-- 6/1 WWE NXT Reax

John of Cocoa Beach, Fla. (6.0): Best Match: Barrett vs. anybody. Worst: No Cole-Daniel Bryan skirmish. Over the last four months, NXT provided programming that has been on par with the main Raw and Smackdown shows, at times. At other times, it made me beg for the return of the McMahonized ECW. Wade Barrett proved he definitely has the physical skills to make it in the business. His promo delivery needs a little work, as it's choppy at times and his accent can be a little too thick to understand what he's saying. I have no doubt we will see at David Otunga and Justin Gabriel on the main roster at some point. Daniel Bryan is already in, and it seems he will be on Raw to continue his feud with The Miz and Michael Cole. Just because someone was "eliminated" doesn't mean he won't keep a job. See Tough Enough and the Diva Search. ... I'm a little horrified at the prospects for Season Two and I'm baffled why they've changed the names of two Rookies whose bloodlines are famous in the industry. McGullicutty for Joe Hennig? Beulah had a brother? Might as well call him Kerwin White II. It's going to be interesting to see how Kaval and Lay-Cool work together. Never in Tough Enough did a Rookie work with a WWE Superstar of the opposite gender. This will be interesting, and I envy the male Rookie if there's a Season Three who gets Maryse as a Pro! Overall, I'm sure most of the talent from Season One will eventually become WWE Superstars at some point, but there is one error in calling Wade Barrett the next WWE breakout star. He's going to be good, but the next WWE breakout star shined Monday Night. His name: Evan Bourne.

Jarel Barnes of Hampton Roads, Va.: Best: The way the show was run. Worst: The way the show is going to be booked in Season Two. This episode of WWE NXT was run the right way. The opening triple threat was decent and it gave the viewers a good idea of who can work in the ring. Clearly, Wade Barrett was the favorite to win the competition because he is the total package. He's got the look, ring skills, and impressive mic skills from his days as FCW announcer. I do look forward to a possible union with William Regal. My biggest beef is the idiocy already apparent with the booking of Season Two. To me, none of the Rookies/Pros pairings make any sense. For example, the pairing of Kaval and Lay-Cool is nothing more than a farce, and a complete mockery of the sport or the idea of it. He's a legit, warrior-like wrestler with an extensive background around the world. Also the renaming of a couple of the second generation stars, namely Joe Henning and Bo Rotundo, was awful. Even if WWE doesn't want them to be known as recycled second generation stars, what kind of marketability is can you get out of names like Husky and McGillicutty? As a wrestling fan, it vexes me to see what's being put into Season Two. Outside of The Miz and MVP, the "Pros" chosen were a joke. And Percy Watson reminds me of Rocky King. He's my bet to be eliminated first, and hopefully in Week 1.

Steven Berger of Beachwood, Ohio, Attorney (5.5): Best: Regal vs. other Pros. Worst: announcement of the winner. The NXT finale was a fitting ending to a bad 15 weeks. WWE really never figured out what it wanted to do and instead just kept throwing things against the wall to see what would stick. Barrett is a decent choice as the winner, but how they got there was horrible. Why have two Pros Polls if nothing changes (including going back to last week)? If they had booked Gabriel to win the three-way match (or even to lose due to Jericho's interference) and then eliminated Otunga, at least there might have been some reason to doubt the outcome. The next season looks to be even worse unless WWE figures out a consistent format for the show and decides whether it's a work or a shoot.

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.

[Torch art credit Neal Obermeyer (c) PWTorch.com]

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