It’s been a rough year for the WWE roster. Not only has the roster had to endure with the likes of Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker, and Sting making their presence known in main event PPV spots, but they’ve also had to compete with The Authority and Seth Rollins. And then the injuries came, and they came in full force, and the injuries created a gaping hole in the main event scene, a hole which Vince is desperately trying to fill. Think of the WWE Champions over the past five years: The Rock, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins. Aside from Bryan and Rollins, the rest had been champions many years before, and you could say they didn’t need the belt as they were already established. No mid-carders have been built up enough to convince the fans they’re ready for the main event.
Aside from Del Rio (who was recently brought back to fill Cena’s role as US Champion), Sheamus is the only former multi-time WWE Champion. He conveniently held Money in the Bank as Rollins was sidelined with injury, so the timing was right to pair him with The Authority. It’s known he was Triple H’s training buddy in the past, so it could be suggested to garner some heat. Regardless of the pairing of Sheamus with The Authority, the reality is there’s no active WWE wrestler in a position to hold the championship and carry the company in the future.
On the active roster, Reigns is the only guy with momentum. He has vocal critics, but he also has a following, one which is growing with each screw job. He needs to overcome many obstacles if he’s going to be the main man. I can see a feud between Reigns and The Authority going to Wrestlemania, with Reigns victorious in the end; it seems to be the only direction, unless we see a surprise return. Speaking of returns, here’s a list of all the wrestlers/personalities who have returned in the past few months: Alberto Del Rio, The Dudley Boyz, Erick Rowan, Goldust, Jack Swagger, The Uso’s, Mark Henry, Rusev, Stephanie McMahon and Zeb Colter.
Consider the inactive wrestlers due to other projects and/or injury: Cesaro, Chris Jericho (touring), Daniel Bryan, John Cena (filming), Randy Orton, The Rock (filming), Sting, Tyson Kidd, Lana, Nikki Bella, Alex Riley, Colin Cassady, Hideo Itami and Sami Zayn. It’s clear the WWE has a growing injury crisis, and the list above doesn’t consider part-time talent like Lesnar, Heyman and The Undertaker. Luckily, WWE managed to bring some mid-carders back, because the show will need a stronger all-round product going forward. But you can tell Vince is in panic mode, you can tell because of all the returning talent, and of course, The Authority is going to be the focus .. again. It’s been reported that Stephanie is going to be making more appearances as well.
So I guess the question is: How much faith does Vince have with the current generation of WWE talent? Will he use them as a stop-gap til the big stars return? Or will he move on from the legends and fully commit to pushing younger talent? The trend over the past few years tell me he’s going to use these guys as a stop-gap. Vince has relied on old names like The Rock, Lesnar, The Undertaker, Triple H, Sting, and others who only show when he really needs to sell a PPV. The problem with it is it makes the current crop of WWE talent look irrelevant, and it kills their momentum. It’s like giving a kid a sweet, then taking it away and giving it to someone else; that’s what it must feel like to be a full-time mid-card talent in today’s WWE.
How do you get anywhere when your momentum is inevitably overshadowed by a big stars return? And how do mid-card talent stay relevant when they’re involved in a comedy act earlier in the night, losing their match, but inevitably ending the night as WWE Champion? It’s tough for fans to see Sheamus in the mid-card, not doing anything except working his matches, and then suddenly he’s WWE Champion! Where’s the momentum? Did he do anything memorable after he won the briefcase? Why give him the briefcase if you ain’t going to build him as a viable threat to the title whether he has it or not? Shock value? Everyone could see Sheamus cashing in at Survivor Series; it was really predictable.
Like I said before, the timing for Rollins, Cena and Orton to be out, has forced WWE to promote Sheamus, Barrett and Rusev to the top of the card. Just think back, and aside from Sheamus winning the briefcase, Barrett winning KOTR, and Rusev beating Cena, what have they done lately? Not much. And it’s not their fault, they’ve gone out there and done the job every week, but they’ve been nowhere near the main event scene. (Random thought) Remember when Barrett was Bad News Barrett? Damn, I wish they would bring that gimmick back.
At least Sheamus has drawn heat consistently since his repackage, even if the only reaction the fans can think of is “you look stupid”. To me, it’s a dumb chat because his look isn’t THAT bad. I guess the fans can’t think of anything else to chant? Why chant something like that when you have Stardust and Goldust running around? What about The New Day with their sexy unicorn horns? What about Triple H with his Terminator entrances? C’mon people, we can do better than this! If you’re going to chant anything at Sheamus, call him an arsehole, or tell him he sucks dick. Chanting “you look stupid”, is the lamest insult a crowd can muster, it’s clearly not insulting when Sheamus can retort by saying he may look stupid, but he’s still WWE Champion. Expect him to repeat the line over the coming weeks, as the unoriginal fans continue to chant “you look stupid”.
Moving on from my dislike of lame chants, I want to take some time to discuss Dean Ambrose. While he has the potential to be a big name in WWE, his recent run has not helped him. His promos seem to be lacking too, rather unlike his days in The Shield. His ring work isn’t clicking (with me at least) like it used to. He’s stuck in a character which hasn’t seen much evolution lately, and I feel for him, because he needs more variety. They have Ambrose doing too much of the same, he’s not a “lunatic”, because he’s actually quite predictable. He’s different, but he’s not as crazy as Cole tries to make him out. It’s really bad, because when Ambrose’s music hits, you should feel a sense of impending danger, followed by not knowing what’s going to happen next … but all we get is Ambrose working a match, putting someone over, and that’s it. No drama, no lunacy, and it makes me a sad panda. To make it worse, did you hear how JBL buried (and in this case buried is the right word, I don’t use it much) Ambrose during the Survivor Series main event?
It pissed me off as I watching Ambrose vs Reigns fighting in a tournament final for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. It’s been said before, when Ambrose was feuding with Rollins, but JBL decided to remind us of the fact that Ambrose is not someone who should be representing the company. Think about this: did Jerry Lawler ever tell us that Stone Cold Steve Austin should never represent the company? Or The Rock? Why is it that the commentary team can blatantly tell the fans not to get behind someone because this particular wrestler is definitely not going to be champion any time soon. That’s what JBL was saying as he buried Ambrose (probably Vince’s words), he told us he couldn’t imagine Ambrose as champion, so neither should we.
But we don’t give a flying %$£& if the commentary team can’t imagine Ambrose as champion, the only important thing is whether the FANS can imagine Ambrose as champion! We don’t need commentary to tell us who would look good on promotional posters, and who would do exceptionally well on talk shows. GAH! Sorry, but I ain’t seen Survivor Series since Sunday, and I’m still pissed about the commentary. Why put Ambrose in the tournament final if you ain’t going to give him his fair share of praise and adulation? JBL telegraphed the finish for us, and I don’t blame JBL because he was probably told to do that. You didn’t hear the other commentators disagreeing and saying “SHUT UP JBL YOU FREAKING MONGO! AMBROSE WOULD MAKE A GREAT CHAMP! GAWD!”, all we got was JBL burying, Cole kinda agreeing, and King sat there staying silent.
So! I got to move on from Ambrose before I start swearing in caps. The decision to put the belt on Sheamus was “best for business”, and I only say it because WWE had no choice. You put the belt on Reigns, who’s going to rival him? No one. You put the belt on Ambrose, and you find it’s too soon. You put the belt on Triple H and everyone freaks out. You put the belt on Taker or Lesnar and we don’t see the title for months. You put the belt on Ziggler, with no momentum, and people won’t care (sorry, it’s true). At the end of the day, Sheamus was the only man available, and while it’s not what everyone wants, it’s got to happen because there’s no logical alternatives .. at least, not til Vince pulls his finger out and invests time and money on new stars. It was an obvious repeat of a previous PPV, and it made the tournament obsolete, but it provided “feeling sorry” for Reigns moment, and it pushes the storyline forward. It didn’t matter who won the title at Survivor Series, there was always going to be a form of backlash.
We’re left with a bunch of mid-carders fighting in the main event, while the established talent are sat on the bench. We can’t be expected to believe Barrett is main event strong now he’s joined The Authority. It’s difficult to take the product seriously because of the shift, so you have a choice, you can stop watching the product and wait for the established guys to return, or you can accept what WWE has to offer. It’s not ideal for some, but the only way stars are made is when the fans choose to connect. How can we create stars (remember what Warrior said) if we don’t cheer for the new guys when they need support? Why didn’t fans of Ambrose drown out the Roman Empire at Survivor Series? Why does Ziggler only get lukewarm receptions? If the WWE fans really want change, now is the time, because there’s no Cena, Orton, or Rollins; it’s an even playing field.
Speaking of using old names and not pushing young talent. While I fully appreciated The Undertaker getting a win at Survivor Series for his 25th anniversary, the manner in which The Brothers Of Destruction (Taker is 50, Kane is 48) dismantled four members of The Wyatt Family in ten minutes was absolutely the wrong way to go about it. Why make it SOOOO one-sided? Why couldn’t The Wyatt Family come close to beating The Brothers of Destruction? Why was they made to look so weak? And who paid the price for that? The Dudley Boyz on the following Raw. The Wyatt Family lost one match and now they’re strong again because they beat the old Dudley Boyz? No! No! No! The Wyatt Family are so freaking weak, they have FOUR guys lose in ten minutes to two old legends who really should have lost the match if WWE was ever considering their young talents future. Once again, I’m a little annoyed so moving on.
Changing subject! The growing list of injuries in WWE is something I’ve talked about before. The problem with WWE is .. it’s a machine, and the workers do not get benefits of fully employed workers. They are freelance, (despite all the restrictions placed in their contracts), so they will work as long as they can, and they don’t get guaranteed time to recover from injuries. Wrestling needs an off-season, or the workers need guaranteed time off, even if it’s a month per year, because traveling on the road and working so many times a week is something which inevitably leads to severe injuries. Also “losing your spot” creates anxiety for the wrestlers having to take time off with injuries; they may have to work even longer to get back to where they were. They should be allowed time to rest, take a holiday, spend time with family, finish other projects, anything which can physically and mentally help them recover.
Of course, with injuries there’s always unavoidable incidents in the ring, but how many severe injuries would occur if the wrestlers were forced to sit out and rest their minor injuries? I mean, I know it’s never going to happen because Vince is a workhorse and will never understand the concept of rest, but it’s still something to talk about considering the recent sidelining. We hate on wrestlers who walk away from the business, but as fans we can’t fully comprehend how difficult it is to be a WWE wrestler; we only show respect to talent when they are out with injury, and sometimes not even then. Just look at Seth Rollins, before his injury I would see comments like “I HATE ROLLINS HE SUCKS, I WISH HE WOULD DIE!”, but the second his injury was announced .. “WE LOVE YOU SETH COME BACK SOON!”, and “OMG SETH IS GOING TO GET HUGE POP WHEN HE RETURNS!”.
And I’m just sat here, reading these comments and thinking .. well, he’s supposed to be playing the arsehole, but yet, when he was on the roster fans were sick of him, and suddenly he’s gone and everyone wants him to return as a babyface? I remember something The Joker said in Batman .. “You know what I’ve noticed? Nobody panics when things go “according to plan.” Even if the plan is horrifying! If, tomorrow, I tell the press that, like, a gang banger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics, because it’s all “part of the plan”. But when I say that one little old mayor will die, well then everyone loses their minds!”.
And that’s what happened here, Rollins was part of the plan, and then suddenly he wasn’t, and the response was overwhelmingly positive despite his long heel run. “But Kyle, we were just showing him our love and appreciation!”, and I can understand that, but it’s wrong to give a kayfabe heel champion praise, even if he’s going out with a severe injury; did he not get enough heat while he was WWE Champ? Would it have been the same if he, in advance, announced he was going to be out with injury? I highly doubt it. And we shouldn’t be looking forward to cheering for Rollins, we should be looking forward to booing him out of the building!
I’m going to finish my random assortment of thoughts by talking about Kevin Owens. Seriously, if any of you want Owens to reach the top .. you need to boo him! If you appreciate his work, if you appreciate him as a wrestler, if you appreciate his mic skills, you need to show your respect by booing him! He needs to be booed out of the building, because he’s that good. It’s disrespectful to cheer a guy who’s playing the heel, it means he’s not doing enough to piss you off. If you want Owens to be a World Champion, booing him more than anyone else is the way to go. Vince gauges a good heel by negative reactions, not by the “cool” reactions. Let your suspension of disbelief flow through you.Think about this .. Sheamus gets a bigger heel reaction than Owens does. Is that right? Is Sheamus a better heel than Owens? Does Sheamus’ look annoy you more than the words coming out of Owen’s mouth?
I originally wrote this two days ago, but I couldn’t find the time to edit til now. Today I went through this piece and added more to it, as much as I could without seeing this weeks episode of Smackdown. I guess, if you’re going to take anything away from this, you can take the following points with you.
- Vince refuses to push new stars unless they fit his “template” (like Reigns), and he’s shot himself in the foot as now he’s forced to work with mid-carders who’re clearly not ready in the fans eyes.
- Vince still uses the same old guys when it suits, and it continues to damage this generations crop of wrestlers.
- While Sheamus isn’t ideal for many, he’s the only choice left, aside from putting the strap on Reigns (who many say isn’t ready), Ambrose (demoted to the mid-card), Bray Wyatt (lost every feud he’s ever had), or a part-timer like Lesnar or The Undertaker. So you have to do a Batista and “DEAL WITH IT!” til either 1) someone returns, or 2) Vince pulls his finger out and really pushes someone.
- “Fans” need to learn the difference between a babyface and a heel, and the fact that cheering a heel is NOT helping the heel you claim to support. Support your favourite heel by booing the living crap out of them at every opportunity. And stop the dumb “you look stupid” chant at Sheamus; think of something more insulting.
- The commentary teams comments on Dean Ambrose pissed me off so much I can’t explain my feelings without stringing several caps lock curse words together. And I’m not the biggest Ambrose fan, far from it; I just hate it when Vince forces commentary to embarrass the talent.
- Seth Rollins should not come back as a babyface. He should return as a heel, and he should get the loudest jeers since Hogan turned heel in 1996. That’s how you pay respect to Rollins!
- With so many main event talent on the sidelines, it’s time for stars to be made, so the fans should let Vince know who they want to see pushed, but they should also remain skeptical because he could just be waiting for Bryan, Cena or Orton to return; also you can tell he’s panicking with all the recent returns in such a short time.
Before I conclude, I have not read Foley’s rant on Survivor Series, I’ll be looking for that after I’ve finished here; I’m hoping his views line up with mine. Sorry if the piece didn’t have focus, usually I would focus on something, research it, explain it, and it would be great, but this time I just needed to get things off my chest. Despite the recent turn of events, I will be watching with intrigue.
I’m done here, so to all, have a good evening, and a good night, and just remember, things have to change, WWE is a revolving door of change, all you can do is roll with the times, or get out while you still can. Thanks for reading.
