WWE: Get the Fallacy Out! Submitted by Going Broadway on 03/07/2019 at 02:13 PM
Going Broadway
By J.D. Bachman
“Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.” - Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
Can we please apply that to the logic and consistency in the WWE product, please?
Admittedly, the WWE product has been a bit better than where it was a month ago, and for that I applaud the change. With Daniel Bryan as WWE Champion, and Seth Rollins set to take the strap off of Lesnar, we now have also Finn Balor and Samoa Joe holding major championships, which is great.
However, as we have seen with the NFL, you can deliver great games, but when inconsistent officiating alters the course of the finish, it dampens the experience a little. (As we saw with the finish of the NFC Championship game this year)
Well the same goes for professional wrestling. With the universes of comic book, video game and sci-fi fans slowly branching out and mingling in the wrestling world, there are more options and opportunities than ever to watch a good show between many products. However, as The Rock alluded to, with consistency comes success -- and this is something the WWE still struggles with.
When Ronda Rousey vacated her title two weeks ago by laying it at the feet of Stephanie McMahon, that should have been it. Title stripped. No rematch. Sorry, not sorry. But instead, this week on Raw, after Rousey stated her grievances before going full heel, McMahon simply responded with:
"Oh, here's your title back. lol."
Even though Becky Lynch secured her spot at Wrestlemania win her win at the Royal Rumble, and her suspension is now lifted, why is she the one fighting for an opportunity in the women's championship match? Why isn't Rousey the one fighting for a shot at Fastlane to get into the main event at Wrestlemania? She's the one who vacated the title, and there's apparently no longer a rematch clause.
Does this make any sense?
With that logic, anyone whoever vacated a title can simply have it back. Vince McMahon vacated his WWF Championship win in 1999. Well I think it's time for Vinnie-Mac to cash that in and go after Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania, or at the least, simply take it back. (Though Bryan has also been stripped the title in the past in 2013)
Batista, Rollins, and even CM Punk all have claims to simply take their titles back after vacating them since it's now so easy to get a vacated title back. While I know this sounds ridiculous, so is the inconsistent logic of WWE storytelling.
Keep in mind, after a staunch no-rematch clause was put in place, we now have a rematch between The Usos and Team McMiz at Fastlane because...errr? While I understand this will be used to setup Shane vs. The Miz at Wrestlemania, it's still a very illogical way to do it.
Then there's Lacey Evans.
Illogical booking aside if rumors hold that she will face Asuka for the Smackdown Women's Championship, (Which will be a shit-show, as Evans is truly not ready and there are more deserving talents *COUGH NIKKI CROSS COUGH*) how can she simply randomly strut out from the back time after time? Can talent just do this?
Can we have Titus O'Neil randomly play his music and come out during matches, bark at the crowd a few times and then retreat to the back? Can this happen all of the time? If I had entrance music I could hit, you could be sure I would come out multiple times in a show. However, it really doesn't make sense for any wrestler to randomly radio the production truck, walk past gorilla position, and simply walk out for no apparent reason. (Yes these things exist in kayfabe as they have made their way into past kayfabe storylines)
50/50 booking and illogical storytelling is what brought many fans disgust, and hence likely brought low ratings to the WWE product in the first place. How are we supposed to fully embrace the product and take it seriously if the storytelling can't even remain consistent for even a month? When McMahon & company came out in late December to promise to give the fans what they want, they weren't fully listening. Competent and logical booking isn't something you can fix by throwing titles on wrestlers we like.
We just want follow-through. Run the show as if you were running a league where rules are followed, wins and losses do matter, and if someone vacates a title, they don't immediately get it back. Consistency is the key to taking a product with mostly "ok" storylines and the best roster of talent in the world to new levels of success.
There are many fans like me. We buy your merchandise, we pay our $10/month for the Network, and we follow your product. Fans like me are also very much aware that there is a new product in the AEW that knows that fans like me exist.
