Turn 'Em Loose

[BillAlfonso]

Looking at Pro-Wrestling of yesteryear as opposed to sports enterainment of today and I seem to notice why the old product is worlds better than todays. It's not because the talent was better, it's because the onscreen product wasn't as controlled and restrained as it is today. What I mean is, back then, you only had one booker that controlled things. He controlled who got hired, what they got paid, and the outcomes of the matches. That was it, everything else was left up to the talent including the promos and the stuff leading up to the finish. Nowadays, you have a writing staff that seems to think they're recreating "Lost" or "New York Undercover," one of the best shows of the '90s, and there efforts seem to be kinda futile as most of the roster are not actors. The business that I discovered at the age of 6 in 1991 was full of muscle bound improvisationalist that made it up as they went along. Each character was unique because they were making it up on the spot, even if they were similar(Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, and Sting), there were still nuances that made each character different.

Here's an example:

Hogan/Ultimate Warrior: These two characters were similar as they were both superheroes that had a following as Hogan had the Hulkamaniacs and The Ultimate Warrior had the Warriors, Sting had the Stingers also.

Ultimate Warrior/Road Warriors: Face painted insane unstoppable monsters.

You see how Ultimate Warrior was similar to both the Hulkamania and Road Warrior gimmicks but the Warriors and Hogan were nothing alike?

Another example:

The Loose Cannon Brian Pillman was a maniacal genius, well, that sounds a lot like Raven's character with a different approach.

Also, the promos were way better back then on average and the reason they were was because the promos belonged to the talent. Sting was never the greatest talker as evidenced by the fact that I can't really remember any promos to note you but the one thing I can remember is that he never sounded like he was forcing anything and sounded natural. Even if the guy wasn't the best talker and didn't have a manager, they'd just shut him the fuck up or give him little to say. Fast forward to today, people say that John Morrison's greatest drawback is his promo skills but does anyone think that the reason that his promos are awkward is because he's not speaking his own words? He could be the best promo cutter today if most of his energy during the promo trying to remember the words.

What I'm saying, if I'm saying anything, is that I think the product that we're enjoying, WWE or TNA, would be a whole lot different and better if they'd just let the talent use their talents. John Cena or RKO may not be the top guys in the WWE and it may be Santino and Kofi Kingston. Think about this shit please.

 

[Undertaker the 5th]

It would be cool, but than again guys like Dolph Ziggler wouldn't exist in the WWE anymore if that was the case. Let's face it, he has no personality and anyone can play the type of heel that he is playing. I also don't think the majority of people care about what he does. John Morrison would probably be in a lower spot than he is. John Cena is great on the mic regardless if it would be scripted or not. I think that is actually what got him there. Turning them loose would only get you so far. You got to have real charisma like Jericho or Punk to make the writers turn you loose. I think that is what sets some performers apart from others. You can turn a guy like Jericho or HHH lose, but not guys like Morrison. He just doesn't have the mic skills for that.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

It would be cool, but than again guys like Dolph Ziggler wouldn't exist in the WWE anymore if that was the case. Let's face it, he has no personality and anyone can play the type of heel that he is playing. I also don't think the majority of people care about what he does. John Morrison would probably be in a lower spot than he is. John Cena is great on the mic regardless if it would be scripted or not. I think that is actually what got him there. Turning them loose would only get you so far. You got to have real charisma like Jericho or Punk to make the writers turn you loose. I think that is what sets some performers apart from others. You can turn a guy like Jericho or HHH lose, but not guys like Morrison. He just doesn't have the mic skills for that.

I think if the wrestlers were turned loose, and able to improvise in their promos, then we would have a much more exciting, unpredictable show than we do right now. I think it would be a good thing and allow guys to show sides of themselves that we havent seen before.

As for Morrison not being able to be turned loose, or Ziggler...if they cant cut it then they shouldnt be at the top of the card. Punk and Jericho were two you mentioned that could hack it, and would be successful in doing so. If that is the case then the cream of the crop would rise to the top, and deservedly so.

If Morrison and and Dolph wouldnt cope, then so what? Other wrestlers who have the skills and who are being held back would step up and fill the gap I think...and I am a Morrison fan