If WWE Was Being Honest About 2019

Humberto Carrillo
WWE

Humberto Carillo and Cedric Alexander are the most recent case studies in failure. It never felt like they took AJ to his absolute limit because they didn't: the medium TV gear these formulaic matches are wrestled in undermines that story. If the matches bleed into one another, and the near-fall is over-used to the point of meaninglessness, how can the emerging babyface inspire hope that they might score the win at the next opportunity? That's what the near-fall used to function as.

This story beat is repeated, week-on-week, because WWE is lazy and rarely follows through with any patience, which breeds tedium and cynicism. Character development is therefore nonexistent. They are introduced as instant midcard-ready acts, by wrestling competitive matches, which they then lose, stigmatising them as midcard-bound acts. This repetition and instant familiarity, without hope, creates this bizarre sensation in that it feels like they've been around forever. They are stuck in a rut before their feet touch the ground. Humberto Carillo made his RAW debut in October, and he's just a regular old part of the furniture.

And then, when the push doesn't get over, because the push can't get over, the push stops. Cedric is going nowhere on RAW. Buddy Murphy benefitted from a mini-push on SmackDown in the summer, and then it simply ended. The conditions to get over are ineffective, and ultimately - almost invariably - pointless.

The WWE machine, in totality, is precision-engineered to make you not care about a performer.

CONT'D...(4 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!