I remember when a bundle of wrestlers were top players for an organization. In the NWA, it was Dusty Rhodes as the top babyface, but Sting, Magnum TA, and Lex Luger were chomping at the bit to get that top spot. In the WWE, Hulk Hogan claimed top billing for a number of years, but Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, and Bret Hart even managed to push through a seemingly impenetrable era of Hulkamania. Even at the height of Hulkamania, the Macho Man was pushed as the top babyface for an lengthy period of time, carrying it over a year from WrestleMania IV to WrestleMania V, and five months from WrestleMania VIII until September of the same year. Ultimate Warrior’s title reign was nine months, even defeating Hogan to win the title and a (unsuccessful) passing of the torch. Bret Hart’s first title reign, which happened while Hulk Hogan was still in the WWE, was six months. While Hulkamania was running wild, cornering the market of being the top guy, there were still others being groomed as the heirs apparent.
This was best shown during the Monday Night Wars and Ruthless Aggression. For WWE during the Attitude Era, Steve Austin, The Rock, Chris Jericho, Big Show, Kane, Mankind, Kurt Angle, and Triple H were all interchangeable in the championship picture. Add the Undertaker, Bret Hart, and Shawn Michaels, who were the vets during this era. That is eleven wrestlers were were, or were being developed as, top guys. ELEVEN! If one or two were injured, their presence would be missed, but the entire company did not crumble from their absence. Shawn Michaels, Undertaker, Steve Austin all suffered injuries that put them out for an extensive period of time, but WWE still climbed the ladder in the ratings against WCW, and eventually won.
Ruthless Aggression was an excellent showcase of grooming new talent, and reviving veterans to make them top names. John Cena, Batista, Randy Orton, Booker T, Eddie Guerrero, Brock Lesnar, Chris Benoit, and JBL were notable prodigies of this era, and gave us arguably the best time of pure wrestling in WWE history. The advent of Cena, Orton, Lesnar, and Batista, as well as Guerrero & Benoit finally achieving their dreams, the birth of King Booker & John “Bradshaw” Layfield, and Attitude Era wrestlers such as Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle still providing some of the best matches on the card, kept the excitement and interest at a high pitch. Oh yeah, the Undertaker was still cementing his legacy as well.
During the John Cena era from 2005-present, we have not witnessed the same level of grooming that we did in the previous 20-year span of wrestling. John Cena has been THE guy from the first day of his push, and no one has taken that away from him. Names such as Randy Orton, Batista, Edge were all positive takeaways from this era, but none of them would be labeled as the top guy above Cena. In fact, all of them feuded with Cena, and Edge & Orton became staples in the main event because of their feuds with Cena. Still, no new babyfaces were being groomed to take the torch that John Cena will inevitably pass. This is why we have seen so much of a dip in the ratings.
Even though names like Daniel Bryan, Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose have been in the main event within the past couple years, none of them are on the level of John Cena when it comes to being the top babyface. NONE. Apparently, Vince McMahon does not have enough faith in protecting anyone else, because if ratings start to dip, he has a way out by blaming it on the current champions. Ask Seth Rollins and CM Punk. Cena still main-evented while Punk was champion, and beat Rollins multiple times during his current world title run. Now, both Cena and Orton, your two “saving grace” superstars of this era, are both gone. If this was the Attitude Era, or Ruthless Aggression, if two top names were gone, the show would go on without missing a beat, because their was a dependable list of other superstars that would keep the ball rolling thunderously.
WWE has severely dropped the ball in developing new stars in cases like the one we are seeing now. Both Cena and Orton are out, but who is already established to pick up the ball and maintain the stability (or lack thereof) of the product as a top babyface? Roman Reigns is going through a pretty good organic process, but being rushed in the main event picture again could lead to the same result as earlier this year. He is almost there. Very close, but not quite. If he was built the right way, climbing up the ladder from the beginning, he could have been ready. Unfortunately, WWE indirectly admitted that the initial push was a disaster. Ambrose gets over with the hardcore fans, but WWE has not created him to be over with the casuals. And, in the WWE, THE CASUALS MATTER. Even if the hardcore fans don’t care about that, they are going to stay, but the casuals are going to leave, and bring more casuals with them. Oops. A bigger dip in the ratings. Cesaro gets over with everybody, and has that poster appeal, but keeps getting the rug swept under him. From people in the WWE I have talked to, everyone said that he is a great guy backstage, but is maybe too nice when it comes to accepting whatever is handed to him. That should not have anything to do with his push, but unfortunately it does.
Hopefully WWE learns how important it is to have a reservoir of babyfaces in line to carry the banner without it losing a step. The previous eras did a great job in doing that, and strengthened the brands of enough babyfaces for someone else to slide right in when someone else was hurt or gone for a period of time. Now, however, forced pushes and rug pulling are commonplace these days. Neither of those actions are successful antidotes to producing a quality product.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Unfortunately, when it comes to developing top babyfaces, WWE broke what was fixed a long time ago.
@cravewrestling