5 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (Sept 28)
4. WWE Is Failing Its Talent
That's not really insane, on the face of it.
Brie Bella found herself in the eye of the storm on Monday night after concussing Liv Morgan with a series of reckless kicks. We've seen Yes Kicks. We've seen It Kicks. Brie threw two veritable face-first Shibata Kicks, in, it must be written, the latest in a similarly rapid-fire spate of in-ring miscues. As for the errant punches thrown at The Miz, which cut him open: if Shane McMahon is any indication, she probably thought it was the best way of getting a 25 minute WrestleMania match.
That is a facetious assessment, obviously, but it brings into a focus a wider point unrealised - or perhaps ignored through gender-driven bias - by many: even the best wrestlers f*ck up fairly often in what is, essentially, a live, inherently dangerous stunt show performed by men and women on exhausting schedules.
As for the botched suicide dive(s), and WWE's dangerous mishandling of Monday's situation, and the resultant mess that became of the match: the systemic negligence is the more concerning issue here. WWE's over-production and formulaic match layouts require all talent, irrespective of the fictional characters they present and real-life ability level, to perform the same moves. WWE has for years taught its talent for the test, so to speak, in that the result is more important than the knowledge - which explains why Brie dragged Morgan by the neck immediately after the spot. Conditioned to get to the next spot in a game of connect-the-dots, she wasn't to know. Improvisation isn't encouraged under WWE's micro-managed philosophy.
The senior heads and medical personnel exacerbated the frightening situation by failing to immediately act. That's the issue here.