Botched Spot

So season 1 of NXT ended last night, with Wade Barrett winning the competition! My feelings for the whole season started high, stalled to a mid season low with the challenges, hit an all time low when the eliminations began, picked back up when Daniel Bryan attacked Michael Cole, and settled to a state of contentment by last night’s episode. Here are some highlights of what I liked and what I didn’t.

Spot On! Wade Barrett winning!
With Daniel Bryan eliminating himself (…or management eliminating him) I think Barrett was the clear winner out of the remaining competitors, with enough in ring savvy and the ability to talk without his words sounding awkwardly rehearsed (I still shudder at Otunga’s “mashed potatoes” line).

Botched! The Stupid Challenges!
I don’t think ALL of them were stupid, but I think anyone would be hard pressed to defend the keg carrying contest and obstacle course. I think another thing that hurt them was the inconsistent prizes, like Barrett winning entrance music that was never played, Gabriel winning immunity when he was no where close to being eliminated, etc…

Spot On! The Pro Interaction!
I think the Miz/ Daniel Bryan relationship not only helped bring Bryan into the WWE looking like a star, but it also helped the Miz actually look like a real pro. They both benefitted from it, and I think the same could be said for Jericho and Barrett, and the Straight Edge Society and Darren Young. Okay, well maybe it didn’t make Darren Young a star, but it was fun to watch. And I imagine the interactions will get even better in Season 2 with Laycool and Kaval.

Botched! Bringing Fan Voting into the Second Season!
If they have legitimate fan voting in the second season, heels will never win! That was one of the things I hated about the later seasons of Tough Enough and the Diva Search. Good thing they’ll probably rig it!

Spot On! The Daniel Bryan/ Michael Cole Storyline!
I’m not as into the heel Michael Cole persona as some people I’ve heard talk about it, but Bryan’s shoot interviews kept me from changing channels (too much) while challenges were going on. Now if only they’d get someone to teach Cole to slap better…

Botched! The Lack of Swerves and Surprises in the Rankings!
The rankings never really changed that much throughout the show. The people on the top stayed on the top (except, of course, for Bryan) and the people on the bottom stayed on the bottom. The only real shakeup with the Pro’s voting was Darren Young beating out Skip Sheffield at the first elimination. Hopefully in the future they’ll take a note from other reality shows and just reveal who the bottom two contestants are when it comes to eliminations.

Spot On! The Variety of Contestants and Pros!
Whenever I watched Tough Enough I always felt like the contestants looked way too similar. It was nice to see wrestlers of different sizes, experience levels, and backgrounds in NXT. And I also liked that the Pros ranged from World Champions to lower card wrestlers. It looks like they will thankfully continue this trend in Season 2.

Botched! No Vince!
I certainly wouldn’t want him in every episode, but I can’t believe they never had Vince McMahon come out on NXT to harass the rookies! If he can come out on RAW for a few minutes to ruffle Bret Hart’s feathers, you would think he could find time to show up on NXT!

So overall I think NXT Season One was somewhat inconsistent, mostly good, some bad, and a little too long, but I still find myself looking forward to Season 2. I just hope they don’t try and shoehorn all the eliminated competitors into the main shows anyway like they did for all the diva search flunkies. Maybe after a few more seasons they can do an “All Stars” show if NXT even lasts that long.

Oh, and my pick to win Season 2? Percy Watson.

In honor of the second Pro’s poll being revealed tonight on NXT, I am going to play along and show my own rankings for all the wrestlers.  My list doesn’t deviate too far from the first Pro’s poll, but there are some differences.  I came up with my rankings based mainly off of which wrestlers stood out the most and which I would like to see in the WWE in the future.

1.Daniel Bryan

Something about Daniel Bryan just clicks with me.  Like the fact that he’s awesome.  When I first heard about Bryan Danielson and his personality/ mic skills I thought he was going to be like The Great Khali on the microphone (without the accent), but he’s impressed me so far on all levels on the show.  Now if only they’d let him win a match…

2. Wade Barrett

Out of all of the NXT Rookies, Wade Barrett strikes me as the one who could most likely wind up as a main eventer.  He’s just got all the right elements in terms of size and personality, and has enough unique elements about him (he’s British!) in order to stand out.

3.Darren Young

So why is the Pro’s 8^th ranked superstar number three on my list?  When people talk about a good heel as being someone you would pay to see beat up- that’s what Darren Young is to me.  Additionally, his interactions with CM Punk and the Straight Edge Society are one of the things that keep me interested in NXT.

4.Justin Gabriel

Honestly, rankings four, five, and six were a bit of a mix up for me and I kept switching them around until settling for this.  As far as high flyers go, Justin Gabriel is big enough to where I think he’d avoid the usual job duty that most high flyers are put on.  He’s also pretty over with the crowd and his accent keeps him distinct enough.

5. Skip Sheffield

Skip was probably my least favorite of the rookies when NXT started, but he’s slowly wound up more in my favor.  His character and catchphrases are usually the kind of corny over the top thing I hate in wrestling, but Skip does it with such sincerity I can’t help but kind of like them now.

6. David Otunga

I like Otunga’s character and gimmicks, but where as Skip seems sincere to me, I feel like the A-Lister is reading from a script.  The writing in his shaved head is unique, and the “A-List” lifestyle is a great gimmick for a heel, but I don’t think he’s doing it as well as the people who have done similar gimmicks in the past (like MVP).

7. Heath Slater

There’s nothing that I really dislike about Heath, but there’s nothing that I really like either.  He’s pretty much the textbook definition of a white meat babyface.  He’s kind of like the default create-a-wrestler in a video game, and with the same personality as well.  I don’t hate him, but there’s just really nothing that makes the one man rock band stand out to me.

8. Michael Tarver

Imagine a pitbull.  Now imagine that pitbull getting released from NXT.  Seriously, despite his bitchin’ shirts, Tarver hasn’t really done a whole hell of a lot on this show other than… do nothing.  If he came to the main roster of RAW or Smackdown I think he’d just blend in with all the other heels on the show.