Is NXT better with public voting or without it?

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

In the first season of NXT the rookies were eliminated on the basis of a pros poll. The seven pros would decide who the worst rookie was in the pack and the said rookie would be eliminated. The second season of NXT saw a change in the format and public voting was introduced for the first time. The viewers would have as much of a say in the elimination of a rookie as the pros.

So I'm asking you which one of these formats was better. Now some would surely say that public voting was the way to go but I do not think so. I mean just look at where Wade Barrett is, a winner without public voting, and where Kaval, a winner whom the viewers had a say in choosing, is. Now if you were to introduce public voting in season one, I'm sure Daniel Bryan would have won. But what would have happenned to him thereafter? Would he have been where he is now or would he have been on Superstars defeating the likes of Yoshi Tatsu?

Now I know that the pros poll in NXT season 1 was not without its share of inconsistencies. The poll was a non kayfabe one while the show still maintained kayfabe. That is why Daniel Bryan topped the pros poll for the first two weeks without winning a single match. But still it ensured that WWE had control over how they wanted storylines to progress. With the advent of public voting WWE would actually have to wait till the outcome before deciding how to continue the storylines. That did not make for great television and it was pretty apparent by the decline in the quality of season two as compared to season one. At least season one had a few memorable moments like the day Bryan snapped back at Cole. But season two had none.

I don't think that something like public voting works with pro wrestling because of the pre determined nature of pro wrestling. However I am still asking you:

Is NXT better with public voting or without it?

 

[martymcfly]

I think this is really difficult to answer because we have no way of knowing how much fan voting really truly mattered in season 2. First, I think it's safe to say that the "pro polls" did not matter in any way, and that it was really the WWE developmental and creative teams that picked their favorites, regardless of which NXT season we're discussing.

That aside, how much did fan voting matter in season 2? They claimed it did, but what does that mean? That they took it into consideration? That it would be looked at if the WWE creative team needed a tie breaker in the finals? That it was 10% of the final decision? 50%? We were never told, and results of fan votes were never shared. That makes me think that in the end fan voting mattered very little. So I don't think that it really changed much of anything in season 2. In the end, the ones that impress the creative/developmental teams are the ones who will get contracts.

 

[TheOrtonRevolution]

I think this is really difficult to answer because we have no way of knowing how much fan voting really truly mattered in season 2. First, I think it's safe to say that the "pro polls" did not matter in any way, and that it was really the WWE developmental and creative teams that picked their favorites, regardless of which NXT season we're discussing.

That aside, how much did fan voting matter in season 2? They claimed it did, but what does that mean? That they took it into consideration? That it would be looked at if the WWE creative team needed a tie breaker in the finals? That it was 10% of the final decision? 50%? We were never told, and results of fan votes were never shared. That makes me think that in the end fan voting mattered very little. So I don't think that it really changed much of anything in season 2. In the end, the ones that impress the creative/developmental teams are the ones who will get contracts.

NXT advertises that the public voting counts for 50% of the final vote. That being said, it could be a way to see which of the rookies are popular. I think it's fine with the public voting. Kind of like a regular Cyber Sunday.

 

[WWE.IS.AWESOME]

I honestly don't think it matters.

You did make some good points though, about Wade Barret and Kaval. In the end, it really only matters what Vince and the creative team think.

IMO, I think they just use the poll to get a guideline on who to make win/lose, but it's probably nowhere near 50% of the final decision. Of course, I could be completely wrong, but this is only my opinion.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I think it depends. Many might think NXT is better without the public voting. If the fans get to have a say in the votes, then we may end up with results that don't go well with the planned storylines. WWE may not have been prepared for Kaval's win last season, for instance. It's good that the fans got to have a say in it, but creative need to be prepared no matter who wins if the fans get to vote. The only problem with how it goes without fan votes is that if WWE pushes someone the fans don't care for, then it was all for nothing. However if the fans vote then it helps WWE find someone to push, as the fans voiced who they want to see. I'm torn between either option here. It worked out with season 1's predetermined results because the fans are reacting to Barrett and Nexus, and the fan input in season 2 got Kaval his current push. It just depends on WWE having storylines planned for any of the potential winners if the fans get to vote, and if they don't get to vote then they will just have to hope that the fans like who they pick in the results.

 

[LSN80]

I think its a really hard call to make here. Personally, I don't like it, but it does fit for a reality show. Its just like American Idol or Dancing With The Stars in that aspect, as we truly have no idea whether or not the vote is actually meaning anything. When Cole signed off the air, he noted that the Pros didnt vote in favor of Kaitlyn, but the fans did. How did he know that? Did they tell him during the 2 minute commercial break? Obviously, the show is set up for the winner, and I think he gave away that the fans vote means little, and the pros vote means even less.

In many ways, the "fans" vote makes the show a joke. Kaitlyn, by her own admission, had never wrestled a match before appearing on NXT. And now she's the next breakout Diva? It's either a HUGE indictment on the fans who vote, or the show is rigged. In either way, having the show be half based upon the fans "vote" is a bad thing.