Word is that Vince McMahon is so fond of Bobby Lashley and so disgusted with ECW that ECW is being remade into a vehicle for establishing Bobby Lashley as a dominant champion and making the ECW title an equal to the other two belts. Once the fans have accepted this, Lashley is going to be moved to one of the other brands to defend his belt. While defending a title that was formerly associated with another promotion makes little sense, Vince has done this several times in the past. The problem with this is that Vince has forgotten that true stars in professional wrestling are born not made.
Don’t get me wrong, I do understand that proper training and a level of experience is what it takes to be successful in professional wrestling, but it is the innate qualities that separate the superstars, legends & Hall-of-Famers from the rest of the profession. Superstars in professional wrestling stand head and shoulders above the rest of the wrestlers in the business in either one of two areas; work rate or promo ability. Every wrestler is trained how to work in the ring, but it is those that have the internal desire to go beyond their training that usually excel in this area. Even without good mic skills, these guys can become breakout stars. AJ Styles is less than stellar on the mic but is excellent in the ring. Randy Savage was forgettable on the mic but unforgettable between the ropes. Sabu didn’t even speak until 2006 but is amazing in the ring. Both Chris Benoit & Booker T are marginal interviews at best but both are among the great performers in the sport.
Without the excellent work rate, a performer has to be a compelling interview. Even a bad worker can become a star if he can get the fans to understand the motivation for his actions through a scintillating promo. Wrestling training includes a study in delivering promos, but no one can teach charisma or showmanship. People that have these qualities acquire them at birth. Either you have it or you don’t, and the ones that have them can be successful in professional wrestling without even being very good wrestlers. The Rock and Stone Cold were average workers but delivered some very memorable promos. Hulk Hogan & Jerry Lawler had limited move sets but unlimited mic skills. John Cena is a marginal wrestler with above average mic work. In other words, good wrestling skills aren’t always necessary to a successful professional wrestler. The one’s that have good charisma and good showmanship can be even more successful, and coincidentally are the ones that Hollywood looks long at for movie roles.
Either trait can make a person into a superstar in this business, but the ones that combine both skills are the ones who set the standard for the business such that all other wrestlers fall in line behind those select few. Ric Flair, Roddy piper, Ted DiBiase, Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Chris Jericho & the late Eddie Guerrero are just a few of the top level of professional wrestling stars. These are men who can deliver a 4-star promo and then turn around and deliver a 4-star match.
Now, I said all of this to say this; the promotion of Batista over strong workers like William Regal, Booker T and Chris Benoit,, or the promotion of Bobby Lashley over strong workers such as Sabu, Rob Van Dam, CM Punk or Hardcore Holly makes sense cosmetically, because these men with “million dollar bodies”. In a sport that is as testosterone driven as professional wrestling is, Batista and Lashley look good on magazine covers, but these are men who are devoid of both microphone skills and in-ring work rate. They exist as the types of muscle-bound monsters that Vince likes to build around, but Vince needs to remember that these men are not Hulk Hogan because Hogan possessed one of the two requisite skills necessary for success in this business.
I have nothing against either Batista of Lashley, but based on the history of the sport, men like these become champions, but they seldom become legends in the sport. Lex Luger had a great physique and was better than both of these men in the ring and on the mic, but he was still far below average. I am not saying that Lashley or Batista will struggle with addictions like Luger, nor am I saying that they cannot improve, but as I always say, it is what it is. Thickly muscled men are easy to replicate and there have been many in the wrestling business, but very few of them become stars.
The reason that Vince likes to go with these types of wrestlers as champions are threefold:
1) Big musclemen are easy to find
2) The better athletes and/or performers are not homegrown and Vince likes to promote stars that he created, and…
3) The average sized guys that are homegrown products aren’t developing fast enough to be the next Chris Jericho or Eddie Guerrero when Vince needs them to be (even though by the time that Y2J or Latino Heat came to WWE, they had been in the business 10+ years with a wealth of international seasoning)
Because Vince sees himself as a star maker, he will continue to promote these types of men for all of the reasons that I have mentioned and he will hope that they can turn into, if not the next Hulk Hogan, at least the next Triple H, and if they cannot, they will be replaced by the next wave of musclemen. The good thing is that we still have John Cena. He’s not much of an in-ring performer (because he is booked incorrectly), but his interview skills at least make his character interesting enough to make us want to watch.
Send comments, complaints or questions to me @ ericej@netzero.net
Eric E. Jenkins is an author who has written a semi-biographical book covering the last 30 years in professional wrestling through the eyes of a fan entitled “Reflections of a Professional Wrestling Fan: My 30 Years ‘In’ the Business”. He is currently writing “Dead Too Soon”, a book chronicling the careers of and paying tribute to many of the wrestling stars who passed away very young.
Copyright © 2005; TheWrestlingVoice.com & Douglas Nunnally.
All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer & Privacy Statement
| What Did You Think About WWE Backlash 2008? |
|
|