Creating a giant success in the WWE rarely comes with the hard work of pushing and promoting a superstar or storyline until it’s a massive hit with each and every fan. More often than not, a popular superstar becomes popular by his or her own personality, charm or talent. For every overpushed Goldberg, there is a Batista. For every overpushed Brock Lesnar, there is a Stone Cold Steve Austin.
In 2002, Vince McMahon hired Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall, with the intentions of recreating the nWo, a powerful stable that simultaneously put WCW on the map and buried WCW. The three "outsiders" defected to WCW in the mid-1990s, and eventually banded together for a "New World Order". Eventually, the group expanded with new additions, new stables (nWo Wolfpac and nWo Japan). The faction eventually died with WCW. The failures of WCW and specifically the failures of the nWo near its end should have been a clear indication to Vince that a new WWE version would never last, nor should it have been brought to life.
When the WWE nWo began, it stayed the way it should: between Hogan, Hall and Nash. Very quickly, Hulk Hogan turned face after Wrestlemania 18, Kevin Nash became injured, and Scott Hall was released from his contract. The Big Show, X-Pac, Booker T, and Shawn Michaels ran the group.
Straight into the ground.
Finally, when Kevin Nash injured his leg (which would put him on the shelf for several months), Vince personally killed the poison that he recreated. Later that night, after Vince ended the nWo, another WCW character resurfaced: Eric Bischoff. Unlike the rebirth of the nWo that failed miserably, Eric Bischoff's inclusion in the WWE family should have been a failure immediately. Instead, Bischoff provided one of the strongest authority figures in the WWE, and maintained his position for over three years. Many criticized Bischoff in his last months on the job, including myself. However, Bischoff is greatly missed in a time where the McMahons are the stars of RAW with D-Generation X. Perhaps Bischoff's greatness diminished when his head was shaved in 2004, roughly one year before his on-air firing. The gray hair became Bischoff's "jump the shark" moment, and sadly, it does not appear that Bischoff will be a part of WWE programming in the near-future.
On the flip side of failed factions, Evolution took the WWE by storm in 2003. It began as Triple H and Ric Flair in 2002, and "evolved" (a pun-pardoning is appreciated) into a powerful faction with up-and-comer Randy Orton, and the brute of the group, Batista. It was a subtle grouping of talent that were unsuccessful on their own. Ric Flair was all over the map in 2002 as co-owner of WWE, leader of the nWo for about a week, and a manager for Triple H. Randy Orton began his RAW career with a one-night-only stint as a third generation nice guy that rescued Jim Ross's cowboy hat from a villain whose name escapes me at the moment. Batista served as manager (and brute) for Reverend D-Von on Smackdown, before being the B-version of Brock Lesnar on RAW.
Apart, they were forgettable. Together, they served as Triple H's henchmen, and the group became an invincible force on RAW. Despite a poor catchphrase that was quickly dropped ("Evolution just passed you by."), the stable tore apart the RAW roster. At one point, the four walked onto the titan tron, and all four men held WWE RAW gold (Triple H the World Champion, Orton the Intercontinental Champ, and Batista & Flair the tag team champs). Instead of adding new members to Evolution, the group remained the same for quite a while, with the same theme music belted out by Lemmy and Motorhead.
In late August 2004, Randy Orton won the World Heavyweight Title, accomplishing what Triple H could not do: defeat Chris Benoit for the title. The next night on RAW, Evolution ridded themselves of Orton. Eventually, Batista turned on Triple H, and Evolution finally died at the RAW Homecoming, when Triple H turned on Ric Flair. Evolution slowly developed on RAW, and quietly became one of the most successful stables in WWE history. Unlike the nWo revival, which was overpushed immediately, Evolution was slow and successful. Slow and steady wins the race.
When it comes to individual talent in the WWE, the overpushed superstars rarely have lasting power, while the "lightning in a bottle" cases have a long life on RAW or Smackdown. How do you capture lightning in a bottle? It just happens. In 2002, Dave Batista debuted on Smackdown as D-Von's manager, before joining Evolution and surviving through Randy Orton's shocking and aforementioned ousting. Batista was the midcard giant that never amounted to more than Evolution's muscle. During a fake-attack on Triple H, pretending to turn on The Game, Batista had massive fan support, before the big reveal that the "attack" was pre-planned, to ensure Triple H would not have to wrestle Chris Benoit.
Little by little, Batista continued to hint at a turn on Triple H, and the fans loved it. What should have been John Cena's big Royal Rumble win ended up being overshadowed by the support for the supposed heel. Finally, in February 2005 on RAW, Batista delivered a powerful Batista Bomb to Triple H, to the delight of thousands of fans in attendance. Since then, through championships and injuries, Batista remains a major fan favorite, normally receiving the largest "pop" of the night on Smackdown.
On the other side of the spectrum, John Cena was heavily pushed to become the next Rock or Steve Austin in late 2003, and has been considered the top draw ever since. Unfortunately, unlike The Rock and Stone Cold, Cena has rarely received an overwhelming reaction from the entire audience in attendance. If it's only women and children that matter most, Cena is a massive talent. However, if you feel the male audience also matters, Cena is far from the fan favorite. To Cena's credit, he could cure the ailments of the world while wielding the mighty WWE title, and he would still be booed out of the building by the male audience.
In any other situation, a heel turn would be all but guaranteed. However, since Cena started getting heavy amounts of hate (most prominently during his match against Chris Jericho at Summerslam '05, and continuing in his feuds with Kurt Angle and Triple H, and to a lesser extent, with Edge), the WWE has remained adamant in pushing John Cena as the top draw in the company. The persistence is admirable, and John Cena is far from the least popular on the roster. Hopefully in the future, the WWE will find a way to get everyone on John Cena's side. "The Marine", however, will likely set more fans against him. Call it a hunch, based on the trailer.
You can't catch lightning in a bottle on purpose. It happens suddenly, without warning, and you run with it. You run for the touchdown, to the finish line, or to the home plate. You run with it, and make it into everything that it can be. It's possible to create a success on purpose, but oddly enough, it's less likely to purposely push a superstar to the top of the roster and keep that person as the top draw in the company. All I can suggest to the WWE is wait for the likes of Carlito and Mr. Kennedy to develop further, as they seem to be the most likely candidates for the top of the business in the near future. If that doesn't pan out, be patient. The next big thing may be just around the corner, awaiting his/her WWE or ECW debut.
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