WWE: 10 Reasons We Want Evolution Vs The Shield At Extreme Rules
7. The Fans Will Appropriately Cheer The Heroes And Boo The Villains
One of the most basic principles of simple storytelling is the battle between good and evil. The lines can be blurred sometimes but at the end of the day you want the reader/viewer/listener to be behind your protagonist and want to see the antagonist fail. WWE is having a small issue with that at the moment, because at almost every level, the fans don't like the "heroes". In the John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt feud, the fans are solidly behind the villain Bray Wyatt, and are openly mocking/booing the hero, John Cena. The Real Americans were seeing support as heels before they broke up; Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman were being cheered by the end of their braggadocios promo about ending the streak, Bad News Barrett was adored by the fans on Monday night, and the list can go on and on of villains that get support from the WWE universe. We can have a discussion about whether this is a product of the babyfaces not being compelling characters or the heels not being booked villainously enough on another day, but this fact makes the potential Shield vs. Evolution match even more appealing. The fans hate Triple H, Randy Orton and Batista right now (two of them for reasons that go beyond their characters). They are the most bankable heels on the roster because you know they won't be cheered over the babyfaces. Not to mention that the fans are really enjoying the fact that they are now supposed to cheer The Shield, who they've wanted to cheer for the better part of a year because they're badasses. Outside of Daniel Bryan feuding with anyone, The Shield vs. Evolution is one of the few matches that you can put on where you know the crowd will react appropriately to the story you're trying to tell. Evolution is evil and will be booed; The Shield are cool as hell and will be cheered, and there will be no mixed or opposite reactions. That kind of control over wrestling fans that are normally uncontrollable can't be ignored. It's definitely one of the very few instances where WWE completely controls the narrative.
Matthew J. Douglas is an emerging screenwriter born in Toronto. A lifelong fascination with what makes a compelling story and the Toni Morrison quote "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." led the often opinionated Matthew to the life of writer. Matthew is also a lifelong WWE fan, and a self diagnosed Reality TV Junkie.
