WWE: It's time to 'Show off'

Dolph is no Shawn Michaels or a Stone Cold Steve Austin; his character is that of an out and out narcissist. A show-off by nature, he justifies his gimmick by excellent in-ring and commendable mic skills. A vivid reminder of an unsung wrestling hero, Dolph has been compared to Curt Henning (Mr Perfect). We know that a good technician elevates the quality of fights and gets a lot of fan attention. Ziggler’s energy coupled with immense ring presence has undoubtedly made him an asset for the WWE.

When we talk about WWE mega faces, we mean style, panache, outspokenness and most importantly, good in-ring ability. The likes of Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart excelled in all these skills and bonded with fans at many levels. They toyed with emotions – You would love to see Bret donning his pink and black attire, and sharpshooting the life out of his opponent. Shawn on the other hand was flamboyance personified. His over the top gimmicks and charisma made him a yardstick by which many wrestlers were measured….You would love him, you would hate him…But you couldn’t ignore the Heart-Break Kid.

In WWE, a face has a lot of responsibilities. Foremost being a good crowd puller, a good speaker and obviously a good wrestler. Ziggler currently has all the three qualities…But so does CM Punk and Daniel Bryan….Now the question is, what can the WWE do to set him apart from other talents and make him a mega face.

Here are a few ways:

· Influential feuds: Great feuds are outcomes of two things – personal rivalry and great work chemistry. The rivalry that grabbed a million eye balls in the 90’s was that of Shawn Michaels and Bret-Hart. Their personal differences reflected in their feud which became a bonus for the company. Their matches highlighted the tension between them and more often than not it ended on a controversial note…Who can ever forget THE MONTREAL SCREWJOB that ended Bret’s career with the WWE(F). On the other hand, great work chemistry was shown by Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock in their feuds. From beer baths to corporate fiascos, this feud had it all….Whenever the glass shattered, fans knew that they were about to watch captivating television. This was by far the most monumental feud of the attitude era (1997-2001). Now for Ziggler to be successful, he has to start working with someone who can push him beyond his capabilities.

· Good manager: OOOOOOOOOOOh! Undertaker….Just the sound of these two words sent chills down my spine when I was young. A certain Paul Bearer was managing The Undertaker at that time and all WWE fans know how successful he was in transforming a giant into a phenom…His constant efforts promoted Undertaker to a level that can never be achieved by any other wrestler….Other successful managers like Bobby Heenan, Paul Heyman, Jimmy Hart had the sole objective of bringing out the best in their client. Similary, not to digress too much from the topic, Dolph must be managed by someone with a clear vision of success. The only one fitting enough in the current profile is Paul Heyman.

· Extensive Promotion: If Dolph has to become a mega-face, he must be promoted at all possible levels. He must be treated as a commodity that will not only sell him as a wrestler but will also bring in money for the company. Good promotion revolves around a good storyline that delivers awe-inspiring moments. A story that headlines WrestleMania’s, magazine covers and TV shows. But promotion is a company call and the WWE as we know, has been wrong many a time in nurturing talent.

· Talent appreciation: Without a shadow of a doubt, Dolph is a great talent. A talent who has the potential of matching mammoths like Stone Cold, Shawn Michaels, The Rock and The Undertaker. Throughout the bygone eras, talents have been appreciated based on their capacity and thus the level of appreciation varied from wrestlers to wrestlers. For instance Roddy Piper was and still is a revered wrestler, but he was never given the WWE title. Many believed Curt Henning could’ve been a great champion but even he was never WWE champion. So as mentioned earlier, WWE has been wrong in appreciating talent on numerous occasions. Then again they have also done great things with the most basic talents. John Cena is perhaps the biggest example. Keeping all that in mind, Ziggler should be duly appreciated for his efforts. His career can reach the zenith or it can meander into the realm of the mid-cards (mediocre wrestlers)….Again a company decision.

With all that said, one must also analyse facts and foresee the future of the company.

The wrong era…Returning to roots. Is it possible?

It is just the wrong era for right wrestlers. The golden era (1980-1995) focussed on fights more than storyline which pleased an ardent wrestling fan. The attitude era took wrestling to a whole new level. In the current PG era, one can hardly see exuberance. Storylines have become weak as a result of which ratings are suffering and wrestlers seem to be more concerned about their social media status….This raises many questions – Is the WWE willing to change? What can be done with a talent like Ziggler? A change of character, change of administration or returning to roots keeping him in the centre?

A veteran fan would want the ruthlessness of hell in a cell, buried alive and steel cage matches to return….Chair shots to the head that echoed through the arena and thumb tags that pierced several bodies, etched in their memories. But now even fans are divided. The modern viewer is content with what he sees. An oldie watches WWE for the heck of it and a 12-year-old is too young to compare eras.

Fans should not forget that WWE is a company that has grown despite the dip in ratings. They have channelled their resources in various mediums and platforms with a view of reaching out to the millions of fans world over. Given the fact that they have progressed, will the company go back to an old business strategy that only secured good ratings?Only time will tell….