Why WWE SUCKS At Debuting New Stars
Razor did not simply debut on WWF Superstars. He was promoted as a Superstar in the weeks prior via an almost failsafe system that, for reasons unfathomable, is another relic of wrestling’s successful past: the introductory vignette. In these vignettes, Razor built his sinister and cool character by terrifying the staff of a restaurant he refused to pay to eat in. He bragged about his ability to bag “chicas, meng.” Razor even spelled out that he was a big deal. “I am Razor Ramon. I am somebody important, meng,” he said. Even before he stepped through the curtain, you hated him. And, when he returned to the back, the WWF had reinforced the character with a sustained and consistent push. He did not miss TV tapings because the bookers didn’t know what to do with him. He didn’t fade in relevance as a result. He was an instant mainstay.
He was somebody important.
Even when WWE debuts a new face outside of the post-WrestleMania season, the system fails. Dolph Ziggler laughed off Bobby Roode as a mere entrance. The writing staff proved him right, as Roode entered 50/50 territory as an entrance. It’s perhaps too much for WWE to expect its casual audience to watch an NXT product without a television presence. It’s certainly not too much to expect its writing staff to watch the NXT product. It’s as likely to be a comprehension issue; Roode excelled in the heel role because he was maddeningly, hysterically arrogant with just enough viciousness to anchor the ludicrousness of it all. The sudden and stupid babyface switch in itself saw Roode balloon into the realm of the goofy, and his subsequent inconsistent booking reinforced this instantly wrong development.
This NXT to main roster disconnect is profound. It’s not even irreparable. There was never a connection; WWE has simply never grasped the process. The fans are acutely aware of this. Many - the majority - have come to shudder at the prospect of an act they adore in the NXT context debuting on the main roster. How WWE have conspired to make its audience dread the debut - the debut! Something once so bulletproof we actually anticipated the arrival of Hade Vansen! - is sobering. Depressing.
The problem is not limited to the debut process, but extends also into the environment into which these stars debut. Overstuffed and shackled, the roster, without any sort of tiered main event/midcard/undercard system, is awash with great talent treading water, coalescing into a sea of irrelevance.
Staggering the process is the first step. If Andrade Almas alone debuted on SmackDown, we may have been given reason to receive him as the next big thing. Instead, Andrade Almas on SmackDown is a thing that is happening.
“They haven’t f*cked him up yet” is not a sentiment with which we should approach the character arc of one of the best wrestlers on the planet.