Syndicated from bleacherreport,
Only six days before Payback, WWE
rolled into Hartford, Connecticut, for Monday's Raw and left fans with
several burning questions ahead of this weekend's pay-per-view
spectacular.
They are questions surrounding the biggest stars in the industry, the
most interesting stories and a revolution that appears to have lost
some steam.Chris Jericho and Dean Ambrose had one last face-to-face confrontation ahead of their match at Payback. Things did not remain civil very long, though, as it descended into physicality at ringside. What question could possibly envelop a segment that was as straightforward as theirs, and which Superstar does it pertain to?
Emma and Natalya battled on Monday night in what was essentially an enhancement match designed to put The Queen of Harts over before her chance at the Women's Championship against Charlotte on May 1. With just four minutes of screen time, though, there is a major question concerning the state of women's wrestling post-WrestleMania 32.
Finally, Roman Reigns entered the XL Center to a chorus of boos, proving that the disdain audiences have for his one-dimensional character is not reserved for big cities. What does that mean for the WWE world heavyweight champion going forward?
These are just a few of the questions fans are looking for answers to as they gear up for a PPV extravaganza the McMahon family has promised will bring about a new era for WWE.
1. Is This Chris Jericho's Best Run Since His Acclaimed 2008 Heel Turn?
Credit: WWE.com
His 2012 run never lived up to expectations, despite a series of very good matches with CM Punk, and his 2013 run is better off left unspoken.
This current run may have been clunky early, but it has improved drastically with Jericho's heel turn and insistence in getting old-school heel elements over with the crowd. Channeling his best Roddy Piper, Ric Flair or even Paul Orndorff, he has thrived as the antagonist, breathing life into a character that was dead and buried not three months ago.
But is it really the best since his run nearly a decade ago?
In short, yes.
Whereas Y2J tried too hard to be a villain during his program with Punk four years ago, he comes across much more naturally now. Rather than trying to be cerebral and deep, tapping into a film character or persona, he is succeeding as the traditional wrestling heel that has worked for nearly 60 years.
The crowd is reacting more strongly, even if the writing is not as good.
Therein lies the reason for this incarnation of Jericho's greatness: Whereas poor writing doomed his previous returns, this run has been strengthened by the future Hall of Famer's ability to overcome subpar work from Creative.
2. This Is What a Women's Revolution Looks Like?
Credit: WWE.com
The grandeur that accompanied their bout, not to mention the fact that the women were all over promotional and marketing materials, gave fans a sense of hope that WWE was very serious about the continued emphasis on women's wrestling.
In the wake of that event, though, focus has been shifted to one single feud between Natalya and Charlotte, which receives minimal television time and leaves a wealth of talent with nothing of substance to do.
Sure, WWE Creative teased Becky Lynch vs. Emma for a week or so, but a lack of follow-up, coupled with a four-minute job by the Aussie to the aforementioned Natalya, has cooled that prospective feud.
Now, with in-ring time shrinking and the spotlight stolen away from them, one has to wonder if this is really the revolution fans had hoped for.
Where is Banks? What happened to booking more than one rivalry at a time as a means to utilizing the immense talent that exists elsewhere on the roster? Why are feuds between the female Superstars relegated to one segment on each show?
These are all questions that should be examined by management to ensure that the division does not take a significant step back after being one of the few highlights of this year's 'Mania event.
3. Is It Time to End the "Roman Reigns: Lead Babyface" Experiment?
Credit: WWE.com
Hartford, though, is not nearly as notorious for its heated crowd, and it nearly booed Reigns out of the building, greeting his arrival with one of the most sustained boos in quite some time.
Monday night's reaction only further illuminated the biggest issues with the Reigns character: People just do not like him. Why should they?
WWE Creative, for all it has done right in this post-WrestleMania world of sports entertainment, has consistently failed to develop his character and give audiences a reason to invest in him. He is a generic and transparent good guy. There is no substance to him, no real motivation.
He is a guy with a belt, and in today's wrestling landscape, that is a recipe for disaster.
While it is not uncommon for fans to take to the Internet to suggest a heel turn for uninteresting heroes, there has never been a lead babyface in bigger need of a heel turn than Reigns. All of the improvement between the ropes has meant nothing because there is zero inspiration for fans to care beyond that aspect of his game.
Sure, there are other Superstars struggling in that department—characters far underdeveloped—but none are in the position that Reigns is.
A heel turn would at least create interest in the character and give fans a reason to boo rather than jeering out of spite.
Comments
Post a Comment