10 Failed Concepts WWE Needs To Revise And Revisit

9. The 21st Century 1% Heel

Lion S Den
WWE.com

Alberto Del Rio worked so damn well on paper. The character was an aloof aristocrat predestined for greatness - the complete antithesis of what drives us to support a pro wrestler. Unfortunately, he was never able to project the personality of spiritual antecedent Ted DiBiase.

The mega-rich heel isn't inimitable; Del Rio was different enough from DiBiase to dissuade accusations of plagiarism. It's also an IRL constant. The gulf between rich and poor is grotesque; this, by definition, is an almost universal feeling worth tapping into. We don't watch pro wrestling to watch dry administrative power plays play out onscreen; we watch it to live vicariously through the lens of our heroes. Austin humiliating McMahon; Batista levelling up to Triple H; CM Punk raging against the WWE machine; Daniel Bryan smashing it. This is the stuff of which legends are made, and the 1% is the target of ire in 2018.

"It's the old adage that you like to hear somebody's doing pretty good, but you don't wanna hear they're doing better than you" - so sayeth Ric Flair during his seminal "golden spoon" promo, a contender for the greatest ever.

EC3 is the next in line to play the role. A bit of a shame that his TakeOver match was so God-awful.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!