In any endeavor, you want to succeed or fail on your own merits.
That’s just not possible at WWE. You succeed or fail on their merits. On the merits of what’s created for you. What’s so meticulously scripted for you. It’s a limited repertoire. Neville is Evan Bourne, Part Deux. He won’t get over.
Chris Jericho hates it. He’ll work house shows, not TV. He can perform as he likes at house shows. Batista says he’d consider a similar route, for the same reasons.
It’s about control. Do as you’re told, or do it somewhere else.
Given the pathetic wage so many WWE performers earn, doing it somewhere else must seem a reasonable alternative. Will Samoa Joe be happy as Umaga, Part Deux? Depends on the paycheck. In other words, no.
Never before has a wrestling promotion been so much about the ego gratification of those running it. Trips and Steph are a focal point of WWE TV. NXT allows Trips to be the nation’s top indie promoter, earning the love of smart marks. Everything WWE does, the higher-ups can take credit for. Fingers in every pie.
It’s a shame TNA’s creative process stinks, too. WWE’s mediocrity leaves room for critical acclaim, if not financial windfall. But with a triumvirate composed of a pop star, somebody who was Kevin Dunn’s errand boy at WWE and a guy who wrote exactly one episode of “Friends,” TNA fans shouldn’t hold out much hope.
Has there ever been a more discouraging time to try and break into wrestling? What route do you take?
If you work indies, nothing you do will make the cut if you train with WWE. They mostly want blank slates. If you work TNA, WWE won’t want you (Joe being an exception, maybe). If you work Ring of Honor, WWE might want you…to join their version of ROH. Has Kevin Owens been on Raw yet?
Bookers have always controlled the storylines. But most of wrestling’s great performers were allowed major input with their characters. Not anymore. If your idea is better than WWE’s, WWE’s idea gets used anyway.
That takes a lot of the fun out of it. If you succeed, the satisfaction is lessened. If you fail, frustration abounds. You’re just a pawn.
One easily replaced.
