WWE Trades Ruthless Aggression For PG | Wrestling Timelines
January 9, 2015 | Sufferin’ Succotash
At various points post-2008, the online wrestling fandom enters a process of bargaining.
They don’t like PG, they don’t like WWE, and will cling desperately onto every false dawn and give it a name. Even on Wikipedia, “new” phases of programming are listed under the ‘Reality Era’ and ‘New Era’ subsections of the ‘Company History’ section. The Authority faction’s 2014 run and the 2016 return of Shane McMahon are praised, and evidently considered the start of a new direction. This simply is not true.
The Reality Era is an almost ironic be-careful-what-you-wish-for designation, in that fans are crushed by the reality that lauded new workrate heroes Daniel Bryan and Cesaro are not going to become the next John Cena figures following WrestleMania 30. WWE’s new meta era of 2014, in which wrestling prevails over the heel sports entertainment empire, factually does not happen. The supposed ‘New’ era of 2016 is even more baffling, even more desperate. Shane McMahon returns and presides over SmackDown as a babyface authority figure. SmackDown, for a few critically acclaimed months, has a different production look and feel-good storytelling vibe. This, too, is crushed.
By May 2017, Jinder Mahal, presented as a jobber losing in three minutes three weeks beforehand, is the WWE Champion. That is because Vince wants to monetise the Indian market and does not even bother trying to make the fictional pretence remotely credible. Shane inevitably becomes a heel authority figure in early 2019.
Beyond that, the format of the shows does not change like it did in 1997. The show-opening promos; the authority figure-driven narrative; the constant trilogies that chomp through familiar pay-per-view cycles: there is no meaningful change at any point.
Nothing will change until Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque takes over the creative process, in the wake of a disgraced Vince McMahon’s resignation, in the summer of 2022. This is underscored by the monster promotional push of Roman Reigns.
Cena is breaking down and Hollywood beckons. The very handsome Reigns is selected by Vince McMahon as his replacement. Reigns displayed much promise as the powerhouse of the Shield - a rare, awesome stable that is pushed huge by WWE and connects with the audience - but he is nowhere near ready, and a very jaded audience senses and dreads it.
He’s cocky and aloof, a natural heat magnet despite his explosive offence. He’s actually great in the ring, but his presentation outside of it is atrocious. Reigns struggles badly to bottle Cena’s goofy charisma in an infamously bad segment on the January 9, 2015 episode of SmackDown. In a promo battle with Seth Rollins, Roman says “You are a snivelling little suck-up sell-out full of sufferin’ succotash, son!”
Inordinately proud of the worst promo line ever, Roman turns to the hard camera and in a “I’m cool as hell, no big deal” moment borrowed from the Rock, says “Yeah yeah, I know, that was not easy to say!”
He then does a sort-of people’s eyebrow. In one run-killing moment, Roman becomes a John Cena clone trying to be the Rock. He is a lame industry plant. The fans despise him.