For Queen and Country #19
June 30, 2009
By: Daniel R. Browne of WrestleView.com
Greetings. I sincerely doubt anyone outside of the halls of power, deep within the WWE reality, thought even for a moment that the latest attempt to make use of Donald Trump on WWE programming would result in anything other than failure. Setting aside the asinine notion that an independent entity (Trump) could realistically purchase a central asset of a business rival (Raw) and run it under that same rival’s corporate banner (WWE) and this latest lame punt at shock value was always doomed to fail.
The recent Stan Kroenke/Denver debacle once again highlighted the rampant jealousy and galactic sized hubris of Vince McMahon when it comes to his fellow billionaire moguls. Chairman Vince succeeded only in costing his company (and family) thousands in travel and ticket expenses; dunking his chiselled head in a great dollop of egg in the process.
Vince and ?The Donald? have maintained a seemingly healthy rapport, mainly because they both do business trousers first. Whilst the use of Trump certainly garnered attention, the plot swiftly fell on it’s arse after the mainstream media dumb enough to cover the story as a legitimate event realised they?d been hoodwinked by WWE yet again. Just to clarify, this one week saga cost the company thousands of dollars in ?legitimacy change?; inflicted colossal damage on the WWE image and served absolutely no practical purpose whatsoever. Variations upon this theme are on the increase in today’s WWE.
The power players in the company have spoken of the need to elevate new stars and prepare for the future. The current crop of main event performers are both stale and on the wane. When you consider the likely loss (over a one year period) of Jeff Hardy and Shawn Michaels you begin to grasp the dire nature of the situation. The WWE has done a frankly pathetic job of boosting their top line crew in the last four years.
The talk within the company is of building things upon the talented shoulders of Randy Orton. Alas for all his athletic prowess and all-round aura, he remains an arrogant, petulant and aggressively unpredictable personality who may not be able to handle the PR pressures inherent to carrying the load. Orton’s recent outburst in Mexico only bolsters this assertion (for those who don?t know, a interviewer asked Orton about the frequency of his injuries and Orton reacted by verbally and physically accosting the interviewer and threatening him in a deeply unsettling manner).
The main reason WWE ultimately outlasted WCW is because of the continued elevation of new stars. Whilst WCW floundered under the aging and overpaid weight of the past, WWE rose to prominence on the back of its young, risqu? and exciting new generation. Fast forward ten years on from the Attitude Era and the same problem that dogged and ultimately destroyed the once mighty WCW is festering away in the core of WWE.
For all the undeniable talents of Edge and Triple H and the manufactured popularity of Dave ?Oww, my bloody arm!? Batista and John Cena, the WWE needs to desist from using these men against each other and start building new feuds. John Cena’s series with The Miz has promise but you can bet once it’s all said and done The Miz will be left laying by the increasingly unbearable Cena. Having everyone fron the truly horrendous Shane McMahon to the permanently injured Batista thrashing your tope heel and his badass stable night after night isn?t terribly helpful either. Cody Rhodes and particularly Ted Dibiase will be major stars in the not too distant future. An extended residence in jabroni drive is not conducive to their development.
The problem is the McMahon family. Although they can?t really be blamed for Umaga’s unwillingness to get clean they certainly could have given him more of a reason to stay. As clumsy and average as Kennedy was (and is) in the ring his personality, presence and attachment to the fans was a potential revenue stream squandered because Vince threw his (not quite) billion dollar toys out of the gilded pram. I challenge anyone to tell me how the talented, over and viable Christian benefits anyone pissing around in ECW, a show that is beyond worthless. I?ll ask a similar question of Gail Kim while I?m at it. What a counter-productive and frankly despicable waste?
The WWE is presently turning CM Punk heel, which is a fabulous idea if they run with it properly. An Edge face turn and the insertion of Christian into that mix could be a year’s worth of great matches and promos. Over on Raw, the Orton/Triple H feud has to end soon. No one cares for Triple H’s defence of his family because they are about as likable as the Black Death, and the sooner the always injured Batista either turns heel or retires the better. This also applies to John Cena, who’s eventual heel turn could, if done really, really well, match the magnitude of the New World Order. I get chills thinking about the heat that man will generate when he’s not eliciting boos unintentionally.
If the WWE acts now then it can still salvage the future from the present crop. Vince McMahon needs to conquer his billionaire inferiority complex and propensity for vindictive acts (The way Vickie Guerrero was treated by the beneficiaries of her character development was a complete disgrace. All those involved should hang their filthy mugs in shame) and focus on pushing the newest and the best qualified. Trapping a prime talent like Christian in oblivion whilst rehiring a muscle-bound clown like Chris Masters is not the way forward. Some big decisions need to be made by a man with the so called ?Biggest grapefruits in town?. That man’s name is not Donald bloody Trump.
Daniel R. Browne.