The Problem With WWE's 'Chosen One'

In a recent post-WWE exit interview with Chris Jericho, Miro didn't exactly shock the world when he noted that the company is all about predetermined success, and how flawed that was. He'd know better than most in recent years of course - 'Rusev Day' wasn't quite the 'Yes Movement' but you'd be fooled for thinking so at its height.

Chants were loud and unending for the 'Bulgarian Brute' to at least win tag gold with partner Aiden English, if not go further. T-shirts were snapped up to the point where the the logo was the most visible image on-screen every week. Calendars that had the same joke printed 365 f*cking times sold like hot cakes.

One of Miro's other recent revelations involved Vince McMahon telling him that all this reflected an audience laughing at him, not investing in his cause. That's an unassailable obstacle if you're a performer with any sense of creativity or agency - you get every desired graph and metric in your favour and its undermined by the one person that can do something with it. No wonder he got into playing video games on the internet instead, and thankfully found a company that permitted him to still do that.

The message McMahon wanted to get through but couldn't say out loud was that Rusev wasn't his predetermined guy and he never would be. But in an organisation that fails most of the people given that spot, even that was no longer an aspiration role either.

It's doesn't speak to any kind of meritocracy anymore, but just the same old frail and insecure mindset.

CONT'D...