10 Problematic WWE Storylines That Have Aged HORRIBLY
2. The Real Americans
Tapping into the anti-immigration well for the millionth time, Zeb Colter's return to WWE in 2013 added uneasy but undeniably effective heat to the bizarre pre-WrestleMania 29 push of Jack Swagger.
Having floated around in the midcard following a rushed World Heavyweight Championship push in 2010, Swagger was reinserted in the mix as heel foil for flagging babyface Alberto Del Rio. Colter's arrival turned undertones into over ones, though not in terms of noise in the arena. His Tea Party schtick was a fairly shameless grab for notoriety opposing a Del Rio face role that simply wasn't connecting, and an enforced pulling back of the curtain to take aim at Glenn Beck was cake-and-eat-it stuff to try and babyface the organisation in the face of mounting pressure.
When Swagger failed to unseat Del Rio at the 'Show Of Shows', the gimmick was toned down and suffered subtraction by addition in the form of Cesaro. That's not to say the work got worse (matches vastly, vastly improved), but a midcard catchphrase tag team working a slow-burn split angle wasn't remotely tethered to the idea's incendiary roots.