-- 6/1 WWE NXT Reax

Jonathan Lucas of New York, N.Y. (6.5): Best Match: three-man elimination match post-Otunga elimination. Worst Match: three-man elimination pre-Otunga elimination. I gave the season finale three extra points because the dreadful premiere season of NXT finally, FINALLY, came to its much-needed conclusion. The finale left me skeptical that WWE will be able to fix what's wrong by Season Two. For instance, the segment in which the Pros yelled over each other before Barrett was announced as the winner was boring and did little to keep my attention. So perhaps I'm a glutton for punishment, but I'm still actually going to tune in next week for the Season Two premiere, and will cross my fingers that WWE can improve this show. The introductory video packages of the new Rookies and infusion of new Pros gave me the faintest hope that I will enjoy Season Two more than Season One. The reason I will watch next season - and the reason I continued to watch this season - is that I enjoy seeing the development of new talent. On the finale, Wade Barrett thoroughly convinced me that he will be a breakout star in WWE, as both his performance in the triple threat match and his victory promo were fantastic. Hopefully, there will be more Rookies like Barrett in Season Two so the show holds my interest and serves its purpose of adding much-needed depth to the WWE roster.

Sam Weiss of San Diego, Calif. (7.0): Best Match: N/A. Worst Match: N/A. Season One of NXT ended as it should. While the finale had a bit too much talking by the host, and a bit too much waiting with the drum-rolls, the right guy won. The work of Gabriel and Barrett together was fine and the blocked 450 at the end of the triple threat looked great. Barrett also projected some genuine emotion in being picked the winner. I enjoyed the Pro banter near the end - Regal is such a treat on the mic. It's a shame Season Two won't have either Jericho or Regal because they are two guys that can be counted on to deliver when handed a mic. Season One definitely benefited from having four "Pros" (Jericho, Regal, Punk, and Miz) who without a doubt are among the best in WWE when it comes to talking. To me, the Season Two Pro roster seems like a step down in talent with the exception of The Miz. Regarding the overall season, I think NXT could have benefited from more clearly-defined conflicts (whether Rookie-Rookie or Rookie-Pro), as the Daniel Bryan storyline seemed to be the only storyline carrying over from week to week. Nevertheless, over the past couple of months, NXT has been the only WWE show I looked forward to viewing. I feel too much of the main shows have become stale. Novelty alone isn't enough, but it is important, and I look forward to seeing a new set of eight Rookies in Season Two.

Ron. H, Torch reader: I thought it was a pretty good ending to a not-too-shabby first season of NXT. If WWE had cut out the mid-season "challenges," the season would be ranked among the top ideas WWE ever had in my book. The season finale had almost everything I was looking for: a good triple threat, a decent promo, interaction with the Pros, and Wade Barrett winning. Barrett winning was the only choice I could go with after Bryan was eliminated. He has everything someone needs to survive in WWE. However, this season finale missed one thing: more Daniel Bryan. Bryan was the top subject in Season One and was one-third of quite possibly one of my favorite angles I've watched on WWE programming. I really do hope that he isn't done and that we'll see his "one-night contract" slip into a full contract. He'd be a great asset for WWE. Barrett and Bryan were the winners of WWE NXT Season One and I thought we got a solid 15 weeks of entertainment out of it.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for an "NXT TV Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on NXT, click here.

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