During these times of covid-19
quarantine, many people have taken the opportunity with all this extra time to
learn new hobbies, complete projects they’ve been putting off, read more, or
learn new things about themselves. At the same while major sports leagues
around the world has shut down, professional wrestling has continued to truck
along without fans. It’s safe to say WWE has not taken this opportunity to
improve their presentation.
WWE was the first company to announce
they would continue to produce shows during this pandemic. Due to the
circumstances and working with a mostly skeleton crew on a honestly already
thin roster, they have not completely failed. Wrestlemania 36 turned out to be
quite enjoyable, particularly the cinematic match between AJ Styles and
Undertaker. In that, WWE has discovered people like those types of matches even
though Lucha Underground and Impact Wrestling has done those type of matches
before with great fanfare. Managers seem to be making a comeback with Zelina
Vega building a stable, and hints MVP is looking for talent to manage. Some
superstars such as Otis have been given opportunities to shine, winning the
money in the bank match.
One thing WWE is failing on, and they
failed with before the pandemic hit..creating new stars. WWE has had issues
creating stars on the level of Hogan, Austin, Rock, and Cena for quite some
time. One of the biggest reasons attributed to that by fans is they don’t feel
a connection to the talents, and most promos leave a lot to be desired. Which
leads to my brief rant.
For the life of me I cannot figure out
why WWE is not taking this time to get more guys on the mic. Even talents who
are not active due to injuries or have chosen not to wrestle due to safety
concerns should be given opportunities. That could be done by having them
record mission statements “off the cuff” from home and included in the
programs. WWE previously did this with their “Tout” videos and a couple years
ago with selfie promos that included graphics. Those promos failed because they
were over produced.
If the promos are shot with that
grittiness aspect and not so produced, it may be more well received. This give
performers more opportunities to improve their promo skills and allows them to
come off more “real”. It also leaves them at the forefront of fans minds for
when they do return. Prospects that have been recently used on Raw, Smackdown,
and NXT should be given insert promos before their matches. Especially the
talent they have plans for, this allows that talent to create an identity and
promo skills.
If they can’t fit it into the
shows, WWE has YouTube and the WWE network where they could play the promos
instead. Or maybe have watch parties of matches with wrestlers who can show
their personalities by commentating on the matches.
It’s easy to pick on WWE cause they
are the biggest pro wrestling organization in the world. Now they are a multi
billion dollar corporation and I’m just a fan who has been watching for twenty
something years. I have been watching wrestling a long time and can tell many
of the issues are from lack of talent connection. AEW and Impact Wrestling have
had their downs during this time, but their ups have been better because of
their more forward thinking. Using vignettes, skits, and remote promos from
talent to help get them over. It’s working because it appeals to the current
generation, and proves most of WWE problems are...they can’t get out of their own
way.
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