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Since we have now heard that NXT will continue into a second season I wanted to look at the successes if the first season and what I thought were failures. I have actually watched every episode, and I have my own opinion on some of the things done. So, right before the season finale I want to take a look back.

What was done right?

First of all, the biggest thing that NXT did write from the beginning was the video packages. I loved the way they showed the talent and their histories. We learned about these talents on a personal level, and that right there is something that they actually have missing a lot of times from their main shows. I also loved when they let the Pros talk about the rookies along with their strengths and weaknesses. A lot of what they said actually mirrored the opinions expressed by others. It was nice to see the WWE Superstars speak candidly of their opinions.  I think if WWE took the time to give us this background on all the new characters we introduce it would be easier to get into them. I know when NXT started and I had no faith in Darren Young at all, but the reasoning for that was mainly because I had seen him on a local independent show not too long before he was signed to a deal and wasn’t impressed. However, seeing that guy’s improvement from the beginning made me disappointed when the guy finally got eliminated. I now would like to see more of him on my television when Day 1 I could have cared less. WWE did a decent job of doing this with a few of the rookies on the show.  I also think the show was better when they let the guys speak freely. You could really tell when the guys were speaking with little input. A lot of times nowadays the promos from anyone who isn’t a top guy seem so scripted, and it doesn’t let the guys show their personalities at all. It was refreshing and I think the guys who were eliminated showed way better skills on the microphone when they were exiting the show.  Lastly, the best thing on the whole program and what I think is the best storyline in the company right now are the issues between Daniel Bryan and Miz / Michael Cole. That has been the main reason for me watching the show the past few weeks. I have cared more about that than seeing who was the NXT to be eliminated. The storyline just feels real, and I think the biggest problem nowadays is that storylines don’t feel real anymore. The best storylines, in my opinion, are the ones you can relate with. Who can’t relate with a couple of guys telling you that you’re nothing and will never be anything only for you to fight back and show what you’re made of?  This storyline gets you excited to see Daniel Bryan fight back, and it shows me the personality that we didn’t get to see a lot from Bryan until now.  

What was done wrong?

Okay, does anyone REALLY care who can carry a keg around the ring in the fastest time? Yeah, I didn’t think so. The challenges were so dumb, and it didn’t show us that these guys could be superstars. How does chugging soda in the middle of an obstacle course show me that I want to see these guys on my TV? In fact, it makes me want to turn it off. WWE, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make the challenges RELEVANT or GET RID OF THEM! This was done as filler, but I think they would have been better off having more (or longer) matches. They also could have show more video packages of the guys training or something. Like I said, they had some great video packages, but we saw more dreck than we saw of these.  Next, SET DEFINED RULES! How many times did we not know how long the season was going to last? When were we going to see eliminations? When do we get the next pros poll? Maybe we need to see more Pro’s Polls when elimination is not on the line. That way we have kind of a view of where these guys stand, and they do too. Maybe if they know where they stand they will step it up and we could stumble upon something special.  They should show how the Pros actually try to help train their Rookies more than we did this season. We could have seen some more interesting things especially for the instances where the Rookies and Pros didn't get along.

Ultimately, there were a few things done right and a lot of things done wrong. At the end of the day, I just want to see something new and interesting. WWE came firing on all cylinders with the first show, and then like a firework it ended quickly. I think if they can make the new rookies into compelling characters, and when NXT had those moments that felt real they were great. I am interested to see who they have on the new season, but I hope they can look back at what was wrong with the first and make it better.  I think one of the biggest problems with WWE right now is not that they are marketing towards the TV-PG crowd as everyone wants to blame, but that most of the new characters they introduce just aren’t compelling or interesting. Let’s see what happens NXT!