Bryan made his debut on the inaugural episode of "NXT" on February 23, losing by submission to then World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho and being attacked by his storyline mentor The Miz for disrespecting him earlier in the show. Over the next several weeks, Bryan failed to win a single match, but despite a record of 0–5 he was ranked first in the inaugural Pros' Poll on the March 30 episode of "NXT". After losing five more matches on "NXT", Bryan got his first victory on the May 10 episode of "Raw" by pinning Santino Marella in an eight-on-four handicap match. The following night on "NXT", he was eliminated from the show along with Michael Tarver as neither man had confidence in themselves to win the competition. Despite his elimination, he appeared on the following episodes of "NXT", being interviewed by Matt Striker and attacking both Michael Cole and The Miz.