5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (7 Nov)

3. No Value Added

WWE tends to value some of its talent differently than the majority of fans.

Case in point: Does anyone look fondly at JBL and consider him a draw, someone you turn the TV on to watch? The company seems to overstate his value and the nostalgia they think he generates, hence we’re “treated” to Bradshaw now managing Baron Corbin in WWE’s latest attempt to reinvent and squeeze some life out of Corbin.

JBL’s way of generating heat is to call the fans “chubby, woke snowflakes,” which is an interesting trifecta. It’s not like people watching it go “boo” because they’re all actually “woke snowflakes,” they just kind of shrug. It’s an insult driven more by personal animus toward a perceived group of people than the kind of heel heat that has worked for decades.

And someone is going to have to explain how JBL is helping get Corbin over. It’s not like Baron can’t talk for himself, and it’s not like Bradshaw is some kind of savant at getting others over. He can make himself hated, but it’s yet to be seen if that will transfer over to Corbin.

Oh, and Corbin squashed Cedric Alexander Monday night. At least the finish – Corbin caught Cedric’s springing Flatliner attempt and turned it into an End of Days – was really cool. But he doesn’t need JBL to be a prick heel who beats up smaller wrestlers.