Why WWE Needs To Take The Biggest Risk EVER
This isn’t a problem, not remotely and not right now, but here’s the thing. You see, the fact of the matter is, Triple H’s patient, slow, uneventful booking style has failed him before. NXT reached a nadir of self-parody in the summer of 2019, and, by the time it made its way onto TV, the A to B to C formality of the future video package approach was exposed. WWE from August 2022 has benefited from the low bar that was Vince McMahon’s television, much like NXT benefitted from the low bar that was Vince McMahon’s television. Eventually, Levesque’s TV will become the bar itself. This isn’t happening yet. WWE fans remain in the honeymoon period of not having to endure a million nausea-inducing camera cuts per second. The new tracking shot on Raw is Birdman in comparison to that. But it will. Quite shortly, you could argue.
The issue with Levesque’s basics-forwards approach is that, by featuring a smallish cast and very patiently introducing new members to it, you have to beat that smallish cast in matches. Who’s left for Cody Rhodes: Undisputed WWE Universal champion to face? What does that reign look like?
Solo Sikoa, had he been in any way protected after beating John Cena, might have stood half a chance for Backlash. Weirdly, Levesque doesn’t seem to see a great deal in Bobby Lashley. He sees a lot in Karrion Kross, but few others do. Santos Escobar is excellent. There could be something there. Damian Priest has languished with the Money In The Bank briefcase. Randy Orton feels less like a WWE legend than he probably should, even after a two-year absence. AJ Styles doesn’t feel like a major player these days either. A heel Kevin Owens could be great, but he’s another wrestler who has been there for years and was a lot hotter in the recent past.
Without major, protected stars who haven’t been overexposed lined up for Cody, solid will become boring very quickly. There is however a solution to the prospect of a dry WrestleMania season.
The March 25 Monday Night Raw captured the imagination of the public. Cagematch is a very small sample, granted, but that episode - rave-reviewed also on social media - currently stands as one of the highest-rated in the history of the show. It was an atypically excellent WWE Raw. It was so great precisely because it was a disruption of the formality that is Paul Levesque’s calling card.
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