10 Wrestlers BANNED From Getting Over
WWE tried to do this with Bryan Danielson THREE separate times (!)
AEW's form is uneven, but the promotion is an absolute f*cking godsend and perspective really, really needs to be maintained.
As part of its core philosophy, Tony Khan encourages his talents to get over. This does not always work out, but good on Jon Moxley for putting over Marina Shafir's potential on the Sessions podcast recently, because she has otherwise been stigmatised for her quite inexplicable "You know me...you don't know me!" promo.
An argument could be made that this process could be tightened up to an extent - not to shackle talent but rather to encourage them to focus. Using a recent example, it is impossible to determine whether or not Sammy Guevara is a babyface. This longstanding identity crisis has affected his career. He has world-class heel potential, always did, but seems weirdly intent on playing the wide-eyed dreamer babyface pup role at the exact same time.
This system has allowed MJF to become a World champion and the generational talent he markets himself to be, allowed Hangman Page to experiment and succeed with a bold mental health arc that simply wouldn't have happened in any other major promotion ever, and encouraged Dr. Britt Baker to become one of the funniest wrestlers of her generation. WWE hasn't even attempted that with a women's division talent.
AEW might feel rushed and janky at times, but on the following evidence, the promotion did in fact save pro wrestling in the US...
10. Zack Ryder In Pretty Much Every Respect
The most cynical take is that Vince McMahon only wants to get the people he likes over. It is the hottest take, a rite of passage for a WWE fan almost.
It is also the correct take.
Dante himself could not have penned a more cruel ironic punishment than that to which McMahon sentenced Ryder in 2012. Ryder getting over was not in the plan, and while he was never a great worker and may not have evolved into a main event-level talent with the machine behind him, it's important to put his breakthrough into context. The standard wasn't amazing at the time. Ryder hasn't been mythologised, though it may look that way through a 2023 lens. He hustled, created his vastly influential YouTube series, and fans loved his self-deprecating act.
WWE, and you could almost hear the passive aggressive sigh, "rewarded" him with the United States title before turning him into such a joke that he could never reach the same level again. He was repackaged as an incel, given a slapstick assortment of injuries to sell, but was pushed - into oblivion by Kane!
Booking Kane to push Ryder off the stage was nothing less than a peak Simpsons era Mr. Burns gag. The only difference is that, had Conan O'Brien wrote it, the wheelchair would have spontaneously and inexplicably exploded.
The thing is, the bump Ryder took on his coccyx was probably more painful, for f*ck's sake.