How WWE Has FINALLY Solved Its Babyface Problem
They don't want a whip-smart ass-kicker with the cool, dry wit of an action hero. They don't want pro wrestling. They enjoy the stories WWE tell, and Riddle's pitiful attempts to befriend Randy Orton are working for them.
It's a masterstroke, it really is. That, or Riddle has simply got over in spite of the booking, which is true of every star act not named the Tribal Chief in the post-Super Cena wilderness. But he gets more over with every stupid thing he says. This is a total subversion of the fates of Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre, in whom fans lost interest the more they said stupid sh*t that no real human being would say. WWE has abandoned any dreaded pretence of promoting Riddle as a traditional babyface that once got over, and because they are so f*cking useless at the old babyface devices, it's working. This article is only half-facetious. WWE has stumbled onto something.
Consider John Morrison.
Morrison is not unlike Riddle. He is a nonsensical if well-meaning human being. He was a pleasant, oblivious presence by the side of The Miz. When Miz would say something flagrantly untrue, Morrison would deadpan his disbelief. He is also fond of sh*te patter that makes him sound like an utter doofus. Like Riddle, he too carries a prop to the ring; a "dripstick" as opposed to a scooter.
And he too is over.
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