Thanks for checking out my column, the newly renamed Blood on the Canvas, formerly known as The Chronicles of Ruttle. Many props go to my fearless leader Kevin of the WWE Parallel Universe on Facebook for the name suggestion.
First off, I gotta say thanks to those that shot me some emails on my first two columns, Rebooking WrestleMania 25 and my memories of Survivor Series '92. I liked a lot of your ideas on what some of you would've done differently with Mania and I was happy to see many of you have your own favorite, specific PPV from yesteryear. Royal Rumble '97, Summerslam '94, WrestleMania 6, etc. Great stuff.
This week, I wanna take a look at one of the most basic elements in professional wrestling, of which is sadly missing in today's WWE product. And that's the art of selling yourself; promos, interviews, body language, creating an organic character and even kayfabing. Knowing the ins and outs of wrestling itself is one thing, but being able to get emotion and direct responses from the paying audience is a whole different beast.
The one consistent complaint from the IWC (internet wrestling community) about the WWE is the lack of new talent in the main event. And that complaint carries a lot of weight; if you look back from the very start of the year, the WWE and World Title scenes have revolved around a small handful of guys - John Cena, Edge, Triple H and Randy Orton. Batista was in there for a cup of coffee before the start of the summer and then he was injured again. So the criticism is valid. And yes, politics do play a part in who gets that sweet money spot in the Title picture, and it's naive to think that they don't. However, success is a two-way street. Is it better to be on the good side of guys like HHH, HBK and Cena? Of course. But are you gonna get demoted to jobbing to Hornswoggle and appearing in dark matches for not kissing company ass? No.
I'll be the first to admit that the political antics of HHH and HBK have pissed me off in the past. Michaels especially was notorious for being a selfish, arrogant asshole back in the day by talking down to his opponents, throwing backstage fits when things wouldn't go his way, looking out for only himself and the Clique and not appreciating his undercard when he was given his massive Title push in 1996. Triple H, in my opinion wasn't as bad as HBK, but I will say that in the latter half of 2002, all of 2003 and most of 2004 he was horribly overexposed. My main problem with HHH is that there's almost this invisible rubber band attached to him and the Title scene. If he's not Champion, then he's fighting for it and if he's not fighting for it, it's only a matter of time before that rubber band snaps and it's back to where he was before in the Title scene. Michaels himself hasn't seriously been in the Title picture for two years since his late-2007 feud with Randy Orton. In the meantime he's had decent to excellent feuds with the likes of Mr. Kennedy, Batista, Chris Jericho, JBL and the Undertaker. Why HHH can't do this, I don't know. I'd love to see him get in the ring with some solid mid-card talent and elevate them to the upper level.
So now, to the opposite side of the coin. Politics are one thing, but actual work on the part of the talent is another. One guy that's been very vocal on this subject in the past is Carlito and to me, that's a shame. He's a solid in-ring performer, but here's a guy who seemingly expected everything handed to him with minimal effort on his part. Like I said, it's a two-way street and Carlito let himself stall. I liked WWE pairing him up with his brother Primo, but breaking them up was a bad move since the tag team scene is really running low on viable teams. Since then, he appeared on Raw a few times jobbing here and there, but hasn't been seen since the September 14 episode. I say he gets "future endeavored" before the year is out.
You need to sell yourself - your look, your voice, your character, your image, your moveset, EVERYTHING. Believe what you're saying and the reasons behind it. Talk to the audience and not at them. Live your character and don't play it. And bring back the art of kayfabing; I love when I read house show reports and the heels are described as arrogant pricks by some marks who wanted a picture with them or an 8 X 10 signed. Too much focus goes into telling the people in the arenas and at home, "Hey, this is simply entertainment". C'mon! At least TRY and pull some of the wool over our eyes!
Let's look at the current crop of mid and upper card guys who most believe have the tools to be a main event talent.
Kofi Kingston - I love what they're doing with Kofi right now. It's unique because here's a guy that doesn't really talk all that often, and lets his in-ring work speak for itself. Looks like Vince and the office have been paying close attention. A former Tag Team, US and Intercontinental Champion, I think he's got all the potential in the world to be a great main event draw. I don't see him in the Title picture just yet, because this feud with Randy Orton will be a test to see how he fares against some of the bigger dogs in the yard. I enjoyed his car-wrecking promo on Raw last week and would love to keep hearing him on the mic. It'll only help him.
The Miz - Right now, Miz is in that transitional period where he's trying to break away from that "former tag team wrestler trying to establish a singles career" image. Doing away with the ridiculous hats and khaki short pants is a start. He looks and even sounds a little too much like Chris Jericho for my tastes, but I like the road he's currently on. As long as he stays away from the cheap heat on the mic, he's got the tools needed to get to the upper card.
Mark Henry - Here's where I think there was an opportunity wasted. Henry debuted on Raw the night after The Bash and proceeded to pin WWE Champion Randy Orton as the show went off the air, and turned babyface in the process. He PINNED the WWE Champion. Not only that, but the fans got on Henry's side ridiculously quick. So I'm watching Raw and thinking, "Wow, they turned Henry face and he's pinned Orton. Title match sometime?" Nope. Doesn't happen. Not even a non-title singles match on Raw takes place. I wouldn't say the company COMPLETELY dropped the ball with Henry because I like the teaming of him and MVP, but there was definitely a missed shot right there.
MVP - Another missed opportunity. The night he debuts on Raw, he also goes against Orton and looks strong in doing so. Then when he dropped the US Title to Kingston at the start of June, I thought some new blood was entering the WWE Title picture. So what does Vince and creative do? They put an injured Batista and Orton in a cage for roughly five minutes and put the belt on Big Dave for just under 24 hours. I think Kane had a longer Title reign. MVP has everything a main event guy should have - a good look, great on the mic and even better ring psychology. But on the other hand, he's 36 years old; if Vince is gonna pull the trigger on him, he needs to do it soon. I'll be watching to see what happens when this MVP/Mark Henry tag team rides into the sunset.
Ted DiBiase - So we all pretty much know by now that DiBiase will turn face at some point. That I like. Ted's a powder keg of potential waiting to explode, but he's flat on the mic. He almost speaks in a purely monotone voice. I'm sure he's been told this a billion times, but I say he should go back and watch some of his legendary father's promos and just convert those into what a babyface would say. Of course, I mean when he DOES make the switch. He's naturally athletic and when he's thrown into a big match situation he can deliver. Look no further than that match he had back in July with Orton when father Ted was the guest GM. That was excellent storytelling and the way big matches should be. If he works on the mic skills, there'll be no stopping DiBiase in 2010.
Evan Bourne - Let me keep this short and sweet about Evan Bourne: he will go nowhere fast if somebody doesn't stick a microphone in front of him. A guy can only go so far on high-flying moves. I get emails and read comments here and there about how he should get a US Title reign or that he should've been ECW Champion. What for? He needs to make people take notice of him and I don't just mean by flying around and outside the ring. Hell, I don't think I've heard what Bourne's voice even sounds like, aside from the screaming he does in the ring. You get a push by standing out, not just by seeing how many flips you can do in the air.
John Morrison - A main eventer waiting to happen. Morrison is the complete package and quite frankly, I put him in a short list of people who I could see winning the Royal Rumble in two months. His promos aren't exactly my cup of tea; I'm not into the whole poetry-laden, Shaman of Sexy thing. I think if he tweaks what he says on the mic and throws some more serious statements in there, he'll be fully embraced by the audience. He just shouldn't let himself be pigeon-holed for following the corny dialogue the writing team gives him.
Dolph Ziggler - Eventually, I see Ziggler taking the IC Title. Whether or not Morrison is the Champion when he does, that remains to be seen. Rey Mysterio getting suspended really threw a wrench into Dolph's exposure but I love what I see of him when he's in or outside the ring. I know I'm not alone when I say he reminds me of a modern day Mr. Perfect. Everything from the blonde hair, holier-than-thou demeanor and even the rolling neck snap screams Curt Hennig, and that's far from a bad thing. Right now, the main event isn't much of a reality in the near future, but if he can get a solid IC Title reign then that'll just be the next step.
When it comes to the WWE locker room, I'm reminded of something the great Pedro Morales told a young rookie named Bret Hart..... "You can't stop talent. You can hold it off, but eventually it gets through." Pedro was right, and hopefully those mentioned above know how to use their talents to push themselves to the top.
See you at ringside,
Derek
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