9. Looking Backward Not Forward
The Batista return was one of the most interesting aspects of Monday Night Raw. What I was really intrigued to see however was the condition of Daniel Bryan heading into the Royal Rumble. That sums up part of the issue about Batista returning ... he isn't the relevant act of the future that is going to galvanise the audience. The Animal is trading on the nostalgia factor. Fans are more into him based upon where he has been rather than where he is headed. The WWE know that and don't care. Sales based on former stars have been very lucrative for Vince McMahon, there are proven benefits to relying on the past. However, longer term it poses very significant problems. How can acts such as Daniel Bryan naturally grow when a former glory like Batista steals in to leapfrog his standing in the company? What would have happened to Steve Austin in 1998 if Hulk Hogan all of a sudden jumped back to the WWF - chances are the Hulkster would have been positioned as the top guy while Steve was made to wait it out. That is exactly what is happening right now. The problem in WWE is that they can't see the long term for the short term, ultimately returns like Batista (and Brock et al) end up taking away from the development of future stars in significant spots. Looking backward not forwards is a real issue with this return.