Practically every single former wrestler who offers up an opinion on the current state of WWE singles out the overly-scripted, restrictive nature of the product as something they'd like to see change. And we're not talking about Reno Riggins or Mario Mancini here but giants of the industry. Men like Steve Austin, Mick Foley and Batista who were all peaking during the company's most prosperous years. The format of the show gives everyone a similar voice and handcuffs the talent from being able to go out and try new things. Without that freedom the men and women on the roster are left to struggle and flounder if the creative that's crafted for them is poor. It's impossible to imagine a mega-talent legend like Dusty Rhodes would be able to attain the level of success he did in today's WWE because he would have had to fit tightly into a role created for him rather than being given an opportunity to find himself as a performer. I understand that the business has changed along with the way television is produced and we're never going to return to the days of shows that were largely spontaneous, but there has to be an acceptable medium where the workers can experiment without having their hands held and we can all find out if they'll sink or swim. I'm betting most of them would be MIchael f*cking Phelps compared to how they're perceived now.
Brad Hamilton is a writer, musician and marketer/social media manager from Atlanta, Georgia. He's an undefeated freestyle rap battle champion, spends too little time being productive and defines himself as the literary version of Brock Lesnar.
