By Rick Gardner, Torch specialist

The first season of NXT drew to a close on Tuesday night, with Wade Barrett crowned the victor. His win would have come as no surprise for anyone who has followed NXT’s inaugural season.

Barrett has undoubtedly been the star of NXT (and I'm not just saying that because he comes from 40 miles down the road from me). No other NXT Rookie has shown the adaptability that Barrett has, as evidenced by the way he thrived upon being put on the spot. His final promo was far superior to that of David Otunga, the man whose gimmick was based upon his supposed charisma and star power.

Not only did Barrett exhibit a remarkable ability to think on his feet throughout the first season of NXT, he also exuded confidence. While his peers were stumbling over their words, Barrett had confidence and carried himself like a star.

Of course, Wade Barrett's rise to the top of the Pros Poll was aided by the counterproductive booking of Bryan Danielson. Danielson was leagues ahead of his counterparts in terms of wrestling ability, and was initially built strong via a competitive match with Chris Jericho. However, as the season progressed, Danielson was made to look foolish on a regular basis. Doing jobs for unique talents such as Michael Tarver is hardly a credibility boost. As the weeks went by, it became more apparent that the NXT format was far better suited to Wade Barrett than it was to Bryan Danielson.

While Barrett may not be up to Danielson's standard in the ring, he is a solid wrestler and certainly better than the likes of David Otunga, Darren Young, and Michael Tarver. Having Chris Jericho in his corner certainly didn't hurt Barrett either. From day one, Jericho did his utmost to put Barrett over, whether it be on commentary or inside the ring. There isn't a more selfless main event wrestler in the WWE.

Wade Barrett is in prime position to succeed in WWE. He has the size and look, which are so important to WWE management, coupled with the ability to cut a decent promo. It also should not be underestimated how important the U.K. market is to WWE, and a successful English wrestler would be a very useful marketing tool for the company.

Barrett's win on NXT comes at a time when WWE is being forced to elevate mid-card wrestlers to the main event, as illustrated by Evan Bourne's unexpected defeat of Sheamus in the main event of Raw on Monday. With the extensive list of injuries plaguing the WWE roster, Wade Barrett is in the right place at the right time. We have already seen Sheamus rise to the top of the card in a short amount of time over the past year.

Matt Striker's announcement that the winner of NXT would be WWE's next breakout star may have been hyperbolic, but there is every chance of it becoming a reality.

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