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Does WWE have a roster effort problem


dkookypunk43

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The main roster has been hot garbage this year and it's actually making me question for the first time the effort out out from almost every wrestler in the roster. Its not enjoyable anymore, I have stopped watching the TV and if Summerslam isn't presentable by my standards I will cherry pick this company in the future.

I feel the roster is as much to blame for this PPV rut as the creative and the production at this point. As talented as this roster is, other rosters of past era's made gold out of chickenshit and I am questioning almost every guy on the roster's motivation inside the ring because the product they're outputting isn't good. 

It may be the fact that WWE is running these guys into the ground for over 340 days a year, it may be because a lot of the guys don't care for their storylines but dammit something needs to be done.

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I think there is a staleness problem that permeates everything. There are a lot of people on the roster that seem to just be taking up space. Anderson and Gallows, Titus O'Neill, R-Truth, Sin Cara, Natalya, No Way Jose, and Dana Brooke pretty much never do anything memorable in a positive way. Even some of the top acts are pretty stale. I don't know if that's more the issue or if it's truly an effort problem.

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I think an interesting discussion could be had about WWE agents and their role in putting matches together in 2018 (or the last couple of years). Do we have any reliable info on what % of a match falls on their shoulders and how much freedom do the wrestlers have when it comes to structure?

My viewing the last couple of years is fairly limited to most PPVs and Smackdown 2018, but it seems to me that the structuring of matches has gone to the shitter in most cases, specially main events and important matches. It takes all time elite talents like Styles and Bryan to do different stuff and make it feel fresher than the rest of the roster, and even Styles had a ton of issues with the Nakamura feud.

People that follow the product more closely would have a much better understanding than me on this regard, but I've been surprised at how bad the layout of a lot of big matches is these days.

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I don't think it's an effort problem. The in-ring action has been better at times, but it's not like it's anywhere near below average right now or anything. The wrestling is fine.

But yes. There's a certain staleness to everything at the moment. Their demand for content means they need matches for the sake of matches. To clarify, they used to utilize stories, angles, and happenings to set up wrestling matches. Now they use wrestling matches to set up... more matches.

It also doesn't help that nobody feels genuinely over. Good matches are great when you can get them, but what's the point when the participants themselves aren't over first & foremost?

Good matches are over. Athletic high spots are over. Movez are over. But very, VERY few guys on their roster are truly over. Cheers and pops feel so artificial and fickle, because favorites are often based on these things instead of any actual character, story, or even conflict.

No stakes. No ramifications. No follow through. No sense of character development or progression. No tangible reason to come back for more. No real reward for the viewer, other than - you guessed it - good matches.

Should it really come as a shock to anybody when fans aren't dialed in or invested in the outcome of a single wrestling match at that point?

Nothing is made to matter in the world they've built. The people know a win for Roman Reigns doesn't make anymore difference than a loss. The people know they couldn't tell you a single thing about who or what the fuck a Seth Rollins is supposed to be or stand for. So why should they care if they succeed or fail? Why should they feel invested in that journey? The people know none of it ultimately matters. It's all just matches for the sake of matches. And they react accordingly.

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The only time where I questioned a wrestler's effort in a match, barring Brock's for obvious reasons, was Dean Ambrose simply not giving a shit at last year's Wrestlemania's pre-show. He was visibly bored and lethargic.

 

They might be micromanaged to ridiculous standards in order to avoid stepping out of bounds and risk looking not very good for the broader audience, and the writers have to appease this huge billion-dollar corporation that is WWE by writing the most milquetoast material possible at times, but in no way the wrestlers are not bringing in the effort. Some are less talented than other and thus don't really bring it in terms of quality, but you can see they are trying.

Hate the game, don't hate the player

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