When the show started, I thought Luke showed a tremendous amount of potential, and I thought that the show was his to lose, until Martin stepped up and showed that he wasn't just some guy who looked like an Osmond. Luke started getting petty, doing shit like not shaking Martin's hand when he won a competition over him and providing increasingly irritating interviews. Somewhere in there, his skills hit a wall and rather than listening to the trainers or using his time in the bottom three to learn lessons, he just blew it off as them testing him, continuing to go off about how he was the best one there.
Week in and week out, Luke grated on me more and more, and it was clear that he would not survive in a locker room. He has more ego than talent, and that's saying something. I think that if he gets his head out of his ass, learns some humility, stops this "I'm a party boy and once I get that contract, I'm going to live like a rockstar" bullshit and listens to his critics, he has the potential to succeed in the business. During the final segment, Trish conceded that he had talent, but that she wanted to slap the cockiness out of his mouth. This summed everything up, and all of the trainers stated a preference for Andy, with Booker going so far as to state that Andy had "the 'it' factor", something Luke paraded around claiming was part of what made him stand out.
Did I ever exclaim that Andy has star power? No, but I was rooting for him because he obviously took shit seriously and knew that he wasn't there to fuck around. I think that his work ethic, willingness to accept criticism, listen to feedback and make adjustments impressed the trainers. His improvement over the last few weeks was dramatic, and he really came out into his own. Leading up to this week, my analysis was that Andy would bust his ass to prepare, and Luke would probably assume that he was in the home stretch. When they ran the match montage, Bill had a twinkle in his eye when he talked to Andy afterward. He saw something in the ring that told him that Andy was ready to show up that day. The first time all season that Luke was humble was to say on the last day that he felt like he could have done better. This was the most important episode of the season, and I get the feeling that he just didn't bring it.
Austin emphasized that they watched *everything*. To me, this means that beyond what they saw in the ring over the past several weeks, they were aware of what people were saying in interviews, as well as some of the stuff that went on at the house. Something tells me that during this research, they didn't like what they saw from Luke. Andy has a lot of work to do, and he might not have been the top choice, but in terms of a willingness to outperform himself and show up ready to work, he has that going for him, and it's a quality that can take him a long way.
Martin could have won in a landslide. Jeremiah was too green. There wasn't anywhere to go for the final two outside of Luke and Andy. Luke showing up with a shit-eating grin on his face, ready to cash his check, hearing each trainer speak for Andy, then to be rained on by a chorus of boos when he responded to Austin's question (by giving a promo, wtf?) was all kind of poetic justice for me. Entering a competition and acting like you have nothing to prove beyond what you show up with, refusing to accept a handshake offered after you lost the very first challenge, criticizing the trainers for thinking that someone outperformed you, and doing all of it on TV, doesn't sit well with me, nor does it with a lot of people. There is great emphasis placed on knowing your spot in the pecking order, paying your dues and respecting your elders. People are expected to show up to work without hangovers (something he and a few others bragged about doing), and wake up each day hoping to put on a match that is better than the one before it. Luke went out of his way to show that he lacks in both aspects. If he sorts his shit out, hopefully he'll succeed while knowing that that hurt him, because without a willingness to learn from his mistakes, he's not going to go anywhere.
Bottom line, Luke has work to do. Maybe he'll make it some day, but despite his looks, charisma and athletic ability, he's not as close to the big time as some might think, based on everything I just said. Even if Andy fizzles, I'd rather he spend that money on his family than have Luke use it for a bunch of partying and fancy clothes while he destroys his own dream with complacency and entitlement. The right guy won.
