When the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards for 2014 are revealed, the entry for Worst Feud of the Year might very well be John Cena vs. Randy Orton. This isnt to say that either of them are bad performers; they are the most likely candidates for this award because this rivalry between the two of them has been the most repetitive and uninspiring feud of the 2014 calendar year. We were supposed to get the end of this near decade-long feud earlier this year, yet the two of them continue to have matches against one another. The big problem with this feud is that they never do anything unique: they go through more of the same move-sets and big spots, do the same promos off of one another, and fans are expected to believe that this feud is full of unique and unexpected events. The best way to maintain fan interest is to keep things fresh, even changing up small details in a rivalry. From changing up the finish of a match, to adding a different spot, to adding extra moments in a feud, it makes a world of difference in making each rivalry feel different. A big part of this is good writing. Many of the feuds in 2014 felt lackluster or stale. There seemed little motivation continuity. Take Cesaro, for example, he won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale, won the trophy and then had a brief feud with Jack Swagger. Since then, he has barely had any microphone time, and has just seemed to lose constantly; and this was before he publicly criticized the Orton-Cena feud. If we want to look at a good story, look no further than the Undertaker-Kane saga. That feud has taken on so many different dimensions that, while may have contradicted each other at some points, kept things between them fresh. Its that kind of thing thats needed in todays WWE; they need to make each week and each match be different, even if its in the smallest of ways, and that might help keep fan interest. But until the entire creative department, which includes Stephanie, Triple H and Vince himself, stops making sudden changes, the aforementioned problems are likely to continue.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
