The Calgary Kid
Pre-Show Stalwart
I think the thing people are failing to take into account is that although there are seven months until Mania, they basically have four months to groom him to be a legitimate contender to win the Rumble. He needs to be ending December with enough momentum that people pay attention when his number comes and he gets in the ring. That isn't a lot of time.
In terms of ring work, he's even more green than I thought. It goes to show how well they hid his flaws by partnering him with two experienced guys in a bunch of six man tags. He pretty much proved on Sunday that he's not ready to jump into the main event. I was totally puzzled by the way he oversold his application of a rear chin-lock, he looked gassed, and Orton was clearly leading him. I do think that WWE has guys dumb down their styles, but that doesn't mean that their moves can't be varied. Part of the problem is that the Superman punch, flying clothesline and spear have similar setup opportunities (running from the corner, off the ropes, into the ring, running reversals), so when any of those happen at random, fans don't immediately know how to react. Whether its his own fault or the booking, he's going to have to spice up his repertoire and learn how to sell offensively as well as defensively. I'm not saying that just to slag the guy off, but he has a lot of room to grow. I think seeing new stars on the rise is exciting and doesn't happen very often, so I'm legitimately intrigued, but I don't want to see them set him up for failure by rushing his development, which I think they have done so far.
I don't think he's bad on the mic, but he's definitely not comfortable. The promo he cut in the ring with Renee Young a few weeks ago where he was asked if he was ready for Orton and he silently looked around for a good 30 seconds waiting for a chant to pick up that came way too late before asking the crowd if they thought he was ready is a shining example of how much he has to learn about timing and delivery. His flaws can be ironed out, but again, it's something that will require coaching and experience. The Game of Thrones line was great, as was his jab at the "Cena sucks" chants. He needs more zingers like that--that's part of what made The Rock get over so easily. In the latter case though, it's important to note that he was out there talking about himself and the crowd devolved into a combination of "we want Bret" and "Cena sucks" in order to elicit that response.
Does he have what it takes? Yes, absolutely, but he needs more time than I think they can realistically give him in order to be as over as they want for the Rumble, and subsequently for WrestleMania. If the backup plan is The Rock, that will probably draw a ton of money, but the obvious question is what the payoff would be, and I'm totally in the dark on that one. Lesnar ending the streak, winning the title and holding it until Mania (with defenses next month, at Survivor Series and the Rumble--he's not going to do the B PPVs minus Cena's obligatory rematch) would ideally be used to put someone over. They sure as hell don't need to put Dwayne over, and Dwayne putting someone else over after that has half of the impact that Lesnar would based on his recent booking. We have an interesting few months ahead, and while the rumored plan seems obvious, it might not be a foregone conclusion.
In terms of ring work, he's even more green than I thought. It goes to show how well they hid his flaws by partnering him with two experienced guys in a bunch of six man tags. He pretty much proved on Sunday that he's not ready to jump into the main event. I was totally puzzled by the way he oversold his application of a rear chin-lock, he looked gassed, and Orton was clearly leading him. I do think that WWE has guys dumb down their styles, but that doesn't mean that their moves can't be varied. Part of the problem is that the Superman punch, flying clothesline and spear have similar setup opportunities (running from the corner, off the ropes, into the ring, running reversals), so when any of those happen at random, fans don't immediately know how to react. Whether its his own fault or the booking, he's going to have to spice up his repertoire and learn how to sell offensively as well as defensively. I'm not saying that just to slag the guy off, but he has a lot of room to grow. I think seeing new stars on the rise is exciting and doesn't happen very often, so I'm legitimately intrigued, but I don't want to see them set him up for failure by rushing his development, which I think they have done so far.
I don't think he's bad on the mic, but he's definitely not comfortable. The promo he cut in the ring with Renee Young a few weeks ago where he was asked if he was ready for Orton and he silently looked around for a good 30 seconds waiting for a chant to pick up that came way too late before asking the crowd if they thought he was ready is a shining example of how much he has to learn about timing and delivery. His flaws can be ironed out, but again, it's something that will require coaching and experience. The Game of Thrones line was great, as was his jab at the "Cena sucks" chants. He needs more zingers like that--that's part of what made The Rock get over so easily. In the latter case though, it's important to note that he was out there talking about himself and the crowd devolved into a combination of "we want Bret" and "Cena sucks" in order to elicit that response.
Does he have what it takes? Yes, absolutely, but he needs more time than I think they can realistically give him in order to be as over as they want for the Rumble, and subsequently for WrestleMania. If the backup plan is The Rock, that will probably draw a ton of money, but the obvious question is what the payoff would be, and I'm totally in the dark on that one. Lesnar ending the streak, winning the title and holding it until Mania (with defenses next month, at Survivor Series and the Rumble--he's not going to do the B PPVs minus Cena's obligatory rematch) would ideally be used to put someone over. They sure as hell don't need to put Dwayne over, and Dwayne putting someone else over after that has half of the impact that Lesnar would based on his recent booking. We have an interesting few months ahead, and while the rumored plan seems obvious, it might not be a foregone conclusion.