Hit The Ropes Radio | Problem Within the WWE

Since World Wrestling Entertainment changed to a more family oriented program a few years ago, it seems as though the overall quality of the product has somewhat decreased. Some will blame the PG rating for this decrease simply because they grew up in the Attitude Era or maybe because they believe that Professional Wrestling should not be portrayed as it has been.

Personally, I believe that the PG rating has taken it's toll on WWE, but for different reasons. The only true problem I have about the PG rating is how WWE enjoys mixing fantasy with reality. The prime example to use is blood. Who here thinks that no child will imitate the actions of their favorite WWE Superstar? Did we not already see a young boy die earlier this year by imitating Jeff Hardy? WWE makes us believe that these men

and women are indestructible, they make children believe that if you get hit by a steel chair, you will not bleed. Professional Wrestling is not a cartoon, folks (Even in some cartoons, they just use purple blood for some reason...why not give it a shot Vince?).

Really, this was not an issue I would like to discuss, but we have to admit that PG or not, we know that WWE can make the overall program enjoyable. Honestly, do we need live sex celebrations and other profanity in Pro Wrestling? The answer is no because even though it was a nice little touch, it is not a necessity. Just look at the phenomenal feuds we have seen in the PG era... Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels, Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels, Edge vs Undertaker, and I could go on and on, but that is not the point.

The point to this article is to explain the true flaws that can make WWE so mediocre to watch at times, poor booking and character development. As good as WWE has been at times is just how terrible it can be at other times. Does anybody remember all those years ago when John Cena, Randy Orton, Edge, Rey Mysterio, and Batista were all young and upcoming stars? When these stars debuted respectively, we said one thing about them that we say today about Jack Swagger, John Morrison, Dolph Ziggler, and Kofi Kingston which is, "Wow, these guys have one hell of a future ahead of them."

The problem with Kingston, Morrison, Swagger, or any other up and coming star these days is that unlike Edge, Cena, etc, each of them has a one dimensional character. In the business today, you are either a one dimensional face wrestler or some form of narcissist and that is why these men possibly may not ever live up to their potential. Even if you are a young heel such as Miz, who has character, you may not be able to achieve success because WWE these days is dominated by faces.

When we saw the likes of Cena or Edge come up through the system and work their way up in the WWE, we saw each of them be given character and make us, the WWE fans care about them. John Cena became, the "Doctor of Thugonomics" and later "The Marine." Edge went from a mid carder to be dubbed, "The Ultimate Oppurtunist" as well as the "Rated R Superstar."

Do we enjoy these gimmicks? Have you ever said, "God, that Cena gimmick is so stale." Or, "Batista's gimmick is so stale and dull." Truth be told, you have to credit to WWE for giving Batista and Cena gimmicks and elevating them to their true potential. I love use Cena as an example because I remember how he debuted as just another wrestler taking on Kurt Angle and how he performed so well before actually being given a gimmick.

Randy Orton is also a prime example on how to elevate young talent. From his days from Evolution to becoming the "Legend Killer," Orton was pushed to his full potential and is now a top dog in the WWE. He reminds of well...Legacy to some degree. Though I think Orton is definetly far better than Rhodes or DiBiase will ever be, I see so much potential in those two kids and believe they can succeed.

Now I like to look at some of today's talent and would like to begin with my personal favorite, John Morrison. In my opinion, the man is an absolute pleasure to watch in the ring, but some forget how solid he is on the mic. Morrison was a phenomenal heel alongside Miz and he was so enjoyable on the mic because he spoke so well and he entertained us.

Since his face turn, very unexplained I might add, he has certainly been a thrill to watch in the ring, but his character is boring and one dimensional. As unfortunate as it sounds, I do not care about John Morrison because as a face, he has not set himself apart from the crowd. He is just another Superstar.

I do applaud WWE for CM Punk's latest monster push, but they need to start giving character and pushing more stars for the future because I do not think that Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, and Batista will be here years from now to carry the company and by the time these men retire and WWE decides not to pull the trigger by pushing their talent, I think it will be too late.

At the end of the day, these one dimensional figures need to do something in order to make us care about them and their fates are in the hands of a struggling creative team. Personally, I think that John Morrison will be "the one" to become the next big name, but besides that, I just do not see and or care about these up and coming stars unless they make it happen. I hope all the talent with potential become the next Orton, Edge, or Cena, but then again, I just am unsure. It is not the PG environment people, it is just creating new stars....that we care about!