How Long Until WWE Ruins The New NXT Call-Ups? A Scientific Study

Gangrel WWE
WWE

Historical Comparative Evidence:

Let’s use comparative historical data to project future results. This is a tested methodology, for Vince McMahon always does the same sh*t.

The closest comparison we can make to Ricochet is his old Dragon Gate rival PAC/Neville, especially since Vince tends to conflate talents by traits in his daft old mind.

Neville hadn’t yet perfected his promo game upon arriving on RAW, something Ricochet struggles with at present. He isn’t awful, but he is at best indistinct. He’s not yet in a position to cut a long, opening RAW promo, and is thus not in a position to lead the brand. And, if you don’t lead, you follow the f*cking buzzards. Ultimately, it matters little how unbelievably spectacular his work is: if there is an object of cheap heat with which to incinerate him, Ricochet will burn to death (see peer-reviewed journal Amore, Enzo).

Aleister Black is tricky. Gothic in aesthetic, this is a look to which Vince McMahon is famously adverse. He could not stand the sight of Gangrel. “Get rid of the fangs,” he told him back in the Attitude Era. Of course, Black is a far superior worker to Gangrel, but Vince is not enamoured with strikers, either. Tajiri infamously failed to impress McMahon, who went to unprecedented lengths to state his displeasure. He called off a 2004 house show match with Rhyno as it was taking place.

Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano are of course deeply similar to Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn: both shared a circuitous route to WWE, and once there were linked inextricably. This infuriated Owens, who sought to disassociate from Zayn by the most callous and brutal means. Injuring and incapacitating Zayn, Owens leapt ahead of him on the main roster. And, when a recovered Zayn joined him on RAW, the rivalry resumed. We write “rivalry”, but essentially, Zayn and Owens just hit each other in the head really fast all the time without speaking much. The pathos and the heft of it all removed with surgical precision, in the cartoonish strokes of the main roster, Owens Vs. Zayn became Wile E. Coyote Vs. Road Runner.

CONT'D...(3 of 5)

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!