NUMBER 1: Keep It Simple, Stupid
The thing that bothers me the most this week is the mass confusion that has been taking place on WWE Raw every week since SummerSlam. When I think back and remember how many things were going "right" at the time, it boggles my mind how WWE could have gotten it so wrong.
CM Punk was on fire. Triple H was the new COO. Kevin Nash hadn't been seen since the Rumble – where he received one of (if not) the biggest pops of the night – and he returned out of nowhere to attack the former WWE Champion.
Nash is that mysterious, controversial character that many love and many more love to hate. He "killed WCW", he "can't wrestle", he "held other superstars back". He's known for his backstage, political maneuvering that allowed him to overcome his limitations in the ring and become one of the highest earning wrestlers of the late 90's into the early 2000's. He was a perfect punchline for CM Punk's verbal assaults and Nash's ability to "shoot" right back would have called for some memorable back-and-forth's between the two. Nash is also the best friend of the new authority figure in the company. All of this added up to endless possibilities and weeks (even months) worth of great wrestling television.
Could've, should've, would've…but didn't.
WWE outsmarted themselves. Overthought it. Allowed fear of disappointment to take over and cause what should have been a simple, effective conspiracy angle to instead become a mounting heap of confusion. It became such a confusion, it forced WWE to spend each "next week" trying to explain the nonsensical actions of "last week". In the process, all the momentum they had created for themselves in recent months came to a crashing halt.
Punk is now an average wrestler that gets cheated by the system time and time again (and talks a lot), Kevin Nash is the guy hogging too much tv time from the "guys that need it", and Triple H was forced into a gimmick match that took place 3-6 months too early.
I don't expect WWE to get it right all the time; I'm not that naive. Imperfection isn't what bothers me. What does bother me is when imperfection is consistent and caused by lousy planning.
Keep it simple. Less is often more.
If you would like to be included in future editions of this column, send an email listing the things bothering you in professional wrestling to wzchriscash@yahoo.com. Then, be sure to check back every Sunday to see if your submission made the cut that week. You can follow Chris Cash on Twitter @RealityofChris.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
