Introducing the 'Masked Man' may have killed the SES

[Cookie14]

Hear me out on this one, before you laugh me out of the Forum....

Pre-WrestleMania, SES were doing really well for themselves, building a lot of heat and momentum.

Then, a month after WM, a masked member joined the group by attacking Mysterio.

Two months later, the masked member only makes occasional appearances, and the SES looks to be on the point of break-up. So where did it all go wrong?

According to rumours, plans were for Mysterio to join the SES at Mania, but he refused.
This lead to the masked man being brought in. This (IMO) could never be a good thing for the SES. If the masked man is a big star, then they could possibly rival Punk for leadership of the group, if they are NOT a big star, then revealling their identity won't really achieve very much. (we all know/think it could be Joey Mercury, revealling him would carry almost no impact)

Since the end of the Mysterio fued, they have had a few weeks battling Kane, with Kane fairly dominating the group, even sending Punk running into the streets a few weeks ago (the same day that Kane unmasked the 'other' member to reveal it was Serena)

To end the fued with Kane, Serena revealled that she was out drinking. Far from living the straight edge lifestyle. It looks like the next fued for the SES will come from within, tearing the group apart.

I hope I'm wrong, because they have been one of the best things on SD for a long time

Two simple questions for you.

Do you think SES is losing momentum?
And what do you think has caused it?

 

[Ferbian]

I don't see the Straight Edge Society losing momentum. They're still interesting. And the storylines they're involved in are some of the primary reasons to watch Smackdown. At least I watch Smackdown. Not only for the Straight Edge Society. But they have a part in it.

They're involving in new aspects of storylines all the time. We saw Jeff Hardy to start off. Then we moved to The Undertaker. Then the formation and induction of Serena. Then we started seeing the Rey Mysterio feud. Ultimately involving in Kane / Problems within the society storyline.

The only thing I could even remotely imagine that is causing the storyline as well as the stable to loose momentum would be the fact that it's slowly seeming like it's dragging out. That kinda happens for quite a handful of stables unless they're given some new aspect of the background of it. The Straight Edge Society has always revolved around cleansing the bad parts of the opponents. It's exciting and all. But it could get old quickly. I think that is a small thing that could cause momentum to die out.

That is if it were dying out. Which I don't believe it is.

 

[Lyson Rayne]

Personally, I think The SES has lost momentum. When was the last time they actually won a match? Granted, I'm going in a different direction than the OP, but to me the only thing wrong with the Society is the fact that they have 3 members, and a leader, yet Rey Mysterio and Kane take on all 4 (3, excluding Serena, but she still gets involved) by their respective selves. Kane destroying Punk like that was a little too far, even if it is to push Kane. IMO, CM Punk has been buried by Mysterio and Kane, and alone Gallows never was believable, especially since his record since being repackaged is 3-40 (not really, but you get the point). Granted the magic with the SES was on the mic, not in the ring, but consistant similiar promos can only cover for so many losses. The masked member angle could have helped better, IMO since they won't unmask him, they should add more masked men to generate that real feel of "you never know how many members of the SES theyre are" as the commentators keep pushing, but that's another discussion for another time.

Generally,

Do you think SES is losing momentum?
Yes.

And what do you think has caused it?
In short, poor booking.

 

[Prax]

Yes, SES has lost momentum. But that's bound to happen with a group like this, no matter what happens really. When they first came in, they were new, original, and they were the first real stable we had seen in a long time. I don't really think it has much to do with the masked wrestler, it's just the natural progression of things. What they have to do now is find a way to rejuvenate it and keep it working, and with Punk injured and MITB wrapping up, it may be time to bring in a new member, someone with a fairly big name to spice things up.

 

[HamsterWrestler]

Are you interested in the SES?

If Yes, then they have not lost any momentum and are doing a good job as a unit.

If No, then they have lost momentum and are doing a bad job as a unit.

"Your Opinion Counts"

 

[Mitch Henessey]

The SES has lost some momentum, but it happens with every stable. It looks as if the wheels might be set in motion for a break up or some changes might be made pretty soon. Serena's exile was teased a couple of weeks ago, and Luke Gallows didn't seem to happy with Punk's decision to let Serena back into the SES, so the solid unity we've seen over the past couple of months is starting to come apart.


I don't think the masked man is that big of a factor, because we don't see him with Serena,Gallows, and Punk on a regular basis. We don't even know he is yet, and we might not ever find out.

The SES could be on the verge of a break up, because we all know every stable must come to an end some day, but I would like to see this one continue a little while longer.

 

[CH David]

Of course the Straight Edge Society has lost some momentum. Like the few that have posted in here have said, it's not because of the masked man. There is only so far that Punk can carry the stable without winning any gold. I love Punk, but preaching on and on about how being Straight Edge clears your mind from the clouds, and not showing anything for it is getting old. That seems to be what separates stables. Look at the Four Horsemen, Evolution, DX, the nWo, even the Freebirds. They are considered some of the best ever, what did they have in common? They had gold, and it helped a lot. If they want to get more heat, give them some gold, and go back to some '80s style shit, where both the face and heel looked credible, in a non-title changing situation. A time limit, a roll up from distraction, something! The simplest of ideas can go the farthest.

 

[Future Endeavors]

It really doesn't help the SES that Punk is on the shelf right now. He can come out and be involved but it's not the same as being able to work matches.

I don't really see the "Masked Man" as being a problem except that it is getting to the point where we need to see him unmasked. Masked Man gimmicks only work if you unmask the guy at some point without having it go so far that nobody gives a crap anymore.

Personally I'd like to see the SES grab the Tag Titles at some point in the near future. That would breathe some new life into them by letting them travel to Raw and cause trouble, a feature of the belts that the Hart Dynasty hasn't been using. Having the straps would put a target on their backs and, as CH David said, they could get a lot of mileage out of old school heel tactics to keep them. Just remember how frustrating it was for fans when Edge and Christian used to have the blatant disqualification as part of their moveset, as well as how that made rants root against them time and time again.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

The Straight Edge Society is a great idea, and it's been very entertaining since its inception on Smackdown. But if you want my opinion, the entire group has been picked with haste. Serena's alright because she's not terrible with her mic skills and she doesn't really have to wrestle, so it doesn't matter. We actually don't know how good she really is in the ring. It was a creative way to introduce a new diva into the roster. But Luke Gallows was just a way to re-use Festus so Vince didn't feel like he had wasted money on him. But he's still got no charisma or personality, and he might as well be a sentient rag-doll. Sure, Punk needed a big man to fight his battles for him, but why Festus? Does that sound like a good idea to anybody? And then the masked man showed up, which was alright for awhile because we all assumed he would reveal himself sooner rather than later. And then Punk went and got his head shaved, so we have two masked guys, a bald diva, and a sentient rag doll... Now, this group has somehow (CM PUnk) managed to continue being relatively entertaining. I don't think it was just the Masked Man that ruined SES, I think it was poorly pieced together from just about every angle. It's a wonder to me how they've managed to stay where they are so long...it's truly a testament to CM Punk's ability to get over.

 

[osborne79]

No the masked man adds another dimension to the stable thus giving it a bit of credibility once their faction gets going and starts to win some gold