The problem WWE Creative has always had is that at its top, the final decision makers now are what the internet fans are calling 'muscle marks'. They like guys who are jacked (either through chemical help or natural means) and look dominant. But, in reality, since Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Rey Mysterio, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and even Chris Benoit have shown that a man who doesn't look like Triple H or Ryback can be champion and draw money. They don't believe it. They think the internet is full of sarcastic wrestling anti-fans, but ignore the reality that the internet is a daily part of their non-smart fans lives as well. So, they continue being 'muscle marks' to this day. But the fact is that if they want new fans, or just to shake things up, or to actually reflect the will of their audience, they need to take a look at the UFC, and their most popular fighters. Georges St. Pierre -- the man was one of the biggest names in MMA, and didn't look like Ryback. If you put those two in a brawl, Pierre would dissect him with jabs and hard kicks, and then break one of the slower man's arms. Brock Lesnar is a guy who the WWE perennially pushes, and let's take a look at what his legitimate fight career held for him. In his first outing, he was dominant, and won. He goes out into his second match and a guy looking less pumped and gargantuan took him down with a heel hook. Frank Mir is a beefy guy, looks like he's fit, but isn't a monster like Lesnar. Less so is Cain Velasquez, who looks like he's a rugged fighter. He's as tall as Lesnar but is compactly built, built for fighting, and just battered the hell out of Brock. But let's not even just focus on the Heavyweight scene in UFC, one of the most dominant and dangerous men in the Light Heavyweight Division, Anderson Silva, wouldn't be given a second look if he tried to walk into Vince's office saying in Portuguese 'I am the Best in the World', Vince would look beyond him at the current Olympic weightlifting champion, or Mr. Olympia to say 'here's The Guy', Silva couldn't get a second meeting. The fact is that without Vince and Triple H going on their gut for what a fighter looks like rather than opening up the windows in Titan Tower and looking at the real world and seeing what real fighters, top fighters, and dominant fighters actually look like. The top brass at the WWE like to go by their gut -- and there's another quote I'll finish with -- 'Congratulations. You've stopped listening to your frontal lobe, and are going with your gut. Where all the feces are.' - GLaDOS in 'Poker Night 2'.
Dan has taken a chairshot to the face from Ballz Mahoney. He grew up in Tampa, mere blocks from the Sportatorium, watching wrestling and taking it all in. He's a writer, and a professional illustrator.
