10 Ups And Downs For WWE In 2014

By Scott Carlson /

4. Poor Debuts And Reintroductions

When a new superstar or Diva debuts on Raw, the old adage that you never get a second chance to make a first impression often applies. Look at how the Shield debuted in 2012, interfering in a PPV main event title match, then going the better part of a year being unbeatable as a team. The Wyatt Family€™s vignettes in 2013 garnered a tremendous amount of interest before they ever debuted. But in 2014, wrestler debuts and reintroductions were mishandled several times, stunting performers€™ growth and killing any momentum they might have had. Paige came into WWE the night after WrestleMania XXX as the reigning NXT Women€™s Champion in front of a super-smarky crowd €“ and she won the Divas Championship that night. She then had a heatless reign, turned heel and now is shunted down behind the Bella Twins in the title scene.Bo Dallas€™ push was jettisoned early. Adam Rose€™s entourage was way too tiny for a WWE arena, a problem anyone who was thinking for 10 seconds would have discovered, thus negating his character€™s impact. Emma got partnered with Santino Marella in a €œcomedy€ team that went nowhere and has left her flying solo largely as a joke. Fandango€™s €œnew and improved€ character took away the only thing that was appealing €“ his sing-along entrance music €“ and just gave us a guy in black coming out to silence. And it looks like the New Day trio of Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods is not off to a great start, already being relegated to pre-PPV status. 2014 definitely won€™t be known for its stellar debuts.