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!
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!