Wrestlemania 29 essentially featured three main events: The Rock vs. John Cena, Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar, and CM Punk vs. the Undertaker. Of these six men, only one member of this triple main event appeared on Raw this past Monday and he was substantially limited by an injury of unknown severity.
This made for a somewhat lackluster Raw from an excitement standpoint. While there were three fabulous matches spread out through what is becoming a marathon three hours, there is no doubt that the lack of star power was noticeable.
Good.
Much like a sports franchise clinging to aging stars in an effort to patch together a respectable yet non-competitive team, it’s time to admit that a rebuilding process is necessary. This involves pain…It involves taking lumps in the short term when it comes to levels of excitement and monetary success.
As is evident by yet another injury, John Cena won’t be around forever…Brock Lesnar hates the business….Triple H’s office is a boardroom, not the squared circle…I’m nearly 28 years old and had childhood nightmares about the Undertaker….Hell, even CM Punk is one legitimate pipe bomb away from calling it a fascinating career.
These men draw, but won’t draw forever. For what it’s worth, they helped create the highest grossing Wrestlemania in history. Nevertheless, with the exception of John Cena and CM Punk, whose futures are far from certain, these individuals likely will have little to no involvement in the week to week product for the next 9 months.
Following Raw I heard many fans calling for an early return for CM Punk, or for WWE to re-sign Batista, or for Triple H to become more of an on screen presence…All of these solutions were offered to bolster Monday’s lack of star power.
STOP
I’m as big a CM Punk mark as there is, but he needs and deserves ample time to rest a body that has been put through the wringer for more than year…Triple H and Batista would serve as nothing more than a Band-Aid on bullet wound.
This company needs to enter into a new era, with trademark superstars who define its place in history. Can the Shield spearhead this next evolution? How about Dolph Ziggler? Daniel Bryan? Hell, maybe a guy currently sitting on the NXT roster….
We’ll never know until we see the current and future full time roster given the opportunity over an extended period of time to carry the show…Not as a stop-gap or time waster, but as the main attraction. This may result in a period of low PPV buys and subpar television ratings, but such temporary pain is a small price to pay for future stability
As a fan, I wish that every Raw and every PPV provided an unforgettable experience that only true superstars can deliver…I also recognize that while members of the next generation of such superstars may be employed by WWE, their breakout presence has yet to be felt.
If this means that 2013 is a “rebuilding year” for WWE, so be it. I’d rather wait patiently for a new ship to be constructed instead of heading out to sea on a leaking ship.
