Michael Cole gets beat up by Brock Lesnar, one of the toughest men on the planet, he receives horrible spine damage aaaaand, hes back two weeks later without any sort of lasting damage. He also didnt seem too concerned over the matter, as he said hed talk about it later and then never did. Dean Ambrose gets powerbombed through a ladder by Luke Harper at WrestleMania? Hes back the next night. John Cena is decimated by Brock Lesnar in embarrassing fashion at SummerSlam? He didnt really seem to mind. In the world of professional wrestling, selling an injury should be one of the most important storytelling devices a promoter can use. If wrestlers cant actually hurt each other for more than one night, then why should we be invested in their matches? Why should we care when a wrestler is brutally beaten after a match? It happens time and time again. Despite dozens of wrestlers being under contract, WWE continues to promote the same small circle of top guys on TV every week, or they fear that their ratings will tank. And while some key absences may lead to slight dip in their audience, long term it will keep fans more invested in what theyre actually seeing. Besides, wouldnt the entire product benefit from a JBL and Michael Cole injury angle that actually gives them some extended time off?
As Rust Cohle from True Detective said "Life's barely long enough to get good at one thing. So be careful what you're good at."
Sadly, I can't solve a murder like Rust...or change a tire, or even tie a tie. But I do know all the lyrics to Hulk Hogan's "Real American" theme song and can easily name every Natural Born Thriller from the dying days of WCW. I was once ranked 21st in the United States in Tetris...on the Playstation 3 version...for about a week.
Follow along @AndrewSoucek and check out my podcast at wrestlingwithfriends.com
