The Seventh Dimension 05.02.08: The Generation Blame

Posted by T.G. Corke on 05.02.2008

How is a generation defined in wrestling? Is it purely by virtue of age, or relevance? And how crucial is it for an industry to effectively realise the transition period?



Once again this week, the events on the green baize at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre (in other words, the World Snooker Championship) has been devoted much more of my attention than wrestling. After many cynics were starting to label it as "the worst championship in years", Monday's play saw an unbelievable 147 break from Ronnie O'Sullivan and an excruciatingly tense match between Liang Wenbo and Joe Swail. The next evening, Allister Carter made a 147 of his own, the first thing of huge significance he's ever accomplished in his career, and went on to defeat former champion Peter Ebdon 13-9 to reach the semi-finals. And then, Joe Perry scored a big upset over pre-tournament favourite Stephen Maguire, winning 13-12 having dominated almost every single frame of the match.

So the semi-final line-up is Allister Carter vs. Joe Perry, and Ronnie O'Sullivan vs. Stephen Hendry. Obviously, with neither Carter nor Perry ever reaching the last four until this year, the big favourite for the title will be the winner of O'Sullivan/Hendry, who have nine world titles between them. Whoever goes on to take the title, this year's tournament has certainly proved that the old guard are more than capable of remaining in the mix, while some of the previously unheralded players have made major breakthroughs. However, it hasn't been such a great year for the younger generation, with only a few making it past the first round.

That got me thinking, though…how is a generation defined in wrestling? Is it purely by virtue of age, or relevance? And how crucial is it for an industry to effectively realise the transition period?

Let's find out. Well, read shit.

The Generation Blame

A lot is always said about WWE and, especially, TNA not doing enough to create new stars. I've always maintained that while this is probably true, it's not right to overlook the efforts made to maintain the stars they've already established. There's no point in pushing somebody to the moon if their star is going to fade almost immediately, although if they never try they'll never know either way. It's an important balance to strike, and I guess it's a matter of individual preference as to whether they're managing to do this at the moment.

One thing that's easy to forget about WWE's main-event scene is that it was only just over three years ago that Batista and John Cena received their pushes to the top of the card. Before then, Triple H and JBL had been dominating their respective shows for several months, and it was a breath of fresh air to see something new and different. However, that didn't take long to change as the ‘new school' quickly became the ‘same old shit' in the eyes of many.

So why were these two men, who had been undoubtedly two of the most popular men on either roster leading up to Wrestlemania, greeted with such distain when they received the belts? Well, the answers usually don't span beyond "bcoz they sux, lol asl plz", but there are a lot of other possibilities. Of course, one of them is the whole ‘changing everything people liked about Cena's character' aspect of the argument. But there's also one I mentioned a few weeks back which was that, in Cena's case, Triple H was out injured and he only had a midcard act and a tweener who'd been face just a few months previously (Christian Cage and Chris Jericho, respectively) to defend against, while Batista at least had JBL. Another is that they held onto the belts for too long – which was an even bigger problem because they won the belts at the same time as each other, so some saw it as the same reign being played out by two different men. But I think the biggest problem is exactly that – the WWE tried to create two separate eras at the same time.

In this day and age, one man does NOT a generation make.

It worked back in the territorial days with Sammartino, Morales and Backlund. It worked with Hogan as well, when the WWF was on its way to becoming the biggest show in town and its television was considered quality over quantity, so Hogan wasn't thought of as overexposed. But once Hogan had gone, there was a huge wealth of talents willing to run with the baton, and many were given that chance. Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart especially, with Diesel and Sid among others just behind them, carried the company through its toughest times. And then, once the Monday Night Wars had swung back in the WWF's favour and both Bret and Shawn were gone, Stone Cold Steve Austin became the big star. But he was far from alone – The Rock was rising the ranks, Kane and Mick Foley were probably at their peaks, and Mister McMahon had been born. Triple H wasn't far behind them either, so in a way this was the Attitude Era generation.

Now, imagine if when Hogan left, only either Bret or Shawn was ever pushed, and the company rested exclusively on his shoulders. Flash forward to 1998, and after Stone Cold won the WWF Championship for the first time, his next major title feud was a three-way against Billy Gunn and Vader. On top of that, Austin becomes ‘humbled' by his success. I dare say he would have suffered a similar fate as John Cena.

When John Cena and Batista were elevated in 2005, they were the only ones from their generation to earn such an honour. Had they both been on the same show, fighting for the same belt, it surely would have been better received. Instead, they were distanced from each other and therefore could have been perceived as two armies of one, here to force change upon us before it was necessarily ready to take place. I also think that having them both receive SUCH lengthy and dominant reigns simultaneously. If even one of them had a legitimate threat after their rematches with the champions they defeated, things may have been different for them. But it didn't really happen. So when Cena finally DID get that big program going with Triple H, it was almost too little too late for some tastes. That's probably the root of a lot of the ‘shoved down our throats' sentiment.

Thankfully, while this was going on, two other men who had yet to really find their niches were also progressing, in the same mold that Cena and Batista had been just month earlier. And strangely, they were both men that the WWE had tried to push to superstardom before those two.

Randy Orton is the next obvious contender, as he was brought through the ranks at the same time as Cena and Batista, but was the first to receive a push. He held the World title in 2004, which died on its arse thanks to the short-sighted booking of his questionable face turn, and was quickly shoved back down into the upper-midcard. If it wasn't for Batista catching fire during the Evolution days, I imagine it would have been Orton challenging Triple H at Wrestlemania 21 out of desperation if nothing else. Then, after both Orton and Batista were drafted to Smackdown, it seemed almost a certainty that they would face each other for the World title at Wrestlemania 22. Instead, Eddie Guerrero died and Batista was injured, meaning Orton took a pinfall to Rey Mysterio in a triple-threat title match where Kurt Angle was defending champion. Orton and Batista have, to date, never feuded. Luckily, Orton was drafted back to Raw and finally given another shot as champion last October. Although his time came to an end on Sunday, his story has been an integral part of this new age even if it hasn't always been at the forefront. He's a perfect supporting cast-member in a bigger tale.

The same can be said to Edge. It's bizarre to think that a man who debuted with the WWF in 1998 can be thought of as part of the ‘new breed', but it has to be the case. If he'd held the title once, then no. He'd just be a champion in a long list of them. However, he's been a World champion four times in the last two years, which is about on par with the greatest legends during the Attitude era. Although he'll never get a chance to really rule the title scene, he's the fourth wheel of the ship. A ship with wheels.

The thing is, though, none of these four men hold the gold at the moment. Triple H and Undertaker, two mainstays in the title scene, are the World champions. Doesn't that make this whole thing a bit moot, and prove that nobody really gets anywhere? Well, no. If it had been Triple H AGAINST The Undertaker at the top, then the point could be made. But because they're both having to fend off the four I already mentioned in order to stay at the top, it still sends the message that their days are numbered and one day the torch will have to be permanently passed. It's important for them to continue to look strong, anyway – as Ric Flair proved in his final years as has Mick Foley, it doesn't mean anything to beat a legend if an infinite number of rivals have done so before you. This will help the younger crop in the long run.

So, what will the situation be in another three years? It's difficult to say, but if I had to guess – Triple H, Undertaker, and Shawn Michaels will be contemplating retirement. This will leave Batista in a difficult spot, as he'll be one of the last remaining superstars from his age group yet he'll also be one of those who hasn't been in the business for that long. Edge will also have that problem due to his age and physical condition, but because of his experience he will have fewer complaints. It will be their responsibility more than either of the other two to put others over themselves. Meanwhile, Cena and Orton will still be going strong, probably on opposite brands, trying to establish new World champions Ken Kennedy and Matt Hardy after the fans got tired of their blue-chipper babyface acts and turned against them. And so, the circle of life continues.

What did we learn, then? Well, nothing. This hasn't told you anything you didn't already know – namely, that wrestlers come and go, but wrestling will always stay like a casual moss.

So perhaps I'll leave any doubters of the industry's future prospects with one final thought. John Cena and Randy Orton both debuted as bland ‘Johnny Boots N Tights' cookie-cutter faces with no direction. Batista debuted as D'Von Dudley's catholic bodyguard. And, going back several years, Triple H entered the fray as a Greenwich snob. And all of these men turned out just fine.

If you start worrying about what's forthcoming, just take a look at the past. It'll probably all work out.

Rubbish Youtube Quote of the Week~!

From ‘Raw 4/28/08 Part 6'.

eahso1000006208
william regal sucks like hell . he is a mother fucker .

I don't even need to comment, really. Instead, just look at this animated Einstein shaking his head.


"No, no…"

On One Hand, With Mike Adamle

5) "That looked really brutal." – With all the enthusiasm of Sarah Michelle-Gellar opening a launderette in Milton Keynes.
4) "Atlantic City, where fortunes have been won and lost. But tonight, Lady Luck will take a back seat to athleticism, fortitude and cunning." – Translation: ‘Hello'.
3) "I kind of like this sock. I'm going to take it home with me." – That was after willingly and intentionally sucking Mr. Socko for about ten seconds while Tazz just stared at him in silence. It was like he'd never owned a sock before. He's Adamle the House Elf.
2) "Referee Mike Cosey (sic?), obviously smaller than these two wrestlers, having a difficult time of exercising his ‘thority!" – Abbreviating the word ‘Authority' by one syllable is über. Incidentally, he called the same referee ‘Scott Armstrong' at Backlash, and Tazz relished correcting him.
1) "…" – This was, of course, the result of his now infamous walkout. Since Tazz decided to leave with him and WWE.com has since promoted it like the Resurrection of Sliced Bread Christ, we can only assume it's a work. If so, where they go from here is beyond me. Are they really planning a long-term Mike Adamle storyline? Who knows. Strange, strange turn of events.

Anyway, thanks for giving us another talking point. You are, if T-Dog is to be believed, the T.G. Corke of WWE announcers.



Bye.

Well, that's it for another seven. Next week, I'll have no excuses. The snooker will be long over, hopefully with either Rocket Ronnie or Captain Carter holding the trophy aloft. And, with a bit of luck, my thirst for wrestling shall once again leave me with a dry thirst in need of moistening through the art of writing.

I know it's over now…

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX