Watching the latest programming from WWE, and indeed perhaps the programming for the last several months, it's clear to me that the company, brand, and product is very unfocused. Between Raw and Smackdown, it's impossible to tell just exactly what the main thrust of the shows are, and more importantly, what the incentive is for fans to shell out their hard-earned money to either attend a live event, or purchase a pay-per-view. It is truly mind-boggling to see how far WWE has fallen off the mark since the glory days of the "Attitude Era," and it's become a custom now for fans to attempt to articulate the decline of this empire through their videos, blogs, and social networking outlets. In this sense, I suppose I am just one of many, adding my voice to the thousands across the world that have grown up with such amazing memories and have begun to lose faith, not because we dislike the product of professional wrestling, but because we want more memories like the ones we already cherish, and they are coming few and far between.
The first theory seems to be that this is simply the next step in the cycle that wrestling has apparently always adhered to: a peak of success to last a few years, followed by a drought and eventual re-emergence to prosperity. The main example of this was the rise of "Hulkamania" in the 80's, followed by a ten year gap of what many consider to be less-than-memorable programming, and then the boom of the "Attitude Era." I think most people will agree that "Hulkamania" hit its stride in '84-'85, and that the "Attitude Era" began in '96-'97. There are at least eleven years separating the two eras. If we are to follow this formula, that means we should have hit another "boom" period around 2008. I guess one could argue that there was a peak of interest in 2004-2005, when Randy Orton, Batista, and John Cena all rose to prominence within the company, but fans were already growing tired of Cena by 2006, as evidenced by the reaction he received in his match with Triple H at Wrestlemania 22, just one year after winning his first WWE Championship.
The other theory is that a combination of poor development and even poorer booking has made the WWE a bland, stale product with no intrigue left to speak of. Some fans will say that WWE simply doesn't know how to create characters anymore. Others will say that it's impossible to create new stars when men like Triple H, Cena, and Orton are all kept at the top of the card while everyone else is left to flounder at midcard or lower.
I think it is a combination of these things. Obviously, WWE is not the same company it was 15 years ago. Vince McMahon is not the man he was 15 years ago. Whereas the WWE of 1998 need only please its fans to sell tickets and pay-per-views (which, in turn, pleased their advertisers and USA Network), the WWE of 2011 needs not only to appease fans, but also those public shareholders with a financial stake in WWE's well-being. Many blame WWE's tamer, family-friendly TV-PG rating on Linda McMahon's vie for public office, but I believe it was as much to appeal to potential investors as it was to paint a prettier picture for political constituents.
However, I don't think a wrestling program needs to be particularly graphic or explicit to be edgy. In fact, I think TNA's Impact Wrestling could learn a few things from WWE's playbook as far as toning down some of the language in their programming. The formula for a great wrestling program has always been the same, and in fact, relates to any form of entertainment I can think of. You see, most people talk about wrestling as a sport. This may be true in a certain context, but at its heart, wrestling is entertainment. Of course, so is baseball. So is football. So is soccer, and hockey, and basketball. Like these sports, WWE Superstars and any professional wrestlers need to be superbly conditioned to be able to perform the way they do on the schedule they endure. That is not a pity party for wrestlers, that is a testament to their fortitude and conditioning. I truly believe professional wrestlers are among the greatest athletes in the world. However, unlike the sports mentioned above, wrestlers cannot make a career on athleticism alone.
Similar to the theory of why wrestlers take steroids (that a great body will get you a main event spot), the idea that a wrestler will headline pay-per-views one day due to their athleticism is simply not the case these days. Of course, being the most athletic man on the card is often very helpful, but unless it is coupled with a unique charisma and a well-booked angle, you will quickly find yourself fighting for a chances to show off your talent. Shawn Michaels was one of the few to possess all of these qualities at once, and while he didn't quite achieve the level of success of Hulk Hogan or "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, he is often cited as being arguably the greatest wrestler of all time.
In some respects, however, I believe wrestling has a lot more in common with traditional sports than most people realize. Baseball is a prime example. You see, a man like Shawn Michaels often chalks up his success to his ability to "make other guys look good." One of the reasons the Rockers became so popular in the locker room was because they could have a great match with anybody. Ric Flair has often stated that Shawn Michaels could have a 5-star match with a broomstick. That kind of respect comes from his ability to tap in to the sort of ring psychology that comes from years of training and experience. It doesn't happen overnight. To build up a man like Steve Austin, WWE needed a man like Shawn Michaels so that when Austin finally got his sweet victory at Wrestlemania XIV, it made Austin look like the toughest man alive, similar to how his match against Bret Hart at Wrestlemania 13 made him look almost superhuman. All three of these men possessed years of experienced that allowed them to understand how essential it is to have a good villain on your way to building a good hero. It is a special kind of teamwork that no other sport can replicate. The New York Yankees wouldn't be half as exciting to watch if it weren't for the Boston Red Sox. Both are great franchises with lifetimes of history behind them. Both are considered two of the most prestigious organizations in baseball and, arguably, in all of sports. But without the other, without that fire provided by a heated rivalry with an equally talented adversary, the game just isn't that exciting, and the team is just another team. The Yankees would not have been as successful without Mark Texiera playing such great first base, or without Robinson Cano feeding him such great plays from second. And their successes make their brand successful. They go hand-in-hand.
It's the same with wrestling.
Experience cannot be taught. It must be gained by honing your skills. Men like Steve Austin, Chris Benoit, Shawn Michaels, and Chris Jericho would wrestle for almost twenty years before becoming WWE and World Heavyweight Champions. Now WWE is expecting greenhorns with just 1/4 that experience to accomplish the same levels of greatness. Unforunately for WWE, greatness cannot be mass-produced.
Steve Austin will never go down as one of the greatest "wrestlers" of all time, but will go down as arguably the greatest "personality" of all time. The same can be said of Hogan. These men were not known for their technical skills or even their athleticism. They were known for their connection with the fans on both sides of the playing field. When they were good, you loved them. When they were bad, you loved to hate them.
Why am I spending so much time talking about these men of the past? Because WWE is now gearing up for the "Road to Wrestlemania," which, traditionally, starts rather unofficially at Survivor Series. We already know that the main event at Wrestlemania XXVIII will be John Cena vs. The Rock. In preparation for that, WWE has announced that the two 'Mania opponents will be teaming together at Survivor Series. This is a match that many feel should've taken place at Wrestlemania XXVII, but instead was promised to us the night after last year's big event.
I actually think this is a good thing on several levels. The first is that WWE is finally giving us at least one "dream match" that we might otherwise never see. While I think most people would still love to see Steve Austin vs. Hulk Hogan, we all know that match will never happen. Similarly, with HBK in retirement, it's looking less and less likely we will ever see The Rock vs. Shawn Michaels. But this match of two icons from two generations will happen, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
The second reason is that it puts John Cena in an angle that for once doesn't involve the WWE Championship. Instead, that is left to Alberto Del Rio and C.M. Punk, and while I think it is still too early to say that Del Rio has come into his own, hopefully working with Punk will lend him some credibility. This gives disgruntled Cena-haters, a long-awaited change of scenery as it pertains to the title picture.
Finally, and probably the most obvious reason this is a great idea, is that seeing The Rock return will hopefully spark interest for fans who left the product at the end of the "Attitude Era" or later. You see, The Rock isn't simply a character put out there to thwart the unconquerable Cena. It's not just The Rock's accomplishments that fans are cheering for. It's the fact that he has become yet another outlet for fans to vent their frustrations about John Cena and the generation he stands for.
Cena was poised to be the next Rock or "Stone Cold," but in 2005, he "betrayed" many fans by ditching his throwback jerseys and PhD in Thuganomics for corporate Kool-Aid and motivational bumper sticker t-shirts. "Word Life" became "Hustle. Loyalty. Respect." The "F-U" became the "Attitude Adjustment." Rather than be the next herald of a new kind of "attitude," Cena became the white-meat, straight-laced babyface that fans through every generation have learned to loath. The same move almost derailed HBK's entire WWE Championship reign, and it wouldn't be until the formation of DX that he would rise to popularity again. Now Cena was doing the same. In fans eyes, he'd sold out.
Fans have been looking for a "savior" from Cena for several years. First they thought they would get it in Randy Orton, but he became all but mute, and ascended to greatness by letting his actions speak louder than words. Then there was Batista, but he couldn't topple the Cena bandwagon. Then Chris Jericho promised to "save us" but instead became the very thing he sought to save us from. Finally, there was C.M. Punk who managed to make his voice--the "Voice of the Voiceless"--heard; but that angle was destroyed when Triple H came back to put himself over once again.
So The Rock is now the apparent last chance for WWE fans to finally be heard, and probably has the most likely chance of defeating Cena at the big showcase. But it's not all sunshine and daisies here. There are some cons to the angle as well.
For one, despite the fact that neither The Rock nor Cena are champions of any kind, the focus of the show, particularly Raw, is squarely on them. Despite the fact that Punk and Del Rio are feuding for WWE's top prize, Cena is often featured in the main events and his feud with the Rock, The Miz, and R-Truth is much more heavily promoted than the WWE title bouts. WWE is promoting The Rock's return to Raw in two weeks, saying that Raw is about to get "ROCKED!" This implies that there will be an electricity and energy in the show that is not there on a regular basis, but that was not the case when The Rock first became a prominent Superstar. Raw was already exciting. The Rock just made it better. In this case, it seems like fans are counting on The Rock to once again "save them" from boring old Raw.
After the fiasco that was Triple H's run as Raw General Manager, it's clear that WWE is putting much more emphasis on past names than on new ones. This points out the overall flaw I see in the program: the complete and utter lack of focus.
This past Monday night, we saw the Muppets guest star on Raw, picking fights with Superstars. We saw John Cena defeat the Miz. Miss Piggy picked a fight with Hornswoggle. Michael Cole continued taking shots at Jim Ross. Zack Ryder beat Dolph ZIggler. Santino Marella beat Jack Swagger. The #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship beat the WWE Champion. The tag champs got beat by a completely random pairing of Superstars. A WWE Superstar made some insinuation of a biological relation to a Muppet. Eve became the #1 contender for the Divas Championship while wearing her Halloween costume; and the World Heavyweight Champion beat the #1 contender for the WWE Championship.
From this list, compiled with a little help from the Raw results on wwe.com, we can see that WWE has no clear direction for the show. What do the Muppets have to do with wrestling? Is wrestling a comedy where we watch puppets argue with grown men, or is it a show where angry men fight? Why is there a feud between announcers? How does that sell tickets? Is their job to do play-by-play and color commentary, or is it to get in the ring? How does making Del Rio lose to Big Show make Del Rio a formidable champion for C.M. Punk? Since when are Wade Barrett and Cody Rhodes a tag team? How does asking the Divas to wrestle in Halloween costumes establish respect for them as legitimate competitors? Why was Mark Henry battling Punk? What did they even have to do with each other?
You see, I think in this case, WWE could take a page from TNA's playbook. If you watch even one episode of Impact Wrestling, you'll notice that almost everyone on the program has an angle and a clear opponent. While the angles themselves often leave something to be desired, it's never a question of who the bad guy is or why this match is taking place. This is especially true in the main events. A couple of weeks ago, Kelly Kelly was the good girl gone crazy. Now all of a sudden she's a heel and Divas Champion Beth Phoenix is the face?
Burying Del Rio gave me no reason to order the pay-per-view because now I know he can be beaten. Putting the #1 contenders against champions from other shows was a bad idea because the shows and their champions are structured differently. They are in entirely different weight classes and have no reason to be fighting each other. Sure, you could argue that the Big Show/Del Rio match made sense because Del Rio ran Big Show down with his car a few months back, but this angle should've been wrapped up months ago. It should've been the first thing on Show's list when he came back. Instead he's fighting Mark Henry and rehashing a tired angle.
I think WWE has mistaken zaniness for unpredictability. Shoving as many things as you can into one show is never a recipe for success. WWE could have one match a night, and as long as it's a match fans want to see, we will watch. But trying to come up with excuses to put people on screen is just exposing your creative team as weak and tired.
WWE has a tough job creating so many hours of original programming every week, but that is also why WWE is struggling. Shows like NXT and Superstars were moved to wwe.com because they could not hold viewers attention on ScyFy and WGN, respectively. Yes, watching great athletes is impressive, but there were no angles connected with either of these shows. We were fed generic matches with mid-card talent, and no explanation. How does WWE expect that to be a successful program?
Thus, I think a combination of overexposure and bad creative decisions is what's killing the company right now. Having two world champions is confusing and stretches the roster thinner than is necessary. Consolidating titles and recombining the brands so that the Superstars are all on one roster will force Superstars to step up their game if they want TV time, and maybe cut the creative team a little slack so that they need not write a dozen storylines a week.
Finally, take John Laurinaitis out from in front of the camera. There is no reason to be putting this much emphasis on a non-wrestler character unless it is to elevate the status of a wrestler. The only man who stands to benefit from exploiting Laurinaitis' on-screen role is Triple H, and he is the last man that needs any more attention.
Hopefully WWE can get itself back on track soon. My wish is that the main event at Wrestlemania--you know, the one under The Rock and Cena--will be to recombine the WWE and World Heavyweight titles that will hopefully lead to a new era of focus and success in the company. Right now things can't get much worse: storylines are tired, the roster is thin, and the shows feel like random ideas collected from a room full of elementary school students...and not the smart ones.
