Did Their Leaving Save The WWE

[TUFFY54]

This year the WWE has lost Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Triple H, and Batista. Shawn and Batista are probably gone for good, and there is no telling when Triple H and Jericho will come back. Losing this much talent at once would normally cripple a wrestling company, but I think the WWE has actually gotten better because of it. I'm not saying I'm glad they are gone, I love all four of them and hope to see them again. However, you can't deny that the WWE wouldn't be as exciting as it is right now if they hadn't left.

First off, Nexus wouldn't have worked if they had stayed. Nexus worked because they mainly feuded with John Cena. They went after Cena because he was the WWE's top dog. While the Nexus was cool, they certainly weren't the most dominate stable of all time. They were rookies. Nexus against Cena worked. If it had been Nexus against Cena, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Batista, and Jericho, Nexus would have gotten their asses handed to them on the first night. That would simply be too much power for Nexus to compete with.

Secondly, we wouldn't of had new stars if they had stayed. While Sheamus was already a world champion last year, there just wouldn't of been room for him to be dominate with HHH, HBK, and Batista still in the would title picture. As for Wade Barret, it would have been completely unbelievable for him to get the best of all those top guys. He would be nowhere near the world title, and probably wouldn't even be feuding with Cena. You can also forget about the Miz. Again, there is just no way he could have been seen as a top guy with all that other talent around. He would be totally overshadowed. Guys like Morrison and Daniel Bryan wouldn't be getting the push they have either due to simple overcrowding of top talent.

Finally, for better of worse, things are finally different in the WWE. Again, I'm not saying the WWE is better off without those legends, but you simply can't get fresh programing when you have 80% of the same main event guys you have had for the last six years. People have been saying for years how the WWE needs to get new guys into the main event and freshen things up. It finally happened this year, but only because they lost most of their top guys.

So, do you guys think the loss of all these superstars was actually good for the WWE?

 

[marklouis]

The fact that their departure allowed The Miz to become champion shows how much they are missed. You go from one of the best ever (HBK) & 2 top 10 of the last 15 years (Jericho & HHH) competing for the title to The Miz, a guy who is champion not because of his wrestling talent, but because he gets the WWE on TMZ. Really? The WWE product is at a low point in terms of quality, and I'm not sure how they can regain their footing, mainly because Vince McMahon doesn't seem to care about putting out a quality product. All he cares about is getting MSM run. As a post on the front page reported, The Miz isn't champion because of his ability, but because he's willing to promote the company. What good does that do if what you're promoting is shit?

 

[ccotreau1]

The only one who has gotten a push that I feel would have gotten their push would have been Sheamus where he works/worked out with HHH, or at least if not for the title, I would have liked to see their feud last a little bit longer than it did.

As far as Nexus is concerned, you can remove HHH from the Cena side where he would have been focused with Sheamus. But still, it would have been Nexus vs Cena, Jericho, Batista and HBK...still too much power to be reckoned with.

Guys like Daniel Bryan, The Miz, Morrison etc. could have still gotten their pushes where all the big stars were involved in 1 storyline with Nexus.

But we will never know what could have been. I do think that the loss of Jericho, HBK, Batista and HHH was good for the up and comers in the WWE, but at the same time, if someone who watched wrestling back in the early 2000's turned Raw on today, they wouldn't know half the guys that are on every week, so I feel those people would not be inclined to watch it due to the lack of a recognizable face on Raw. Smackdown doesn't really have that issue right now with their 2 biggest feuds include 3 big name guys in Kane, Edge, and Rey.

 

[Midnite Express 2009]

I don't believe it was "good" for the company whatsoever. Was it something different? Yeah. Does anyone really notice HHH hasn't been on Raw in a long, long time? Probably not. Same thing with Jericho. The WWE usually makes good transitions so that fans don't seem to notice and start complaining, especially the causal fans. If someone stopped watching Raw back in July and started watching it now, I doubt they'd say to themselves, "where's Chris Jericho?"

I don't think it really matters that much because there are enough stars to make a good go of it, even though they could certainly use at least one of the above mentioned stars. HHH doesn't have anything to prove, and needless to say, neither does Jericho. Shawn Michaels isn't gonna pull a Ric Flair and lie about "retiring" only to show up somewhere else, say TNA and keep wrestling, basically making the fans feel like he's a fraud, especially when those fans either went to that WrestleMania or bought the PPV (I'm one of those fans) only to see a "fake" retirement. And before anyone jumps down my back, I know that wrestling is fake anyway. Stop it.

Batista never was gonna spend 25 years in the business so it's okay for him. So in a nutshell, it is what it is. No one asked these guys to give their entire lives to the business. Time, as well as others, move on. They moved on and so has the company.

 

[The Brain]

I know exactly what you mean. I was going to make a similar post in the HBK thread but now it seems more appropriate here. A year ago I never would have wanted to see HBK, Batista, and Jericho leave WWE. I wondered how WWE would do when it finally came time for HHH and Taker to call it quits. Now that we’ve gone the better part of a year without any of those guys I’m happy to say WWE is still going strong and may be better than it’s been in the past five years.

I don’t know why I was ever worried about it in the first place. Many years ago I wondered how much I would like WWE when Hogan and Savage left. Well Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels stepped up and my love for WWE continued without missing a beat. Then I wondered the same thing about Hart and Michaels. Well they both left within a few months of each other and Austin and Rock stepped up and made wrestling more popular than ever. When Austin and Rock left Cena and Batista filled the void. From now on I don’t need to worry about the future. I’ve seen many greats come and go but there is always someone else ready to step up. Steve Austin said it best. “I’m just a gear in a machine. When I break down they replace me with a new gear and the machine keeps going.” It sounds cold but it’s true.

The newer talent in WWE looks great right now. Barrett, Sheamus, Punk, Miz, Swagger, Del Rio, and others look to have a bright future. I didn’t want to see HBK, Batista, and Jericho leave, but WWE is doing just fine without them.

 

[123NewChamp]

Now u made a valid point my friend, but there's some things that I agree and disagree with. First off, the subtraction of Hunter, Shawn, Batista and Y2J, did open up the floor and brighten up new ideas for storylines, and talent and main event scenes. But I'ma disagree about the WWE being saved from their departures.

Now the Miz is the WWE Champion. Tough Enough 3 Mike The Miz Mizanin. If u was to tell me the first day I saw him, he was gonna be champ, I woulda pinched myself to make sure that I wasn't dreaming. But the thing is, I beleive Miz is highly overated, and if I was behind the creative department then I'll have him in a few main event tag matches from time to time. But A dominant mid-card push would push him easily into the Main Event Scene. Why not keep him heel and make him have a year to 2 year long reign as US Champion and let him be known as the greatest US Champion of all time. Hey it's more realistic than having him as WWE Champion.

Now Nexus, I've disagreed with the series all together. And the storyline was just Bogus. How u gonna have WWE Rookies be trained by WWE Pros, and then like a month later, they come out of nowhere as rookies and dominate a bunch of Professional Wrestlers including Bret Hart and call themselves as a threat to the WWE and invading the WWE Locker Room. But I'll tell u this, they're a faction now, but sooner or later, some will be thining out for the simple fact theirs 6 of them now with the addition of Mike and Husky. Darren Young be on Superstars from Time to Time. Tarver bout to come back. And Sheffield will return soon from his injury not to mention u got Alex Riley and Daniel Bryan. But what's going to happen, u got other wrestlers on the roster, and some won't get tv time or make it back on TV. And eventually get cut.

But another consideration u have to take into effect to is the draft. Shawn Retired before the draft. Hunter got injured before the draft. Batista I think he quit before the Draft. And Y2J, got punted upside the head and not heard from since. But the point Im trying to make is, they tried to send Shawn to Smackdown, but couldn't cause Shawn Michaels was obligated to teach Bible Study at John Hagee's church on Tuesday Nights, the same nights they filmed smackdown to air on Friday. HHH, never liked Smackdown, cause at the time it was the B Show, and now they're trying to make Smackdown the A Show. Batista and Y2J been to smackdown countless times, and it may not matter with them. But the thing is if smackdown do become the A Show, then Hunter is going to smackdown. Shawn would've stayed on Raw, and most likely, if Batista was to be on one show, then Y2J would be on the other. But yes it'll make room to push a new star not besides shamus, but plenty of midcard talents, and for 1st timer Heavyweight pushers, John Morrison, Kofi Kingston, and possibly Christian. There's some that's not ready yet like Dolph, Truth, McIntyre, and like I said before the Miz, it's just a matter of who all is on what brand and how many folks the wwe can afford to push and not forget about.

 

[mral82]

The WWE is doing fine without all of the said people and Jericho, Helmsley, n Taker are currently taking vacations n recovering their bodies as they will be all back but on a Legends type contract role. And Jericho was apart of The Nexus-WWE Raw-Cena storyline as a matter of fact. Go back and watch it like a few months ago as was Edge, go back and watch before u post lies. The reason Jericho is gone right now is to take care of Fozzy n will feud w/ Orton come WrestleMania just watch cause Orton punted him into a break plus the Miz will still be champ come Mania I hope. W/O them yes they are missed but but not needed as "It's about the Future and The Past of a Company unlike TNA!"

 

[Kitten Cutter]

It bothers me when people are bitching about The Miz winning the WWE Title. I swear no one likes new guys winning. Sheamus wins on a fluke. Swagger had a terrible title reign. The Miz doesn't deserve it. Then there's the talk about John Cena, which I won't even go into because it's pointless to debate. Truth be told, I'm not a Miz fan, but I am a wrestling fan, and I like it.

Truth be told, the only guys I miss are The Undertaker and Jericho. Shawn Michaels was done and he's happy to be retired, I've never been a fan of Batista, and HHH has done enough of his face routine. And I'm looking forward to Wrestlemania this year like no other because I want to see if the WWE will actually go through with The Miz in the main event. When was the last time we really didn't know who was going to win the Royal Rumble? I want to know if Kofi Kingston (my 2nd favorite wrestler besides Taker) will win the Royal Rumble and go on to Wrestlemania. I want to know if Drew McIntyre will actually win Money in the Bank. I want to know what happens to John Morrison and will he make it all the way to the top. We can see if guys like Swagger, Ziggler, Del Rio, Rhodes, Dibiase or Bryan will get a chance in the Elimination Chamber, and what impact the Nexus will be once the Cena storyline is over. The WWE, for the first time in years, has found parity! Since the Nexus storyline started, it's like all bets are off, and anyone can now beat anyone. The only top guys who are truly tough to beat one-on-one are John Cena and The Undertaker, and look how much they've actually lost this year. Remember that Justin Gabriel alone has pinned Cena twice now, and The Undertaker is actually approaching the point where his streak is actually in jeopardy.

You all can knock it all you want, but I love the youth movement that the WWE is doing, and I've been thoroughly entertained.

 

[TUFFY54]

The WWE is doing fine without all of the said people and Jericho, Helmsley, n Taker are currently taking vacations n recovering their bodies as they will be all back but on a Legends type contract role. And Jericho was apart of The Nexus-WWE Raw-Cena storyline as a matter of fact. Go back and watch it like a few months ago as was Edge, go back and watch before u post lies. The reason Jericho is gone right now is to take care of Fozzy n will feud w/ Orton come WrestleMania just watch cause Orton punted him into a break plus the Miz will still be champ come Mania I hope. W/O them yes they are missed but but not needed as "It's about the Future and The Past of a Company unlike TNA!"

I take it your day job isn't teaching English. As far as my "posting lies" goes, yes Jericho was involved somewhat in the Nexus angle, but he certainly wasn't a focal point like Cena was. In fact, he had immunity from them for a while you jackass. Also, the nexus angle was only a part of what I was talking about idiot.

P.S. Please learn proper grammar you moron.

 

[UltimateHitman]

I have to agree with the youth movement being a positive thing. I grew up in the old regime, talking about AWA, NWA, Hogan, Iron Sheik, Piper, Orndorff, JYD, etc. etc. and when they still had black and white tvs. I love watching the legends (minus HHH) but I think it is very exciting, fresh, and more unpredictable now. I mean, the legends had to start somewhere too, you know? They didn't all just automatically pop up out of nowhere and say "Hey, look at me! I'm now the top guy in WWE! Love me!"

Like Kitten Cutter said, when was the last time the shit wasn't so predictable that you could get up, make a sandwich, take a crap, smoke a cigarette, get another beer, get a phone call, drink the beer, and grab another one before going back to the couch and still know who won the matches you missed and probably the movesets and the finish as well? As long as the new guys bring their A game to the PPVs, it should be just fine w/out the legends. Hell, you've still got Cena and (UGH) Orton to go to for ppv buyrates, so until the other guys get better established (which just needs some more intriguing storylines) the "E" will still turn a profit. So even an old school guy like myself is digging this youth push and am interested in seeing the fresh faces and the development of different personas lately minus a couple of bumps along the way. I've even found myself liking Alex Riley for f's sake.

 

[GetsHeat]

I would say it hurts in the short term, but will help in the long term. The bottom line is they need new young stars to bring this company into a new generation. They can't rely much longer on the older (35+) guys like HHH, Jericho, Edge, Taker, etc that have been cornerstones for the past 10-20 years. They are more injury prone, and it seems like a lot of them have been talking retirement.

The bottom line is they need new stars to take their place and they've done an amazing job establishing Wade Barett as a star, they've done pretty well with Sheamus (despite his booking) and in a year both of these guys have gone from total unknowns to stars. You also have to think Alberto Del Rio will continue to be pushed and reach that same level as well.

Then you have guys like the Miz, though I really don't like him it's clear he gets the reaction the WWE wants out of him and will be in the main event picture for a while. Orton who has gained a ton of momentum will be an established star for years to come. Then you have others who can easily be fit in and out of the main event role (a bit like Jericho) like CM Punk.

I wonder how they'll operate with Taker, HHH, Jericho, and even Cena who hasn't been in the title hunt lately, it would be a bit of a shame to see them totally take the spotlight at WM, but it's what's likely.

 

[XgringolocoX]

Im all for the youth movement. Why? Cause we get to see NEW TALENT!!! Now don't get me wrong, I love me some Y2J, HHH, HBK, Orton, etc but I've been bored to tears with the same old shit.
Nexus works for me cause it's a dominate rookie stable. Hasn't been done like this before. It's familiar, yes, but it's also a breath of fresh air and a HUGE risk on the part of WWE. Shit, puttting Otunga in a ring anywhere is a risk. Stick to the mic my boy and ye will do just fine.
I do agree that the absence of talent opens doors for the younger guys, but I don't think it wouldn't have worked. Maybe Nexus would be more feared if they had the ability to take out Batista or HBK. I would have loved to see Jericho take the reigns being revealed as the Nexus leader. I thought all along that he'd be a perfect fit. He has the history with Barrett and also motive for helping them. All he has to say is that he was held done his whole career by guy like ________. he's correcting that mistake by creating the Nexus. Neat, clean, makes sense....it'll never happen.
So that's my off on a tangent response...cheers!

 

[brighamosity]

Frankly, I'm surprised about all the backlash about the Miz being champion. A year ago, the IWC seemed to love the guy and everyone said he was a future world champion. But now that he is champion, it seems like everyone just wants to say how he can't wrestle, is mediocre, etc. Does anyone else agree with this?

I personally like him more than ever, but I agree that it's hard to take him seriously as champion. I said the same thing about Sheamus though, even during his second run. And the same thing about Rey Mysterio and Jack Swagger as well. But I think out of all 4 of those I mentioned, Miz has the most potential to be a credible champion.

I liked Sheamus as champion, but having not followed wrestling too closely from 2005 until late 2009, I honestly had no idea who Sheamus was (or Jack Swagger or the Miz for that matter) so to me, I was just thinking "Why are they giving all the titles to these rookies?"

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I wouldn't go so far as to say that the WWE was "saved" by these veterans leaving but I do believe that it's definitely improved the company overall. These veteran wrestlers have found financial security with the WWE, they're getting older, the wear and tear of life as a pro wrestler is harder on them now, they have other outside interests or some combination of any or all of the above.

Truth be told, I wasn't worried about what the WWE was going to do when all of these big names started stepping aside because the WWE is a company that's always been able to make stars. If you're not able to develop and create stars that keeps people tuning into watch your product week in and week out, then you're going to go out of buisness eventually and that's just not been a problem for WWE. I'll miss The Undertaker, Triple H, Rey Mysterio & Chris Jericho when they finally decide to hang it up but I know that it's got to happen. I'll even miss The Big Show and, believe it or not, I even miss Batista a little bit. Nostalgia affects everyone to some degree and wrestling fans are no different.

I do believe that the WWE should've began its youth movement a few years ago when they did have a roster full of big name veterans, but that's just not how it worked out. There've been some hits in my view and some misses. A few guys have gotten pushed too fast and I think that everyone can see that. The WWE has also taken chances in pushing some guys that's paid off.

Right now, for instance, I'm happy that The Miz is WWE Champion. Of course, in the eyes of the IWC, since he's not on the same level inside the ring as Kurt Angle, he must not be deserving of his spot. One constant complaint I heard, especially last year, was that the WWE kept putting the same guys in the same spots, especially the main event scene. Yet look at the complaints when The Miz or Sheamus get pushed into the top spot. Too many net fans want, literally, everything and complain when they don't get it. It doesn't matter how many flips or high spots you hit in a match, doesn't matter what your background might be in amateur wrestling or martial arts and it doesn't matter how athletic you are in the ring if you're not able to make wrestling fans give a damn about what you're doing. Whether you hate The Miz or love him, right now, he's got people very interested in the WWE Championship scene. He has people talking, he has people debating, he has people asking could he be the next huge star, he has people asking if he's just a fluke transitional champion and he has people talking about him outside of wrestling within the mainstream media. Sounds a lot like a guy a lot of wrestling fans know about. Hmmm what's his name...you know he's that guy that wore red & yellow to the ring for most of his career, wore bandanas most of the time, has a Fu Manchu? At any rate, this guy is still praised as one of the all time greats despite the MANY shortcomings that he had inside the ring.

Like with every other generation of new stars, you're going to have fans that've grown up with Shawn Michaels or Kurt Angle or Ric Flair look at The Miz or Sheamus or whomever and say "I wouldn't take 10 of those guys for one HBK". Just as generations probably said something along the lines of not trading 10 Ric Flairs for one Harley Race or Verne Gagne.

 

[jh715]

I was actually thinking the other day about something like this. I'm quite liking the WWE Youth Movement at the moment because it is a breath of fresh air to see some new people in the Main Event scene or getting some kind of push in the WWE. Don't get me wrong, I love Chris Jericho, Triple H, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and anyone else who is injured or left, but if you look at the WWE Championship scene or World Heavyweight Championship scene for the past 5 or 6 years, it has been clogged up with the same people. Randy Orton, John Cena, Batista, Triple H, JBL, Shawn Michaels, Edge, Kane, Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, Kurt Angle etc. I know some of those weren't always in the title picture or title matches but it consisted mainly of these people. Also, I'm not saying it's a bad thing for these people to be in the main event scene as they did give us some great matches and storylines, for example, Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels in 2008, but it got a bit stale seeing the same faces at the top challenging for the World titles.

Look back to when WWE was going the "ECW Youth Initiative" or whatever it was called when they were bringing up wrestlers from developmental to the main roster. A lot of them were faded into the background and then released whilst some were on their for a while then just disappeared and released, for example Braden Walker, Gavin Spears, Colin Delaney, Bam Neely and DJ Gabriel. Even guys who were on Smackdown, Raw or ECW for a short period of time over the years suffered the same fate, for example, Kizarny, Paul Birchall, Sim Snuka, Domino, Manu, Scotty Goldman (Colt Cabana), Ryan Braddock, all of the Spirit Squad (besides Nicky who is now Dolph Ziggler), Marcus Cor Von, Kevin Thorn, Palmer Cannon, Eric Escobar, Ricky Ortiz, KC James and The Gymini. All of these guys during the ECW Youth Initiative or being called up to Smackdown, Raw or ECW over the past 5 or 6 years were released within a few months to a year after their debuts on the main roster. So we were stuck with same faces in the main event scene. Again, that's not a bad thing, but it would have been nice to see some different people up their challenging for the title or involved in a top storyline.

But over the years, people broke through and we were seeing some more people challenging for the titles. Jeff Hardy, CM Punk, The Great Khali, Vladimir Kozlov, Carlito and Chris Masters challenged for the title at some point, MVP, Shelton Benjamin, Brian Kendrick, John Morrison and some others and again, back then it was a welcome change to the main event scene. Albeit, Khali, Kendrick, Benjamin and MVP were relegated to mid-card status and 3 of them were released.

But now the WWE Youth Movement is in full effect. Sheamus won the WWE Championship at TLC 2009, more of the younger people are starting to shine a lot more brightly such as Kofi Kingston, John Morrison, The Miz, Drew McIntyre, Wade Barrett, some members of Nexus, Daniel Bryan, Alberto Del Rio, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase and Dolph Ziggler are becoming to come in to their own. Some of them at the moment may only be mid card, but if they continue to improve within a few years, they could be on top of the food chain and become staples of the WWE for years to come.

So, to answer the question... yes, I am happy to see a new set of faces in the WWE in high profile matches, challenging for the world titles and getting a push in the WWE. Has it saved it? I would say no. As someone before me mentioned, the WWE has been able to create new stars every decade to carry the torch. Hulk Hogan in the 1980's. Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, The Undertaker in the early 1990's. Stone Cold, The Rock, Triple H, Mick Foley, Kurt Angle, Kane in the late 1990's. John Cena, Randy Orton, Edge and Batista in the 2000's. So it will be interesting to see who will carry the torch in this decade. Will it be The Miz, Wade Barrett, Sheamus, John Morrison?? Only time will tell.

 

[Aeon Mathix]

First off I am guilty as one of the many who has bitched about The Miz becoming WWE Champion. Now I'm not really a fan of his, but I think he is going to be a good champion and was a great choice. He can talk and is decent enough in the ring.

With that out of the way, I love WWE's youth movement. They know that they are in a "situation" what with a lot of the top dogs retired or gone and with the likes of Undertaker, Triple H, Edge, Mysterio, etc all expected to be gone within the next year or so. They are doing a damn fine job of building up the next generation. Stone Cold put it best: "The WWE is a machine, I was a gear in the machine, when I couldn't go on anymore, I got pulled out thrown aside and another gear was put in my place. Let someone else do what I have done". That probably isn't his exact quote, but it was along the lines of it. People can bash WWE all they want, there is no question that they know how to keep the business rolling.

 

[ABMorales787]

No, the way I see it, there is still risk. In the main event all you really have that you can count on are Edge, John Cena and Randy Orton. I've yet to see guys like Kofi Kingston, John Morrison and others put a firm foot into main event territory. To me it's a damn shame. The same thing happened back in 2002 with the departures of The Rock and Stone Cold. Then instead of the new blood we were expecting, we got backstage shenanigans instead along with Triple H and Shawn Michaels. It took 3 years for new talent to actually claim "we are main event".

WWE isn't out of the woods yet. By a long mile. Do you see anybody that can say they can pick up the slack for John Cena if he left? Absolutely not. They are once again finding themselves in a transition process and if they don't develop newer stars fast enough, it may be 2003 all over.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I would not say that the veterans leaving was the reason why the new talent got pushed. I think its something that had been on Vince's mind for a long time and it just came to fruition this year. Also its really only Batista and HBK who have left. Even if HBK would have stayed, I feel he would have just continued to elevate new talent the way he had been doing ever since he came back in 2002. Batista could have hindered the rise of new talent a bit but he could have always been drafted back to Smackdown, a show that is sorely in need of a few main eventers at the moment.

Also I think that the Nexus would have worked better had they been opposing a larger number of main eventers rather than only John Cena.

 

[LSN80]

I dont know the conclusion can be drawn that WWE is better off without those four guys. I mean, I understand your logic here, but how could 3 future HOF's who were still competing at a high level as well as a heel in Batista who was doing the best work of his career not be bad because of it? Either you're better of, or you're not, and I think losing that talent has been a bad thing. I think it's also made WWE look in a new direction, so thats a good thing. One of the things I do agree with, is that WWE does do a great job of reloading talent when they lose it, but having these four around hasn't necessarily made WWE better. It has made them take a different approach, and thats been through an in-flux of young talent and pulling the trigger on a hot angle.

I dont believe that Nexus would have had a problem succeeding even with the four talent you mentioned. Whose to say that wouldnt have bickered and fought in the same way Cena, Edge, Jericho, Morrison and company did? Its not like all of them havent had their problems with Cena in the past as well, so it's no lock that they would have gotten along. I think the Nexus angle succeeded due to the execution of it, with a lesser degree being the people involved.

Well, with Sheamus having made it to the top last year, whose to say Barrett couldnt have made it to the top this year? I still think this angle would have succeeded no matter what had happened. And I dont see Batista, HBK, or HHH dropping down into the mid-card, so I think there's a highly likely chance that Bryan would still be the US champion. He would just have more people to feud with, such as a Chris Jericho, if those four were still around. It would likely make things tougher for a guy like Morrison, without a doubt.

I agree that there's been fresh programming, and thats always a good thing. Losing four top draws is always a tough thing, but it also creates opportunities that didnt exist before. Every time in the past Ive worried about WWE losing men, other guys have stepped up and filled the gaps that were there. Getting alternate people into the main event has been a good thing, although the buyrates dont reflect it yet. Ive been entertained by it, but I think that the angle(s), especially the Nexus angle that dominated Raw for the second half of this year, would have succeeded no matter what. I understand what you're trying to say, I really do. I just have a hard time seeing how they are better off without 4 of the biggest draws in the company. It has made for a fun changing of the guard, but WWE would surely be better off with those men as opposed to without them.

 

[DeathClutch]

No their leaving didn't save WWE in the least, Batista was feuding with Cena so the chances are he would joined up with Nexus to some degree, HBK was putting people over and putting on QUALITY matches, so his leaving hurt WWE a fair bit and HHH & Jericho are on temp leave, Jericho is like Shawn he puts ANYONE over the only one who left who opened up the door was HHH really who in fairness takes up A LOT of RAW tv with pointless promos and RARELY putting anyone over unlike Jericho/Shawn they'd put anyone over and Batistia could of added to the Nexus/Cena feud, maybe joined them only for them to turn on him and him and Cena to team together and a big Batista face turn.