In the last installment of A Closer Look At…, in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, I gave my list of things I was thankful for in the world of wrestling. Continuing the holiday theme, I will once again break format. This installment will be the gifts I would want to give to certain WWE wrestlers if i had the power to do so.
To Daniel Bryan: A long reign as US Champion.
For a long stretch of time in the WWF/E, the World Championship was the “story line” title and the Intercontinental Title was the “worker” title. The main belt was given to guys like Hulk Hogan or the Ultimate Warrior, wrestlers who were good at filling arenas, but who rarely put on Match of the Year contenders. In order to satisfy the more traditional wrestling fans, as opposed to the newer “sports entertainment” fans, the IC Championship was normally given to a wrestler with a strong work rate in the ring. People like Tito Santana, Randy Savage, Rocky Steamboat, Mr. perfect and bret Hart all had runs with the belt, thrilling audiences with their athletic matches. In recent years, the secondary titles in WWE have been less important, often being forgotten or utilized poorly. With Daniel Bryan as US champion, the opportunity is there to bring back a “worker” title. Bryan is a dedicated performer who can have an entertaining match with anybody. I would love to see him carry on the tradition and have a long run with the belt, stealing the show at PPV and other events against a wide variety of opponents.
To Justin Gabriel: Mic Skills
Gabriel has every physical asset you want in a professional wrestler. He is a great athlete, he has a good look, he has a strong work rate, he has what I like to call “physical charisma,” a term I use to describe somebody who has star power in their body language and the way they move in the ring. He has a good move set and a great finisher. His ring work is over with the crowd. He can work face or heel in the ring. He is small enough to do fast paced, ariel matches, but not so small it isn’t believable for him to wrestle larger opponents and have them sell his offense. His only real drawback is that he is horrible on the mic. His interview skills are almost non-existent. If Gabriel was able to develop a real persona and get it across on the stick, the sky would be the limit for him.
To Heath Slater: Charisma
Heath Slater is a wrestler I’m not sure what to feel about. I think he has a lot of potential. he’s a decent worker, decent talker, has a decent look. He’s good as a mid-card guy to fill out a roster. He can work singles or tag team. He just doesn’t seem to have a lot of star power. There’s nothing about him that makes you jump up and pay attention. When he’s in the ring, he does a solid enough job, but when he isn’t on TV, he’s pretty forgettable. I think he has enough potential that if he had something about him that would make a crowd notice him, he could be a good contributer to a roster.
To Santino Marella: A more serious persona
Santino Marella has done a good job getting over as a goofy comedy wrestler. That’s fine and I’m glad he found a niche, as I feel he’s a good performer with a lot to offer. However, there is only so far he can go with his current gimmick as a cowardly goof ball. At this stage in his career, almost nobody sells any of his offense at all. When he wins, it’s considered a huge fluke. He is usually entertaining, but he can be a more serious wrestler without losing his appeal.
First of all, other wrestlers need to sell his offense. You can’t bump like crazy for Rey Mysterio, who weighs 150lbs and has legs that are shot, and then have a solidly built athlete like Santino hit you and just stand there and laugh at him. It kills any sense of realism. Santino can still be the lovable loser that he is. However, it should be played that he does it not because he actually IS a loser, but that he is doing it for a psychological advantage, getting his opponents to underestimate him. WWE has been showing feint signs of doing this in recent weeks, with Santino showing a lot of heart as he was pummeled by Sheamus. They need to do more of that to rebuild some sort of credibility. Santino is one of their most charismatic performers, he should be given more respect in the ring.
To Zack Ryder: A real mid-card push.
I think there is not a single wrestler on the WWE roster who is used as poorly as Zack Ryder. The best thing Ryder has going for him is also the thing holding him back: his gimmick. Ryder portrays a Long Island/Jersey Shore douchebag. There’s really no polite way to say it. that’s what he does and he does it to perfection. It’s a fantastic gimmick. I would argue that Ryder is the most current, hip, relevant wrestler on the WWE roster today. The problem with that is, WWE management is a bunch of lame old white guys, who just don’t understand what Ryder is doing. In a world where jersey Shore is a smash hit TV show, Zack Ryder should be getting a real push on the main show. Instead, he is left to rot on Superstars, being brought up to Raw only to get jobbed out in seconds, or belittled by Ashton Kutcher. I’m usually pretty easy on WWE decisions and try not to bash everything they do like a lot of internet wrestling fans. But I will shout loud and clear to anyone who will listen that the WWE is dropping the ball on Zack Ryder big time.
To John Cena: Time Off
John Cena needs to be off of TV for a little while. I know a lot of people want Cena gone forever. I am far from his biggest fan, and while I personally don’t enjoy much about him, I understand why a ton of people like him. I don’t want him gone for any kind of negative reason. I just feel that WWE is running out things to do with him, and he’s starting to get a little stale. They aren’t going to turn him heel because he sells too much merchandise. He needs a break to refresh, recharge, and be ready to make another big run. It’s a perfect opportunity to rejuvenate Cena’s career and get a heel wrestler over at the same time. I think Sheamus would be perfect for this. Just have the Celtic Warrior feud with Cena. They have a few matches, things get heated, and then they meet in some huge gimmick match, something like Hell in a Cell. They have a hard fought match, Cena pulls out the victory, and Sheamus just SNAPS after the match. he attacks Cena and takes him out. Leave Cena off of TV for two to three months and let him heal from the ridiculous grind he has been under for the past few years. meanwhile, Sheamus is the monster villain who took out the people’s hero. He will be a huge star as he gets the rub from taking out the WWE’s top guy. in the meantime, the fans will not only hate Sheamus, they will do something they have not had the opportunity to do for a long time: they will start to miss John Cena. Let them wait for him, let the anticipation build, and when Cena finally returns, he will get an ovation that will be legendary.
