Dear WWE Creative,
This past week on Monday Night RAW, fans were given a real treat with a parade of WWE legends flawlessly intertwined in segments that helped to give current talent a rub, but also entertain, and move storylines along headed into SummerSlam.
From John Cena opening the show, to the incredible story told around the 24/7 Championship, and The Fiend attacking Mick Foley, there were many highlights; however, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s promo closing the show was the one that hit home the most for me.
In typical SCSA fashion, he had the live audience mesmerised and hanging on every word he said. Austin is one of the best of all time when it comes to promos, and he didn’t miss a beat that night. He nailed his message, managed to elevate each and every legend on the ramp, and truly hit the point home to talent, the crowd watching at home and the live audience that WWE is more than just a sports entertainment brand, they are a family; a family that many of us have been a part of for a very long time now.
“Stone Cold’s” promo was the perfect way to end a perfect night and once again reminded me about how I missed the good ol’ days of the Attitude Era. But, not because it crossed the PG line, per se, and not because of the violence and aggression in the matches. Moreover, I feel like it has more to do with trusting the talent you have, and allowing them to have more of a creative input and go with a character that feels like an extension of themselves.
Austin spoke from the heart on Monday night. He was passionate about his promo because he believed in what he was saying; his words weren’t spoon-fed words from a creative team. When we look at what’s hot in the WWE right now, Bray Wyatt and Kevin Owens come to mind; both who have massive creative input into their characters, with KO reportedly merely working on bullet points when he hits the mic. But, because of this autonomy with creative, and because both superstars are working with characters that they are invested in, they have essentially been able to get the WWE Universe invested in them. It’s all about passion and believing in what you can do, but moreover, its about a superstar believing in what their character can do.
Now, I understand it takes a special kind of talent to give that sort of leeway to; however, back in those “good old days” of the Aggression Era, it seemed as if talents exploded more on television, because they were given the room to truly explore a gimmick or character that they believe it – not something just handed to them. While I feel like the brand is slowly, but surely, making proactive changes to move towards more quality programing that includes more intriguing content, compelling programs, and a focus on what the fans truly want (which at the end of the day is to be entertained), one reminder is that you WWE Creative, not only need to come up things that will work, but you need to also listen and give some power to the talent when it comes to creative input, and more autonomy with promos. Many of the current roster has been polished within NXT and given the tool they need to be successful by HHH himself. Time to trust this and allow them autonomy to truly connect with the WWE Universe.
Signed,
Me.
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