Don’t you just hate it when you take a shortcut and things go terribly wrong. With me it’s like a domino effect, one problem begat another and instead of saving time, I actually lose some.
Vince McMahon’s been taking shortcuts lately and it looks like it might of caught up with him. Excuses can be made about a not-so rowdy Columbus crowd, the ratings however cannot be ignored. The ship has been changing course far too frequently and not only do WWE have mutiny on the decks, they’ve ran aground.
Last year it was simple, people didn’t want Batista and they wanted Daniel Bryan. This year it’s a lot more complicated. Not only are the Bryan fans upset, the followers of Roman Reigns are angry as well. In a way, the latter reaction is one WWE should desire. As it means if people are turning on Bryan then Roman must have a modicum of popularity. But Reigns is at a crucial juncture in his career that could prove disastrous if not handled correctly. If WWE pull Reigns out, he’ll lose a lot of credibility; if they push him too hard, it could cause resentment amongst the fanbase.
It’s amazing how WWE book themselves into these really bad situations. They’ve got two babyface talents that need all the nurturing they can get and now are forced into splitting the audience and making themselves look weaker as a result. WWE have pitted Bryan and Reigns against each other and neither one is coming out shining.
And really, the fact of the matter is Bryan and Reigns aren’t exactly the perfect match-up for a blockbuster Wrestlemania main event with Brock Lesnar. From a personal point of view, I’d love to see Bryan take on Lesnar, but I can concede that it won’t leave the cash registers ringing. As for Reigns, he isn’t ready, he isn’t a proven commodity, and won’t draw to the level of Bryan.
Is that Reigns or Bryan’s fault? No. It’s all WWE’s for the way they book everyone on their shows. There’s literally a handful of guys that are protected and the rest are devalued on a weekly basis. It’s really sad. Super talented guys have their careers tarnished before they’ve even began. It’s like everyone who walks into WWE gets a role and if they rise any higher than that role, they get cutoff. Rather than risk someone else getting popular, WWE sabotage themselves just so their “guy” doesn’t get out-shined. It’s such an idiotic way to grow a business. Instead of making the top guys stronger, they just make everyone else weaker.
Just look at Cena. He’s been around forever and it is time for some new blood, but that doesn’t mean WWE have to bury him. It’s ridiculous. Cena should be heading into legendary status. Instead he’s getting moved down the totem pole. He’s one of the only money men WWE have and they’ve decided his money isn’t good enough for them.
I just cannot fathom it. Why is there a “one star” at all times policy? They’ll never be another boom period because if you get guys as talented as Steve Austin, The Rock, Mick Foley and HHH, three of them are going to be buried into worthlessness. Why can’t these people coexist and be side-by-side? Why does there always have to be a pecking order with one guy at the top? Although, I have no objections to having one standout star, but there needs to be strong guys underneath. Where do WWE think its main event talents are going to come from?
It’s like WWE have forgot the basics in making a star and it drives me to distraction. Vince McMahon has no faith in Bryan, therefore he’s been booked terribly and will never be presented as a star, because McMahon cannot see past his own prejudices; and Reigns is a blank canvas of a character who’s only been a single for about half a year, he’s been on the sidelines for a large chunk of that time, and he hasn’t been proven to have any of the abilities a headliner needs in their locker. Does he even have the ability? It’ll probably be best to find those things out before strapping the company to his back. And if he’s going to be the face of the company for the next ten years, what’s the rush? And if so many things have been devolved in wrestling and said to be unimportant – even the WWE title itself – why is McMahon so picky about his world champion? You’d think he was making a Pope.
But isn’t just about no one being strong enough to face Lesnar. I believe Brock’s strength could be the real issue. His fans aren’t as vocal, but he does have them, and I could see him taking numbers from the Reigns and Bryan strongholds, which is quite remarkable considering Brock’s second stretch in the company.
It looked a little bleak last year for Lesnar. He was going towards Wrestlemania looking like another predictable victim and what happened will forever be remembered as a huge milestone in the history of professional wrestling. The memory of the long, slow, dead, dull match has dissipated and made way for the legend bore into our consciousness by Paul Heyman.
Following Wrestlemania, Lesnar’s first title defense came at Summerslam against John Cena, in a unique prolonged squash match spectacle, and like the shock surprise that sent the Superdome into even more silence, the match lacked drama and heat. Star ratings were not the objective though, it was about what those key moments signified, and they will live an eternity.
Those two matches were perfect rehab to a run that was misused and abused during his return. The thing is, since his revival, no one else has been treated like Brock and everyone pales in comparison. Someone may get the rub from working with him, although most don’t deserve to be in the ring with him in the first place, and the buy-rates will prove it. Does that mean everyone on the roster is useless? No, it just means they’ve been booked into being useless.
So what could the company of done differently? To be honest with WWE, Pulitzer prize winners could be written on the subject. But I believe if The Undertaker was good to go, they really should of put him in the Royal Rumble as the number thirty entrant. The big surprise would of appeased the Philadelphia crowd and be a no-brainer rematch for Lesnar that’s Wrestlemania worthy. After one go around, the sequel surely would of been better, and it would of added suspense that the current proposed pairings don’t have. Right now it feels like a match with no true marquee value, and all Lesnar’s doing is putting over the guy on the way out.
Vince McMahon has really done it this time. I’ve heard he’s a bit of a workaholic. If that’s the case, maybe he should slow down and stop doing so much, therefore stop making so many fundamental errors. It can’t be easy doing the work of two men. Especially when those two men are Laurel and Hardy. It truly is a fine mess.
