In my last column I wrote about the potential of John Morrison and how WWE had before them a perfect opportunity to create a new star by using his newly won Intercontinental Title as momentum. With Morrison set to clash with Dolph Ziggler over that title, it seemed certain that we were going to be treated to a promising feud featuring two of the company’s most talented and charismatic young performers.
What we got is “Mr. Zigglesâ€.
The more cynical among us knew something was up when it was revealed that Ziggler and Morrison wouldn’t even have a match at Breaking Point, and in fact ended up having nearly no involvement in the show save a brief and fairly lame conflict centered around Pat Patterson of all people. Depending on who you believe, the match was left off the card due to the writers’ inability to come up with a finish that would have protected both competitors. Sad, but not surprising if true.
Setting that aside, the real indication that this feud wouldn’t live up to its promise came on the final Smackdown! before breaking point on September 11th. Ziggler had come out to commentate on during Morrison’s match with Charlie Haas. After Morrison’s victory he addressed Ziggler and bestowed upon him a new nickname – Mr. Ziggles. The crowd begins to chant it, Ziggler gets annoyed, and everybody has a laugh. Fast-forward to a week later, where nearly the exact same thing happens after Morrison’s match with Mike Knox. Were they really so bereft of ideas on how to deepen the conflict between the two that they had to use the same idea in back-to-back shows?
Even ignoring the fact that the nickname is lame and worthy of not much more than a cursory smirk, what’s really annoying about this whole thing is that the writers are ignoring the inherent conflict between the two. Morrison has gone out of his way to voice his respect for Rey Mysterio on more than one occasion. And, like I pointed out in my last column, Ziggler should be furious that Morrison snatched away his chance to get revenge on Mysterio. Every time Morrison comes out and says how much he admires Mysterio and how he can have a rematch anytime he wants, I keep thinking that this’ll be the time that Ziggler drops the smug, blasé attitude and go nuts on the champion, laying into Morrison before getting on the mic for not only taking Mysterio out of the picture but for coming out and rubbing it in his face week after week.
But no. Instead, they’re saddled with lame bickering that do nothing more than display just how little WWE cares about its feuds right now. The pursuit of Morrison and the Intercontinental Title should be Ziggler’s entire life right now. Instead of standing there and putting up with Morrison’s insults, why doesn’t he do something about it? Make a run-in on one of his matches. Attack him backstage. Slash his tires. Anything! But apparently he’s just too busy guest commentating and carrying on the immensely boring relationship between him and Maria, which has gotten nearly as much airtime recently as the conflict between him and Morrison.
Though this is one of the more egregious examples what this conflict does is display a larger problem affecting WWE as a whole. By and large, no feud ever seems to ever actually mean anything. None of the Superstars engaged in these conflicts ever appear to have more than a passing interest in their opponents. Certainly, there are exceptions, even recent ones. The CM Punk/Jeff Hardy feud, for example, was incredibly engaging, and the hatred each character felt for the other could be felt in every segment the two had together. Same goes for the fantastic Chris Jericho/Rey Mysterio conflict from a few months back.
But what we’re more often treated to are feuds that are tepid, lackluster, or, in some cases, an outright insult to the fans. Remember six months ago, when HHH broke into Randy Orton’s house, terrified his wife, and struck him with a sledgehammer? And how, a little later in the year, Orton handcuffed HHH to the ropes, forcing him to watch as he kissed his wife Stephanie McMahon? Though those events were admittedly over the top, at least they helped to sell the fact that those two men had nothing but absolute contempt for one another.
Now? All we get is a bunch of stupid jokes and ribbing, as though the hatred they shared for each other just faded away. Now they act like they’re just two co-workers that don’t like each other and mask the hostility with lame cracks at one another. Cena in particular is guilty of this all the time. He nearly never takes his opponent seriously, opting instead to belittle him and play to the crowd as opposed to dealing with the conflict at hand. My suspicions are that this whole attitude is tied to the “PG†atmosphere the WWE is so set on maintaining. No Superstar is ever allowed to be too angry, get too violent, or shed any blood whatsoever. It’s frustrating to say the least.
It’s difficult enough for the company to generate buys with only three weeks between Pay-Per-Views – by failing to focus on the importance on feuds and how they can inspire passion and engage the fans, the only make it more difficult for themselves.
