10 Most Over Wrestlers In WWE Today
Depressingly few honourable mentions.
Steve Austin suggested on a recent edition of his podcast that Seth Rollins isn't "all the way over" in his babyface role.
He has a point. At WrestleMania 33, the idea, shaped by a recurrence of a real-life injury, was to position Rollins as the ultimate sympathetic figure. It seemed the stars had aligned to boost his chances of becoming a breakout babyface sensation. That didn't happen; the reaction to what was a very well-worked match was mild.
How much of the failure can be attributed to the Triple H factor - the layout was typically methodical Trips fare, a proven disaster in a stadium setting - is up for debate. What isn't is that Rollins is nowhere near as prominent as he was two years ago. He operates best as a smug, entitled heel. WWE has failed Rollins by positioning him as an identikit babyface. He's not the only one.
50/50 booking is as big of a problem as homogenised scripting. Sami Zayn took a pasting from Baron Corbin on the May 23 SmackDown, and fans just stood back and grinned. It isn't surprising; his booking has been laughable.
It's harder than ever for a performer to get themselves over in WWE because they aren't allowed to. It's insanely counterproductive - but undeniable star power (or sheer force of will) sometimes shatters what is a moronic and depressing paradox.
10. Jinder Mahal
The true extent to which Jinder Mahal has connected with fans will only become apparent when the curiosity buzz dies down.
His WWE Championship win at Backlash was received with shock; the preceding match, when not bogged down by Randy Orton's trademark glacial pace, was very heated - but then, it took place in Chicago, the most molten WWE crowd there is. The metrics are geared in Mahal's immediate favour. WWE promised a "Punjabi Celebration" on the ensuing SmackDown - a different and thus intriguing sort of angle to which fans are accustomed. The gambit paid off; the rating spiked. That might be a reflection on the shocking booking decision more so than the man himself, an observation vindicated by the tepid chants of "USA!" to which Mahal was subjected.
The sight of Mahal in the headline slot, carrying around the WWE Title, is still totally bizarre. His heat might subside, along with the novelty factor. Then again, Mahal is a new breed of heel in that he mines a postmodern heat.
Fans perceive him as an average-at-best worker, and resent him because he has failed to meet their increasing expectations of excellent in-ring performance. How effective (and how lasting) that heat is cannot yet be gauged.