Why do WWE either waste time with the younger guys pushes or just rush them?

[Takerfan93]

We al know the WWE main event scene needs new faces. And they have a whole bunch of young guys who I could see being involved in it. The problem is they waste so much time not pushing them and when they DO push them they suddenly drop the ball and give up.

Take John Morrison for example, he's been in WWE since around 2003, he is a fantastic wrestler and his work on the mic is improving, but he is coming up to 30 now and I can't help but think what a waste the past 4 or 5 years have been for him because he could have been main eventing. Kofi Kingston was getting a push in late 2009 with Orton but he was never put over Orton and was just forgotten after that feud. MVP back in 2006 - 2007 was getting a push and was involved in more high profile feuds including his match against Chris Benoit at WM 23. Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes have just been used as Ortons sidekicks the past 2 years, Legacy was never used to push them as Evolution pushed Batista and Orton and therefore did nothing. There is Dolph Ziggler who I believe has so much potential is not being used at all. Carlito has been there since 2005 and has not been used for anything significant either. Shelton Benjamin, need I say more.

And when they do push guys recently they tend to rush it horribly, most recent examples are Sheamus and Jack Swagger. They need to realise giving a guy the title straight away isn't going to get him over, building him up for months is how they can do that.

My point is that most of the younger guys are 30 or over now and I feel WWE could have elevated them to main event status a while ago, but have just wasted the time doing nothing with them. Anyone with me here?

 

[WWE Manster03]

Honestly, I think it comes down to WWE testing them all in the main event(which they have in one way or another) and the ones whos pushes stalled just weren't ready. And then there is Carlito who just doesn't care. Being 30 in the wrestling industry isn't such a bad thing. Guys like Kofi/Ted/Cody/Sheamus/Drew/JoMo/Miz/Swagger/THD all are young enough that testing the waters right now and then moving them back down the card isn't a death sentence. You will start to see them moving back up the card this summer, and start cementing their place near the top of the card by Mania next year. Benjamin can't keep people interested in him, and I think that is because he has been a heel almost exclusively since Team Angle. With Swagger as champion,I could see a program involving those 2 with Benjamin gettin over as a high mid card face but not champion material. It would be an improvement for him though for sure.

 

[FromTheSouth]

OK, so what do you do with all the established main eventers if you push everyone to the top? WWE has a lot of top guys. Pushing someone to the top just always isn't feasible. Furthermore, you need a midcard. If guys like Morrison and MVP are so credible, then why haven't their midcard reigns been more spectacular?

On the other hand, how has Sheamus been anything other than gold since he debuted? He is an incredibly over heel. He looks dominant, intimidating, and just plain evil. He has the look, he's good on the mic, and plays his character well. I don't see any reason for his not being on top. Swagger is very skilled in the ring and plays his character well also. His mic skills improve weekly and there is no way that he isn't credible as champion. World championships were made for heels like these two to win.

I don't think that the WWE rushes people or holds them back too long. I think that it takes longer to build a guy like Morrison or MVP because they don't have instant credibility. MVP has all the intangibles but he can't get consistent fan support and Morrison has consistent fan support, but he doesn't cut it on the mic. It pains me to say that, because I am a fan of both of them. It just makes more sense to have the belts on Swagger and Sheamus right now, and then move MVP and Morrison up to fill in spots for retiring main eventers as the time becomes necessary.

 

[Takerfan93]

OK, so what do you do with all the established main eventers if you push everyone to the top? WWE has a lot of top guys. Pushing someone to the top just always isn't feasible. Furthermore, you need a midcard. If guys like Morrison and MVP are so credible, then why haven't their midcard reigns been more spectacular?

On the other hand, how has Sheamus been anything other than gold since he debuted? He is an incredibly over heel. He looks dominant, intimidating, and just plain evil. He has the look, he's good on the mic, and plays his character well. I don't see any reason for his not being on top. Swagger is very skilled in the ring and plays his character well also. His mic skills improve weekly and there is no way that he isn't credible as champion. World championships were made for heels like these two to win.

I don't think that the WWE rushes people or holds them back too long. I think that it takes longer to build a guy like Morrison or MVP because they don't have instant credibility. MVP has all the intangibles but he can't get consistent fan support and Morrison has consistent fan support, but he doesn't cut it on the mic. It pains me to say that, because I am a fan of both of them. It just makes more sense to have the belts on Swagger and Sheamus right now, and then move MVP and Morrison up to fill in spots for retiring main eventers as the time becomes necessary.

I never said push everyone to the top, I said they shouldn't waste so much time not pushing guys. And as far as I'm concerned, the more main eventers the better, that way there are much more draws and the scene is always fresh. And MVPs and John Morrisons midcard reigns were great back in 2006 - 2007, they were firmly over as heels.

Sheamus has not been gold since he debuted I don't think. He's not incredibly over yet at all. He does not have the look at all and I think his accent greatly weakens his mic skills unfortunately. Swagger is good, but they really should have kept the briefcase on him for a while because it would have helped to gain him heat, especially since leading up to Wrestlemania his push had been dropped.

MVP did have huge heat back in 2006 - 2007 like I have said so many times, but since 2008 WWE dropped the ball and MVP has lost whatever he had. Morrison isn't great on the mic as a face, but as a heel he is much better, and his ring skills more than make up for his mic skills, just like Bret Harts did.

 

[info62]

How much heat was Sheamus getting prior to winning the title? Not much, whereas MVP and Morrison and others have been able to get heat. It really does confuse me how guys like Umaga back when he was on a roll had never held a world title, even though he was over, and yet they are willing to push guys like Sheamus and Swagger now, figuring that they can start their push AFTER they get the title.

Why can't they build up a mid card guy and have him win the title during their push? Why does it make more sense for the WWE to give them a push, then stop the push completely, job the guy out, and then out of nowhere make him the champ? Why couldn't they instead capitalize on the heat they were getting when they were in the middle of a push?

I agree completely with the OP. I hate the way Swagger / Sheamus got the titles. Let the guy get some momentum before thrusting them into the mainevent, please. While they are getting credibility why not let the guys who have been there in the mid-card for forever get little mini-pushes to see who gets a good reaction? It's like all the guys who were the young midcard guys from three/four years ago have since been underpushed, or fired.

I think it makes the new main-event guys look not-credible. It happened with CM Punk back when he had his first title, via winning MITB even though he was jobbing all the time, and he kept getting his ass kicked by Batista and Kane every week. I wouldn't be surprised if the same happened to Swagger or whoever they give this kind of push to in the future.

 

[airvar]

The WWE is testing out there young talent to see who they should be pushing. HHH, Taker, Batista, ect. are all talking seriously about retiring in the next couple years. Then you have the Rey Mysterio's, Jericho's, and Edges who are not talking retirment but are definatly are not getting much younger.

They have tested multiple young guys over the last year in so many different ways, and kept it pretty fresh. Not long ago you and John Morrison Vs CM Punk or John Morrison vs Jeff Hardy competing for the WHC or #1 Condtender. Sure the main fued was CM Punk VS Hardy, but Jomo was thrown in there, they tested how he preformed in a Main event Scenario, working with guys like that as the focal point of a show.

Sheamus was given a mediocre title run, and they tested the waters out with him. Obviously they liked what they saw and are continuing it into a HHH Fued.

They gave Kofi Kingston a Fued with probably the most over Heel at the time and the top guy in the company Randy Orton, Sure he didn't come out on top but you can't have him do that. He's a mid-carder and it was a push to just be in that fued and get the better of orton once or twice.

They are giving these guys test runs, either a small title reign or a medium sized fued with an established main eventer. The Cream of the Crop will rise to the top, and become the super-stars of tommorow. over the next year you will see the guys they were most impressed with make a permanat resdiece amoungst the main event in the WWE, and in the meantime they have kept it fairly fresh.

 

[Cookie14]

I don't think there was anything wrong with the way Swagger or Sheamus won the titles. Sheamus came in as a monster who destroyed everyone, and that took him all the way through the roster, from facing jobbers, like Jamie Noble, to the mid-card, then finally onto the title.
Swagger won MiTB, This means he doesn't need a push, because he can (and did) cash in whenever he wants. Every MiTB winner has done the same. If he had got a push then it wouldn't have been a suprise when he won the title.

JoMo, Miz, Christian, even someone like Rey Mysterio need a longer push if they are going to compete for a heavyweight title because we are not used to seeing them at that level, and they can't be at that level yet, not long term anyway, because there are already too many people at main event level (HHH, Cena, Edge, Jericho, Batista, Taker, plus Swagger and Sheamus)

They might make the occasional appearance in the ME scene, but it will continue to be brief until some more current ME stars retire.

 

[CobraVenom]

And as far as I'm concerned, the more main eventers the better, that way there are much more draws and the scene is always fresh.

I am really glad you aren't doing the booking after reading this little tidbit. More main eventers will NOT be better. All that will do is create a bottleneck at the top.

Also, you can't just "create" a main eventer. You are missing the most vital part of making a main eventer. Us. The fans. If we don't care, he is not going to be near the main event. You and McMahon can "create" all the main eventers you want, but it will not work.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I've got no problem with what the WWE is doing right now. Giving Sheamus such an unexpected push was gold in my opinion because it did exactly what the WWE hoped it would do: get people interested and talking about the main event and WWE Championship scene on Raw. It shook things up and a good shake up every now and again is a good thing in my book. The WWE took a chance in giving a total unknown a chance and it paid off. Sheamus has proven himself to be a valuable wrestler. He's good on the mic, has a great look, plays his character just fine and is one of the most over heels on the WWE roster. If he comes out with a victory over Triple H at Extreme Rules, I have little doubt that Sheamus is here to stay.

As for Jack Swagger, it's been a very pleasant surprise for me. A little more than a month ago I, like a lot of other people, wrote this guy off as a lost cause. It seems to me that much of the past year for Swagger has been something of a test, when you look back on things. He comes to Raw with a ton of momentum and it dies out, he loses most of the matches he's in but he sticks to it. He obviously has impressed people backstage and WWE Management and they give him an opportunity.

As for someone like John Morrison, I think his time is coming. I expect him to be drafted to Raw and I won't be the least bit surprised if some big things start to happen for him soon.

Kofi Kingston is another example of someone that's being tested, in my view. He had a good feud with Orton and even though he didn't come out on top, Kingston's stock has risen since his feud with Orton.

There are some problems with some of the young talent, such as not being able to garner consistent support from the fans or not being all that hot on the mic, or whatever. Until or unless some of those come up to par, it might just take longer for one to be pushed. Sometimes it doesn't, sometimes it happens right from the start. Making a wrestling superstar isn't necessarily an exact science.

 

[Big Nasty]

Instead of trying to make everybody main-eventers, they need to get some balance back on the card. I remember back in the day when the tag team division was awesome. You actually had alot of TAG TEAMS and not just two guys that get thrown together for whatever reason. When somebody broke out of the tag division they moved on to the Intercontinental Title ranks. Remember the great feuds and matches that used to happen for the IC title? Usually it was the best match of the night. Nobody gives two craps about the IC or US title anymore. You need good curtain jerkers, good mid-carders and a good tag division. The cream will rise to the top and the main event will take care of itself.

 

[Takerfan93]

I am really glad you aren't doing the booking after reading this little tidbit. More main eventers will NOT be better. All that will do is create a bottleneck at the top.

Also, you can't just "create" a main eventer. You are missing the most vital part of making a main eventer. Us. The fans. If we don't care, he is not going to be near the main event. You and McMahon can "create" all the main eventers you want, but it will not work.

Actually more main eventers WOULD be better, the title scene would be more fresh and there would be more oppurtunities for new matches. Maybe I phrased it wrong before but I was exagerating what I meant to make a point because you said EVERYONE couldn't be main eventers, but I NEVER said everyone at all, I said MORE main eventers.

And I am not missing the most vital part at all. I know very well the fans need to care, but the fans have been very behind the young guys I mentioned at one time or another, otherwise I would not have mentioned them.

 

[CobraVenom]

Actually more main eventers WOULD be better, the title scene would be more fresh and there would be more oppurtunities for new matches. Maybe I phrased it wrong before but I was exagerating what I meant to make a point because you said EVERYONE couldn't be main eventers, but I NEVER said everyone at all, I said MORE main eventers.

Sigh. Let's say the first batch of newly "created" main eventers doesn't work. You would just keep throwing wrestlers in the main event until one or two work? Remember when Billy Kidman was thrown into a feud with Hogan? How did that work out for Kidman? There are plenty of other examples of a wrestler being shot into the upper card and failing miserably. Making someone a main eventer out of the blue is nothing but an insult to all wrestling fans. Well, all but you it seems.

And I am not missing the most vital part at all. I know very well the fans need to care, but the fans have been very behind the young guys I mentioned at one time or another, otherwise I would not have mentioned them.

Look, just because some fans are behind a guy, does not mean that they are main event status. Main eventers are supposed to bring in the cash. Does anybody pay to see Ted's kid? Does anybody order a PPV to see Kofi? If you answer yes, you are in the minority there. The bottom line is that the main event is all about money. Until DiBiase Jr can prove he can bring in money like Orton and Batista, he will be stuck where he belongs: the mid card.

 

[TheUnknownOne]

[Sigh. Let's say the first batch of newly "created" main eventers doesn't work. You would just keep throwing wrestlers in the main event until one or two work? Remember when Billy Kidman was thrown into a feud with Hogan? How did that work out for Kidman? There are plenty of other examples of a wrestler being shot into the upper card and failing miserably. Making someone a main eventer out of the blue is nothing but an insult to all wrestling fans. Well, all but you it seems./QUOTE]
Are you sure about that? So by putting someone new in a fued with a main eventer is a bad thing? Look at our current main eventers, Batista, RKO, Y2J, they were all instantly put with main event talent when they came to the WWE and look where they are now.

 

[CobraVenom]

Are you sure about that? So by putting someone new in a fued with a main eventer is a bad thing? Look at our current main eventers, Batista, RKO, Y2J, they were all instantly put with main event talent when they came to the WWE and look where they are now.

Vince loves muscle guys, which explains Batista. Batista isn't the only muscle guy to get thrown into main event status. Batista is just one that worked.

People HATED that Orton was thrown into the main event so early. I guess that part slipped your mind.

When Jericho made his debut, it was huge in of itself. WCW was still in business and when a wrestler jumped to a rival company it was huge. Plus it is very hard to miss Jericho's massive talent for pro wrestling unless your name is Eric. Do NOT compare Jericho to any of the young roster of the WWE. Y2J was/is a special talent.