Destroying WWE's Cookie Cutters

[Mac Attack]

The WWE has suffered for a while now from repetition and predictability. We know who's doing what, what to expect from a match, how a match is going to finish who's going to job, and who's going over. Can anyone legitimately remember the last "clean" major upset victory in the WWE? I think I can, Tyson Kidd going over Tensai (back when he a ME talent) in about 23 seconds. WWE took somebody who was known as a comedy jobber and made them actually seem important. Today WWE has people in their cookie cutter roles. Kingston will lose to generic heel Upper tier but go over lower tier midcarder. Sandow will look good in a match-up get distracted and lose in the end to anyone not named Brodus Clay or R-Truth (yes apart from MITB these are his only singles wins.) 3MB will never win a match as a tag team, Teddy Long will make a tag match, Chris Jericho will put anybody over who needs it. You see we all know there are these cookie cutter roles in the WWE and it's time for the WWE to break the mold.

With matches, with feuds, with storylines, most of the material fits into certain molds that we've seen before. How many times in the last two years have we seen ADR vs Kingston? How many times in the last year have we seen Sheamus vs a PTP? Sin Cara vs Axel, Sheamus vs Rhode Scholar? The list is huge with repeat matches and quite frankly I'm so sick of it. A lot of it has to do with WWE's need for 50/50 booking where nobody can get ahead of each other, however other times we see the same squash we see on RAW on Smackdown. Even take this Christian vs ADR feud in the span of MITB to Summerslam we'll see it 3 times. That's twice a match will happen before the PPV. And granted last week's Smackdown was totally clean which guarentees Alberto Del Rio wins Sunday to make sure we have 50/50 clean wins for this feud. The booking is so dumb in that they want to shove equality so nobody looks better than one another but when it's time for someone to go over someone we know exactly who will win. I'll be honest I've started skipping the matches I feel I've seen too many times. Tonight I didn't watch Sandow vs Orton or Kingston vs ADR and guess what I missed nothing.

Now you may all think I'm going on an angry complaint rant. That's absolutely true however unlike other people's rants I give my solution.

It's time to throw away the cookie cutters. It's time for the unexpected to happen. It's time for the establishment to come tumbling down. And I've even thought of a feasible way to do this without people really wondering what's going on.

Next week on RAW or a RAW following a PPV you have someone of authority, preferably Vince or Triple H give a pep talk to the entire locker room saying it's time to show what you got. We're looking for the next Superstars and it's up to you make us care about you. If you're at the top fight hard to stay there, if you've yet to make a name for yourself, now's your time to do it.

What happens then on RAW?

Well clearly you're top guys Bryan, Cena, Punk prove they belong at the top whilst EVERYONE else on the roster may or may not change. Would it be that hurtful to see a typical matchup of someone like Zack Ryder vs Del Rio end with Ryder winning? Or Cesaro getting a clean pin on a guy like Christian? Or gosh maybe letting someone like Kofi Kingston actually get a clean victory over any main event player instead of getting pushed to the side EVERY feud he's in. Turn Miz heel make him a big deal again let him feud with someone who they want to push. But also you need to keep some semblance of sanity. This isn't everyone flipping roles. Have someone unused like Yoshi Tatsu talk about making it big only to get murdered by a Ryback or a (singular) member of 3MB like Mahal still get dominated by a Mark Henry It's all about keeping the right balance of new results whilst still maintaining some structure.

Bray Wyatt pulls a Bane and tells the locker rom to rise up and make the buzzards feast, inspiring the locker room. Whilst I'm being facetious about him puling a Bane that's what I'm talking about destroy the establishment and maybe just maybe destroy the predetermined mold that exists in the WWE. They did it for the Shield and the Shield got over. Go out n a limb and make me want to watch to see who wins. Don't make me want to go check out the LD to see if what I predicted came true. That's all I ask.

Take the cookie cutters and throw them out. It's time to mold a new future.

Give Me Your Opinions on This,

I know it's a Long read but it's well worth it.

 

[Rhodes2TheFuture3313]

I totally get the point you're trying to get across. I agree the problem is this 50/50 no one can look better than anyone unless you're John Cena. It's like Hulk Hogan 2.0 WWE has the talent. The lack of direction of the mid-card has been the major issue. They have 2 really good mid-card champs right now. While Curtis Axel has brought prestige back to the IC title and it's been defended through multiple challengers they've, yet to give Axel an opponent that you can believe can beat him. The US strap has looked more like a prop until this past raw. Ambrose & Rollins really took a step forward tonight with that promo. The New Generation is upon us. I expect The Wyatt family to eventually challenge the SHIELD for supremacy of the mid-card. That is a money feud waiting to happen, but the Wyatt's need to be built up like the SHIELD. They need to build storylines even for the lower card. They were doing a good job with Justin Gabriel featuring him on Main Event, then they dropped it and tonight had him go out quickly. Miz needs to turn heel and I enjoyed the segment tonight especially when Cena referred to it as typically boring. Kofi's new look is much better, but let's see him get some big wins. Also, remember when a mid-carder like Chris Jericho beat HHH for the WWE title on random Raw? Totally unexpected, but more things like that need to happen.

 

[Rhodes2TheFuture3313]

Also, guys like Gabriel and Sin Cara could become bigger stars if they brought back the Cruiserweight title and made it seem like a prize. Starting off Raw or Smackdown with a high-flying Cruiserweight match to get fans excited for the bigger stories.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

The cruiser title does nothing. You limit them to smaller guys, essentially saying "you're not good enough for the big guys". Whether or not that's your intention, that's how the audience takes it. It comes across as minor leagues. Those don't draw. Just put on whoever is over. If it just so happens a bunch of flyers are feuding over the US title then so be it.

 

[peteaypan]

I see no problem with there being a cruiserweight title. If Sin Cara, for example, somehow got a title shot is it really believable that he would win? NO!

I would rather he fights someone like Justin Gabriel where it is believable that either could win!

I know it is entertainment and not how real life plays out, but I'm sure any of the cruiserweights would rather have that title and have genuine either way matches than get beat up by the likes of Cena all the time and get nowhere!

 

[Magic Mark]

I think that they should unify the US/IC title so that they can add the Cruiserweight title so that the smaller guys can get a shot at TV Time. They would have to get a couple guys from the indies though, because there aren't many real cruiserweights in the WWE

 

[Mac Attack]

I totally get the point you're trying to get across. I agree the problem is this 50/50 no one can look better than anyone unless you're John Cena.

I'm not sure I'd entirely agree with this point. Obviously I agree with the 50/50 problem I'm the one who wrote it however I definetely don't think the exceptions are just Cena. I think we've seen the likes of SuperSheamus this year, SuperPunk, SuperCena, there have been streaks in the WWE where the guys simply don't lose. I think Sheamus has had the longest streak of wins this year and all his matches become stale. But regardless I'm arguing examples not the point that you're agreeing with me.

It's like Hulk Hogan 2.0 WWE has the talent. The lack of direction of the mid-card has been the major issue.

The mid card is what prompted the post. They have a lot of talent in the mid card but can't seem to find a way to get it over or stir the pot with it and I think the majority of the problems are from using the midcard in the wrong way.

They have 2 really good mid-card champs right now. While Curtis Axel has brought prestige back to the IC title and it's been defended through multiple challengers they've, yet to give Axel an opponent that you can believe can beat him. The US strap has looked more like a prop until this past raw. Ambrose & Rollins really took a step forward tonight with that promo. The New Generation is upon us. I expect The Wyatt family to eventually challenge the SHIELD for supremacy of the mid-card. That is a money feud waiting to happen, but the Wyatt's need to be built up like the SHIELD. They need to build storylines even for the lower card. They were doing a good job with Justin Gabriel featuring him on Main Event, then they dropped it and tonight had him go out quickly. Miz needs to turn heel and I enjoyed the segment tonight especially when Cena referred to it as typically boring. Kofi's new look is much better, but let's see him get some big wins. Also, remember when a mid-carder like Chris Jericho beat HHH for the WWE title on random Raw? Totally unexpected, but more things like that need to happen.

The midcard champions right now I feel are the worst people to be midcard champions. The truth is the Shield as a group do not belong in the midcard. I think most would agree they belong in the ME due to their wins against mega opponents this year. The storylines they are in revolve around the ME and not the midcard. However they still have titles on them so you can't have someone in the midcard beat them whilst they are involved in a Main event feud. Therefore all the midcard who should be focusing on making midcard storylines with their respective titles no longer have that ability causing them to be stuck.

The same can basically be said with Axel. He NEVER should have become IC champion yet. The truth is he's Heymans pet and Heyman will be nothing but a main event staple player especially when Brock Lesnar is around. I know Heyman could if he wanted to work two seperate entities and storylines however it wouldn't "work" for a WWE audience therefore Axel gets stuck doing nothing in the ME except being a lackey for Heyman, therefore making the title useless.

We have no feuds, we have no titles why should we care?

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Throwing away or destroying the cookie cutters is not a good idea or the right way to do things. WWE has worked on the same basis for 30 years, having certain guys for certain roles.

The problem is that they perhaps need tweaking away from their current concept, of trying to mix and match old WWE archetypes.

Take Dolph Ziggler, he iwas brought in as what could almost be seen as a modern version of Mr. Perfect, from look, his demeanour and even the way he sells but his "ladies man" stuff is Rick Rude and the overselling craziness from Shawn Michaels... They're trying to fill 3 places with one guy... Rude was a ladies man but he was the consumate heel first and foremost, much of his womanising was a head game (no pun intended) to throw his opponents off theirs. Perfect was the technical genius with the "cockiness" and Shawn had both those in abundnace... When was Ziggler at his best? When he was just being a mid-card heel like Rude, had he stayed at that without the overselling he would have gotten over as a bigger heel...

Swagger was an attempt to mix Kurt Angle and Barry Windham and more recently the Shield are not a "new concept", it's a bit of Bossman & Buchannan, Demolition and Legion of Doom and Jake Roberts combined...

Rather than letting guys define new archetypes to fit, WWE has seemed bent on reinventing those guys from the past and very few have succeeded in even the medium term, much less long term.

Take Swagger, he had the size and ability of Barry Windham and could have used any gimmick other than a clear Kurt Angle do-over... He didn't need the singlet, he didn't need the "Patriot Lock"... and thus he has suffered, not cos his abilities lack (hell Windham was never the greatest interview) but cos he wasn't Kurt Angle and Vince was shoehorning him into being just that.

More recently the Shield came along as 3 guys who people say are "radical" and "the future", it isn't... The E has used this formula since Demolition and most similarly in the 90's with The Truth Commission? 'Memba them? 3 guys, brought in as a unit with WWE having a clear order of who they want to succeed... You had Kurgann/Ambrose who the WANT to succeed as a priority, Reigns/Bull Buchannan who they'd like to and Rambo/Rollins who ultimately be the odd one out. Rubbish? Well look at Crush, Smash and Ax in that order and suddenly it isn't quite so rubbish...rather than let 3 talents stand on their own they took this route, which has admittedly done some good, but ultimately it sets one up to be above the others.

WWE isn't dropping the ball completely, they are trying to let Wade Barrett be an organic, old school heel in the mould of a Harley Race or Greg Valentine, but not making him BE those guys. Bray Wyatt has a superficial resemblance to Waylon Mercy but has forged his own character in NXT and Trip's edict that no one comes up without a fully fleshed out story is a good move... but not if it's just combining the 3 most like the past they are...

There needs to be some "character" guys down in NXT, it's great having someone like Billy Gunn as head trainer, who was always a top notch worker... but you need someone who has played a character and forged it on their own terms to teach the guys and gals how to live a character, make it breath and to forge your own archetype... Taker I'm looking at you but failing that then Vince, for gods sake call Dustin Rhodes...

You can't have free form/improv as you need to have certain moulds to fit the toys/merch/show around but with like I said a few tweaks, we can still have "new" guys to remember rather than just being this generations version of someone...

 

[Headman]

If the smaller guys were more over they'd get more tv time. And while I'm not personally against the idea of a cruiser weight title I don't see why the WWE should invest time into guys who nobody cares about. Especially since the smaller guys who did get over are currently in the WWE title picture. 13 years ago guys like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan would be relegated to the cruiser weight division no matter how popular they became. So there goes the argument that smaller guys can't get over because the WWE doesn't invest in them. Those two guys did it. So I ask again, why bother build and promote a division around guys who can't get over?

 

[JohnJohnson]

Another thing that has made many of the matches stale is the fact that they won't finish a match without the finisher. Perfect example was ADR vs Kofi this week on Raw. Del Rio hit an awesome reverse suplex off the top rope. Would it really have killed them to allow the pin here? This gets even more annoying when e superstar has a very weak looking finisher and a high-impact move gets a two count but then the finisher gets the win. I understand that they are finishers and are meant to finish the match, but it's not a bad thing to have a match end without the finisher. This gets really frustrating and predictable when a superstar has a certain sequence of moves that have to all be performed in a certain order before they do their finisher. A good example is Sheamus. He has to do his chest pound, his Irish Curse and his White Noise before he can his a Brogue Kick. So if he is gearing up for a Brogue Kick but hasn't completed the afformentioned moves, you know the opponent will duck it. I know Orton's RKO won't hit if he hasn't succesfully hit his "double clothesline, duck, powerslam" and middle rope DDT.

 

[MCMG]

I think I get what you are saying but heels are meant to win in a dubious manner - that helps them gain heat. If you see someone win in undeserving way then it is only natural to dislike them. This should certainly be the case if, for example, Del Rio is facing an RVD, Sheamus or Christian type face who needs to be protected. If he was against a Zack Ryder or a lesser face then he should win with his finishing move every time. Indeed, it was interesting to see he actually won the world title with a super-kick even though it was dubbed a heel move.

Going the other way, you can't afford to have shock victories happen too often because then they don't have that surprise aspect. If a lesser face is to defeat a top-tier heel than it shouldn't be clean. Otherwise the heel looks weak and if it happened to often we would be complaining that the a top heel in the company would be made to look heel.

You say it's time for the unexpected to happen but we want that to be spontaneous and infrequent. Yes, I would like to be shocked more as a viewer but not where it becomes a parody or a joke. I mean, I'm hardly desperate to see Zack Ryder defeat Alberto Del Rio clean. That's great for 5 minutes but people would complain about that for much longer in the long term.

 

[The Doug Somer of Love]

Cena can't go true heel. Period. Cena needs to go heel. Period. That being done, it isn't impossible.

Here's how I would write it:

In a high profile PPV match, have Cena sell a serious concussion. The stretcher, the hospital vignette, the fake doctor, bandages the works.

When Cena "comes to", he appears o.k. but here's the caveat--he has a "condition".

Cena believes he a hero-character from some film. He proceeds to play out the role. Vince uses this condition to manipulate Cena into matches with the companies new faces--more than likely Daniel Bryan.

For instance, Cena thinks he's John McClane from Die Hard. Cena can parody the character, McMahon has to parody scenes with him, Cena acts crazy, McMahon plays off him like he used to do with Angle and Austin. Costumes, dialogue, and antics.

Cena can change characters as often as he takes a bump, or just randomly shift characters until his condition improves.

In this way, Cena can be used as a heel, become more entertaining, when he needs to turn back face, he can turn against McMahon who has been manipulating him to do "evil" throughout the program.

It's not "Attitude Era", but it would be something fresh and it could score with the marks and the kids.

What do you think?