That’s WWE’s Derrick Bateman on yesterday’s episode of NXT, talking to Chickbuster Kaitlyn and wearing a With Leather t-shirt.
And I’m done. I’m hanging up blogging forever, because unless the Phillie Phanatic and I end up as a tag team at Wrestlemania I don’t think my job snarking about sports news and/or Dolph Ziggler’s Jiffy Pop ass can get any cooler. This comes less than a month after one of our readers brought an @MrBrandonStroud sign to an episode of Raw, and I can’t tell you how surreal it feels to watch something I’ve been watching for decades and go “oh hey, there’s me”.
In case you’re wondering, that’s the shirt you would’ve won by participating in one of our trivia challenges. Check out the segment for yourself after the jump, and imagine me doing the dancing emoticon in real life. This one:
I don’t normally do a Best And Worst Of WWE NXT, but here’s the quick version.
Best: I like to believe that if Maxine and Johnny Curtis hadn’t interrupted, Bateman would’ve used baseball as a way to work “oh yeah, I read a wonderful sports blog called With Leather, you should really check it out” and then Kaitlyn would’ve went “wow okay!”, and then the rest of the show would just be people reading this site. Yes, that’s exactly where it was going. Also then Kaitlyn and I would get married.
Worst: Way to ruin my marriage, Maxine. Ah well, at least I got to pal around with team BateMax in happier times.
Best: In all seriousness, Bateman is great, and if you like pro wrestling he should already be on your radar. He’s got literally everything necessary to become a huge star, and I’m not just saying that because he’s from Cleveland and occasionally reads With Leather. Go follow him on Twitter, support him in whatever he does, and watch NXT for the rest of your life because this season is seriously never going to end.
Best: I’m gonna go ahead and take pre-orders for these shirts.
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This week’s NXT also marked the return of William Regal (the only announcer in WWE who PUTS OVER THE TALENT), another Trent Baretta/Curt Hawkins match (great chemistry and ring work together), Maxine’s outfit, Maxine’s standing dragon sleeper/scissors, Maxine wrapped around another woman, the thought of Maxine using the same move on AJ Lee, and some other stuff I forget.
NXT has been pretty solidly great for a while now, especially when Titus isn’t around. The best non-shirt part of the show for me was Bateman desperately trying not to be distracted by the “we came out to distract you” spot.
Thats pretty magical. Congrats Brandon.
Thanks, friend. It officially tops “Ebessan laughing about a webcomic I drew about Ebessan” as my coolest tertiary wrestling moment.
I know I’m the “hey, you kids, get off my lawn with your phony-baloney wrestling” grump here, but that is pretty damn cool. Congrats.
Thanks, Otto. I totally understand about the phoniness of the baloney, too, and unless somebody dies you won’t see more than a post a day about it.
Brag on, man. If this were me, I’d have that image tattooed on my forehead.
Woah. This is on par with McLovin’ wearing the Filmdrunk shirt.
That’s meant as a compliment. Even though now that I read it, it looks sarcastic.
No, that IS awesome. Compliment taken/understood.
Very, very cool. Plus that ring outfit Maxine is wearing is awesome. I might have to start watching NXT.
Yeah, that outfit is doing a lot to replace my “why don’t they put the women in regular clothes” talking point with “oh, hello”.
If you just changed your name to Adidas, man you’d feel this good like all the time. I mean, do you actually know another human being named Adidas? Yer welcome.
Congrats man. Hell that made me smile maybe its like a hometown boy does good thing? Except I’ve never met you and my hometown is Pensacola…so i guess I’m comparing you to Roy Jones Jr.? This was not as thought out as I had hoped…
This is far better than the time Chavo Guerrero wore a “I Fucked Burnsy’s Mom” shirt.
Of course. We got a special deal on those shirts, ordering a full gross from the manufacturer.
I’m wearing one of those shirts right now.
It only barely comes through on the video, but when Maxine asks if she’s distracting Derrick during his match, Derrick yells “No, I’m not paying attention!”
Derrick Bateman almost countered the heretofore irreversible Distraction From The Ramp, guys. This is a seminal moment in professional wrestling history.
That was the best. I love how Bateman either directly or indirectly destroys all the wrestling tropes I hate. Backstage dinner segments, ramp distractions, etc.
I’m not sure what I should be most excited about by this:
a) That the guy I think is doing the consistently best job of writing about wrestling anywhere is getting some well-deserved recognition;
b) That we’re one well-placed Derek Bateman push away from listening to Michael Cole scream about how Brandon is a “nerd” and taking shots at Destiny live on RAW; or
c) That this puts me in a prime position to go all hipster and be like “pfft. Whatever…I was reading B&W BEFORE it was cool…”
SO MANY CHOICES!!!
Seriously, though – this is pretty awesome. Well deserved. Congrats, B.
Thanks. At least if Cole called me a nerd he’d be right, I own Cosmos on DVD. Also, pretty sure Destiny with no training could accomplish whatever Eve is doing.
PS – I think “I read With Leather occasionally” feels like something you’d say to impress a girl, along the lines of “I have many leather-bound books” or “my apartment smells of rich mahogany”.
That is awesome! Just for that, I’m gonna vote for Bateman to win NXT……isn’t that how NXT works?
Wait wait wait wait. Are you saying Derrick Bateman won a With Leather trivia contest?
I’m pretty sure that’s the only way it could have happened. Also, Brandon, you watch NXT on the regs? I stopped right around the time they forced me to start watching the show on their site, which was also around the time I figured that Naomi is clearly the best of the best in this gaggle of Divas, but somehow AJ will overcome and win it.
I’m also assuming this shirt only comes sleeveless, correct? Where can I order one/answer a trivia question about Droz for one?
Well it sure wasn’t me. I was trolling people in Memphis with my LED jacket Monday night.
Congrats. You should send Kaitlyn one of those shirts too so she can cut it down past the lower line of text.
Whoa. That’s awesome. Congrats.
Congrats Brandon!
Maybe now is the time to create the official With Leather “John Cena Gay” shirt so Kane can also wear something of yours!
I don’t know why, but I feel really fancy now because I TOO occasionally read With Leather! Right on, Brandon!
This is the first I’ve heard of a “Trivia Challenge”. Maybe I read With Leather TOO occasionally. :/
And congrats…not only is that awesome but, if it nets you even a handful of more readers that is a win/win.
You know Brandon, maybe if you’d thought of this sooner AOL Fanhouse would still be riding the wave. Seriously though, this is awesome and deserved. Congrats. Next see if he can give that shirt to Johnny Ace.
And I can think of someone who’d get some use out of the OFFICIAL With Leather travel coffee mug.
WithLeather is over.
WithLeather also exhibits amazing workrate!
can’t wait to get interviewed on the news wearing a I Used To Read Warming Glow shirt
I’ve always liked Bateman, but I never understood your gigantic man-crush on him until now, Brandon. After seeing this, the only thing better could be Bateman wearing the shirt and holding an @MrbrandonStroud sign. Seriously cool shit. Congrats.
Let’s be honest. Derrick Bateman just needs to exile himself from NXT and create a one-man Nexus. If he could somehow do a one-man Horsemen-style beatdown on the entire SmackDown roster, he’d win everything ever.
(or he’d just be randy orton, so maybe not)
Been reading The Dugout for years and been a wrestling fan for even longer, and I marked when I saw the shirt. Agreed with your assessment of Bateman as well, he has the look and mic skills that WWE likes from their top guys (plus he has a great personality outside the ring). Congrats Brandon!
Things I learned from this post/the video in it: TITUS GOT ELIMINATED? THE SHOW MIGHT ACTUALLY CONCLUDE?!
Never mind. I was thrown off by them saying Bateman was “one of two rookies remaining”. But it’s true, since you know, Darren Young already made the roster
You’ve changed.
How soon until that shirt is available on wwe.com?
That’s rad, grats.
This is seriously awesome. Congrats.
If we ever see that shirt on a Chickbuster, we may have to shut the site down from the collective explosion.
GOD DAMMIT I CAN’T LIKE THIS WEBSITE ANYMORE OR ELSE I WON’T BE COOL!!!!
/Puts to Arcade Fire record on my gramophone
//Packs up goofy way-too-small-for-me backpack
///Walks off into the ironic sunset
By the way, congratulations Brandon. I hope Cody Rhodes wears your Twitter address on his ass soon.
Congratulations on the plug!
On a related note, how does NXT work? Haven’t they been doing the redemption season for like a year now?
44 episodes according to wikipedia. And they haven’t eliminated anyone since Conor O’Brian was eliminated June 28th. NXT and Superstars have basically taken the place that Heat and Velocity used to have back in the day.
Nothing better than a free plug!
At least my wife thinks so. What’s this about a shirt now?
Where do we get our @MrBrandonStroud shirts?? :D
Congrats, B! I like that semi-famous people read things that I read. BIRGing is the best.
It’s a Festivus Miracle!
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Reference.
And, we’re done.
/Did I ever think WWE and PGSM would be uttered in the same breath?
//Only in my dreams.
I own that entire series AND the wedding special. Don’t doubt my nerd strongstyle.
holy shit…pretty awesome. I also read With Leather occasionally