One would only need to look back on Wrestlemania 9. That event's world title match was fully tarnished by Hogan's random win at the end. If Hogan had to be in a match why couldn't he just put Hart over? Or even Yokozuna? That was the final nail in the coffin for what ruined one of the worst Wrestlemania's ever. People would remember the Hart VS Yokozuna match in a much less negative light if it weren't for the random Hogan win afterwards.
Who cares about how a match is remembered? Aside from the purposes of smark *********ion, who looks back on such things and mulls over the supposed legacy they have in the business? That match served its purpose. Hart got out with his credibility, Yoko got some comeuppance for what he'd just done to Hart (and if such things matter, he would be put over by Hogan in June; of course such things DON'T matter), and Hogan sent the fans home happy. Looking past all the talk of legacy, that last part is really the best you can hope for at the time such a decision is made. In fact, one could argue that Hogan's surprise title win is the kind of must-see surprise that's lacking these days in the WWE. Nobody in that crowd looks like they're on the verge of bitching about how Hogan put the final nail in that Mania's coffin. That's smark talk. But real people didn't think that way. Playing Monday morning quarterback almost twenty years later and calling it a terrible decision is laughable at best.
The fact of the matter is that we still remember all kinds of great matches in spite of endings that might be deemed questionable when put before the almighty smark standard of clean wins and nothing overshadowing a big match. You're just too blind to see it. Read on.
If history repeated itself and Lesnar randomly won the title from Punk it would tarnish what was otherwise a solid match. If it didn't work with Hogan it sure as hell isn't going to work with Lesnar.
But it did work with Hogan. Not long term, but it worked on the night of. And the only reason it didn't work long term is because neither Hogan nor Yoko are of any real value to hardcore smarks (the people who by-and-large purchase wrestling DVDs) in the long term. And really, what's the best purpose a match serves long term? Getting refurbished as smark-wank in some DVD set that only we will care about, that's what. And guess what? We still tolerate lots of smark-wank on DVD with screwy finishes and big returns casting a shadow over the proceedings. We all still love Rock vs Triple H from Backlash and their rematch at Judgement Day in spite of appearances from Austin and Taker. Shawn Michaels vs Mankind is still remembered by smark-types as one of both men's best matches in spite of the screwy finish. HBK vs Bulldog from King of the Ring still satisfies our smarky appetites in spite of the pier six brawl after the bout. And if Lesnar's return really did offend smark sensibilities long term, it could always be removed from future DVD releases. Undertaker's return after the Eddie-Rey match on Smackdown in March 2004 overshadowed a great WWE Championship match, but the bout was still released on Eddie's last DVD without the Taker segment. Steve Austin returned after the HHH-HBK classic on the last Raw of 2003, but that return was cut from the Heartbreak & Triumph DVD and people still love the match. History can be framed in a way that smarks will make smarks open their wallets at a later date. The Punk-Jericho match would have lived on in as significant a fashion as any other great wrestling match regardless of whether or not Lesnar returned afterwards.
They hyped Cena VS The Rock for an ENTIRE YEAR. Wrestlemania 28 had plenty of "must see" lustre.
And yet in execution, the event was about as by-the-numbers as you could expect. Where are the surprises that make you glad to have tuned in live? The game didn't change and if you missed it, you didn't really miss much.
It wouldn't have erased the match, it would have tarnished it. There's a difference. That match is part of a feud that does not need anyone else interfering in it. Punk and Jericho have a potential feud of the year going on and randomly throwing Lesnar into the mix would completely derail that momentum.
Who cares? Lesnar's a bigger deal and if the brass feels the need to put gold around his waist, waiting for the small fish to wrap up their second-tier feud is a non-issue. Derailing it means nothing if more people are willing to pay to see Lesnar in a title match right now.
Jericho is trying to get inside Punk's head constantly about his family history and get him to go against his lifestyle choices. Punk is overcoming his opponent and proving he is the best in the world. Where exactly is Lesnar going to fit into that? Nowhere.
The feud could have easily ended at Mania and Lesnar would have slid right in to be Punk's next credible threat. Would have been better than the WrestleMania leftovers we're getting in the WWE Championship picture now.
They do, however, deserve to have their title feud play out in its entirety without guys like Lesnar ruining it.
Wrestling is a business. Deserve has nothing to do with it. More smark fallacies from you.
They are already going to end up having to do something like that with Daniel Bryan if the crowd keeps showing their sympathy/support. There's no point in doing two nearly identical pushes.
The pushes wouldn't be identical. The only similarity is the crowd would have a great deal of sympathy for both. That's it.
Punk is better off just as he is, an antihero face who is out to prove he is the best wrestler in the world that just happens to be straight-edge providing endless sarcastic promos along the way, and remaining a constant thorn in JL's side.
And yet look at the Raw over the last month. He's become the bitch of Jericho, alcohol, and his past because the brass knows that sympathy works for babyfaces. And the Lesnar scenario at Mania would have given him that in spades. Heck, WWE would have had an easier time accomplishing their goals with Punk if they went through with this proposed scenario.
Lesnar doesn't need to earn anything? That has to be one of the stupidest things I have ever heard. You earn things in life. If he is going to be WWE Champion again then he needs to get in line and earn it like the others. What if your boss suddenly brought in some random other guy and said this gentlemen is going to be replacing you as their taffy wholesaler because people like him more and he is a hot commodity. Would that not severely upset you? You lost your spot that you worked hard to earn (I don't know if you did work to earn your job position or or if that even is your real job, so let's just assume that it is and you did, for purposes of this argument) only to lose it when you did nothing to deserve that. Same principle applies here. The masses DO care about earning spots with great matches and non-title feuds. It's called GETTING OVER. Punk earned his spot, so did Jericho. If Lesnar wants in on the title scene he will have to earn it like everyone else does.
What planet do you live on? Snooki is one of the biggest names in entertainment. Earn has nothing to do with it. Rock slid right back in after seven years and was handed a WrestleMania main event. Earn has nothing to do with it. Even your beloved Jericho was inserted in the title picture based on past accolades. Earn has nothing to so with it. This is entertainment. Stars are given star treatment because they're stars. If there's money to be made, they aren't waiting in line. It's why Jeff Hardy didn't flounder in the midcard after his latest TNA sabbatical. The only thing that matters in entertainment is your ability to make bank. Lesnar's track record shows he does it better than anyone in professional wrestling today. He doesn't have to earn a god damn thing. And if you think he does, your naive idealism will get you eaten alive in the real world.
