Jim Ross Blogs About Talent Not Rising to the Main Event
Posted by Jeremy Thomas on 02.09.2012
He blames complacency...
- Jim Ross has posted his latest blog that you can see here. In it he talks about why he thinks certain guys stay at a certain level and don't hit the main event, saying:
"What is one thing that is missing w/ some of today's young wrestlers?" They aren't hungry enough or willing to challenge a top star for their spot on the roster. Too many talents are content to not make 'waves' and to live quietly and somewhat financially comfortable within their comfort zones. I can assure you that the comfort zone complex is the kiss of death in most organizations and businesses and is not exclusive to sports entertainment.
This is about the 25th different time he has said this; and he is still correct. Shelton and Morrison should be exhibits A & B.
Posted By: MothershipChip (Guest) on February 09, 2012 at 10:57 PM
Remember when Ted DiBiase Jr. was considered a shoe-in for main event status before he was brought up to the main roster? Same with Justin Gabriel and a bunch more.
Posted By: RDog (Guest) on February 09, 2012 at 10:59 PM
Yup, living in fear for your job is a much better alternative.
Posted By: Steve307 (Guest) on February 09, 2012 at 11:02 PM
see fella? i get to main event wm by hanging out with hhh and be his lackey..
Posted By: Guest#4004 (Guest) on February 09, 2012 at 11:15 PM
People bitch about Hogan and others using their political stroke in the back, but man, you need more guys that are willing to be cutthroat and take that spot. This is the atmosphere Vince has created though, since Brock left him at the altar, he doesn't want guy shooting to the top and complaining about not being there in case they'll leave too. Tis a shame.
Posted By: Guest#7191 (Guest) on February 09, 2012 at 11:15 PM
yeah, JR, call out a top star in the locker room and you get fired. It's corporate now, you senile troll, unless the 16+ writers of sports entertainment write it, you can't do it! That's coming from a true WWE fan, I don't watch any other promotions (tried TNA) & (can't get ROH where I live) ...
Is Heath Slater suppossed to challenge Randy Orton to grab his spot? Where?? At Denny's during traveling? & Orton says "OK, m'man, let me clear this with the brass & the writers... I'll lay down, bro"...
Kayfabe is fine & all but this dunce shouldn't cater to the IWC and use his old school bull-shit & weave it into what WWE wrestling acually is today.
Wow, that was venomous! & I like WWE & JR....
Posted By: BlueOyster (Guest) on February 09, 2012 at 11:21 PM
Only problem w/ this is there are to many main guys right now that wont give up a spot and rather hold down young stars and it is who you know, ala Shamus w/ HHH, and if your not buddies with one of the main guys then you have little chance to get that push unless you do something like Ryder and Ziggler, but even Ryder's push has Cena to help a little. Not to mention, if someone says the wrong thing, or have a small mistake then that is also the kiss of death and they'll be jobbing to Santino in a month. So while JR might be right, it is smarter for some of these young people to just stay back and collect there pay check and work the mid card scene till creative has nothing for them and moves them on.
Posted By: 963 (Guest) on February 09, 2012 at 11:22 PM
Only problem w/ this is there are to many main guys right now that wont give up a spot and rather hold down young stars and it is who you know, ala Shamus w/ HHH, and if your not buddies with one of the main guys then you have little chance to get that push unless you do something like Ryder and Ziggler, but even Ryder's push has Cena to help a little. Not to mention, if someone says the wrong thing, or have a small mistake then that is also the kiss of death and they'll be jobbing to Santino in a month. So while JR might be right, it is smarter for some of these young people to just stay back and collect there pay check and work the mid card scene till creative has nothing for them and moves them on.
Posted By: 963 (Guest) on February 09, 2012 at 11:24 PM
JR isn't wrong, but I'm truly sick of WWE's attitude of blaming the wrestlers for not being over enough.
It seems as if WWE puts all of the responsibility on the wrestlers' shoulders, as you often hear guys that are a part of or formerly from the creative team or office say that the best guys can make horrible gimmicks work, that you need to stand out, that if the audience doesn't react then you're doing something wrong, etc, always citing the likes of polka-dot Dusty, Ringmaster and Undertaker.
Meanwhile, you can be the best talent in the world and not be able to overcome truly shitty writing. Polka-dot Dusty was never on par with NWA Champ Dusty, Ringmaster never main evented shit and Undertaker was booked super strongly from the get go and evolved with the times.
Look at Daniel Bryan. If you bury him week after week both verbally and in the ring, putting him on a three month losing streak, he gets minimal reaction. Give him microphone and ring time, all of a sudden he's one of their top heels. Now, did Bryan suddenly develop main event talent, or did the writing finally give him a chance to shine?
The goal should be for both the wrestler and the writing to be motivated to create the best product possible. I'm not saying the talent shouldn't take the majority of the responsibility, but without being given an opportunity, you can have the talent of Shawn Michaels and not amount to shit. But god forbid anyone within WWE take a bit of that responsibility for themselves.
Posted By: Steve (Guest) on February 09, 2012 at 11:40 PM
It would help if WWE's alleged creative team would actually get behind talent that could become main eventers instead of constantly giving people stupid gimmicks of cutting them off at the knees when they start getting over with the crowd.
Posted By: abwiz74 (Guest) on February 09, 2012 at 11:41 PM
Ross is right to a degree. Yes, guys should attempt to kick down the door but sometimes when you do that you ruffle the wrong guys feathers and end up losing every damned match you have for half a year ala MVP.
There's only so far a guy can go on his own. You can steal the show every week, have the most compelling promos, get tops guys to want to work with you... but if Vince or Steph doesn't like you or someone else in the right position of power wants to stick it to you for whatever reason then your hands are eventually tied.
I think it's incredibly naive to just blame complacency. There are always other mitigating factors. Let's not pretend that the history of the WWE isn't littered with guys who should have won World titles but were never given a fair shake.
Posted By: Ron Mexico (Guest) on February 09, 2012 at 11:42 PM
Although not entirely bullshit, booking still has ALOT to do with it.
You can have a guy as hungry as they come, but if he goes out to show his stuff in 3 minute squash matches, where he gets squashed, there's not much he can do to get over.
Morrison WAS getting mad over, his ascension that culminated in the free TV MOTY for 2011 should be proof. After he lost that, he went on a jobber streak. The Trish fiasco and constantly listening to the whims of Melina did him in. He wasn't 'not hungry enough', there were factors that worked against him. Same with Shelton Benjamin. Remember when he beat HHH and then they proceeded to have him languish in the mid card? yeah.
Posted By: Guest#2625 (Guest) on February 09, 2012 at 11:53 PM
On the other hand, the top is just as much guilty of complacency as the talent. How often have we seem someone get elevated to the main event, only to fade back down once they're done. Miz is a perfect example of this, as he has done pretty much nothing of note since he became Cena's bitch post WM. And then there is the absolute refusal to make longtime WWE star Christian look like a legitimate main eventer, jobbing to Orton time and time again. Hell, if it wasn't for CM Punk taking off like wildfire this summer, the company would still be relying on only Orton and Cena to carry the company.
Posted By: Michael L (Guest) on February 09, 2012 at 11:56 PM
BS company line from good ole' JR. How many guys in the last 10 years have got themselves over with the crowd despite terrible booking only to be pushed back down the card instead of getting that 1 big angle that puts them over the top? From guys like Booker, Eddie & RVD to Morrison, Ziggler, Swagger and a whole bunch of guys in between.
The "Summer of Punk" got turned into the summer of HHH/Nash/Lauanitis, even now he's being overshadowed by Taker/HHH & Kane/Cena. When they started th youth movement & ratings didn't spike immediately they just dropped it. Austin wasn't pulling 6.0's the night after KoTR '96, it took another 18 months of good, consistent booking for the ratings to turn around.
The only complacency I see is from the boss, his "creative genius" of a daughter & her husband.
Posted By: Scottish_Dave (Guest) on February 10, 2012 at 12:20 AM
It's not the fault of the wrestlers. If you don't have that "IT" factor, then you will not rise to the top. You need charisma which is not a talent but a god-given trait. The fans ultimately decide if you are a star or not.
If you can click into the right gimmick and make it work and create a presence and some magic around you the way the Rock and Austin and Hogan all did with their larger than life personalities, then chances are good that you can be a star in the industry.
There's no other way to describe it. It's about finding the right gimmick which works for you and which the fans can hook into. Some find it, some never do. Some don't get the opportunity.
Posted By: Samson (Guest) on February 10, 2012 at 12:21 AM
The youngsters are taught to kiss the main eventers' ass and accept the job. No one can rise to the occasion when HHH/Orton/Taker are constantly burying you.
Posted By: Alex (Guest) on February 10, 2012 at 12:36 AM
Yes! WWE should employ more Matt Hardy's.
Posted By: Guest#1403 (Guest) on February 10, 2012 at 01:03 AM
lol so basically act like a bitch and complain till you get yourpush....
Smrt thing to do is to be quiet hard and just work and youll eventually get a shot in the WWE.
Posted By: MacDOllarz.. (Guest) on February 10, 2012 at 01:08 AM
Fuck you JR you over rated inbreed turd. HHH got ahead marrying family. You keep your job sucking his dick.
Posted By: bull666 (Guest) on February 10, 2012 at 02:08 AM
Bullshit. WWE doesn't know how to put them over. And then they get stuck in the mid card for so long that naturally they lose their passion.
Some good examples are Ziggler and Kingston. WWE wouldn't allow them to break through the glass ceiling.
Posted By: Guest#6312 (Guest) on February 10, 2012 at 02:53 AM
Didn't Ryder take the initiative and try and get over on his own.
He's now being made to look as weak as possible on a weakly basis
Posted By: Guest#5236 (Guest) on February 10, 2012 at 06:26 AM
Ross is Again Doin some Politics talk sucking up to the office,The management sucks and they take bad decisions and dont make stars and make excuses for their failures!!Suck It Ross
Posted By: Reality check (Guest) on February 10, 2012 at 06:51 AM
The youngsters are taught to kiss the main eventers' ass and accept the job. No one can rise to the occasion when HHH/Orton/Taker are constantly burying you.
Posted By: Alex (Guest) on February 10, 2012 at 12:36 AM
Like it or not, Jim Ross is correct in his assesment. I chose the above statement because it fits in perfectly with what J.R. has been saying all along. HHH got buried (and buried deep!!) and took it because he was the low man on the totem pole. He took it and kept working, taking every opportunity that came his way, it payed off for him. Undertaker was saddled with a gimmick that should have been here today and gone tomorrow, yet he took that awful gimmick and made it respectable through hard work and determination. Now he`s a top dog. Randy Orton? Injury prone to the hilt, and he knows this, yet he still takes bumps. Shoot, every RKO is a hard bump (ask DDP). Hulk Hogan, he got buried nightly by Andre the Giant, and other wrestlers really dogged him out trying to get him to quit when he was in his younger days, and he took it and stuck it out (I may dislike Hogan, but respect the fact he stuck with it to catch the lightning in a bottle). They have all been through the worst, ugliest storylines you can think of, but stuck it out and kept making noise till someone gave them a chance.Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, they made some noise and look where they are now, and from dead points in their careers really. That is what JR is talking about. All of the wrestlers, superstars, whatever name you want to call them get buried sooner or later, in WWE and TNA. The real question is, who believes they really are good enough to survive it and earn their place in the pecking order, well, at least untill someone comes along to replace them.
Posted By: waldoj2005 (Guest) on February 10, 2012 at 07:03 AM
You can argue but he is correct though...CM Punk was glorified Jobber to the Stars before he finally started being him and really speaking cause he realized he doesn't need that crap no more and could go back to the indies and at least be him....and when he did that he became big with the fans and the "E" had no choice but to push him to the top!!!
Posted By: Frizost (Guest) on February 10, 2012 at 08:17 AM
SHEAMUS IS HORRIBLE.
Posted By: BRAIN (Guest) on February 10, 2012 at 09:08 AM
JR is an ass.
Posted By: Jon Caplan of Jenkintown PA (Guest) on February 10, 2012 at 09:10 AM
The problem couldn't be the god awful creative team, could it?
JR is a company man. His blogs should not be read at this point. Hulk Rules.
Posted By: Jon Caplan of Jenkintown PA (Guest) on February 10, 2012 at 09:13 AM
You can argue but he is correct though...CM Punk was glorified Jobber to the Stars before he finally started being him and really speaking cause he realized he doesn't need that crap no more and could go back to the indies and at least be him....and when he did that he became big with the fans and the "E" had no choice but to push him to the top!!!
Posted By: Frizost (Guest) on February 10, 2012 at 08:17 AM
Before he finally started being him??? He can't just do whatever he wants! It's either from the writers, creative, or an idea who shoots their way. That's the point. Nobody can get over on their own because everything must be approved by the higher ups. Punk didn't just go out there and start being him, he was given PERMISSION to. Now, if they actually did that for other people, then we could be getting somewhere with elevating talent. But it's absurd and an outright lie to say that it's up to the wrestlers, when the wrestlers can't control their on screen character.
Posted By: Erik.. (Guest) on February 10, 2012 at 12:11 PM
"yeah, JR, call out a top star in the locker room and you get fired. It's corporate now, you senile troll, unless the 16+ writers of sports entertainment write it, you can't do it! That's coming from a true WWE fan, I don't watch any other promotions (tried TNA) & (can't get ROH where I live) ...
Is Heath Slater suppossed to challenge Randy Orton to grab his spot? Where?? At Denny's during traveling? & Orton says "OK, m'man, let me clear this with the brass & the writers... I'll lay down, bro"...
Kayfabe is fine & all but this dunce shouldn't cater to the IWC and use his old school bull-shit & weave it into what WWE wrestling acually is today.
Wow, that was venomous! & I like WWE & JR....
Posted By: BlueOyster (Guest) on February 09, 2012 at 11:21 PM"
I don't think you know what "corporate" means. In anything you do, if you can't take the bull by the horns, you're gonna get fucked. If you don't learn that, I don't see you making it beyond the mid card of life.
Posted By: Joe (Guest) on February 10, 2012 at 02:58 PM
"BS company line from good ole' JR. How many guys in the last 10 years have got themselves over with the crowd despite terrible booking only to be pushed back down the card instead of getting that 1 big angle that puts them over the top? From guys like Booker, Eddie & RVD to Morrison, Ziggler, Swagger and a whole bunch of guys in between.
The "Summer of Punk" got turned into the summer of HHH/Nash/Lauanitis, even now he's being overshadowed by Taker/HHH & Kane/Cena. When they started th youth movement & ratings didn't spike immediately they just dropped it. Austin wasn't pulling 6.0's the night after KoTR '96, it took another 18 months of good, consistent booking for the ratings to turn around.
The only complacency I see is from the boss, his "creative genius" of a daughter & her husband.
Posted By: Scottish_Dave (Guest) on February 10, 2012 at 12:20 AM"
Most of the guys you mentioned were legit main eventers, in other words, probably people who seized their opportunities. As unhappy as you might be with the Summer of Punk, CM Punk is the champion of the fucking world. I'm pretty sure he's not gonna be complaining. He's talking about Evan "Spice" Bourne and other punk ass losers who don't really want it. Guys like Swagger who don't even make improvements when their world title reigns go down the drain. If someone gave me the ball and grabbed it back, I'd say fuck you, I'm gonna get that much better, but Swagger is the same as he's always been, still can't cut a promo for shit. Ryder should get the ball, he's obviously hungrier than anyone on that roster.
Posted By: Joe (Guest) on February 10, 2012 at 03:08 PM
yeah, JR, call out a top star in the locker room and you get fired. It's corporate now, you senile troll, unless the 16+ writers of sports entertainment write it, you can't do it! That's coming from a true WWE fan, I don't watch any other promotions (tried TNA) & (can't get ROH where I live) ... Is Heath Slater suppossed to challenge Randy Orton to grab his spot? Where?? At Denny's during traveling? & Orton says "OK, m'man, let me clear this with the brass & the writers... I'll lay down, bro"... Kayfabe is fine & all but this dunce shouldn't cater to the IWC and use his old school bull-shit & weave it into what WWE wrestling acually is today. Wow, that was venomous! & I like WWE & JR.... Posted By: BlueOyster (Guest) on February 09, 2012 at 11:21 PM
Amen yell™
Posted By: box (Guest) on February 10, 2012 at 03:30 PM
Sometimes I wish there would be a rash of injuries ala summer of 2001, with HHH, Taker, Cena, Orton, Kane and Big Show all going down for a while.
It would FORCE WWE to make new stars. All of a sudden, the main guys of Cena and Orton would be gone and they wouldn't have the old guys (HHH, Taker, Kane, Big Show) to fall back on. Then it'd be sink or swim for the young guys out of necessity, no pussy-footing around it.
Posted By: The Ethnic Squirrel (Guest) on February 10, 2012 at 04:08 PM
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