10 WWE Superstars Held Back By Scripted Promos
Which talents could be bigger stars if left to their own devices?
Would the word of Austin 3:16 ever have been spoken if the WWF had been scripting promos back in the mid-90s? Would Jake "The Snake" Roberts still be considered a master of the mic and a psychological marvel if someone else was spoon-feeding him his promo material? Would The Rock have been half as successful as he became without the creative freedom that was allotted to him back in the Attitude Era?
Categorically, the answer is NO.
This isn't to say that talents like Austin, Jake, or Rock wouldn't have gotten over or become big wrestling stars - surely, they would have. But it would've been that much more difficult with that many more hurdles to overcome and, once they did get over, they almost certainly wouldn't have experienced the level of stardom that we remember them for today.
Just like those stars from yesteryear that would've been greatly hindered by scripted promos and creative shackles, there are a number of talents in WWE today that are being held back. Held back because their natural charisma shines brighter than the "superstar" they play on TV. Held back by verbiage that is written for them, rather than by them, that often stands out for all the wrong reasons. They're held back by unqualified writers that don't know the first thing about the character they're writing for and what they're writing about.
It's a recipe for disaster, but some talents have it worse than others...
10. Heath Slater
Heath Slater's been saddled with a lot of bad gimmicks throughout his WWE career. Whether he was part of 3MB, Slater-Gator, or the Social Outcasts, Heath's been a good sport when it comes to executing bad scripts on RAW and SmackDown. More often than not, he's the standout star of these not-so-standout segments.
Despite several tough years for his character, Slater's endured thanks to appearances on WWE's secondary programming like Swerved, Ride Along, and the JBL and Cole Show. In all these appearances, one thing has been consistent - and that is Heath's natural ability to entertain.
Heath's portrayals of his wrestling character as well as "Big" Clem Layfield, and most recently Pelvis Wesley have been well-received and they have even generated somewhat of a cult following for Slater. It's a following that resulted in genuine support for Heath through his recent pairing with Rhyno en route to winning SmackDown's tag titles.
No superstar should have 100% free reign over their character, but some talents should have more say than others. With Heath's track record of turning bad ideas into entertaining moments, he should be given a bit more creative freedom than he currently has.