The days of the "forced push" are almost over.

[BigBombB]

Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Paige, The Bellas...just a few names that have been forced down our throats over the past few years. They are being presented as big names in the WWE...but are they actually over? Have they EVER been over?

From the beginning of the 2000s until now shows a very stark contrast. John Cena, Randy Orton, Edge, Batista, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, and Jeff Hardy all had huge followings prior to being bumped up to the main event. They weren't put there out of convenience, they were put there because it was their time. One can argue that JBL was a bit of a forced star but, to be fair, he was over as part of the APA beforehand.

Then there came a point where desperation set in. Jack Swagger, Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, and others were tossed to the top of the card without any real justification for it. The Miz was at least a proven commodity, and super over at the time he won the World Title, but even his push seemed desperate. The only stars that did get over during this time were CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, with both getting there the proven way after highly successful midcard runs. A coincidence? Perhaps not.

Then the desperation got worse. As good as Seth Rollins is, he didn't have a lot of star power outside of the Shield. In fact, neither did Dean Ambrose or Roman Reigns. IN FACT, one could argue that they didn't have a lot of star power while IN the Shield either. To this day I'm not sure anyone can describe what the Shield actually was other than a group of young prospects putting on good multi-man matches. This ambiguity never allowed fans to really get behind them and they got by simply because they almost never lost.

The Shield, for all of the raw talent they possessed, were one of the biggest blunders of the "forced push" era. It was like no one had any idea what to do with them other than having them win matches. There was no logic behind them, no real excitement outside of their feud with the Wyatts, and even that quickly dissipated. It is no wonder that there is limited excitement for a bunch of guys who, while very deserving of their spots, didn't get there organically.

It is telling that the WWE has finally started going outside of their own organization to pull in proven star power. Daniel Bryan and CM Punk proved that the WWE formula was simply wrong; the WWE doesn't decide who is over, the FANS decide who is over. Now, instead of focusing on unproven talent, they are finding hot stars from outside their walls.

Sami Zayn began the new cycle. Then Hideo Itami, Finn Balor, and Kevin Owens provided an even bigger example of the WWE's new focus. Then the floodgates opened. Sting, Samoa Joe, Asuka, Austin Aries, AJ Styles, and Shinsuke Nakamura have all been brought in due to their huge star power elsewhere. And it all makes perfect sense.

A youth movement means nothing without big stars to put them on the map. John Cena and Brock Lesnar need to be protected and simply can't be responsible for getting other wrestlers up to their level alone. With a massive gap between the midcard and the main event, the WWE could no longer afford to put their all into questionable talent. And one place where there aren't big question marks are with stars who have already proven themselves elsewhere. If they can draw money there then they can draw money in the WWE.

This may be one of the biggest hauls of global talent since the territory days. Tons of fresh match-ups, tons of drawing potential, and endless possibilities for making money doing the one thing WWE was built on...wrestling. It seems that the days of WWE deciding who is a "top star" may be coming to an end and the more proven formula of the past is gaining traction once more. While Roman Reigns may not have a lot of crowd support, the massive influx of other talent is certainly something to be excited about!

 

[Sean Valjean]

Eh, I'd argue Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt are more victims of botched pushes than anything. There would be nothing wrong with Roman as the chosen top guy if they hadn't put him there so haphazardly. People actually like Bray and want to see him succeed, but has been booked questionably at best, and horribly at worst.

Brock Lesnar was shot to the world title immediately, but that actually worked. Why? Because they did it right. They focused on his strengths i.e. being a freak of nature by having him maul dudes for a few months before having him destroy Rock and win the world title. People not only bought it, but they LOVED it. So "forcing" a new talent on fans can indeed work if you do it right. The thing is that WWE doesn't seem to know how to do it correctly anymore.

Because of this, now they grab guys with established followings. That's great because we get all this awesome new talent, but it's terrifying that they've become so awful at building names from scratch. Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt really should have been home runs, and there are ways of launching them into top spots correctly. But due to Creative's own ineptitude, the former gets mixed reactions at best and the latter is struggling to remain credible.

Also, I disagree with you about The Shield. They started out as an insurmountable heel faction that wanted to win everything and were turned face organically because people started cheering them due to being cool badasses that consistently produced awesome matches. I'll never forget the massive HOUNDS OF JUSTICE chant the night after Wrestlemania 30 when Evolution tried to steal the world title from Daniel Bryan before they came to the rescue. Make no mistake: The Shield were probably the hottest thing in the company not named Daniel Bryan. They were definitely over.

When they split, Rollins instantly got over on his own by being the hated backstabber and Authority lapdog. He won the world title after spending months as one of the most despised heels in the company and the pop was huge when he did. Ambrose has gotten over with his overwhelming charisma and the credibility he's established toiling in the upper mid-card. And Roman...well, 2 out of 3 isn't bad. It's even more mind-boggling because Roman was hot as hell coming off the Shield split, so the company had a head start on that front. But due to a long string of bad booking decisions, they totally sabotaged his popularity.

 

[harrythem]

I'm calling shenanigans on the "huge drawing power" of talent like Zayn, Joe, Aries, Asuka and, 1997 apart, even Sting. They either a Monday Night Wars leftover who WWE managed to botch from the moment they gave him dreadful music, to wrestlers that the Hardcore fans get excited about but, realistically, don't have any connection with the casual audience. I'm not saying they can't build that connection (as Dean Ambrose has seemingly managed to do) but it's not there yet.

I can only assume you must think Vince McMahon must be near death because, other than that, I really don't see him stepping down and, thus, the forced pushes will continue (except in nXt, they seem to get it better down there). The real test on things will be after Vince is gone as, until then, I don't really see anything changing.

And, while we're at it, where is this Wyatt family forced push? Surely that'd involve them, I don't know, actually winning a match or two that matters.

 

[Azane]

I dont mind force pushing a guy for a little bit, if they get over, they get over.

But don't force push someone getting booed to death for a year+

 

[dsotm5150]

They're going to push who they want to push, always have always will. Which is fine, how else are we supposed to get behind them. The problem is the characters and storylines are so atrocious. It really comes down to the fact people are BORED with the product.

 

[Rhodes2TheFuture3313]

You know it's trouble when Shane O/Mac hasn't been seen on TV in 7 years and gets a huge reaction compared to a guy who's working hard to win the fans over, yet the fans just aren't taking to his character. You know it's bad when a 14 time WORLD CHAMP bloodies said up and comer and the fans are cheering the bad guy vehemently and booing the Top Good guy they've been building for the past 2 years. Vince you and creative tried, but the fans aren't into Roman Reigns right now. Turn him into a bada$$ monster heel who comes through the crowd and pushes hands away and doesn't speak much. Ditch that corny believe that saying. Let the guy go out there and do what he does best. Go out there and methodically beat a guy's brains in. Give him a better finisher than the spear. Use the superman punch and spear as signature moves.

 

[Prince Vee]

I wouldn't add the names of the Divas in this context. Because 99% of the Divas in the recent had never garnished a crowd for themselves. There may be some exception, like AJ Lee, Paige, Sasha Banks amongst the very few. In other words, WWE Universe are pretty much dumb while appreciating the works of some of the Divas. For 2 consecutive weeks there were "We want Sasha" chants, and the next week when two of the best Divas Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch were having a match, there were "This is Boring" Chants. WWE Universe are asinine at times.

But few of the wrestlers you had mentioned was not shoved down our throats. Bray Wyatt had never won a PPV in my view except the times he had consistent wins over Dean Ambrose. In many PPVs, after losing his feud, Bray would return to the Main Event to rekindle a new feud. The fans was indeed holding their thumbs up for Bray Wyatt. He certainly is one of the naturally over wrestlers, unlike the Roman Reigns or the Bellas.

It is quite interesting to see, Nikki Bella had her fanbase and it was growing during her title reign. You can thank only to her improvement both in the ring and in mic. I wouldn't say she was the best inring worker or the best promo mistress. But when it comes to improvement, she definitely holds a spot for herself.

In a nutshell, if someone is ready to work hard and is fed to the Audiences, he/she is certainly won't the fans to feel like being pushed down her throat. (Unless you're Roman Reigns of course)

 

[FromGlasgow]

I would say its more of a matter of opinion of who you like or dislike rather than people you mentioned as being over or not, Would the alternative be to only push who the IWC like who are the most vocal fans? I would say no matter who is pushed nowadays there will be a big group of fans ready to disagree with their choice, It would be interesting to see how pushes like Hogan and Warrior would be viewed if they started today with the IWC, John Cena for example isn't a wrestler I enjoy watching but he has made the WWE a lot of money over the years and if the WWE had of listened to the IWC during his initial rise they would have missed out.

 

[Wald]

I'm calling shenanigans on the "huge drawing power" of talent like......1997 apart, Sting.

Holy hell there's so much wrong with that sentiment I don't even know where to begin. Do I start with how Sting was the most over wrestler in the world from 1996 through 1998 and how you can't just say "apart" for numbers like he pulled? Or do I talk about how Sting was the most over babyface the NWA had in the late 80s and how he remained a huge superstar from then until now?

You don't show up in WWE 13 years after WCW died and get a pop like Sting did unless you are a massive, massive name in wrestling's history. You make him sound like friggin' Earthquake or someone like that

 

[Dave]

You make some good points. The WWE has gone to other parts of the world to try and bring in more talent; this much is a given. But I would argue that the WWE did that to open up new doors and new markets for the company in terms of finance. The WWE is trying desperately to break Asian, with Japan and China as the main priorities. But the style that the WWE has is of no interest to the fans in China and Japan. As we all know, Japan has their own wrestling style and creed that will make it very difficult for the WWE to "break" it. That's where the likes of AJ, The Bullet Club and Nakamura come in. Those people are going to be the key to the whole thing.

But of course, this only brings me back to the original point. If the WWE see Asia as their key opening for investment and for financial gain, they will begin pushing the talents that are going to get them there. Cena is already a commodity in Asia, so he will stay at the very top whenever the Asian market is being targeted. But over the course of the next few years, you should fully expect to see the likes of Styles, Owens, Balor and Nakamura featured frequently. As much as the WWE are not responsible for their popularity before they arrived, they are responsible for it now. And given the right time and effort, it could pay off.

But it really comes down to the chicken or the egg mentality. The WWE is using stars who are already established names in the wrestling business to sell their product. Do they have enough about them to continue that push that the WWE needs from them? Or is the WWE going to have to treat them like Roman Reigns to get the most from them? I guess we just have to wait and see.

 

[Un-Bo-Lievable Jeff]

Reigns was pushed after being popular in the Shield. Wyatt first arrived on the scene he was popular, the storylines he got just sucked.

The night Paige debuted and won the title was great. She done very well in NXT and it just didn't pan out as well as it could have. NXT has created some impressive 'Divas' and they put on some very good matches.

I would give you the bellas, but it seems as though these are simply people you didn't like.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

The notion of Bray Wyatt being shoved down our throats is absurd. If anything, Wyatt is a perfect example and victim of the stop & go mentality we see sometimes. Is he still over? Yes because a lot of fans see the overall talent and ability. As for Paige...c'mon, you honestly expect us to believe that she isn't over and hasn't been?

As for calling the Shield blunders or "forced", I have to say that's just flat out bullshit. Here's the thing: when someone's not all that over, they shouldn't be continually forced upon fans. In the case of the Shield, there was nothing forced about it as they were a highly interesting, over and talented faction.

As for the drawing power of Zayn, Asuka, Sting, Austin Aries, Samoa Joe and a few others mentioned, that's definitely a bit of a stretch. Being well known isn't necessarily the same as being a big draw. Zayn and Asuka had a ton of buzz about them from the indie scene, I'd never heard of Asuka before she was signed to NXT, but it's hard to view Zayn as a big draw as he's best known for ROH and PWG, they're not exactly selling out 15,000 seat arenas. As for Joe, Aries and even Sting, if they were such major draws, how come TNA continued to flounder?

For a bit, forced pushes need to happen sometimes. Otherwise, it's can be very difficult to know, sometimes, whether or not someone has the goods or not. The problem is keeping the forced push going for the better part of 1.5 years, such as Roman Reigns' case, when many fans just aren't buying into it due to them being much more interested in a lot of other wrestlers on the roster who, in the perspective of many of said fans, are flat out much better.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Sure, the sudden willingness to sign outside talent is great, but, you know....Roman Reigns.



I wouldn't get too excited about the end of forced pushes just yet

 

[harrythem]

Holy hell there's so much wrong with that sentiment I don't even know where to begin. Do I start with how Sting was the most over wrestler in the world from 1996 through 1998 and how you can't just say "apart" for numbers like he pulled? Or do I talk about how Sting was the most over babyface the NWA had in the late 80s and how he remained a huge superstar from then until now?

You don't show up in WWE 13 years after WCW died and get a pop like Sting did unless you are a massive, massive name in wrestling's history. You make him sound like friggin' Earthquake or someone like that

Sure I can say apart from 1997 because, apart from 1997, he didn't really draw any numbers that could be shouted about as a regular occurrence. I don't doubt how popular Sting was when he started dropping from the ceiling and, yes, he's definitely a legend but, history does show that he wasn't a massive numbers mover. WCW started getting hot with the nWo and Sting and the WCW guys looked like chumps. He was big in the NWA and, like Jerry Lawler et al, deserves credit for that. It doesn't change the fact that his run as a top drawer that moved serious numbers or merch was shorter than Goldbergs run in the grand scheme of his career. Hell, he'd been moved from being "the guy" in WCW a few years before and was clearly bitching about it for years (hence his massive sulking fit with the international title).
As for the pop he got when he showed up on WWE, I'd put a lot of that down to the "oh my God they finally got him!" type of shock rather than the "wow, it's Sting" as WWE has, for years, always shown respect to Sting but always linked him in with WCW and, let's face it, they've always continued to show that WCW was the shite compared to them (in their view anyways) so, surely that nostalga pop was more based on WWE keeping his name out there than his mega-star work in helping to make TNA a massively popular international brand.

Also Shane McMahon got a monster pop last night, and I'm sure it's not because that many people actually give a crap about the boy blunder and his mega ego returning?

Again I'm not saying he isn't a legend, I'm just saying that to use him as an example of an international money drawing superstar is pushing it, even with his name value (and especially at the age he is now)

 

[Navi]

Out of the names the OP mentioned the only one that has been "pushed down our throats" is Reigns. Wyatt has definitely floundered somewhat, losing the majority of his feuds. Paigs has done very well for herself in a division that was kind of awful to begin with and the Bella's, hell they've been around for what seems forever. Were they pushed or given their positions because there was simply no one else left?

I have no problem with them bringing in talent from other areas whether it be the indies or TNA. As long as it makes the product better then go for it. Styles is a great addition, so will Nakamura when he debuts. And you have a fine crop ready to come up from NXT. So yea keep bringing in the Kevin Owens of this world, love to watch them. But no one will take the top spot as long as Cena is still alive and kicking. Now Vince just has to get it through his head that the Reigns experiment has failed and we'll be fine.

Would love to see Reigns in the top spot, but he's been damaged by the last two years of constantly being pushed. Should have laid off for awhile, but they kept on with it. HHH got the "one more time" chant last night for hitting the pedigree on steel steps, not a good sign. Oh and I totally disagree about the Shield. They worked their asses off to get where they are. Rollins has done a fantastic job as a heel, and Ambrose, well he's Ambrose. Without any help from the top brass got himself over with the fans in a way most others wish they were.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I wouldn't get too excited about the end of forced pushes just yet

True. As long as Vince McMahon rules the roost, there will be forced pushes of his choosing. For decades, he's apparently seen himself as a star maker ("Never mind what the fans want. We'll tell them what they want")

It would be nice to think that some of the negative results attained by his personal choices might have forced him to reevaluate his thinking, but I wouldn't count on that.

Then again, if he's been giving more responsibility for 'casting' to his son-in-law.....pertaining to selecting who will come up from NXT.....I have to wonder if the apparent failure of Tyler Breeze gives Vince an excuse to keep more 'selection' power to himself. Didn't we just read that Vince decided Breeze "wasn't worth pushing any further" and had the services of Summer Rae taken from him?

That could be an ominous sign.

 

[Noshowers]

I would say its more of a matter of opinion of who you like or dislike rather than people you mentioned as being over or not, Would the alternative be to only push who the IWC like who are the most vocal fans? I would say no matter who is pushed nowadays there will be a big group of fans ready to disagree with their choice, It would be interesting to see how pushes like Hogan and Warrior would be viewed if they started today with the IWC, John Cena for example isn't a wrestler I enjoy watching but he has made the WWE a lot of money over the years and if the WWE had of listened to the IWC during his initial rise they would have missed out.

John Cena was over when this current character began. He was the "cool" (this was in 2003 - 2004) rapper guy who beat a dastardly heel in JBL for the belt. The reason the Live Wrestling Community in arenas across the country give Cena a mixed reaction at best is because that character has not changed in over a decade. Stale. Not Fresh.

And yes, they should push who the Live Wrestling Community in your arenas night after night enjoy seeing and put the coolers on pushes that have failed (like evidenced by the authority and HHH getting cheered louder then Austin in 96 when he was beating the crap out of the "face").

 

[ColeMc]

Is it really though? I see no indication that this was the case. That reaction to the end of Fastlane should have told Vince all he needs to know about pushing Roman as a face, but if he didn't get the message at the RR 13 months ago, he isn't going to suddenly get it now.

It seems that Vince's idea of getting him over is to put him everywhere, multiple segments, people will like him if they get fucking saturated in him? Cause that works, hell even the guys who do get over lose that momentum if they bombard the screen week-in, week-out.

Roman not over doesn't bother me, Bray I think is just booked awfully. What the hell was with having the family lose to Ryback and the OAP's? That helped absolutely no-one and a Ryback swerve could have made perfect sense had they lost the match with Ryback carrying the team and falling short.

Okay, starting to ramble here, it's very late. Forced pushes have been going on for a long LONG time and there is no proof he's about to stop that. I dread the match at WM because I get the feeling we're going to have 'fuck off' heat to close out the show. Biggest show of the year, headline match, boos...great.

 

[tvcolosi]

Guys... its fake... the odds of someone the precious internet fans don't deem "worthy" is bound to get the backing of the office and management.

and wait a minute.. Paige? when and where did Paige get forced down people thraits?

 

[d_henderson1810]

Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Paige, The Bellas...just a few names that have been forced down our throats over the past few years. They are being presented as big names in the WWE...but are they actually over? Have they EVER been over?

From the beginning of the 2000s until now shows a very stark contrast. John Cena, Randy Orton, Edge, Batista, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, and Jeff Hardy all had huge followings prior to being bumped up to the main event. They weren't put there out of convenience, they were put there because it was their time. One can argue that JBL was a bit of a forced star but, to be fair, he was over as part of the APA beforehand.

Then there came a point where desperation set in. Jack Swagger, Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, and others were tossed to the top of the card without any real justification for it. The Miz was at least a proven commodity, and super over at the time he won the World Title, but even his push seemed desperate. The only stars that did get over during this time were CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, with both getting there the proven way after highly successful midcard runs. A coincidence? Perhaps not.

Then the desperation got worse. As good as Seth Rollins is, he didn't have a lot of star power outside of the Shield. In fact, neither did Dean Ambrose or Roman Reigns. IN FACT, one could argue that they didn't have a lot of star power while IN the Shield either. To this day I'm not sure anyone can describe what the Shield actually was other than a group of young prospects putting on good multi-man matches. This ambiguity never allowed fans to really get behind them and they got by simply because they almost never lost.

The Shield, for all of the raw talent they possessed, were one of the biggest blunders of the "forced push" era. It was like no one had any idea what to do with them other than having them win matches. There was no logic behind them, no real excitement outside of their feud with the Wyatts, and even that quickly dissipated. It is no wonder that there is limited excitement for a bunch of guys who, while very deserving of their spots, didn't get there organically.

It is telling that the WWE has finally started going outside of their own organization to pull in proven star power. Daniel Bryan and CM Punk proved that the WWE formula was simply wrong; the WWE doesn't decide who is over, the FANS decide who is over. Now, instead of focusing on unproven talent, they are finding hot stars from outside their walls.

Sami Zayn began the new cycle. Then Hideo Itami, Finn Balor, and Kevin Owens provided an even bigger example of the WWE's new focus. Then the floodgates opened. Sting, Samoa Joe, Asuka, Austin Aries, AJ Styles, and Shinsuke Nakamura have all been brought in due to their huge star power elsewhere. And it all makes perfect sense.

A youth movement means nothing without big stars to put them on the map. John Cena and Brock Lesnar need to be protected and simply can't be responsible for getting other wrestlers up to their level alone. With a massive gap between the midcard and the main event, the WWE could no longer afford to put their all into questionable talent. And one place where there aren't big question marks are with stars who have already proven themselves elsewhere. If they can draw money there then they can draw money in the WWE.

This may be one of the biggest hauls of global talent since the territory days. Tons of fresh match-ups, tons of drawing potential, and endless possibilities for making money doing the one thing WWE was built on...wrestling. It seems that the days of WWE deciding who is a "top star" may be coming to an end and the more proven formula of the past is gaining traction once more. While Roman Reigns may not have a lot of crowd support, the massive influx of other talent is certainly something to be excited about!

So much wrong with this post.

You say that Angle, Orton, Jeff Hardy etc were popular PRIOR to their push. Why weren't they popular during their push? Is it because anyone who becomes a champion is no longer an underdog, like a lot of the fans see themselves as. You can no longer relate and embrace someone once they have success.

I remember a glaring example of C.M. Punk.Punk was hugely popular. People were wanting him to "break the glass ceiling", but when he finally did, and held the belt for FOURTEEN MONTHS, the same people said that they were bored with Punk as champion, and wanted someone else. So when Vince listened and gave one of their favourites a push to the moon, you all turned on Punk. Why should Vince cater to the fickle fans? Why give the fans what they want, when the fans don't even know what they want?

None of the Shield stars? Come on. The Shield were huge when they first appeared on RAW, and got a lot of pops. The problem is, they all got pushed to or near the main event, so you can't relate to them anymore. You dismiss them like they were never worthy of their push, when many fans said at the time that it was good to see some dominant fresh young faces for once, instead of Cena and Orton all the time.

You describe those who "come from elsewhere" and yet half the guys you name are in NXT, which is in the WWE, you fool. All NXT is a televised version of the WWE developmental league. It isn't some indy fed. Get that through your thick skull.

Then you show your foolishness more, by defeating your own argument. You say that Cena and Brock needed to be "protected" to put over the new stars. So, is this you saying that it is a good thing that Cena and Brock were "pushed down your throat" then, since beating them means something? You can't have it both ways. You can't say that stars need to be built to eventually put over new talent, but then bag WWE for pushing people and making them dominant.

You also overrate your importance as a fan. Many fans here see themselves as bookers and talent agents, instead of just enjoying the product. The WWE should do what they do, and you decide whether to watch or switch off. Being a fan doesn't entitle you to run the show, unless you plan on buying 51% of WWE stock. Leave the actual booking to the big boys, and keep your wants to your fantasy league wrestling.

Also, there needs to be a top guy. The WWE Champion is usually the top guy (and in my mind, he should always be), meaning that someone will always be pushed.

It's just how it works. You all get behind someone, Vince pushes them, you all now say that Vince has lost his mind, and say that the guy he pushed is undeserving of his push, even though you begged for his push earlier. You people are impossible to please, especially the OP. Maybe fans should stop projecting their own personal failures and wishes onto the wrestlers. What happened to the good old days of living vicariously through wrestlers, instead of today's trend of wanting to drag the champion down to your level?

 

[d_henderson1810]

I would say its more of a matter of opinion of who you like or dislike rather than people you mentioned as being over or not, Would the alternative be to only push who the IWC like who are the most vocal fans? I would say no matter who is pushed nowadays there will be a big group of fans ready to disagree with their choice, It would be interesting to see how pushes like Hogan and Warrior would be viewed if they started today with the IWC, John Cena for example isn't a wrestler I enjoy watching but he has made the WWE a lot of money over the years and if the WWE had of listened to the IWC during his initial rise they would have missed out.

Now this is the type of post I like, which is reasoned and thought-out (as opposed to the stupidity expoused by the OP).

I have said for years that if Cena was around during the 80's, he would be as big as Hulk Hogan, and if Hulk Hogan started when Cena started, he would have been booed out of the building.

 

[Saeros]

Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Paige, The Bellas...just a few names that have been forced down our throats over the past few years. They are being presented as big names in the WWE...but are they actually over? Have they EVER been over?

I'm sorry but when we're Wyatt or Paige shoved down our throats?

I thought the whole point of that was when we see them receive pushes against the will of the fans. I don't recall anyone ever moaning about how Paige was on TV for too long and we wernt accepting her. Same with Wyatt.

Reigns and Cena were shoved down throats. They were made main eventers whether we like it or not. None of those you mention apart from Reigns has been forced down our throats.

 

[Farese12]

I'm sorry but when we're Wyatt or Paige shoved down our throats?

I thought the whole point of that was when we see them receive pushes against the will of the fans. I don't recall anyone ever moaning about how Paige was on TV for too long and we wernt accepting her. Same with Wyatt.

Reigns and Cena were shoved down throats. They were made main enters whether we like it or not. None of those you mention apart from Reigns has been forced down our throats.

I agree, but Cena was pushed down our throats a little differently.. The fans loved him for years, and then got sick of the same old song and dance. Reigns was never really beloved. Reigns and Cena should never be in the same sentence.

 

[hollowpoint]

I think the usage of the term "over" needs to be re evaluated. When you talk about how over someone is, you have to look at the drawing power of that individual. Merchandise sales, ticket sales when you are the marquee, that sort of thing. Reigns is over, he's just being horribly booked at the moment. It's not that he's being shoved down our throats, it's that the WWE is trying to convince everyone that he's a hero and today's fanbase absolutely HATES heroes. Although there are still heels and babyfaces, the lines between booing the heels and cheering for the faces has been completely skewed. Case in point, Dean Ambrose came crawling back into the arena to face Brock Lesnar only to suffer an F5. That was a clear attempt to get sympathy for Ambrose against the mighty Beast Brock Lesnar, but instead all you heard in the crowd was "one more time", as in one more F5. Goes to show you how much the WWE is missing the mark on their writing.

 

[dsotm5150]

In my opinion it's just bad character writing and bad booking. This coming from someone who watched WWF grow up from the "Hogan Era" into the HBK, Bret Hart, Diesel etc led "New Generation" into the Attitude era into the "Ruthless Aggression" era. I watched JCP grow into WCW and between Nitro and RAW create a viewing audience on average of 10 million viewers. What kept me captivated for over 20 years about wrestling? The in ring product and the characters. What a talent might have lacked character wise they made up for in the ring and vice versa. WWE is just failing in my eyes to create a storyline or a character that is believable for the person playing that part. That's just this guy's opinion and Vince McMahon has every right to ignore it because he's run a successful promotion for almost 40 years. If it works for them they'll keep doing it. Because the bottom line for them is to turn a profit and as long as that continues to happen WWE will continue putting out the product they see fit.