Tim's Take 08.05.08: The New Blood

Posted by Tim Livingston on 08.05.2008

After a somewhat lengthy hiatus (Okay, I'll admit it. It was writer's block) I return to look at just how much the switch to new talent in WWE has helped right a somewhat sinking ship. This should also prove that I am not afraid to steal names of WCW stables from 2000. Stay tuned for next week's article entitled "The Magnificant Seven."

The philosophy change that has taken place in World Wrestling Entertainment over the last month has been not only welcome, but effective. The second part of that statement is probably the thing that is most surprising, but considering the lull that WWE programming was in for a while, a change needed to be made. While the Draft was the starting point for this whole switch to a completely different direction, you can't just send anybody out there hoping for something good to happen. Instead, what has happened is that the young guys who have been given a chance to shine are indeed shining, and because of that, there has been somewhat of a revival in the programming. Since the draft, many new talents have been prevalent in all three brands in the last month. In this compilation, I'm going to leave out the established wrestlers in favor of those thrust into somewhat new spots. Here's a look at the notables, starting with the A Brand:

RAW

CM Punk - You can't start off any discussion about the new talent on RAW without the guy who is now the World Heavyweight Champion. Winning the title in one of the best segments of the year in a surprise move is one thing. Gradually showing that you might actually be a worthy champion is another. While he's not completely over the hump on the second issue, he's definitely on his way. On top of that, instead of this being a hot-shot type deal, he's being put in a position where he's been given a run with the belt. Assuming it's him vs. JBL at SummerSlam, that's a match he will win. After that, it's basically going to be him vs. the winner of John Cena/Batista, and while most people will point to him losing to set up Cena/Batista II at WrestleMania XXV, the point is that he gets a title run, gets noticed more, and is proving to his doubters that he can run at the top of the card. When both his title reign and Samoa Joe's title reigns are over, we'll look back and see that thanks to the incompetence of TNA, Punk's title reign has been handled much better.

Cryme Tyme - Outside of CM Punk, they have been given the rub of all rubs in WWE. Putting them with John Cena, even while they were very over in their own right, has now made them a worthwhile commodity and not a comedy act as they had been treated previously. Along with Simply Priceless (who I'll get to in a second) these two have now ascended to a point where they are a top talent. They work hard in the ring, they're great on the mike, and they are now an important part of the puzzle on RAW. Another example of a team getting a good amount of exposure, taking advantage of it, and then showing the fans they are worth the time they are given.

Simply Priceless - While the turn might not have been received as well from the onset, once they had been given a chance to talk, they're showing themselves to be a good tag team and they can get some really good heat. The Lawler stuff might have been a little cheap, but in the end, people didn't like them. The basis of being a heel is that people don't like you. Right now, people don't like Simply Priceless. They've been booked fairly strong (Double F-U notwithstanding) and they have a good personality of the young punks with a pedigree that assume they are great without having to earn it. That, my friend, is the American Dream…'s son. Of course, you do realize the logical progression of this is in the coming months. Just as Cryme Tyme has done with John Cena, Simply Priceless will get their own rub…in the form of Randy Orton. I can't wait for that.

Santino Marella - God bless you, Santino. There's always room for comedy when it's done right. The last month has been unbelievable. Since he was thrust into the spotlight as a comedy act, he had always had his moments, too many to mention. But good God almighty is the Beth Phoenix angle turning into comedy gold. First, we get him and Beth Phoenix as disagreeing partners, and then there was the absolutely amazing realization first kiss from a couple weeks back, complete with trading waistlocks to lead to sexual tension between the two of them, and then last week, we get the (as J.D. Dunn put it so eloquently) "I am going to the Disneyworld!" celebration after a school-boy win on Kelly Kelly in a mixed tag (complete with "I got her!" followed by him whiffing on his first attempted move) and then we get the subsequent kiss with Beth afterwards where Santino screams like a little girl with reluctance. This guy is gold, Jerry! Solid gold!

Kofi Kingston - The IC switch was surprising, and I don't think anybody can work out with him that well stylistically, but this is a guy who's over and is unique. That's always a good combination for someone who's working hard to get over. It might take him a while to really be trusted, but a quick IC title run to get this guy on the map will be worth a lot in the long run. I don't think you can let him talk too much, but he can be the guy who plays the athleticism card well in the absence of Rey Mysterio. Once he comes back, I think you could put the two of them together and make a good little tandem.

Mike Adamle - Okay. So I have been one of the harshest critics of Adamle on this site. My article from a couple months back when he took over for Joey Styles was, well, almost hellfire and brimstone like. I have also stated that I am no giant fan of Vince McMahon at all. There are times where I find him appealing, but, well, you know, there's everything else.

Can one thing make me both absolutely fall in love with Adamle's character and declare that in the absence of Paul Heyman in the wrestling world that it's VINCENT KENNEDY MCMAHON who might be wrestling's evil genius? Vickie Guerrero getting over like she did was part placement and part hard work. She has now gone from hated heel to sympathetic babyface thanks to how she plays both sides well. Adamle is now in the position to be the creepiest GM ever, someone whose agenda is only fulfilled through what looks to be a warped Napoleon Complex. I've heard the Norman Bates comp, and while I don't think he'll kill his mom in the shower or something, this guy is now in one hell of a position. There are so many directions they can go with this, and a lot of them point to "awesome." If logic does indeed prevail, this becomes another in a long line of amazingly awesome moves that RAW has made in the last month.

SmackDown!

Shelton Benjamin - After cleanly beating Matt Hardy to win the belt, Benjamin takes over MVP's previous spot as U.S. titleholder in waiting for a push to the upper card. It's funny to think that while Benjamin was pushed as this blue chip athlete way before MVP even got to the dance, Benjamin has been toiling whereas MVP took the gimmick, ran with it, and destroyed any misjudging that he wouldn't be a superstar. Right now, he is the only young guy on SmackDown! that has a chance to do something big at the top of the card in the near future. Meanwhile, Benjamin looks like an also-ran who's basically just toiling in the midcard. He and Mr. Kennedy are basically the poster children for aborted pushes towards anything worthwhile, and what do you know? They're feuding with each other now.

Brian Kendrick - For the man whose finisher was the best thing since Sliced Bread, he is now living the gimmick of his finishing move. Given the chance to talk, he's becoming a neat little heel whose athletically gifted for a small guy, but the way he puts over his intelligence is the key here. He shows that he's willing to outsmart whoever to get to the top, including the assistance of his man Zeke. Kendrick's surprising ability to cut a promo will be very big in him getting this character over. Right now, THE Brian Kendrick is in a good position to succeed, which can't be said for his equally talented former partner, Paul London.

Vladimir Kozlov - Surprisingly, he wasn't on last week's show, but in the long tradition of brooding, mugging foreigners, Kozlov fits in and then some. While he doesn't show much in the personality department, he can at least work well in the ring. He hasn't been counted on to carry the bulk of a match yet, but he looks to have at least enough skill to be considered someone to watch in the long run. His headbutt finisher varies from not too nice looking to absolutely brutal, and I'm one of those who think that if he can clean up a few things, he'll be a fine hand on the show.

ECW

Evan Bourne - Number one with a bullet, baby. Since his great run in Ohio Valley Wrestling, Matt Sydal's ascension to the ECW brand has been met with wondrous eyes and oohs and aahs. Thanks to him basically given a blank canvas to work on, he has been able to use his amazing athleticism and creativity to get over with the crowd (what a shock) and truly has a finisher in the Shooting Star Press that will put someone out. There hasn't been someone who has debuted like this in ECW since CM Punk, and while he's not treated as a huge blue chip like Punk was when they debuted him in Hammerstein, he's getting to that point quickly. For the future of ECW, this is the guy to watch.

Ricky Ortiz - A somewhat cocky guy, Ortiz seems like he might be okay once given a chance to shine. He's been protected since he came into ECW, but he's another in a group of new talent that has been given the chance to shine. I like his charisma, I like him talking, and I think he's got a chance to be a good hand as either a cocky heel or an over-assertive young whippersnapper, which is what he is now. It looks like he and Bourne will be teaming up against Chavo Guerrero and Bam Neely, so we'll see how that translates.

Braden Walker - The former Chris Harris had a decent debut, but since then has been relatively quiet. He's someone who can talk and work really well, and it looks like the seeds are being planted to get him to work with Hardy down the line as a heel. I think he works best as a psyched up babyface (See feud with James Storm in TNA) but I'm interested to see how he works as a heel if the angle goes through like I think it does. Out of the young talent on ECW, he's the most ready for a big load, as he was one of the major players in TNA since the beginning of the company.

-Whereas before ECW was seen as a minor leagues to the bigger brands in SmackDown! and RAW, this trio of young talent looks like it could make a bigger impact. RAW has the biggest advantage over the three with it being the lead show and needing people to step up to compete now, but the other brands have some names to watch out for. Granted, RAW might be most appealing with the two most over faces in the company and tons of new talent, but it's nice to see that WWE realized they needed to turn around a stale product. The guys above are part of the reason the switch has been successful.