What's N(e)XT?: Will Season Three Also Follow the NXT Formula?

Season two of WWE NXT has wrapped up as yet another season waits to debut next Tuesday. The third installment of the show promises to be like nothing that the brand has ever shown before, but is that really the case? Despite being preceded by only two other instances, is the third season of NXT already predictable?

Let's consult with the NXT Formula. For those who are unaware of this formula, it is something that I came up with just three months ago to show that NXT was falling into trends.

The link to the original article is here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/405528-the-nxt-formula-how-season-two-future-seasons-will-go

Before we address season three, let us recall this past season and show the accuracy of the formula.

The first thing addressed was that alumni of ECW dominates the selections of NXT Pros. Season one saw five of the eight superstars formerly call ECW home, while six of the nine wrestlers of this past season were once extreme (well, WWE's version of extreme).

The third season will feature just seven superstars, with Kelly Kelly, Alicia Fox, Goldust, and The Bella Twins all being ECW alumni. Only Primo and Vickie Guerrero don't apply, but let's face it, when have they ever mattered in an argument?

Next up was the typecasting of the rookies. Granted that this past season's rookies had more developed characters, many of them fit easily into certain molds.

The indie wrestler with the bad pro pairing: previously Daniel Bryan, insert Kaval.

Kaval won his season, while Daniel Bryan would have had a good chance if they actually intended on having him try. It's a match.

The rookie that gets along well with his pro was Heath Slater, now Percy Watson.

"Showtime" certainly had a good connection with MVP. It was a lot closer of a bond than Christian's connection to Slater. Check.

The awkward pairing that will lead to the rookie leaving early: first Skip Sheffield, now Eli Cottonwood.

Sheffield was the first official elimination after Tarver and Bryan were asked to leave, while Eli and his mustache were cut with the second elimination. Three for three.

The athletic rookie without a good pro, leading to him being misused: previously Michael Tarver, currently Titus O'Neil.

Hopefully, this doesn't mean that Ryder gets released also. After all, Tarver and O'Neil are both, technically, considered to be their seasons' first eliminations. Halfway through.

The rookie with an experienced and cocky pro that will likely win: it was Wade Barrett, it will become Alex Riley.

You got the feeling that Barrett would win the first season, while many thought Riley was one of the favorites to win the thing. An argument could be made that Riley could have won season one if he was included in that group.

The lively rookie who won't agree with his pro and end up fighting him: so long, David Otunga, hello Husky Harris.

I was bound to be wrong eventually. Husky never really fought with "Dashing" Cody Rhodes, but some of his comments early on seemed to bug him. Husky did share a similar attitude with "A-List" Otunga.

The rookie with excitement that fans will not enjoy or root for: take out Darren Young, insert Lucky Cannon.

Bull's eye. Better yet, they both took awkward dips in the heel pool, flirting with the idea of being bad. For Lucky, this was perfectly summed up by Michael Cole's outburst after Cannon's comments during the season two finale.

The hyped rookie that will stick around, but will have that something about him that will keep him from winning: that was Justin Gabriel, it is now Michael McGillicutty.

Not only was this dead on, but it was practically the exact words used to describe McGillicutty and his chances of winning. The majority of the reason for both not winning their respective seasons was their lack of mic skills. Gabriel actually comes out better in comparison, due to the fact that he was just trying to be himself.

Meanwhile, if you listen really close, you can still hear McGillicutty trying to explain one of his insults to Kaval.

One of the few flaws in the formula was in the intangibles mentioned at the end. None of the pairings in the second season resulted in a Pro fighting with his own Rookie, although "Showtime" Percy Watson did set up his Pro, MVP, for an attack by the rest of the rookies during his talk show.

However, the concept of championships did rear its head in this season. While Lay-Cool held onto their self-professed Co-Womens' Championship belts, which now make a friendship bracelet for The Big Show, Kofi Kingston lost his Intercontinental Championship, while The Miz gained the United States title and a Money in the Bank briefcase.

Now that the formula has all but proven itself to foresee the future, let's see if it can continue its predictable ways with the third season of NXT. With only six rookies, as well as females this time around, classifications may need tweaking slightly.

Since there are no major indie wrestlers among the six, "The Rookie That Will Get Along Well With Her Pro" goes to Alicia Fox's rookie, Maxine. The two seem to have a similar attitude to them and should become good allies. Maybe Maxine has planned weddings also.

"The Awkward Pairing That Will Lead To The Rookie Leaving Early" will go to Aloisia. Here's a rookie that is 6'9" and has Vickie Guerrero as her pro. What happened, was Chavo busy? And what will her music to the ring be; is Vickie just going to yell "Excuse Me!" over and over? Weirdest pairing in NXT history (all six months of it).

"The Athletic Rookie Without A Good Pro, Leading To Her Being Misused" seems to be Jamie Keyes. This seems clearer with a little bit of tiptoeing around the wording. Jamie will have TWO good Pros, not just one.

Both Bellas are as athletic as Keyes and, while neither of them are anything to snuff at in the ring, there is just something about Jamie Keyes that makes her the dark horse in this competition. However, being a former ring announcer will likely lead to something weighing her down and costing her the crown.

Speaking of the crown, "The Lively Rookie Who Won't Agree With Her Pro And End Up Fighting Him" will likely be AJ Lee, who was crowned as Queen of FCW down in the developmental company. AJ is a fiesty girl from Union City, New Jersey who won't put up with anything ridiculous from Primo, who has less of a reason to be an NXT Pro than his brother did.

"The Rookie With Excitement That Fans Will Not Enjoy Or Root For" looks like it will be Aksana, who will be coached by Goldust. The Bizarre One is such a great teacher that he probably deserved being on an earlier season, but there is something about Aksana that just makes me not enjoy seeing her. I will get a better read on her after the season begins. For now, however, I just get the feeling that she will be more annoying than entertaining.

Finally, the last one, which is, "The Hyped Rookie That Will Stick Around, But Will Have That Something About Her That Will Keep Her From Winning" is where I place Naomi Night. While I know that Night is the current Florida Divas Champion down in FCW, I just get the feeling that Night will start out strong, but won't show that growth and maturity that many of the better Rookies have shown in the first two seasons.

As I look at the Pros for this season, don't expect any gold to be seen. Nobody comes in wearing any, unless Dolph Ziggler follows around Vickie on NXT. With the unifying of the belts at Night of Champions, as well as Goldust and Primo not even being mainstays on Superstars, no gold will likely be won and brought to NXT.

As for things that will be brought to the show is a bit of variety and an attempt at credibility. As the show begins, Wade Barrett will be on his path to Night of Champions and his chance at the gold. Meanwhile, it is still yet to see where Kaval will be heading post-NXT. As for the first female winner, her job, as well as the other five, will be to try and make female wrestling in the WWE relevant again.

It is a daunting task, but years later, we could be looking at NXT and its effect on WWE, similarly to how Tough Enough and the RAW Divas Searches have brought moderate success.