From the Rock to Batista: WWE and its part-timers’ Schadenfreude

So you thought Daniel Bryan would finally get his due in the WWE, after working his way to the top for nearly three years? Did you think CM Punk would finally win “the big one” and headline WrestleMania, instead of being stuck in the mid card? In a perfect world, that would’ve been the case. In a perfect world, professional wrestling would’ve been embraced for being a unique form of art – Like the incredible illusion it is. When a magician pulls off a miraculous “trick”, everyone applauds his efforts. In professional wrestling however, you often listen to how “ridiculous” it is, or how it isn’t a sport. We don’t live in a perfect world, and an example of that is what transpired at the Royal Rumble PPV.

The CONSOL Energy center had a vibe that almost all the other arenas have been experiencing for the past year and a half. The fans wanted to recreate an atmosphere resembling the Miami crowd after the night of WrestleMania in 2012 on Monday Night RAW. The entire arena wanted to see Daniel Bryan – The same guy who opened the show and delivered what will easily be a “Match of the Year contender” with Bray Wyatt. The professional wrestling fraternity wanted to see Daniel Bryan headline WrestleMania, except for the WWE management. Daniel Bryan wasn’t even involved in the Rumble match, and the chorus of boos and jeers that rang throughout the night suddenly exploded as Rey Mysterio came out as the 30^th entrant. Needless to say, Dave Batista was booed out of the building, along with the rest of the remaining superstars.

If you thought the constant snub faced by the talented superstars such as Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler won’t have any consequences, you’d have to think again. Reports surfaced on early Tuesday morning that CM Punk walked out of the WWE, and won’t be seen again in a WWE ring for a long time. Also, the management was taken aback by the negative reaction after the Royal Rumble PPV, and just hours ago, the WWE aired one of the most emotionally charged promos by a WWE superstar – A promo which reminded me of Mick Foley’s infamous “Cane Dewey” promo in ECW, by “The Showoff” Dolph Ziggler. So why is it happening now? What transpired in the past week that a superstar who scratched and crawled his way to the upper echelons of the industry quit the company out of nowhere? What has triggered Dolph Ziggler into cutting one of the most intense promos the WWE fans have ever seen? And why have the WWE fans finally given up on the product? The answer is WWE’s unwillingness to push those who deserve the spotlight more than anybody else. Imagine what would’ve happened if Austin hadn’t won the Royal Rumble in 1998, or if Triple H hadn’t won the Rumble in 2002.

The reason for Daniel Bryan being denied the opportunity to main event WrestleMania was because one other superstar returned, like the past two years, to headline WrestleMania – Dave Batista.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmNXPsD96TE

For the third consecutive year in a row, WrestleMania will see a part timer headlining the event which is supposed to be the show where legends are born. Superstars like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Dave Batista have managed to get under the skin of the current crop of superstars who keep busting their backs for nearly 300 days a year, and are denied the opportunity of making it to the WrestleMania card. Imagine working your hardest and still get looked over by your boss – Eventually, you give up trying.

Punk, during his Comic Con appearance before the Royal Rumble PPV said that he had stopped trying and just showed up and did what he was told. It isn’t about crying over spilled milk, but if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing anymore, then there is no point in even trying.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4shIzrtkMc

Triple H, for all the flak he receives from the Internet Wrestling Community (or the so called “smarks”) should’ve had the business sense to invest in Daniel Bryan. Besides, one can imagine the state of mind of an organization if it keeps bringing back the old – timers to headline the biggest event of the year! Is it the lack of faith in the current roster? Or is it because WWE, for all its legacy and might, have failed to create top notch superstars in the past decade? When you’re looking past the Punks, Bryans and Zigglers to go back to those who were relevant in the early part of 2000s, something is terribly wrong with the product and “the machine”.

CM Punk might come back to WWE next year or the year after during WrestleMania season, doing a Dwayne or Batista. I recently read an insightful article by former WWE employee Kevin Kelly, where he underlined how being a “consultant” is more beneficial than being a full – timer in the world of WWE.

CM Punk can easily come back years down the line, work a few shows, headline WrestleMania and still make millions, like Batista and Dwayne Johnson. How else can one explain this schadenfreude of the part timers in the organization? For how long can WWE highlight people like The New Age Outlaws, who’re clearly a decade past their prime, over half a dozen younger teams in their tag division? If this continues, CM Punk might not be the first or the last superstar to quit the WWE, and the fans will finally lose the small amount of faith left in the organization’s product.