Lack of WWE main event talent

[A.P.]

With WWE resorting to shocking depths in having R-Truth in the main event of the next ppv, and the distinct mid-card talent involved in the gauntlet match on Raw, as well as Edge's retirement, this one show for me how highlighted how abundantly lacking in main event talent the WWE currently is.

 

Listening to the Miz on commentary, for me he doesn't have it. He is trying too hard, and doesn't exude either toughness or raw athleticism, which people like the Rock and Austin both had in adundance. He doesn't look like he could win a bar fight, and doesn't look like he would have any success in any sort of competitive athletic sport. These for me are so important in taking someone seriously as a top wrestler.

 

Cena looks like he has been damaged by the whole Rock angle and has been shown to be a second tier superstar in the grand scheme of things i.e. not on that Rock/Hogan/Austin level of megastar.

 

I believe we are also seeing the negative effects of the WWE's refusal to have Orton/Cena etc lose cleanly or decisively to anyone for the past year and half (people like Wade Barrett and Sheamus were never allowed a decisive run over Orton or Cena for instance). Far from keeping Cena and Orton ahead of the pack and looking special, what I believe is actually now happening is that because the gap has become so large between mid-carders like Ziggler and Morisson and Cena/Orton, the stardom and perception of Cena and Orton is actually getting dragged down and lessened by now being in the same ring/angles as people who have been shown not be good enough for the main event level. Kind of like the SPL in football, where Rangers and Celtic can never be taken that seriously when they are playing shit teams every week, and their perception is dragged down to the overall poor standard of the league.

 

Also, they emphasised again this week how the HHH/Undertaker match was so special, and how special these two superstars are. Now they are both absent, where does that leave everyone else? This again has highlighted the gap that exists.

 

So what can be done? How can anyone actually be elevated now if there is no one to elevate them? Or is there actually anywhere to be elevated to given the aforementioned lack of height that now exists on the WWE totem pole.

[ThePhenom]

I think they should try and get back Batista in his heel role. If after the draft they have Alberto Del Rio, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Christian, John Morrison and Rey Mysterio on Smackdown's main event scene, and then have Miz, Cena, Batista, CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger and Kane on Raw, with Triple H and Undertaker appearing here and there, and with Chris Jericho coming back after DWTS finishes, then they will be fine until Wrestlemania season.

[Dirty Eddie]

Smackdown's situation is just kind of bizarre at the moment...

 

With Show and Kane as a tag team and Rey wrestling a mid-card feud with Cody, that leaves Christian as the only guy who has been positioned in Main Event situations from the babyface side recently.

 

Therefore, Christian is now the main face of Smackdown. Yaaah!

 

About time too!

 

Your winner, by default - Christian.

[ColinBollocks]

Really if there is ever a time to end the daft brand extension it is now. WWE just don't want to or no longer know how to make proper stars.

 

R-Truth getting the main event push is a bit of a red herring. It is clearly John Morrisons spot, but he's such a little bitch so WWE decided to take it away from him. I think R-Truth will slot back into the midcard next month when he fucks up again or they realise he's a bit crap.

[The Total Package]

Guys that I think could be stars, not Hogan/Austin level but atleast on Cena/Orton level are Wade, Sheamus, JoMo,CM Punk, i think thats about it, oh and Del Rio, for the next year they should really push these guys and have them win clean over the likes of Orton.

 

Winning Clean over Cena now is going to be a problem because he has to get ready for The Rock, so I dont think WWE will have him lose clean, especially since as you say TheRock made him look inferior, I know what you're saying about you need stars to make stars kind of thing, if its possible they need get Jericho back so he can help too, because Cena/Orton is just not enough to help, if not just to help out on SD! because without Edge and Taker that show looks very weak.

 

Sadly I doubt any of this will happen as Vince seems more concerned with this rebranding bollocks.

 

Actually i was thinking the other day The Rock has ruined wrestling and by that I mean he has set the bar so ridiculous high that we will never see that level again.

 

I guess ER is the perfect example of what WM27 could have been, take away the legends, the pop culture stars and its pretty much the same show, yet on paper it looks like shit, I cant see nothing but bad buyrates for it, especially since I heard a UFC PPV is the night before, still even without that it will probably still have shit buys.

 

It's shame between the retirements and deaths if WWE still had the likes of JBL, Batista, Benoit, Eddie, King Booker they could easily help get these new guys over.

[ColinBollocks]

What's Skip Sheffield up to these days, FCW? Vince McMahon has a hard on for him, apparently. For good reason too, he looks like a legit bad ass that's off his nut. He's decent on the mic too. I'd have him be a monster and squash everything. I just want a monster back in wrestling though (Awesome Kong will do, I guess).

 

Zack Ryder and Chris Masters are two other guys that I think have everything WWE want, but they refuse to take them seriously. Zack Ryder has a gimmick that is very 'hip' and Chris Masters somehow always manages to get over despite the shit they feed him. Both have cool ring gear too.

 

WWE, in its current state, just doesn't excel at pushing new people - they pick some odd choices to push too. They want The Miz to be taken seriously but he looks like a wee boy playing wrestler (given that Conan O'Brien thought he could take him says it all). The reason the likes of Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and The Rock got over so huge was not only because they were extremely entertaining but they looked hard too - WWE need to remember this.

[Whiskey_Jim]

What's Skip Sheffield up to these days, FCW? Vince McMahon has a hard on for him, apparently. For good reason too, he looks like a legit bad ass that's off his nut. He's decent on the mic too. I'd have him be a monster and squash everything. I just want a monster back in wrestling though (Awesome Kong will do, I guess).

 

Zack Ryder and Chris Masters are two other guys that I think have everything WWE want, but they refuse to take them seriously. Zack Ryder has a gimmick that is very 'hip' and Chris Masters somehow always manages to get over despite the shit they feed him. Both have cool ring gear too.

 

WWE, in its current state, just doesn't excel at pushing new people - they pick some odd choices to push too. They want The Miz to be taken seriously but he looks like a wee boy playing wrestler (given that Conan O'Brien thought he could take him says it all). The reason the likes of Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and The Rock got over so huge was not only because they were extremely entertaining but they looked hard too - WWE need to remember this.

your supposed to believe that heel champions can lose, its what makes people pay to see them.... potentially getting their's from the babyface.

[King Pitcos]

The reason the likes of Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and The Rock got over so huge was not only because they were extremely entertaining but they looked hard too - WWE need to remember this.

A lot of people think Ric Flair was the best wrestler ever, and he never looked particularly hard compared to other wrestlers.

[ColinBollocks]

What's Skip Sheffield up to these days, FCW? Vince McMahon has a hard on for him, apparently. For good reason too, he looks like a legit bad ass that's off his nut. He's decent on the mic too. I'd have him be a monster and squash everything. I just want a monster back in wrestling though (Awesome Kong will do, I guess).

 

Zack Ryder and Chris Masters are two other guys that I think have everything WWE want, but they refuse to take them seriously. Zack Ryder has a gimmick that is very 'hip' and Chris Masters somehow always manages to get over despite the shit they feed him. Both have cool ring gear too.

 

WWE, in its current state, just doesn't excel at pushing new people - they pick some odd choices to push too. They want The Miz to be taken seriously but he looks like a wee boy playing wrestler (given that Conan O'Brien thought he could take him says it all). The reason the likes of Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and The Rock got over so huge was not only because they were extremely entertaining but they looked hard too - WWE need to remember this.

your supposed to believe that heel champions can lose, its what makes people pay to see them.... potentially getting their's from the babyface.

That wasn't my point. My point is The Miz isn't going to be accepted on the level they hope he will because of his physical limitations. They gave Triple H a similar role in 1999/early-2000 but the difference is Triple H looks the part and can be taken as a threat to the likes of The Rock and Steve Austin. He got so over they even started booking him as a bad ass instead of the sneaky coward he was for that year period.

 

The reason the likes of Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and The Rock got over so huge was not only because they were extremely entertaining but they looked hard too - WWE need to remember this.

A lot of people think Ric Flair was the best wrestler ever, and he never looked particularly hard compared to other wrestlers.

That was nearly 30 years ago in a completly different set-up. Alvarez brought up that point with Meltzer and Meltzer says it only worked because Flair was already super over thanks to cable and he wasn't sticking around for long (going place to place), so he made the regional champion look great as he took the World champion to the limit. It's completely different to being on TV every week and being potrayed as below a level or weak. Also being World champion meant something then, you had to be credible then - Ric Flair was.

[Magnum]

R-Truth getting the main event push is a bit of a red herring. It is clearly John Morrisons spot, but he's such a little bitch so WWE decided to take it away from him. I think R-Truth will slot back into the midcard next month when he fucks up again or they realise he's a bit crap.

 

You know, I'm not so sure. They seem to like to do that thing post-Wrestlemania where they pick a midcarder seemingly at random and throw the world title on him, regardless of crowd reactions or prior push. They did it with CM Punk (the first time he won MITB) and Jack Swagger, I wouldn't put it past them to do it with R-Truth too - I wonder if he'd have got the Money In The Bank push if they'd had the match at this year's Mania? Granted it would be insane and backward as fuck, but that's never bothered them in the past.

[ColinBollocks]

R-Truth getting the main event push is a bit of a red herring. It is clearly John Morrisons spot, but he's such a little bitch so WWE decided to take it away from him. I think R-Truth will slot back into the midcard next month when he fucks up again or they realise he's a bit crap.

 

You know, I'm not so sure. They seem to like to do that thing post-Wrestlemania where they pick a midcarder seemingly at random and throw the world title on him, regardless of crowd reactions or prior push. They did it with CM Punk (the first time he won MITB) and Jack Swagger, I wouldn't put it past them to do it with R-Truth too - I wonder if he'd have got the Money In The Bank push if they'd had the match at this year's Mania? Granted it would be insane and backward as fuck, but that's never bothered them in the past.

You're may be right. It just seemed so odd, given they appeared to have given up hope after he screwed up that town name.

[A.P.]

The reason the likes of Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and The Rock got over so huge was not only because they were extremely entertaining but they looked hard too - WWE need to remember this.

A lot of people think Ric Flair was the best wrestler ever, and he never looked particularly hard compared to other wrestlers.

 

I'm not so much sure it's looking 'hard' that's important, but rather athletic i.e. strong, explosive and powerful.

 

I would hazard a guess that the Miz never played or excelled in any sports in college/high school. I even find when he is stood in the ring with Alex Riley that 'A-Ri's' athletic prowess always overshadows the Miz's. The Miz looks like he is a boy playing a man's game to me.

 

It is no coincidence that nearly every top main-event wrestler of the modern era and even before (who didn't rely on a hardcore or spot-orientated style e.g. Jeff Hardy, Foley) was an athlete with an impressive sporting background before pro-wrestling. Austin and the Rock were American football players. Same with Brock Lesnar and Leg Luger. Kevin Nash and the Undertaker were basketball players. Kurt Angle was obviously an amateur wrestler, as were people like Bret Hart. Shawn Michaels played American football did he not? Not sure about Hogan, didn't he play baseball? HHH and Cena were bodybuilders. The list goes on. There probably aren't many exceptions.

 

Which just goes to show that maybe there lies the key to finding main event talent for WWE. But then again, maybe this is where MMA is damaging pro-wrestling more than anyone realises. I'm sure a young athlete who doesn't make the NFL is more likely now to give MMA a shot than pro-wrestling.

[King Pitcos]

The reason the likes of Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and The Rock got over so huge was not only because they were extremely entertaining but they looked hard too - WWE need to remember this.

A lot of people think Ric Flair was the best wrestler ever, and he never looked particularly hard compared to other wrestlers.

 

I'm not so much sure it's looking 'hard' that's important, but rather athletic i.e. strong, explosive and powerful.

 

 

He doesn't look in worse shape (or any less athletic, really) than the likes of Jericho and CM Punk.

[ColinBollocks]

The reason the likes of Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and The Rock got over so huge was not only because they were extremely entertaining but they looked hard too - WWE need to remember this.

A lot of people think Ric Flair was the best wrestler ever, and he never looked particularly hard compared to other wrestlers.

 

I'm not so much sure it's looking 'hard' that's important, but rather athletic i.e. strong, explosive and powerful.

 

 

He doesn't look in worse shape (or any less athletic, really) than the likes of Jericho and CM Punk.

Yeah but the thing is with those two is both of them are upper midcarders that occasionally slot into the main event when needed. They are not THE main event. It also helps both men are a lot more talented than The Miz, so it's easier to believe in them. CM Punk, for example, plays his character of a nutter perfectly. He's vicious in the ring. The Miz doesn't have that.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

CM Punk, for example, plays his character of a nutter perfectly. He's vicious in the ring. The Miz doesn't have that.

If everyone was the same, nobody would be special. The Miz is such a dick, your supposed to pay to see him get beat. WWE havent really given him the backing they should do during his title reign. They seem to be keep taking him out of the water and putting him back in and dont know whether to run with him or not. If they got behind him, he'd be far more successful. Jericho came across much worse during his first title reign than the Miz. At least Miz hasnt had to take anyones dog for a walk.