NXT Breakdown: Approaching the Season One Finale

The main tag line of WWE's NXT program has been "who will be the WWE's next breakout star?"

We are one step closer to finding out as the field of eight is now down to three and the first season of the controversial show wraps up next week.

Wade Barrett, David Otunga and Justin Gabriel are the final three men vying for their chance at a WWE contract and a championship match at an undetermined pay-per-view event.

Over the course of the past 14 weeks, NXT has had its share of ups and downs. The show has been by no means the success that the WWE was hoping it would be. But has NXT been a complete failure?

The answer may not be a resounding no, but for the most part NXT has struggled to maintain solid ratings and keep the interest of the casual audience. If the WWE decides to pick up a second season, there are many lessons to be learned.

The rookie challenges were boring and often killed any momentum the show may have had. Fans want to see these newcomers wrestling, not climbing on monkey bars or carrying kegs around the ring.

The prizes awarded were meaningless most of the time. I'm still wondering when we are going to hear Wade Barrett's theme song that he won the right to during the "talk the talk" challenge way back when.

Instead of these ridiculous challenges, why not give the rookies more time in the ring to actually compete and show the audience why they deserve to be in the big leagues?

The roster of the first season of NXT wasn't awful by any means, but it would be a wise move by the WWE to include a bit more star power if they do a second season.

With the inclusion of independent star Bryan "Daniel Bryan" Danielson, the show was already bound to have a core audience of fans tuning in to see what would happen to one of the top indy stars of the past decade as he made the move to the major leagues.

In fact, despite being eliminated from the show, it can be said that Bryan already is the next breakout star in the WWE. His feud with announcer Michael Cole continues to heat up and by decking his former mentor, The Miz, on Tuesday night, it appears that Bryan's rise to the WWE roster will continue next week.

The WWE would be wise to keep this trend going in season two. Include guys with strong independent backgrounds, like Kaval. He was known as Low-Ki in Ring Of Honor and TNA. He could bring a built-in audience to the show much like Bryan has.

Another idea would be to bring up some second- and third-generation talent. The WWE developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling, is loaded with it.

Bo and Duke Rotundo are the sons of Mike Rotunda, better known to most WWE fans as Irwin R. Schyster. They are also the nephews and Barry and Kendall Windham.

Richie Steamboat is the son of wrestling legend Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and apparently is loaded with talent much like his father.

Joe Hennig is the son of the late "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig and grandson of Larry "The Axe" Hennig.

He has teamed with Brett DiBiase in FCW as "The Fortunate Sons" and rumors were circulating that the two would be brought up to the main roster to join with Ted DiBiase and form a stable of the same name.

Unfortunately, Brett DiBiase was injured so those plans appear to be on hiatus. Why not bring up Hennig for a second season of NXT? His name alone would surely draw some interest to the show.

Then again, who knows if there will even be a second season? The WWE has made no announcements as of yet so this is all just pure speculation.

Before worrying about another season, the WWE has to determine which of the final three rookies has what it takes to win the inaugural NXT competition.

Wade Barrett has been ranked at the top since Daniel Bryan's elimination three weeks ago and seems to be the obvious choice to take the WWE contract. His mic skills continue to improve and he has the size and wrestling ability to become a part of either Raw or Smackdown.

The only thing that sucks about Barrett is his finishing move. It just looks weak and doesn't seem like an effective way to end a match. If he can develop something more devastating, Barrett could be a big time player.

David Otunga might not be the next great technical wrestler, but the man can draw a reaction from the audience, which seems to be a major factor that the WWE is looking for.

He has had more exposure than any of the other NXT rookies, though many would argue that has more to do with who is engaged to than anything he can offer as a professional wrestler.

Regardless, guest hosting Raw gave Otunga the spotlight he needed and he has continued to draw heat from the crowd ever since.

Otunga's mentor, R-Truth, just captured the United States championship. The two have had a rocky relationship on NXT. Perhaps Otunga wins and once again takes on Truth, this time with the title on the line?

Justin Gabriel is the dark horse of the competition. His in-ring ability is decent, but he clearly should brush up on the fundamentals and develop a more varied offensive attack. He is a top-notch high flyer but his mat skills are average at best.

As far as personality goes, Gabriel definitely lacks sorely but he has shown some flashes of charisma and intensity as the competition has begun to wind down. His chances of winning are slim, but at the same time it wouldn't be a total shock if he did find a way to pull it out.

After 15 weeks of competition, season one of NXT wraps up next week. Who will walk away with the contract and the title shot? At this point, your guess is as good as mine.