What exactly does management see in Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes that deserves a push at the expense of the other midcard faces? I’m sure I’m not the only ones that noticed that the most recently released wrestlers- Kaval, MVP, and Matt Hardy- where all buried at the expense of these two. Now jobbing to other wrestlers before leaving is not entirely new, but these guys didn’t get fired. They ASKED to be released and one can’t help but feel that their reasons to quit and their status within the WWE are more than coincidental.
What’s also strange is that they are booked differently than the heels we are use to (especially for the midcard division). Instead of being booked as cowardly heels, they are booked as wrestlers that can go toe to toe with the others. Kofi and Christian barely scrape by with wins (in fact, I never seen Christian successfully use the killswitch against Drew to finish a match), Ezekial Jackson’s match against Drew ends in a draw, and they only lose tag matches through dissention and NOT because the other team was better.
This wouldn’t really bother me except for two reasons. One, they are booked way too strongly (yes, this is a complaint). I understand that some other wrestlers are there to make others look good but when you have Chris Masters “feuding” with Cody Rhodes because all the other midcard faces quit, you have problems (and sadly, that “feud” only lasted one match where Cody Rhodes, you guessed it, won). Some would argue that it’s just a result of having a small roster but I would argue that the midcard division would be fine if creative writing didn’t bury MVP, Matt Hardy, and Kaval to the point where they quit. That’s why we have Dolph Ziggler mostly competing in non-title interbrand matches and why they moved Big Zeke to Smackdown. They have very little choice. Either one of them turns face or Christian and Zeke come back. But honestly, either solution is going to end up with Drew and Cody getting the upperhand. No other wrestler beside the main event has been built up as a serious contender.
Which I guess leads me to my second problem. Why? I understand that Cody and Drew are in good terms with management but what exactly do they do outside/inside their company that warrants a push like this? I’m not arguing that they shouldn’t get push; I’m arguing that their performance doesn’t warrant a push where they completely dominate the midcard division. You could somewhat justify Cody’s push because he at least garners consistent heat, but Drew? Drew has been associated with Vince McMahon, unjustly had everything handed to him (Kayfabe-wise), and buried wrestlers that were huge fan favorites. Yet, if Drew (a guy who has trouble gaining heat) went against Kofi, Rey Mysterio, or Big Show, people would predict Drew’s chances of winning based on how well-liked he is backstage (hopefully that makes sense).
So why is it? Is it because who they associate backstage? Is it because Smackdown’s creative team is more interested in heels at the moment? Is it because WWE’s new youth movement caters to these new superstars who just happen to be heels at the moment? Maybe there is nothing wrong with the way they are pushed and I’m just being heavily biased? Or something else?
Thoughts?
What’s also strange is that they are booked differently than the heels we are use to (especially for the midcard division). Instead of being booked as cowardly heels, they are booked as wrestlers that can go toe to toe with the others. Kofi and Christian barely scrape by with wins (in fact, I never seen Christian successfully use the killswitch against Drew to finish a match), Ezekial Jackson’s match against Drew ends in a draw, and they only lose tag matches through dissention and NOT because the other team was better.
This wouldn’t really bother me except for two reasons. One, they are booked way too strongly (yes, this is a complaint). I understand that some other wrestlers are there to make others look good but when you have Chris Masters “feuding” with Cody Rhodes because all the other midcard faces quit, you have problems (and sadly, that “feud” only lasted one match where Cody Rhodes, you guessed it, won). Some would argue that it’s just a result of having a small roster but I would argue that the midcard division would be fine if creative writing didn’t bury MVP, Matt Hardy, and Kaval to the point where they quit. That’s why we have Dolph Ziggler mostly competing in non-title interbrand matches and why they moved Big Zeke to Smackdown. They have very little choice. Either one of them turns face or Christian and Zeke come back. But honestly, either solution is going to end up with Drew and Cody getting the upperhand. No other wrestler beside the main event has been built up as a serious contender.
Which I guess leads me to my second problem. Why? I understand that Cody and Drew are in good terms with management but what exactly do they do outside/inside their company that warrants a push like this? I’m not arguing that they shouldn’t get push; I’m arguing that their performance doesn’t warrant a push where they completely dominate the midcard division. You could somewhat justify Cody’s push because he at least garners consistent heat, but Drew? Drew has been associated with Vince McMahon, unjustly had everything handed to him (Kayfabe-wise), and buried wrestlers that were huge fan favorites. Yet, if Drew (a guy who has trouble gaining heat) went against Kofi, Rey Mysterio, or Big Show, people would predict Drew’s chances of winning based on how well-liked he is backstage (hopefully that makes sense).
So why is it? Is it because who they associate backstage? Is it because Smackdown’s creative team is more interested in heels at the moment? Is it because WWE’s new youth movement caters to these new superstars who just happen to be heels at the moment? Maybe there is nothing wrong with the way they are pushed and I’m just being heavily biased? Or something else?
Thoughts?
