WWE/Creative and the element of fear

[Killz]

Reading peers picks and so-called 'expert' coloumns outlining Royal Rumble predictions it's clear to see this year isn't quite as obvious as some years have been. There is a LOT of young talent entered into the Rumble that we're meant to think have a chance. Realistically though, do they? Or are we, as ever, putting all our eggs into a basket of courage that WWE simply doesn't deliver on? Let me explain.

The guys who haven't been World champ before who could be tipped to win this match? Wade Barrett, John Morrison and Alberto Del Rio. Each guy has proved they have what it takes. Wade? Needs some polishing in the ring. JoMo? Needs a new psychology direction and mic time. Del Rio? Dammit he's the finished article.

What about guys who HAVE been champ before but have fallen away in recent months/years or who aren't seen as main eventers? CM Punk or Sheamus. Sure, Sheamus isn't AS relevant as when he was WWE champion but in all seriousness, he's King of the Ring, that used to be a near guaranteed big time match down the line and now we've all but forgotten he even won that tournament. Punk is a top competitor, total package and a star WWE really should, and are, investing in. He could carry a Rumble win sublimely.

My question is what chance do these guys have? Sure Sheamus and Punk might be more like than Wade or JoMo but do Punk or the Irish Curse even have a chance?

It has become apparent to me that the youth drive in WWE right now is AWESOME at creating breakthrough, mid to upper midcard talents but since this all kicked off with the ECW talent initiative we haven't had one new, fully fledged, main eventer. New guys have broke in but who has remained? I know it takes a long time to establish a new guy but we've seen with Sheamus and Jack Swagger that guys who get the title aren't always pushed as they should be. Who knows what will happen with the Miz.

Basically I'm imploring WWE to stay with it, keep having the bottle to put fresh talent over because that's the only way you'll sell PPV's in an era where John Cena and Orton begin to become tired and aged. We've already seen the decline of HHH, Taker, Michaels and Jericho this past year.

Do you think WWE will continue to throw their weight behind the new talent? Or do you think that rumours of WWE being worried about weak WrestleMania line-ups will lead them to lean on the Cena's and Orton's of this world at yet another big PPV?

 

[Prodigy]

I hope to god they keep with the new talent. They have done it before because obviously Cena, Orton, Batista and Edge went through the same process so I hope that they have enough faith in doing it again.

 

[Killz]

Interesting guys you bring up. Orton, Cena and Edge are clear demonstrations of that slow burn build but let's look at Batista because he proves that the multi-year, slow burn, teasing ME status isn't the only way to build a star.

Has Bats looked back since he broke from Evolution and won the Rumble? Hell no, he was relevant in the main event scene from that moment on aka stage 1 was being in a faction, stage 2 was a main event program and that's it, he became a main eventer. No-one right now quite fits that mould but surely by reworking the title scene, throwing the title on a top heel, we can recreate that sort of push with another guy who would turn face? Take perhaps a Nexus/Corre member. Who's to say you COULDN'T push one of those guys to the moon by giving Punk the title for a few months and having someone break out from that group?

All I'm saying is WWE need to look at new ways to do things. For years its been the slow build. More recently it's been money in the bank but even that's becoming tired. We need a fresh push direction I think. Maybe a non main eventer winning the Rumble?

 

[Troy]

Another great thread.

It is true that every year the fans, myself included, have all these wonderful predictions about how this year creative are going to be different this year. All these midcarders will become champions, tag team wrestling will suddenly matter, size won't matter when it comes to maineventing etc. Yet each year we always end up disappointed. Granted last year things were quite different in the mainevent scene. We saw a lot more fresh faces in title matches especially near the end of last year.

This year though everything is different. There are much fewer veteran maineventers these days and WWE simply have to produce more title contenders to fill the gaps left by retirements and injuries if they were to happen. WWE no longer have a huge list of bonafide maineventers on their roster. Cena, Orton and HHH from RAW and Edge, Undertaker, Big Show, Rey Mysterio and Kane on Smackdown. From that list only two, Cena and Orton could be expected to be wrestling in a couple of years time the others will all have retired by then from full time wrestling.

WWE needs stars like CM Punk, Sheamus, The Miz, John Morrison, Del Rio, Swagger, Kingston, Wade Barrett and others to be the mainevent of the next few years to replace those veterans. Four of those eight have won either the World or WWE title in WWE but I would only consider CM Punk as a maineventer. Sheamus and Miz are close but aren't quite there. WWE have a fantastic opportunity at the Rumble this year to elevate one of these wrestlers right into mainevent status. WWE simply don't fail these days when they book someone to win the Rumble. It is a long term commitment and whomever they select will be set in the mainevent for the next few years. They have all these great options and this has to be the time they take a bit of a risk on someone like Del Rio or a Morrison to win the Rumble. Take the chance and elevate that star in one night.

WWE have to take the chance this year as they need more stars to replace those that have already disappeared and that will leave this year. WWE can't afford to wait any longer and I believe that they started to realise that during the middle of last year. They understood that they needed more stars and so they started to elevate stars more frequently then they have done in a long time.

So yes WWE will continue to throw their weight behind new talents, they can't afford not to. The Cena's and Orton's will still be around but they will be in a different role similar to the role HHH was playing before he was injured. They will help to elevate more stars rather than holding the title for nine months each year between them.
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[Killz]

Great point Troy. Maybe this isn't a question of preference on WWE's part but more of necessity. By relying on the same old draws for another round of big time pay-per-views they will undoubtedly be shooting themselves in the foot. I think the only logical way of continuing to create the stars of tomorrow is to dial up the backing of key people behind the scenes from 90% to 100% and really MAKE a star in the coming months. We know they can and THEY know they can, they just need to keep ploughing away with a push until it works out. You'll never know if you drop someone mid-push (see Kofi Kingston) how they'd turn out with the top gold.

 

[Dod Draper]

Another great post Killa.

You make a great point; there certainly seems hesitance when it comes to sticking with their new champions. They've done a great job at pushing these guys through and once they've had a couple of reigns they cool off.

I'd love nothing more than to see one of the more fresh talents win their first title before or at 'Mania, then hold onto it for 6 months. WWE don't seem to like longer title reigns anymore, but I like them when they're not overused. It establishes an air of fortitude for the superstar, you know? For the younger guys just breaking through, that'd be a great thing to have. Swagger, Punk & Sheamus all could have done with that.

 

[Killz]

Thanks man.

I feel like that is exactly what the Miz needs right now but given the way he won the title and the overuse of A-Ri by his side an extended, clean-ish title reign is just not on the cards for him. If he's champ into the Chamber, I don't expect him to keep it beyond that. I'd LOVE for him to keep it, I just don't think WWE will book him as the champ going into Wrestle Mania.

Sheamus is the guy who I really think has lost out in this whole thing and is another guy I'd enjoy seeing win the Rumble. He not only needed a long, dominant reign he could TOTALLY pull it off given his size. You might say Miz is all hot air and quite small for a superstar (physique wise) but if there was a ever a believable champion it's a guy with the build of Sheamus.

I really do wish they'd work on establishing more main eventers in the current climate. Back in the day just winning the IC title was almost a guarantor of main event status but these days even winning a World title can lead to no progression in your career (see Jack Swagger)