The history of wrestling is so vast that there are hundreds examples of good storylines and just as many bad ones too. What matters is that you know what worked and you try to avoid the mistakes of those that didn't work. Steve Austin's journey as a top babyface in WWE is something all members of the creative team should study meticulously. They didn't rush anything with him. By the end of the night at WrestleMania 13 he was as popular as anybody on the roster, but they did the right thing by waiting a full year to put the WWE Title on him. They told the story the right way. Austin didn't just become the biggest babyface on the roster because he talked trash, gave his boss the Stunner and flashed his middle fingers. He was booked the right way from the beginning. Want to know a major feud that didn't work? Triple H vs. Randy Orton in 2009. The idea was that Orton was tormenting Triple H's family (the McMahons) as a way to get at Hunter. The problem with that was Hunter is not a good sympathetic babyface. He married the daughter of billionaire. It's not like we, the average fan, can feel sorry for him. Not only that, but they had Hunter walk into WrestleMania 25 as the WWE Champ and he left with it. What was the point of that? They even put it on after that epic Undertaker/Michaels match and they wonder why people didn't care? It's because the angle sucked. The match wasn't much better too. The babyface challenger chasing the heel champion. That's the story that works. Overdone? Sure, but it's the one we want to see when it comes to WrestleMania. Don't tinker with the formula. Stick with what works.
John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.
