If wrestling was music WWE would be Bubble Gum Pop and NXT
would be Indie Rock. With WWE you have guys on the roster who deserve to be over
as a face or heel because they connect with people worldwide, then you have a
roster of forgettable cliché and contrived characters who are trying to repeat
that same formula to get over in that SAME exact way. Pop music is similar,
some very talented artist surrounded by a bunch of manufactured copycats who
are making a living because the masses just want what’s familiar, not original. Look at NXT, the developmental territory
that turned into the best wrestling show of the week and how they carved out
their own lane. With NXT you have a bunch of raw talent who aren’t afraid
to try new things, who want to reach Stone Cold levels so bad that they aren’t
afraid to crash and burn trying to grab that brass ring. They are like Indie
musicians who play with the format, write songs that aren’t radio friendly, and
aren’t afraid if they break through on the charts, only if they go for broke.
NXT, with Triple H as the mad genius behind the curtain has succeeded in
coaching his soldiers up to take risks, not protect their jobs in the company. Hunter
understands that the future of wrestling isn’t about repeating the formula of
The Rock, John Cena, Bret Hart, or Shawn Michaels. It’s about digging deep and
making a name like Sasha Banks be spoken in the same breath as Trish Stratus. NXT
stars are fearless and creative, whereas WWE’s main roster is hell-bent on
making its talent stick to hits people know.
3 TYPES OF WWE FAN
The old school addicts who watch it out of habit and still
appreciate the art of wrestling, selling, storytelling, and athleticism.
The New School who were raised on spots; they want to see
tables, ladders, stunt work, and an occasional promo that toes the line of
reality.
The final type aren’t the kids, because kids have always
been a part of wrestling from Deep South to WCW. The last group are actually the WWE Zombies.
They don’t follow the independent scene, they don’t know the history of any of
these guys they haven’t seen on Raw, and they want who WWE puts in front of
them to cheer and boo.
The term “Mark” is used to describe someone that buys into
the wrestling product 100%. In this post- Kayfabe area, these new Marks buy
into what Vince McMahon tells them to buy into and that’s where NXT comes in.
For the first time since the Monday Night Wars, wrestling fans get to say, “This
is sh*t, but that’s incredible.” The WWE Zombies are told who to like and who to hate by
Michael Cole and JBL. The WWE Zombies are told who to pop for by the pipped in
Smackdown cheers. It’s old territory style manipulation that wrestling is known
for, but here’s where it becomes a problem…
WWE only listens to the audience when one of their big shows is
hijacked. Royal Rumble in Philadelphia was a volatile environment that forced
Vince to give Brock Lesnar more money to stay in WWE. Something like
that doesn’t go away the next night, because the Zombies have been tainted by
the cool crowds to the point where a choice has to be made quickly (aka on the
fly booking). It’s a knee jerk reaction because when you go to Tampa,
Cleveland, Green Bay, etc… those fans are 70% Zombies. They come to see Sports
Entertainment, not wrestling. Therefore, they don’t chant the same way they
chant in New York, Chicago, or London where the fans tend to be 70% Smarks. As
a result you don’t see hijacked shows causing change more than a few times out
of the year (Daniel Bryan and CM Punk are good examples from the past). The WWE
doesn’t care about smart fans because they know that 9 months out of the year
they will be in cities that have mostly Zombies,
so they stay the course and keep trying to make uninspired pop music.
Here is the problem. Summerslam weekend NXT went before WWE,
putting on their NXT Takeover show on Saturday night. That show was booked for
wrestling fans: A vintage Cruiserweight match featuring a legend (Dad, what’s a
Cruiserweight?). A tag team championship match that focused on the wrestling,
only adding gimmick of the valets when it felt natural. A debut match where the
debuting wrestler was meant to seem credible not just come in and squash a guy
in a phony match. Finally, NXT gave us a woman’s championship match (not Diva)
where the stakes were high and the story was engaging. In addition to that,
they let women tell the story in the ring without announcers having to oversell
or remind the audience “the main event is next.” F*** that bias commentary, in NXT Sasha and Bayley were treated like
the main event, not a “hold on for the next match” gimmick time filler. It
can be argued that the only let down match was the main event between Finn Balor
and Kevin Owens, because of Owens current story with Cesaro, wasn’t really
developed into a legitimate feud anyone cared about. NXT delivered a solid 9
out of 10 show or even a 10 out of 10 show in many people’s minds. Why? Because
they let wrestling be wrestling, not a formulaic circus meant to get you to
watch Raw the next night so the ratings can spike and the advertisers will do a
money dance. Triple H has learned from his days in the Monday Night War
trenches, that solid in work performance gets people talking. That engrossing
stories gets people talking. That if you want someone to switch on a show, you
have to build buzz, not through “The Rock’s back” or “Jon Stewart is here
tonight,” but through good old fashion wrestling stories!
Summerslam wasn’t a bad show, but given the talent depth, it
was a safe show. They gave us Sheamus for what? They gave us an overloaded Tag
Team match that could have been twice as good with just New Day and The Prime
Time Players. They gave us a Divas Triple Team match that didn’t have any
story. The midcard shouldn’t be filler;
it should serve to entertain the audience just as much as the main event. Where
is the Mr. Perfect vs. Bret Hart type IC match? Where is Lita and Ivory
fighting for the woman’s belt because it’s been built up for a month that they
hate each other? We expect Brock and Taker to be big, we expect Cena Vs
Rollins to give us drama and false finishes. Why can’t the WWE make us care
about Kevin Owens the way NXT made us care about Kevin Owens? Why can’t a Rusev
match be treated as serious as a Samoa Joe match on commentary? The Miz stole
the show on Tough Enough as both a post-show host and Judge, he has the mouth
skills of a young Paul Heyman, and the smart fans react to that, but the
Zombies just want to Boooo him because that’s the way he’s written in these
feuds, as just another body in the ring. Pathetic! WWE doesn’t insult its fan’s
intelligence, it assumes that their audience is too dumb to understand that
they’re being insulted.
I’m not challenging the WWE to push guys that I like, that’s
a dead horse. It’s not about being bias towards certain Superstars, it’s about
creating a playing field that’s more exciting and more spontaneous! One that
allows the talent to get over without fearing that going for it will means they’re
fired and off to TNA land if it fails. I’m challenging the fans that go to these shows from
Maryland over to Nebraska and up to Tacoma, to stand up, bring creative signs,
make noise, get the person next to you making noise, and cheer for who you
want! Stop being suckers, and do your homework. Wrestling fans should know WRESTLING!
Go watch Charlotte matches; don’t
just yawn because you don’t know who she is beyond some lame “Daughter of Ric
Flair” script that the announcers are reading. Know what wrestling is, and stop chanting, “This is Awesome” every
time a match goes longer than ten minutes and has a false finish. Understand
wrestling the same way you have to understand music to know that The Beatles
songwriting is superior to Maroon 5 songwriting. You can maintain your own
taste, but make sure those tastes are based on something other than what’s been
forced down your throat by Kevin Dunn. Vince McMahon listens to the fans, he’s
backstage every live show, and he thinks, “Oh this is just a smart city,” so he
stays the course. Prove Vince wrong and get off your ass, prove that EVERY city
is smart, and make a change or suffer through month after month of the same
Randy Orton match, the same John Cena promo, the same stop and start Fandango
push, and the same disrespect of the Women’s division. NXT proves that real wrestling
fans still exist, so either you’re one of us, or a F**king Zombie.
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