WWE NXT: Success or failure?
Street’s Corner:
I am going to say success if only for the fact that we got Bryan, Barrett, and Riley out of it. NXT has obviously fallen… far. But, most people would call Ben Affleck and Snoop Dogg successes even though their careers took a nosedive. Why? You can’t take Doggystyle or Good Will Hunting away from them no matter how many Gigli’s or Da Game is to be Sold, Not to be Told’s they put out. So yeah, we had “A very Golddust wedding”, and the show is now a WWE.com exclusive, but it was a success for what it brought us. We got gimmick-ready wrestlers, intense rivalries, and landscape-changing factions. It obviously catapulted the shark, but it was still a great success for its time.
Slymm’s Chance:
I’m going to have to go with big failure. (I do appreciate them for bringing us Kaitlyn) Although this show came blazing right out of the gate and gave us some memorable characters, what type of impact has NXT really had on the business? I think that season 1 is considered by everyone to be the “golden season” of NXT. Where are the rest of the original nexus members? They might as well have all be called jobber #1 and jobber #2. Can we really say that Daniel Bryan is better off now than he was a year ago? The guy’s signature moment is choking a ring announcer with a tie. Sure Gabriel and Heath have held the tag titles but what does that really mean these days? We established in a previous episode just how piss poor the Corre has been handled. Now it has been relegated to wwe.com to eventually die, and the concept has essentially been replaced for the upcoming Tough Enough series. I believe that it was a fad and will go do in history with WCW thunder and TNA Reaction as another one of wrestling’s quick flameout ideas.
Who do you think the next guy should be to hold a major title who hasn’t?
Street’s Corner:
Well, we’ve seen quite a few new faces hold the title, so I don’t think anyone new should have it for awhile. Rather, the WWE should increase the credibility of and really build up the guys who have already held the belt (Swagger, Ziggler, Sheamus, Miz etc.) before slapping it on someone new. Now, let me hop off my soap box. Looking at the guys available the candidates for “next big thing” seem to be Christian, Morrison and Bryan for the faces and Del Rio, Rhodes and Barrett for the heels. Morrison is lacking majorly in the mic skills department. Bryan needs a major shake-up as his U.S. title reign was less than memorable. Rhodes is being built up perfectly and is fine just where he is.
Christian, Del Rio and Barrett are by far the most polished of the candidates and both are locks for future world champions. You can’t go wrong with any of these three, but I believe that Barrett should be the next new guy to hold the belt. However, this is much later in the future, when he has the opportunity to be built back up after his credibility was crushed by his feud with Cena. At one point, Barrett was the top heel in the WWE, his mic skills helped propel a green group of unknowns, he has a presence, a good look, is a skilled brawler, and just seems the most ready. It also helps that Smackdown is in need of a great heel. He could be Smackdown’s Miz or Punk. We know Wade has the tools to be a top flight heel champion; it’s up to the WWE to get that momentum back. If they do, Wade is my choice. He needs to move past “equal member” of a generic stable first.
There are many young candidates lined up to hold “the richest prize in the game”
Slymm’s Chance:
I totally agree with your take that the WWE needs to focus more on the young guys that they have built up at this point. They have done an excellent job in the past year building up the Miz’s and Ziggler’s to the main stage. They just can not fail these young superstars like they did Jack Swagger by not having a long-term plan for him.
My choice for the next guy to hold the strap is Christian. Christian reminds me a lot right now of Chris Jericho just prior to becoming the first Undisputed Champion. He is one of the most over wrestlers on his brand, and the people see him as someone that they want to see hold the belt. For whatever reason WWE just has not been willing to pull the trigger. His credentials are essentially similar to where Edge was before he became the top flight title contender that he is now.
Christian spent a number of years in TNA and carried their organization as champion. If you saw his stuff there then you know that he is the rare star that can seamlessly transition from face to heel (I believe that he is a better heel), he can lead a stable and he can put on a hell of a match. That is the type of person that you need involved in your main event storylines. He has gone grinded for years, gotten over despite not “looking the part”, and has the fans behind him. Since returning he has done everything that has been asked of him and been caught in limbo. I believe that it is time to give him a chance and see whether or not he is championship material.
Who are two people you would love to see feud that haven’t?
Street’s Corner:
It’s no secret that I love heels. With the exception of Orton, all my favorite wrestlers are heels. I would really like to see more heels feuding (I mean faces get to do it, right?). I know the WWE hates confusing the crowd, but I’d have loved to see the Barrett and Punk feud play out with their crappy factions behind them. Unfortunately it never happened. Since that’s not an option anymore, I’d like to so the Miz and Punk feud just for the mic work alone (I believe they are the top two mic men in the WWE). I imagine these two would have a field day shooting on eachother and the promos alone would make it an amazing feud. In the ring, Miz is usually as good as his opponent and Punk is in the upper echelon of wrestlers, so no problem there. Overall, this would just be an absolute win. Don’t turn either guy or water them down either. Just have them try to out-heel eachother and let the crowd sort it out for once. The great thing about these two is that there doesn’t need to be a real good story in place. It could just be, Miz retains at Mania and Punk becomes number one contender. The wrestlers would take it from there and before you know it, they’ll make it personal.
Slymm’s Chance:
HHH vs. Edge. Simply put, I do not think that these two superstars have ever had a legitimate feud. I think that the amount of charisma that these two have and the amount of versatility that these two possess could send this feud into all sorts of directions. Both men have been top faces, at one point and both have been the E’s number one heel. They have shown the ability to be controversial figures. I’d have a heel Edge go after HHH for all of the years that he tried to hold down, and bury the superstars of his era (Jericho, Edge, Christian). Edge can shoot and say that while HHH was running things at the top of the mountain, Edge was stealing the show. He got himself over by becoming the extreme opportunist, and kicked down the door to the main event while HHH tried to keep him, the Hardy’s and the Dudleys down. Point these two in a direction and watch them go, I’d love to see the brutal matches and promos they can come up with over a 6 month period.
What is your biggest storyline regret so far?
Street’s Corner:
This one will be long (even for me). While you could go back throughout history and find MANY instances that fit the bill, the first to pop in my head in recent memory was the Nexus angle. For everything they have done right it is sad to see how many ways they went wrong and where the angle is now. In the beginning they were the most over heels in the business (who actually wrestle). They had piqued interest with their “bigger picture”, feuded with the biggest and best (enslaved Cena, buried Taker, etc.), revived “the dominant faction” in the WWE, and had a gimmick that simply worked. Disgruntled rookies, who separately were weak, but together under the rule of Wade Barrett were a force… nay… THE force in the WWE. Even without Bryan, the team flourished.
So where’s bad? Simple. They could never truly get over the hump. Rather than being the dominant heel force that Cena and Orton chased, they instead were chasing the faces and getting screwed every week. When they enslaved Cena, they had a HUGE opportunity to turn him heel, but instead he became cheesier and screwed the Nexus every week from within making them look like buffoons in the process. Not turning Cena is my biggest regret with the angle but there are so many others. When The Nexus FINALLY had a fail-proof plan to win the title, instead they get screwed, but hey… at least Cena got fired… an actual twist! After a heartfelt speech from Cena saying his goodbyes (A+ performance by the way) we get Juan Cena beating down Nexus members until they force Wade to hire him back (Regret #2: the fact that the WWE could not have Cena off TV more than a week!). How does the story end? With 200 chair being dropped on the head of Wade Barrett and half the team getting shipped to Smackdown with no rhyme or reason (Regrets 3, 4, and 5: not explaining the move to Smackdown, forming the bootleg Corre which waters it all down, and kicking Wade out of the Nexus).
The WWE backed themselves into a corner, the same way they did with the NWO and the Invasion before. The WWE never took a risk. They didn’t turn Cena heel, they never gave the Nexus a belt that mattered, they couldn’t keep Cena off TV, and couldn’t make him look weak. Needing to provide life support to a once awesome angle that they pulled the plug on way too soon and mismanaged along the way, they inserted Punk as the leader and give them a makeover. This was a necessary step after the WWE screwed themselves over and he was a good choice. Only problem is a fresh coat of paint can only cover up the problems so long. Insert Orton instead of Cena and the group goes down the same path of looking weak and getting destroyed. The Nexus went from a once dominant force… to being punted to the unemployment line. By the way, regret #6… did we ever find out “the bigger picture”? Or… did we find out why they helped Kane win the title, or… you know what… let just me stop.
The final death blow to a great wrestler, faction, and angle.
Slymm’s Chance:
Without a freaking doubt the biggest regret in history is the Invasion Angle. The invasion was the culmination of the Monday Night Wars, we had the awesome simulcast of Shane McMahon “buying” WCW. The great Nitro sendoff and then the invasion began.
The first problem of the invasion was the fact that none of the big names signed up to be in the WWE. If I were running the show I would have backed up a brinks truck and signed Goldberg, Steiner, The NWO, etc. Instead we got Booker T and Buff Bagwell. The lack of big names caused Vince to panic and bring in Stone Cold/Kurt Angle to the WCW side.
The second problem was the fact that Vince booked WcW (and later NWO) to be fools. DDP went from being one of the most dangerous men in WcW to a smiling bumbling fool. Seriously, what was up with those teeth? Booker T was played to be a cheap Rock knockoff. Even with the addition of Austin, and Kurt Angle was played up for laughs. ECW was brought in to add muscle to the muscle but of course, they weren’t taken seriously.
The third issue was the lack of planning for the angle. The Monday Night Wars went on for years and the Invasion should have went on for at least a year culminating at Wrestlemania. I would have had WCW “win” the Smackdown block of television at the Invasion ppv and had them “win” Sunday Night Heat for ECW at Survivor Series and kept them running separate from WWE Raw for the better part of the year. All teams would have been Rumble eligible and everything comes to a head at mania. Instead we got a microwave feud, a few months of disappointment and some really bad fake teeth.
“Remember me? I know Sarah does!”
Street’s Corner:
I am going to say success if only for the fact that we got Bryan, Barrett, and Riley out of it. NXT has obviously fallen… far. But, most people would call Ben Affleck and Snoop Dogg successes even though their careers took a nosedive. Why? You can’t take Doggystyle or Good Will Hunting away from them no matter how many Gigli’s or Da Game is to be Sold, Not to be Told’s they put out. So yeah, we had “A very Golddust wedding”, and the show is now a WWE.com exclusive, but it was a success for what it brought us. We got gimmick-ready wrestlers, intense rivalries, and landscape-changing factions. It obviously catapulted the shark, but it was still a great success for its time.
Slymm’s Chance:
I’m going to have to go with big failure. (I do appreciate them for bringing us Kaitlyn) Although this show came blazing right out of the gate and gave us some memorable characters, what type of impact has NXT really had on the business? I think that season 1 is considered by everyone to be the “golden season” of NXT. Where are the rest of the original nexus members? They might as well have all be called jobber #1 and jobber #2. Can we really say that Daniel Bryan is better off now than he was a year ago? The guy’s signature moment is choking a ring announcer with a tie. Sure Gabriel and Heath have held the tag titles but what does that really mean these days? We established in a previous episode just how piss poor the Corre has been handled. Now it has been relegated to wwe.com to eventually die, and the concept has essentially been replaced for the upcoming Tough Enough series. I believe that it was a fad and will go do in history with WCW thunder and TNA Reaction as another one of wrestling’s quick flameout ideas.
Who do you think the next guy should be to hold a major title who hasn’t?
Street’s Corner:
Well, we’ve seen quite a few new faces hold the title, so I don’t think anyone new should have it for awhile. Rather, the WWE should increase the credibility of and really build up the guys who have already held the belt (Swagger, Ziggler, Sheamus, Miz etc.) before slapping it on someone new. Now, let me hop off my soap box. Looking at the guys available the candidates for “next big thing” seem to be Christian, Morrison and Bryan for the faces and Del Rio, Rhodes and Barrett for the heels. Morrison is lacking majorly in the mic skills department. Bryan needs a major shake-up as his U.S. title reign was less than memorable. Rhodes is being built up perfectly and is fine just where he is.
Christian, Del Rio and Barrett are by far the most polished of the candidates and both are locks for future world champions. You can’t go wrong with any of these three, but I believe that Barrett should be the next new guy to hold the belt. However, this is much later in the future, when he has the opportunity to be built back up after his credibility was crushed by his feud with Cena. At one point, Barrett was the top heel in the WWE, his mic skills helped propel a green group of unknowns, he has a presence, a good look, is a skilled brawler, and just seems the most ready. It also helps that Smackdown is in need of a great heel. He could be Smackdown’s Miz or Punk. We know Wade has the tools to be a top flight heel champion; it’s up to the WWE to get that momentum back. If they do, Wade is my choice. He needs to move past “equal member” of a generic stable first.
There are many young candidates lined up to hold “the richest prize in the game”
Slymm’s Chance:
I totally agree with your take that the WWE needs to focus more on the young guys that they have built up at this point. They have done an excellent job in the past year building up the Miz’s and Ziggler’s to the main stage. They just can not fail these young superstars like they did Jack Swagger by not having a long-term plan for him.
My choice for the next guy to hold the strap is Christian. Christian reminds me a lot right now of Chris Jericho just prior to becoming the first Undisputed Champion. He is one of the most over wrestlers on his brand, and the people see him as someone that they want to see hold the belt. For whatever reason WWE just has not been willing to pull the trigger. His credentials are essentially similar to where Edge was before he became the top flight title contender that he is now.
Christian spent a number of years in TNA and carried their organization as champion. If you saw his stuff there then you know that he is the rare star that can seamlessly transition from face to heel (I believe that he is a better heel), he can lead a stable and he can put on a hell of a match. That is the type of person that you need involved in your main event storylines. He has gone grinded for years, gotten over despite not “looking the part”, and has the fans behind him. Since returning he has done everything that has been asked of him and been caught in limbo. I believe that it is time to give him a chance and see whether or not he is championship material.
Who are two people you would love to see feud that haven’t?
Street’s Corner:
It’s no secret that I love heels. With the exception of Orton, all my favorite wrestlers are heels. I would really like to see more heels feuding (I mean faces get to do it, right?). I know the WWE hates confusing the crowd, but I’d have loved to see the Barrett and Punk feud play out with their crappy factions behind them. Unfortunately it never happened. Since that’s not an option anymore, I’d like to so the Miz and Punk feud just for the mic work alone (I believe they are the top two mic men in the WWE). I imagine these two would have a field day shooting on eachother and the promos alone would make it an amazing feud. In the ring, Miz is usually as good as his opponent and Punk is in the upper echelon of wrestlers, so no problem there. Overall, this would just be an absolute win. Don’t turn either guy or water them down either. Just have them try to out-heel eachother and let the crowd sort it out for once. The great thing about these two is that there doesn’t need to be a real good story in place. It could just be, Miz retains at Mania and Punk becomes number one contender. The wrestlers would take it from there and before you know it, they’ll make it personal.
Slymm’s Chance:
HHH vs. Edge. Simply put, I do not think that these two superstars have ever had a legitimate feud. I think that the amount of charisma that these two have and the amount of versatility that these two possess could send this feud into all sorts of directions. Both men have been top faces, at one point and both have been the E’s number one heel. They have shown the ability to be controversial figures. I’d have a heel Edge go after HHH for all of the years that he tried to hold down, and bury the superstars of his era (Jericho, Edge, Christian). Edge can shoot and say that while HHH was running things at the top of the mountain, Edge was stealing the show. He got himself over by becoming the extreme opportunist, and kicked down the door to the main event while HHH tried to keep him, the Hardy’s and the Dudleys down. Point these two in a direction and watch them go, I’d love to see the brutal matches and promos they can come up with over a 6 month period.
What is your biggest storyline regret so far?
Street’s Corner:
This one will be long (even for me). While you could go back throughout history and find MANY instances that fit the bill, the first to pop in my head in recent memory was the Nexus angle. For everything they have done right it is sad to see how many ways they went wrong and where the angle is now. In the beginning they were the most over heels in the business (who actually wrestle). They had piqued interest with their “bigger picture”, feuded with the biggest and best (enslaved Cena, buried Taker, etc.), revived “the dominant faction” in the WWE, and had a gimmick that simply worked. Disgruntled rookies, who separately were weak, but together under the rule of Wade Barrett were a force… nay… THE force in the WWE. Even without Bryan, the team flourished.
So where’s bad? Simple. They could never truly get over the hump. Rather than being the dominant heel force that Cena and Orton chased, they instead were chasing the faces and getting screwed every week. When they enslaved Cena, they had a HUGE opportunity to turn him heel, but instead he became cheesier and screwed the Nexus every week from within making them look like buffoons in the process. Not turning Cena is my biggest regret with the angle but there are so many others. When The Nexus FINALLY had a fail-proof plan to win the title, instead they get screwed, but hey… at least Cena got fired… an actual twist! After a heartfelt speech from Cena saying his goodbyes (A+ performance by the way) we get Juan Cena beating down Nexus members until they force Wade to hire him back (Regret #2: the fact that the WWE could not have Cena off TV more than a week!). How does the story end? With 200 chair being dropped on the head of Wade Barrett and half the team getting shipped to Smackdown with no rhyme or reason (Regrets 3, 4, and 5: not explaining the move to Smackdown, forming the bootleg Corre which waters it all down, and kicking Wade out of the Nexus).
The WWE backed themselves into a corner, the same way they did with the NWO and the Invasion before. The WWE never took a risk. They didn’t turn Cena heel, they never gave the Nexus a belt that mattered, they couldn’t keep Cena off TV, and couldn’t make him look weak. Needing to provide life support to a once awesome angle that they pulled the plug on way too soon and mismanaged along the way, they inserted Punk as the leader and give them a makeover. This was a necessary step after the WWE screwed themselves over and he was a good choice. Only problem is a fresh coat of paint can only cover up the problems so long. Insert Orton instead of Cena and the group goes down the same path of looking weak and getting destroyed. The Nexus went from a once dominant force… to being punted to the unemployment line. By the way, regret #6… did we ever find out “the bigger picture”? Or… did we find out why they helped Kane win the title, or… you know what… let just me stop.
The final death blow to a great wrestler, faction, and angle.
Slymm’s Chance:
Without a freaking doubt the biggest regret in history is the Invasion Angle. The invasion was the culmination of the Monday Night Wars, we had the awesome simulcast of Shane McMahon “buying” WCW. The great Nitro sendoff and then the invasion began.
The first problem of the invasion was the fact that none of the big names signed up to be in the WWE. If I were running the show I would have backed up a brinks truck and signed Goldberg, Steiner, The NWO, etc. Instead we got Booker T and Buff Bagwell. The lack of big names caused Vince to panic and bring in Stone Cold/Kurt Angle to the WCW side.
The second problem was the fact that Vince booked WcW (and later NWO) to be fools. DDP went from being one of the most dangerous men in WcW to a smiling bumbling fool. Seriously, what was up with those teeth? Booker T was played to be a cheap Rock knockoff. Even with the addition of Austin, and Kurt Angle was played up for laughs. ECW was brought in to add muscle to the muscle but of course, they weren’t taken seriously.
The third issue was the lack of planning for the angle. The Monday Night Wars went on for years and the Invasion should have went on for at least a year culminating at Wrestlemania. I would have had WCW “win” the Smackdown block of television at the Invasion ppv and had them “win” Sunday Night Heat for ECW at Survivor Series and kept them running separate from WWE Raw for the better part of the year. All teams would have been Rumble eligible and everything comes to a head at mania. Instead we got a microwave feud, a few months of disappointment and some really bad fake teeth.
“Remember me? I know Sarah does!”
Comment