My theory on how pushes are earned in the WWE. | WrestleZone Forums

My theory on how pushes are earned in the WWE.

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GI Cake

Thank God For Sodamy.
Now bear with me here but this is a theory on how Superstars in the WWE earn a push. In a simple term, we could simply call it the "Power Pie." Their is three slices to the pie.

Your first slice of the pie is the fans, or the WWE Universe. If a Superstar wanna get a push, the 'E has to know that said Superstar can get behind you. Good examples of Superstars who have fan support is Daniel Bryan, Sin Cara, Randy Orton and of course, John Cena.

The second slice of the Power Pie is the support of fellow Superstars. Also could be known as "Backstage Politics." If a Superstar has the support of some Veterans such as Rey Mysterio, and Triple H, you will have a great future in the 'E.

The third slice has to be support with Creative. This slice might be the most vital slice of the pie. Creative will be the sole reason on why or why not you are on T.V. And if you job to guy's like Santino or not.

Now a Superstar doesn't need all three slices to get a push in the WWE. In fact, you could need as little as 2 slices of the Pie. If you are loved by the fans and Creative, you will get your push regardless of what the Backstage thinks of you. A good case of this is CM Punk.

You can be a darling among the Fans and Superstars but you can't get the Push due to the fact some people in Creative do not think highly of him. A very fine example of this is Christian and Zack Ryder.

Now feel free to comment or further work on this little theory.
 
your right, but thats how wwe works, they dont focus on the wrestling skills of the superstar. if it was some place like the origonal ecw, john cena would probobly be a jobber. because compared to 80% of the roster(including divas) he cant wrestle.

the thing is that those 3 slices of pie, work in wwe, and only wwe, thats why they are MEGA. tna or impact wrestling what ever u wna call it, follow those rules too. but they suck at that pie, cuz no ones hungry in tna. srry i mean impact wrestling.

the bad thing with the ''power pie'' is that not all of wwe's talent eats all 3, some even dont eat any slice, even if their good in-ring wrestlers. daneil bryan has the wrestling skill but dosent hasn't finished his ''plate of pie'' so he's not getting the push he deserves.

and also their are wrestlers who ''dont like pie'' thats why they left wwe, wwe relays to much on pie, and not other ''foods''
 
I think it sounds like a valid theory, I just think you have it in reverse order. I think creative (from McMahon and them down the chain of command), do what they think is best and then see where the other two go from there.
As for Odisho's idea that John Cena would have been a jobber in ECW, I don't know, maybe if you mean when it was still Eastern Championship Wrestling (even though I personally think Cena CAN wrestle), but if you mean old hardcore ECW, i seem to remember a bunch of guys who I know for sure couldn't wrsetle being there. (new Jack, Sandman)
 
very simple, if u have all the in-ring abilities in the world but cant work the mic or get any type of reaction when u come out, then youre not getting pushed...why is cena in his position?? cause he has charisma...why is orton in his position??? cause he gets a reaction when he comes out through the curtain....why doesnt daniel bryan get a push??? cause hes BORING....thats what its all about.....
and yea, umm, cena not being a champ in the original ecw..sandman was a multiple time champ and hes one of the worst workers ever
 
holding holder your right and i think cena can wrestle too but im comparing him to likes of rob van dam, sabu, raven, tazz, ect. cena wouldn't be a complete jobber but he would'nt be as popular as he is in wwe. if it weren't for the ''power pie'' he would be mid card, or still have won wwe championship but not as much as 10. just sayin
 
It is a great theory per say, but I believe that a superstar must have all three pieces of the "power pie" in order to establish a long lasting, concrete push.

Take for example, Christian, a well known internet darling, and a well respected veteran by his peers. He has never fully gained the support of creative due to his inconsistant drawing abilities. I haven't really followed pro wrestling in a number of weeks, but I've heard that Christian just recently won the world heavyweight championship... only to lose it within a week of his initial title reign to Randy Orton...

From what I understand, there was no feud, no real build up, and no real match. There's no plausible reason for Christian to have lost the belt so early unless creative didn't think that he could carry a program against Randy Orton as defending champion, and IMO that's exactly what happened. From this example, and others like Matt Hardy, and even to an extent guys like Shelton Benjamin, it can be concluded that creative support is detrimental to the overall success of a superstar.

It can, however, be argued that certain pieces of the pie might be larger than others. Fan support and creative support are certainly important enough to determine whether or not a superstar establishes a long lasting main event push; although backstage support is questionable...

Traditionally a rookie superstar had to pay dues for a certain amount of time, and gradually rise up the proverbial ladder over time. Guys like the Miz, Jeff Hardy, Edge, and John Cena did just this...

It used to be that a superstar with a bad attitude whom constantly rubbed others the wrong way would have been punished by being jobbed until his/her attitude improved, but in recent times backstage politics have come to change this. Guys like Randy Orton starting out and Shawn Michaels in the mid 90's had horrible attitudes, and treated nearly everyone like shit, and yet they were still pushed.

Could it be that a superstars push is determined by whether or not be he or she pisses off the wrong people or not? Or if a superstar pisses of everyone else except for the right people he or she will still be pushed? It poses the question of just how important backstage politics really is to success.
 
The sad truth is nobody really earns their spot in wwe anymore all you need is a good look and mic skills and your there. If it was about wrestling and earning you spot you really think the miz would really be in the ME now? Guys like JoMo and christian worked their asses off to get to where their at christian made it though but after 17 years and morrison is right there he just has to recover from his injury and he will take off. So yeah nobody really earns they spot anymore
 
your right, but thats how wwe works, they dont focus on the wrestling skills of the superstar. if it was some place like the origonal ecw, john cena would probobly be a jobber. because compared to 80% of the roster(including divas) he cant wrestle.

the thing is that those 3 slices of pie, work in wwe, and only wwe, thats why they are MEGA. tna or impact wrestling what ever u wna call it, follow those rules too. but they suck at that pie, cuz no ones hungry in tna. srry i mean impact wrestling.

the bad thing with the ''power pie'' is that not all of wwe's talent eats all 3, some even dont eat any slice, even if their good in-ring wrestlers. daneil bryan has the wrestling skill but dosent hasn't finished his ''plate of pie'' so he's not getting the push he deserves.

and also their are wrestlers who ''dont like pie'' thats why they left wwe, wwe relays to much on pie, and not other ''foods''

Wrestling skill is but one piece of the pie, not the whole thing. Guys like Daniel Bryan shouldn't be automatically pushed to the moon just based on their indy careers. Some of them, like Kaval, prove to be shit and shouldn't have been pushed at all.

Daniel Bryan is doing exactly what every other great superstar and legend before him did; he's slowly working his way up that proverbial ladder, paying his dues, and earning his respect from the other veterans and creative the right way.
 
The sad truth is nobody really earns their spot in wwe anymore all you need is a good look and mic skills and your there. If it was about wrestling and earning you spot you really think the miz would really be in the ME now? Guys like JoMo and christian worked their asses off to get to where their at christian made it though but after 17 years and morrison is right there he just has to recover from his injury and he will take off. So yeah nobody really earns they spot anymore

How has the Miz not earned his spot in the main event? If anything he should be a model to the newer guys on how to climb the success ladder the right way..

Christian has never been a consistant draw, ever... If he was, then why did he lose the title after only a week long reign? Champions that lose the title that quickly obviously do not have the trust and support of creative.

And JoMO? He's an uncharismatic spot monkey... it shouldn't be any real mystery to any intelligent person as to why he's never been really pushed...
 
your right, but thats how wwe works, they dont focus on the wrestling skills of the superstar. if it was some place like the origonal ecw, john cena would probobly be a jobber. because compared to 80% of the roster(including divas) he cant wrestle.

Just so you know, compared to the original ECW, John Cena is like Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, and Bret Hart all rolled into one. And to assume he couldn't adjust his character to what that audience would want is more than a little silly. Were you watching WWE when he was a rapper? The man is talented. He plays the character he has now because it caters to kids and that's the WWE's primary audience right now, not because that's the only thing he can do.

As for how pushes are earned, using the "pie" analogy, I'd say fan reaction makes up three pieces of the pie, creative makes up two, and backstage politics makes up one. Fan reaction drives the whole thing. If you get the crowd to react, creative will take notice, and they will do something with you. (and no, when I say crowd, I don't mean IWC - I mean the audience that's in the arena) Having superstars behind you will help, but if you can't get a fan reaction, they'll pull the plug eventually.
 
I like your theory, but I believe there's more to it. In the end, it's all up to Vince. If he doesn't want to cook your pie, then we're just left with an uncooked pie.

A good example of this is Zack Ryder. The guy has skill, fan support, star support, and even a good gimmick that creative has stuck him with. But where's he at now? People are often predicting him to be future endeavored soon.

Some people just come off as naturally likable and able to draw (Jericho). Others work their whole lives and eventually earn enough respect to get a short title reign (Kane, Christian, Eddie Guerrero).

So all in all, you can have a piece or pieces of the pie, but unless Vince thinks he can sell that pie, it'll be left uncooked.
 
i agree with you but i think that this politics runs just in the global companies like Impact Wrestling and WWE but for the others companies or independant scene like ROH or Japan Pro Wrestling it's the in-ring skills who make you a champion
 
It's funny how many threads turn into a "Cena can't wrestle" thread. On that topic, we all know that when you work in the WWE, there is a certain way that they want you to wrestle(well...perform). So how do we know that Cena CAN'T wrestle? Maybe he knows other moves, but WWE doesn't allow them or want him doing them.

The "pie" analogy might actually be The Rocks favorite kind of analogy lol, but that's beside the point. My theory is that it doesn't matter how many pieces of the pie one employs. What's more important is for the individual to use his piece(s) to the best of his ability to succeed. Bret Hart was never all that good with the microphone, but he was one of, if not the best, in the ring. It took him a long time to get to the top(things were different back then), but really he stuck to what he knew best and used that to gain another piece of the pie which was fan appreciation.

Their are other ways to go about it though. Take The Miz for example. IMO piece #1 for him is his hard work away from the ring. His talk show appearances, charity events, etc. all those things to get himself and the WWE brand out there. Piece #2 - Love him or hate him, he gets a reaction from the crowd that is usually pretty loud either way. Depending where they are or who he's against, some will cheer and some will boo, but hardly anyone sits on their hands. Then piece 3 is his in-ring skill. So far this is his weakest link, but it's good enough to put on a good match now and then and tell a great story in the ring.

So IMO you DO earn your push, or shot, but it's all about the opportunity and how said individual takes advantage of the opportunities given.
 
How has the Miz not earned his spot in the main event? If anything he should be a model to the newer guys on how to climb the success ladder the right way..

Christian has never been a consistant draw, ever... If he was, then why did he lose the title after only a week long reign? Champions that lose the title that quickly obviously do not have the trust and support of creative.

And JoMO? He's an uncharismatic spot monkey... it shouldn't be any real mystery to any intelligent person as to why he's never been really pushed...

I respect the fact that miz made it into the main event and he is super over but this is a guy who botch more then main eventers should.

As for christian not being a draw your right he's not a draw with the kids that's why Vince doesn't see him as a top face this era is about the kiddies that's why he's most likely gonna turn heel Christians better at it anyway.

And for JoMo you call uncharismatic getting the biggest pops of the nights, and as for spot monkeys I believe that phrase is used to describe superstars that are used to do a bunch of high flying moves one after the other but still lose Morrison is more then that his ground game is pretty good and can do a few submision moves seen in his triple threat submision match with the miz and DB so when you try to prove a point look at some of his matches first.
 
1. How do we know what Cena would be like in ECW? To claim he wouldn't be anything is downplaying Heyman's talents. He would've found what Cena was good at and highlighted it. Who knows, he could've been even BIGGER (relatively speaking) than he is now.

2. Just having a good look and mic skills isn't gonna cut it. I think you have to be at least a decent wrestler to make it because at some point, your weaknesses will show at the worst possible time and you're in trouble.

3. Why do people call Daniel Bryan boring? His wrestling isn't boring. He didn't just get over in ROH because he had a couple moves either. He was a compelling personality. Perhaps what they're giving him to work with will only go so far? He's accomplished alot in a short time by being "boring" so imagine what he'll do next.
 
It's an interesting theory that probably has a good deal of validity behind it. I have to admit that when I saw the title of this thread, I thought it was going to be another lame bash thread about having to screw the boss' daughter like Triple H did or be his workout partner like we used to hear with Sheamus. We often hear stuff like that from posters who are usually pissed because their favorite wrestlers aren't as high up on the card right now as they'd like them to be. If it was up to some of them, Zack Ryder would, as we speak, be put in the #1 contender spot for the WWE Championship with no questions asked or no matter how little sense it would make right now.

What a lot of people forget is that wrestling is a business, it's not a fantasy league. The WWE doesn't automatically push the guy who happens to be the best "wrestler" on the roster to the top spot. That's what a lot of the old school promoters did back in the day and look where they are now. Verne Gagne's refusal to put the AWA World Heavyweight Championship on Hulk Hogan because he didn't think Hogan was a good "wrestler" eventually came back to bite him in the ass. First and foremost, the WWE brass, primarily Vince McMahon, has to look at a guy and ask "can he make money for this company?". If you think any successful businessman or corporate executive or whatever doesn't ask that same question when it comes to hiring personel, then you need to pull your head out of your ass, wipe the shit out of your nose and take a huge whiff of reality. It's an important question and a relevant question.

Fan support is also something a guy generally has to have. There have been times Vince has tried to rush pushes or give pushes to guys that fans just aren't behind. The Great Khali, for instance, is someone Vince hoped to get over based on the fact that he's a physical freak of nature and feuding with guys like The Undertaker & John Cena. It didn't happen because even the most casual of casual fans could see that Khali brought nothing to the table apart from just being a big son of a bitch. Drew McIntyre is a guy I've really become a fan of over the course of a year or so. He was pushed too quickly and given a lengthy IC title run and he wasn't over with fans. After he dropped the title, McIntyre began to solidly improve in every respect until the guy became damn fun to watch and the crowd has gotten behind him as a heel. I've said this in a lot of posts and I think it's true: if the fans aren't interested in what you're doing, who you're feuding with, what storyline you're involved in and wouldn't even notice if you fell off the face of the earth, then it doesn't matter how good you look. It doesn't matter how handsome your face is, how tight your abs are, how agile you are, how strong you are, how high & perky your tits are, how round your ass is, how many times you were All American in college, how you've spent a decade on the indy scene, how you can flip or flop all over the ring or what else you've done before you came to the WWE.
 
I respect the fact that miz made it into the main event and he is super over but this is a guy who botch more then main eventers should.

As compared to whom? John Cena, HHH, Batista? Miz isn't perfect, but he sure as hell doesn't botch frequently. As an avid viewer of the Botchamania series, I rarely see the Miz on there very often.

As for christian not being a draw your right he's not a draw with the kids that's why Vince doesn't see him as a top face this era is about the kiddies that's why he's most likely gonna turn heel Christians better at it anyway.

Christian has never been a proven draw, amongst any age demographic... ever... as of now, in 2011, this is the most over Christian has ever been in his career... and yet creative still doesn't trust him to lead a program as world champion.
 
They are the biggest company in the game. They have a process, I'm sure. The problem is is that they have share-holders. They have to have guys that have more than just wrestling.

As long as they keep their noses clean, a connection with the fans is more important than the in-ring stuff. Can't even blame them for that. The wrestling kicks in during the big feuds as that is when fans look for the best of you and if you don't bring it, they lose interest.

I'd say that fan attention is the primary measuring stick. Then, it's the boys and the office appreciating you for your talents AND your attitude. Followed by your ability to stay out of trouble. Then it's your mic work. Then it's your work in the ring and you're look.
 
Yes and no to your "Power Pie". The ultimate deciding factor is if vince likes you or not. If he doesn't think you have main event potential, then you will never be a star no matter how much the fans are behind you. Look at Austin - the fans got behind him and Vince decided to give him a push and he became one of the biggest stars ever yet the fans are behind Christian and he is not getting the push the fans want. At the same time, fans really didn't care for Cena, Orton or Batista for a long time even though Vince was pushing them down our throats. But all the things you listed are true. Look at some of the people who have come in, had minimal talent and the fans couldn't have cared less about them. Unless Vince is trying to hit a specific market, like a certian giant with a kiss-cam, those guys disappear fast.

The one thing you didn't mention which I think is very important is time with the company. Vince rewards loyalty so someone who has been with the company along time will get pushes that they don't really deserve. Look at Kane. Wasn't that long ago that he was the World Champ yet look at him both before the title and now. Not exactly someone who you would think should be pushed. Sometimes that is the biggest factor to why someone gets a push and they don't.
 
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