MartialHorror
Mid-Card Championship Winner
To be honest, this topic is a little silly because WWE never has any long term plans for the wrestlers characterizations. For example, is Bray Wyatt a con man or is he possessed by some evil force? The implications for either tend to change based on his current feuds and I have no idea what the character is about. I thought I did for awhile...but now I just think he's an asylum escapee.
Then you have Randy Orton, who became progressively softer as he relied more on the Authority until he became a joke. Yet he began to acquire his original edge the more he drifted away from them as they started focusing on their new golden boy. That makes sense to me. I like that character development.
Or what about Rusev? He began his run under the control of Lana, but started to break free from her and showed his true colors: A twisted, spiteful, jealous, insecure bastard. Lana claims that he controlled her, but I think a better interpretation of this storyline is that she controlled him. She kept his sadistic impulses under control and even encouraged a certain amount of virtue. In the process though, she had to morally compromise herself and become something she is not. Therefore, she is the sympathetic party. I think WWE should maybe play this up a bit more and then I could potentially buy this feud, but obviously none of it was really planned.
Sandow also had an intriguing story arc. After suffering some humiliating defeats, his self worth collapsed and he went through his gimmick crises. Remember when he did that worked shoot bit where he ranted on the mic? The Miz actually did give him a purpose though and his sudden surge in popularity helped restore his confidence and ultimately lead him to become a better person.
On the other hand, I like to envision Ryback as some sort of snake. When he returned as a face, he seriously considered selling out to the Authority until Kane got on his nerves and THEN he joined Team Cena. He realized that he likes the cheers (probably stemming from that match in Vegas where the crowd went crazy for him) and now maintains the nice guy persona. Truthfully, his lowest point for me was when he bullied Curtis Axel. It reeked of him turning on a friend for the sake of being popular with the crowd and Axel looked genuinely betrayed. OBVIOUSLY WWE was not planning this, but that's my interpretation.
The best...for me...has to be Rollins though. Many complained about him being the one who turned on the Shield, when Ambrose seemed the more likely candidate, but besides being shocking- it was the perfect choice. Even then. When discussing the 2014 Rumble, Rollins casually admitted that he'd betray Ambrose during a backstage segment. He abandons them because he's tired of keeping them together, but this unites them. Was this intentional or was he just trying to save face? I think it was intentional and contrary to what Rollins said, I think he had a bond with them. The problem is that Rollins is probably a sociopath and probably was jealous that he seemed to be getting the least amount of attention despite largely being responsible for the Shield existing in the first place. He's also an opportunist, so sacrificed his brothers, but he does seem a little upset at doing so. Contrast that to a year later where he has no problem attacking his fellow Authority members.
Much like Orton before him, Rollins has gotten soft from relying on the Authority too much (he actually was presented as strong early on, even Mic Foley thought he could beat Ambrose in a normal match) and his mean streak has only increased. He's becoming more and more malicious, but in a way that I think is natural for the character.
Once again, none of this is planned. I wish more attention was put into detail, like why did Cesaro go from a smug heel who occasionally talked trash about America to the suddenly patriotic, quintessential babyface. But what are your favorite examples of character development- whether it was intentional or not? Or at least what are your favorite interpretations of the characters.
Then you have Randy Orton, who became progressively softer as he relied more on the Authority until he became a joke. Yet he began to acquire his original edge the more he drifted away from them as they started focusing on their new golden boy. That makes sense to me. I like that character development.
Or what about Rusev? He began his run under the control of Lana, but started to break free from her and showed his true colors: A twisted, spiteful, jealous, insecure bastard. Lana claims that he controlled her, but I think a better interpretation of this storyline is that she controlled him. She kept his sadistic impulses under control and even encouraged a certain amount of virtue. In the process though, she had to morally compromise herself and become something she is not. Therefore, she is the sympathetic party. I think WWE should maybe play this up a bit more and then I could potentially buy this feud, but obviously none of it was really planned.
Sandow also had an intriguing story arc. After suffering some humiliating defeats, his self worth collapsed and he went through his gimmick crises. Remember when he did that worked shoot bit where he ranted on the mic? The Miz actually did give him a purpose though and his sudden surge in popularity helped restore his confidence and ultimately lead him to become a better person.
On the other hand, I like to envision Ryback as some sort of snake. When he returned as a face, he seriously considered selling out to the Authority until Kane got on his nerves and THEN he joined Team Cena. He realized that he likes the cheers (probably stemming from that match in Vegas where the crowd went crazy for him) and now maintains the nice guy persona. Truthfully, his lowest point for me was when he bullied Curtis Axel. It reeked of him turning on a friend for the sake of being popular with the crowd and Axel looked genuinely betrayed. OBVIOUSLY WWE was not planning this, but that's my interpretation.
The best...for me...has to be Rollins though. Many complained about him being the one who turned on the Shield, when Ambrose seemed the more likely candidate, but besides being shocking- it was the perfect choice. Even then. When discussing the 2014 Rumble, Rollins casually admitted that he'd betray Ambrose during a backstage segment. He abandons them because he's tired of keeping them together, but this unites them. Was this intentional or was he just trying to save face? I think it was intentional and contrary to what Rollins said, I think he had a bond with them. The problem is that Rollins is probably a sociopath and probably was jealous that he seemed to be getting the least amount of attention despite largely being responsible for the Shield existing in the first place. He's also an opportunist, so sacrificed his brothers, but he does seem a little upset at doing so. Contrast that to a year later where he has no problem attacking his fellow Authority members.
Much like Orton before him, Rollins has gotten soft from relying on the Authority too much (he actually was presented as strong early on, even Mic Foley thought he could beat Ambrose in a normal match) and his mean streak has only increased. He's becoming more and more malicious, but in a way that I think is natural for the character.
Once again, none of this is planned. I wish more attention was put into detail, like why did Cesaro go from a smug heel who occasionally talked trash about America to the suddenly patriotic, quintessential babyface. But what are your favorite examples of character development- whether it was intentional or not? Or at least what are your favorite interpretations of the characters.
