First of all, “us fans” are the reason WWE not only still exists but continues to be one of the most successful companies in the world all around. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I take personal offense to this “accusation” but at the same time, I can’t help but feel it’s a rather unfair statement because “us fans” are the least to be blamed for WWE’s mess.
As it pertains to us old school fans that have grown up and/or lived through the Golden Era or even more so the Attitude Era, can you really blame us for getting that feel of nostalgia when all these legends such as HBK, HHH and/or Taker in this instance still excite us to this day, despite their age and despite the obvious fact they can’t possibly perform to the highest level they once did?
Is it really us the fans fault that WWE have failed to create new stars of the same caliber? Granted, it ain’t easy to recreate stars like Undertaker (arguably the most successful gimmick of all time), the Rock, Austin, Bret Hart, HHH, Kane or HBK (just to name a few) but the problem is WWE haven’t even tried. I guess John Cena is the only name I can come up that came along afterwards whilst the closest we ever got since then was Daniel Bryan; and even that was a case in which WWE were pretty much forced to settle with cause we all remember what their original plan was back then. Unfortunately, Bryan’s injuries forced that three year retirement, basically killing whatever momentum he had, even if till today he is still the number one baby face in the entire industry.
The way I see it, the biggest problem is WWE are trying to force a situation upon us rather than letting things just flow naturally, organically, as in let us fans “decide” who we want on top. I mean, correct me if I’m wrong but all these aforementioned legends above, I don’t recall any of them being necessarily forced upon us. Sure, some were definitely pushed more than others and backstage politics has always been a thing but still…
Take Austin for example. Who can ever forget that promo during King of the Ring that pretty much kick started what turned out to be – though short lived unfortunately due to injury – one of the hottest acts ever. How about the Rock’s amazing heel promo, getting him instantly over, ultimately making him the people’s champion and one of the biggest stars of all time? The key was/is, things just happened naturally and everything took their course.
How about nowadays though? Two weeks ago we had that brilliant segment with HBK and Undertaker, that had the majority of fans either glued to the screen, not even blinking and the live crowd on the edge of their seat, holding on to each word those two uttered. Why is that? As I mentioned in the “rating” thread, it was a promo that should serve as a lesson for all the new talent as to how the job is done, captivating the crowd and basically holding everyone in the palm of their hands cause that’s what both HBK and Taker did that night. It was a back and forth that felt real and anything but scripted. Who in this current roster can accomplish the same? Who? Who? Who? (pun intended). The closest one in my humble opinion is Samoe Joe, if and when they let him. Otherwise, I’m sorry but fucking sufferin succotash and tater tots just don’t work for me.
The irony of the matter is, this isn’t even Roman’s fault but in order to achieve their goal, WWE have practically sacrificed everything and everyone. They took a white hot Braun Strowman and turned him heel, reformed the Shield YET AGAIN while killing whatever momentum Seth Rollins had (you’d almost forget he is currently the IC champion), Dean Ambrose’s return has been uneventful, made AOP look like fucking jobbers (the irony being two segments later they are presented as the dominant force against local jobbers; who writes this shit???) and now even brought Mick Foley back for Hell in Cell because…yeah…when the Rock raised Roman’s hand back at the Royal Rumble in Philly, it worked oh so well…
Aside from that, they had a concrete story with Asuka as the ultimate “beast” in the woman’s division, only to turn her into a joke, the tag division on RAW has been a complete joke, Fin smiling Balor is a joke, Michael Cole still on commentary is a fucking joke (as well as pathetic)…and the list goes on and on…
So, if WWE seemingly don’t care or give a shit, why the fuck should us fans do? I, myself, am of the opinion that the Undertaker should have retired either with the streak intact or as soon as Lesnar beat him back at Mania 30. I’m also of in agreement of the idea of HBK staying retired. On the other hand though, I’d much rather see these two 50+ year olds go at it again rather than 95% of the garbage they serve us nowadays.
Last year Braun was inside an ambulance that Roman crushed into a wall with force, yet he was never arrested for what was basically attempted murder. On the other hand, the Shield get arrested the other week for…what exactly? Oh, and by the way, after that crash, Braun, being the monster he is, got up and slowly walked away, yet a little Samoan Drop (even through a table) this past Monday left him all lying and wasted.
This is exactly the nonsense we rarely had to experience back in the day and this is why a lot of fans are currently tuning out or not as big in wrestling as they once were, aside of course from the hardcore base. I know it, you know it and WWE sure as hell know it which the reason they are basically forced to rely on the legends coming back and performing again and again and again. Ain’t no Roman Reigns or Fin Balor selling out Melbourne Australia. Add Undertaker, HHH and HBK though in the mix? The sell out is a lock and that ain’t us fans fault…
