Too Many Legends Around In WWE?

WWE has made it common business practice to bring in retired superstars and put them in front of television cameras. They’ve done it for a long time and I’m sure will continue doing it…forever. I, like so many others, have fond memories of virtually anyone they bring in. Either from someone I grew up idolizing as a child (Hogan, HBK, Bret Hart) or someone that’s just nice to see again after all these years (The Rock, Stone Cold, New Age Outlaws). Either way, WWE relies on these tickles of nostalgia to help boost their product. How much is too much, though?

On the August 25th 2014 Monday Night Raw, WWE kicked off the show with their “Hall of Fame” panel of Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels. This was mainly done to draw in audience viewers from the other main Hall of Fame show, The Primetime Emmy Awards. At first, this particular wrestling fan was so happy to see these guys in one ring. How quickly this admiration of seeing these legends again turned to an eye-rolling headache.

WrestleMania XXX started off with The Rock, Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin in the ring. It was a natural segment and largely unscripted. It was one of the most amazing starts to WrestleMania in a while. This segment on Raw, however, garnered the opposite effect. This segment had the three men giving their opinions on the John Cena/Brock Lesnar rematch in a few weeks. What they gave were terribly scripted lines that made them look like bumbling fools.

I can understand and appreciate what WWE was trying to accomplish here. Give weathered veterans a moment to voice their opinions on a huge rematch. It makes sense. But, once it came off as too scripted to be entertaining, it made me question how much WWE should really utilize legends.

Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan have been the two legends who have been just “hanging” around lately. Hogan kicked off SummerSlam by plugging WWE Network and barely remembering those lines. Ric Flair doesn’t even do that. He just interrupts backstage promos, WOO’s and reminds people he knows how to style and profile. I love both men dearly, so I’m not trying to attack them or downplay their amazing careers. However, this is too much. It is time for these legends to disappear. Heck, send ‘em to Legends’ House!

WWE is bastardizing their careers and squeezing every drop out of their names just to get them into the frame of the camera. There is no reasonable cause for ANY legends to be involved right now in any of the existing storylines/angles. WWE is full of enough talent that are exploding their ways to the top to not have any interference from legends to help pad the show and add “quality” to it. Legends are better when utilized seldom. It makes their appearance all the more amazing and talk worthy when it’s unexpected or been a while. Jamming them down our throat makes us resent seeing them.

What do you think? Comment below with your thoughts, opinions, feedback and anything else that was raised.