 times) – David Mahrt (2), Devin Keller and Jeremiah Garca (3)
- Money in the Bank (SmackDown 2011) - Kody Brown
- Slammy Award for the Shocker of the Year (2010) The debut of The Nexus
- Slammy Award for Cole in Your Stocking (2010) – attacking Michael Cole on NXT - Kody Brown
Season 2
| IWE NXT | ||
| Season 2 | ||
| Broadcast from | June 8, 2010 – August 31, 2010 | |
| Host(s) | Matt Striker Ashley Valence | |
| Broadcaster | SyFy | |
| No. of episodes | 13 | |
| Winner | ||
 Kaval, winner of season 2 | ||
| Name | Kaval | |
| Hometown | Brooklyn, New York | |
| Pro(s) | LehrSon (Victoria Lehr and Amanda Johnson) | |
| Runner-up | ||
| Kooper McAlmond | ||
The second season of NXT started on June 8, 2010 and ended on August 31, 2010. The season 2 cast was revealed on the first season finale on June 1, 2010. The season was originally planned to last twelve weeks. However, it was later extended to thirteen weeks. In this season, the polls were different as rankings were based half on Pro votes and half on votes from fans via IWE's official website.
The first poll was shown in Week 4. Originally, the polls format was set to match season 1, with a non-elimination poll followed by weekly elimination polls three weeks later. However, the first poll was made a surprise elimination round on the night with a second elimination poll held four weeks later instead. In addition, a double elimination stipulation was added to the fourth NXT poll in Week 11.
The winner of the season was Kaval, who began performing on the SmackDown brand Along with Kaval, Brian Hosmer was immediately promoted to a IWE brand, aiding his Pro, Joe Smith, on Raw. Over a month later at Hell in a Cell, both Kooper McAlmond and Wes Helbusch made their first appearance since the second season by helping Daniel Gonzalez win his match against Dustin while disguised as fans. Kaval invoked his title shot at Survivor Series for the IWE Intercontinental Championship against the reigning champion Nick Kessler where he was defeated. Kaval was released from his contract in December 2010.
Contestants
| Rookie | Pro(s) | Wins | Losses | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaval | LehrSon (Victoria & Amanda Johnson) | 3 | 6 | Winner |
| Jose Serrano | Kooper McAlmond | 6 | 4 | Eliminated (Week 13) |
| Brian Hosmer | Joe Smith | 5 | 4 | Eliminated (Week 13) |
| Wes Hellbusch | Mark Semmler | 4 | 4 | Eliminated (Week 11) |
| Percy Wilson | Mikhail Schmalzried (The M.V.P.) | 3 | 4 | Eliminated (Week 11) |
| Lucky Kannon | Steven Larson | 3 | 5 | Eliminated (Week 10) |
| Kip Cottonwood | Joe Linderman | 2 | 2 | Eliminated (Week 8) |
| Titus O'Neil | Zack Nuss | 0 | 3 | Eliminated (Week 4) |
Poll results
| Winner of competition | Safe in competition | Eliminated from competition by Pros' Poll | Eliminated from competition by IWE management | Won immunity prior to that particular poll and is ineligible to be eliminated | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rookie | Week 4 (June 29) | Week 8 (July 27) | Week 10 (August 10) | Week 11 (August 17) | Week 13 (August 31) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaval | 1st | 2nd | 1st | Safe | 1st |
| Kooper McAlmond | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | Safe | 2nd |
| Brian Hosmer | 4th | 3rd | 5th | Safe | 3rd |
| Weston Hellbusch | 7th | 6th | 4th | 4th | |
| Percy Wilson | 2nd | 4th | 3rd | 5th | |
| Lucky Kannon | 5th | 5th | 6th | ||
| Kip Cottonwood | 6th | 7th | |||
| Titus O'Neil | 8th | ||||
| Eliminated | O'Neil | Cottonwood | Cannon | Wilson & Hellbusch | Hosmer and McAlmond |
Career Highlights
- IWE Tag Team Championship (1 times) – Kooper McAlmond (1)
Season 3
| IWE NXT | ||
| Season 3 | ||
| Broadcast from | September 7, 2010 – November 30, 2010 | |
| Host(s) | Matt Striker | |
| Broadcaster | Syfy (September 7–28, 2010) Webcast (October 5 – November 30, 2010) | |
| No. of episodes | 13 | |
| Winner | ||
 Brittany Mayer, winner of season 3 | ||
| Name | Kaitlyn Juvik | |
| Hometown | Houston, Texas | |
| Pro(s) | Lynn Lehr | |
| Runner-up | ||
| Faith Grover | ||
The third season of NXT started on September 7, 2010 and ended on November 30, 2010. The season is Diva-exclusive and is the second different contest produced by IWE to find a new Diva, the first being the IWE Diva Searches held between 2003 and 2007. The first four episodes of season three were aired on Syfy. Due to the debut of SmackDown on Syfy in October 2010, NXT left the channel and became a webcast at IWE.com for visitors from the United States from the fifth episode onwards. A new interactive website for NXT was also launched at the beginning of the season to accommodate the move.< The reward to the victor was changed in contrast to the previous seasons. Unlike the first two male victors, the female victor of season 3 would not get a shot at a title of her choice (the only title being the IWE Divas Championship) but rather, a IWE contract. Other changes in the third season include a greater emphasis on challenges for the first three polls where the winner of the most challenges before the next upcoming poll would be awarded immunity. The first elimination poll took place five weeks into the competition.
The majority of the season three cast was revealed on the second season finale on August 31, 2010. However, before the season's premiere aired, prospective rookie diva Aloisia was dropped from the show. On screen, Aloisia's exit stemmed from an argument between Aloisia and her pro, Lynn Lehr, forcing Lehr to fire her. In real life, it was reported that Aloisia was allegedly dropped from the show after Amazon fetish photos of her were leaked onto the Internet. However in an interview, Aloisia herself is unsure whether this was the reason for her exit or not. Lynn later revealed her new rookie in the season three premiere to be Kaitlyn Juvik, who would ultimately win the season and started performing on the SmackDown brand. None of the losing divas stayed on with the shows, in spite of Lyndsie having briefly appeared on Raw to steal the Million Dollar Championship from her storyline husband Goldust, however Vanessa Cults would later join the SmackDown brand in May of 2011. Lyndsie also returned to programming in August of the same year, debuting with a new look to seduce Smackdown general manager, Teddy Long and Ciarra White returned to NXT Season 5 to attack VC (Vanessa Cults).
Contestants
| Rookie Diva | Pro(s) | Wins | Losses | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaitlyn Juvik | Lynn Lehr | 3 | 4 | Winner |
| Faith Grover | Katie Katie | 5 | 4 | Eliminated (Week 13) |
| V.C. | David | 6 | 2 | Eliminated (Week 12) |
| Lyndsie | Goldust | 2 | 5 | Eliminated (Week 11) |
| Ciarra White | Kassi Austin | 1 | 4 | Eliminated (Week 9) |
| Jamie James | The Gozelanski Twins (Crystal and Tierney Gozelanski) | 2 | 0 | Eliminated (Week 5) |
Poll results
| Winner of competition | Safe in competition | Eliminated from competition by Pros' Poll | Eliminated from competition by IWE management | Won immunity prior to that particular poll and is ineligible to be eliminated | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rookie Diva | Week 5 (October 5) | Week 9 (November 2) | Week 11 (November 16) | Week 12 (November 23) | Week 13 (November 30) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaitlyn Juvik | Immune (3 challenge wins)1 | Safe (2 challenge wins) | Safe (1 challenge win) | Safe | Winner |
| Faith Grover | Safe (2 challenge wins) | Immune (3 challenge wins) | Safe (1 challenge win) | Safe | Eliminated |
| V.C. | Safe (3 challenge wins) | Safe (2 challenge wins) | Immune (2 challenge wins) | Eliminated | |
| Lyndsie | Safe (1 challenge win) | Safe (0 challenge wins) | Eliminated (0 challenge wins) | ||
| Ciarra White | Safe (0 challenge wins) | Eliminated (1 challenge win) | |||
| Jamie James | Eliminated (1 challenge win) |
1 As the result of a tie break between V.C. and Kaitlyn before the poll, Kaitlyn won immunity through a crowd reaction vote.
Season 4
| IWE NXT | ||
| Season 4 | ||
| Broadcast from | December 7, 2010 – March 1, 2011 | |
| Host(s) | Matt Striker | |
| Broadcaster | Webcast | |
| No. of episodes | 13 | |
| Winner | ||
 Bradlee Woehl, winner of season 4. | ||
| Name | Bradlee Woehl | |
| Hometown | Westbrook, Maine | |
| Pro(s) | B-Truth | |
| Runner-up | ||
| Aaron Jewels | ||
The fourth season of NXT started on December 7, 2010 and ended on March 1, 2011. Returning to the male-orientated format of the first two seasons, the season 4 cast was revealed on the third season finale on November 30, 2010. In a change from the third season, "immunity points" are now rewarded to the winner of each challenge, which vary depending on the challenge's difficulty. The person with the most points before the next upcoming poll is then awarded immunity from that poll.
During Week 5, it was announced the winner would earn a IWE Tag Team Championship match with their respective Pro as their partner. In the same show, Nick Kessler won a battle royal consisting of each of the Pros, and as a result of the win, Kessler was able to trade off his Rookie Chris Monteith for Fred Collins, who was originally mentored by James Masters. Similarly during Week 8, a Fatal Four-Way elimination match was held between the remaining four Rookies. Aaron Jewels won and as a result, was able to trade off his Pros The Million Dollar Couple (Kyle Johnson and Riley) for Alberto Del Rio, who was originally mentoring Jarrett Graber before O'Brian's elimination on Week 7.
The winner of the season was Bradlee Woehl, earning himself and his pro B-Truth a shot at the IWE Tag Team titles. As of April 18, when B Truth turned heel by attacking Joe Linderman, Truth and his rookie Woehl still have not had that shot at the titles. Bradlee would eventually debut on SmackDown in June when he stated that he won't be challenging for the Tag Team titles with B-Truth.
Contestants
| Rookie | Final Pro(s) | Initial Pro(s) | Wins | Losses | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradlee Woehl | 3 | 7 | Winner | ||
| Aaron Jewels | Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez | The Million Dollar Couple (Kyle Johnson and Riley) | 7 | 3 | Eliminated (Week 13) |
| Derrick Reich | 3 | 6 | Eliminated (Week 12) | ||
| Fred Collins | Nick Kessler and Lynn Lehr | James Masters | 3 | 6 | Eliminated (Week 10) |
| Jarrett Graber | 3 | 1 | Eliminated (Week 7) | ||
| Chris Monteith | James Masters | Nick Kessler and Lynn Lehr | 1 | 2 | Eliminated (Week 5) |
Poll results
| Winner of competition | Safe in competition | Eliminated from competition by Pros' Poll | Eliminated from competition by IWE management | Won immunity prior to that particular poll and is ineligible to be eliminated |
|---|
| Rookie | Week 5 (January 4) | Week 7 (January 18) | Week 10 (February 8) | Week 12 (February 22) | Week 13 (March 1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradlee Woehl | Immune (5 immunity points) | Safe (0 immunity points) | Immune (3 immunity points)1 | Safe (3 immunity points) | Winner |
| Aaron Jewels | Safe (0 immunity points) | Safe (0 immunity points) | Safe (3 immunity points) | Immune (8 immunity points) | Eliminated |
| Derrick Reich | Safe (3 immunity points) | Immune (8 immunity points) | Safe (2 immunity points) | Eliminated (0 immunity points) | |
| Fred Collins | Safe (1 immunity point) | Safe (0 immunity points) | Eliminated (2 immunity points) | ||
| Jarrett Graber | Safe (4 immunity points) | Eliminated (0 immunity points) | |||
| Chris Monteith | Eliminated (1 immunity point) |
1 As the result of a tie break between Aaron Jewels and Bradlee Woehl before the poll, Woehl won immunity through a crowd reaction vote.
NXT Redemption (Season 5)
| IWE NXT | ||
| NXT Redemption | ||
| Broadcast from | March 8, 2011 – Ongoing | |
| Host(s) | Matt Striker | |
| Broadcaster | Webcast | |
| No. of episodes | 42 (as of December 21, 2011) | |
NXT Redemption, the fifth season of NXT, started on March 8, 2011. The season consists of six rookies chosen from all previous non-Diva seasons returning to compete for a spot in the sixth season of NXT alongside a IWE Superstar of their choice as their pro for that season. Immunity and the immunity points system have been replaced in this season with a "redemption point" system, where, in the result of a tie at the bottom place between the pros' poll and the fan vote, the person with the most redemption points avoids elimination. On June 25, 2011, Chavo McAlmond was granted a release from the IWE, leaving Andy Younkin without a pro, unlike Michael of season one where he was released after his rookie, Kevin Ebert, was already eliminated.
On June 28, after Jarrett Graber was eliminated, Derrick Reich was brought back. Kody Brown also returned as Reich's pro, but weeks after not appearing with Reich after he turned heel, Brown said he was disowning Reich due to the rookie's actions. On August 5, Jake Wilson was also released from the IWE but, similar to Michael, his rookie was already eliminated. While no divas from season three were part of the competition, since the end of regular eliminations June 28 both AJ Lee & Ciarra White have returned as the girlfriends of Hornswoggle and Reich respectively. Announcer Todd Grisham left IWE after the August 25 episode, while Riley had been removed due to injury and eventually she was released by the IWE. Jack Korpela, who serves as the play-by-play commentator for the Smackdown portion of IWE Superstars officially replaced Todd Grisham as NXT commentator beginning on September 6, 2011 and his NXT run as announcer ended on September 2,2011 where he would be replaced with Josh Mathews and Matt Striker replacing William Kapphan as commentator as Korpela's contract with IWE expire and opted to not re-sign. NXT also had a change in ring announcers as Tony Chimel would no longer work the NXT/Smackdown tapings as a ring announcer, As of December 6, 2011 at the NXT/Smackdown taping he would be replaced on NXT by Eden Stiles and on Smackdown by Lillian Garcia. Eden Stiles would later announce on December 20, 2011 that she asked for her release from IWE and worked her final NXT/Smackdown taping as NXT and Superstars ring announcer and Her final appearances on both shows aired on December 21 for NXT and December 22 for Superstars.
In later episodes, NXT Redemption was devoid of the typical challenges and eliminations while pros have feuded with each other, Younkin (later joined by JTG) with host Matt Striker and announcer William Kapphan, Yoshi Tatsu with Tyson Booth and Reich/Cirra with O'Neil/Hornswoggle/AJ. On September 27, Hornswoggle delivered a letter to AJ and O'Neil claiming he was being anchored to the dead NXT ship and needing to set sail to Smackdown, leaving Titus (the last rookie being mentored) without a pro. On October 5, NXT moved to its new day and time, Wednesday at 4 p.m. EST.
It was announced on October 6 that Andy Younkin was suspended by IWE for 30 days for violating of the company's wellness policy. On the October 12 edition of NXT, O'Neil and Reich were referred to as the final two rookies in the competition with no mention whatsoever of Young, implying that he was eliminated from the competition due to his suspension. Younkin's suspension ended on November 5, and Younkin returned on the November 16th edition of NXT. The following week, in his return match Younkin teamed with Tyler Reks to defeat the team of Titus O'Neil and Percy Wilson.
Currently at 42 episodes, the fifth season of NXT is by far the longest to date. The second longest was the first season, at 15 episodes, while the second through fourth each had 13. NXT Redemption also features superstars like Yoshi Tatsu , Ryan Gleason , The Bignells , Tyler Reks and Chad Coulter, which are cunrrently signed to the RAW and Smackdown brand but not as a pro or rookies but as IWE Superstars competing on the show.
Contestants
| Rookie | Initial pro | Past season | Wins | Losses | Redemption | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derrick Reich | Kody Brown | Season 4 | 9 | 10 | 0 | Still in Competition |
| Titus O'Neil | Hornswoggle | Season 2 | 19 | 15 | 45 | Still in Competition |
| Andy Younkin | Chavo McAlmond | Season 1 | 13 | 17 | 7 | Still in Competition |
| Jarrett Graber | Jake Wilson | Season 4 | 6 | 6 | 3 | Eliminated (Week 17) |
| Lucky Kannon | Tyson Booth | Season 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | Eliminated (Week 15) |
| Fred Collins | Yoshi Tatsu | Season 4 | 2 | 8 | 4 | Eliminated (Week 13) |
| Chris Monteith | JTG | Season 4 | 2 | 5 | 6 | Eliminated (Week 11) |
Poll results
| Winner of competition | Safe in competition | Eliminated from competition by Pros' Poll |
|---|
| Rookie | Week 11 (May 17) | Week 13 (May 31) | Week 15 (June 14) | Week 17 (June 28) | Week 29 (October 5) | Week 37 (November 16) | TBA (Unknown) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titus O'Neil | Safe (19 points) | Safe (19 points) | Safe (22 points) | Safe (22 points) | Safe (30 points) | Safe (45 points) | TBA (45 points) |
| Andy Younkin | Safe (7 points) | Safe (7 points) | Safe (7 points) | Safe (7 points) | Suspended (7 points) | Returned from suspension (7 points) | TBA (7 points) |
| Derrick Reich | Joined | Safe (0 points) | Safe (0 points) | TBA (0 points) | |||
| Jarrett Graber | Safe (0 points) | Safe (3 points) | Safe (3 points) | Eliminated (3 points) | |||
| Lucky Kannon | Safe (0 points) | Safe (0 points) | Eliminated (0 points) | ||||
| Fred Collins | Safe (4 points) | Eliminated (4 points) | |||||
| Chris Monteith | Eliminated (6 points) |
On-air personalities
Host
| Host | Dates |
|---|---|
| Matt Striker | February 23, 2010–present |
| Ashley Valence | June 22, 2010–August 31, 2010 |
| Riley* | March 8, 2011– August 20, 2011 |
(*) On August 24, Riley underwent surgery for an abdominal hernia and was on medical leave from IWE, therefore Riley's role as co-host ended. She would later be released from IWE on October 28, 2011 and would not return to NXT. As of November 2011, there is no official co-host.
