WWE seems intent on making things interesting. Sure, a lot of that is CM Punk, but we all know how much he’s freshened up the product and been able to become a big star by doing things his way. No, this is about how WWE is pushing, and blurring the lines, between the mid-card and main event.
This is the first time in years that WWE has seemed to heavily push the mid-card with their own characters and feuds. Further, these feuds are being allowed to mix healthily with the main event players, no longer leaving WWE feeling like it has an impossible to break glass ceiling.
R-Truth has been building his insane character for months and now, the man it was built on, John Morrison, is back for revenge. Playing Truth’s excellent character off Morrison’s awesome ring work is a good enough idea in and of itself, but the motivation behind both men’s actions is what really makes it work. And to take it one step even further, to really make it seem important, on Smackdown, this feud was mixed in with the Christian vs. Randy Orton issue, as each man pained with a member of that feud, helping them seem more important. Christian, who’s a fully realized character at this point, got a big win to look impressive beating John Morrison, who got to hang with a champion. Truth came out looking even better, taking Orton to the limit and even winning by disqualification. Orton is finally more than just dangerous – his temper is taking him too far, which seems to be running as an actual character developing storyline. Not only are both feuds freshened by fresh faces being added, but the mid-card feud between Truth and Morrison feels more effective and important since both can hang in the world title picture.
On Raw something similar is occurring. The real feud is, of course, John Cena vs. CM Punk, but on the periphery we have Rey Mysterio, champion for 2-hours, Miz, eliminated due to injury, and Alberto Del Rio, holder of Money in the Bank. Mixing in these wrestlers, along with the unpredictability of how long Punk will be around, has created an entirely new dynamic for Raw. It could be anyone, except maybe Rey, who walks out of this situation with the title, and given Punk vs. anyone but Rey is fresh, and Cena vs. anyone but Miz is fresh, the title picture looks to remain wildly entertaining, even with the focus on the main two for now.
Below the title feuds and top related, however, neither brand is simply filling time. Mark Henry is in the midst of the best run of his career, taking out Big Show and Kane. Now, to truly seem like a badass, Sheamus wants to face Henry. He isn’t changing his character and hugging babies, but as a big guy who likes to fight, it makes sense for him to go after the meanest guy around. Henry, meanwhile, is still proving himself after years of mid-card level work, and will, of course, go after another former champion. Daniel Bryan is working through the former Nexus members with his Money in the Bank, seemingly eliminating them in what are sure to be good matches as he builds up to his (hopeful) Wrestlemania title match. If he can hold the briefcase for that long, he will have beaten a ton of guys on his way to that spot, and he’s already getting over, as witnessed by the chants and response he got on Smackdown last week. Barrett, meanwhile, isn’t a bystander to this – he wants Bryan, who he feels is his inferior from them coming up together on NXT season 1. Cody Rhodes remains wildly entertaining as a psychotic pretty boy, pushing Ted Dibiase to succeed even as he uses him to get ahead, and Ezekiel Jackson, by virtue of holding the IC Title, makes a great target. Add in the return of Triple H in a non-wrestling position and Zach Ryder actually getting television time… it surely seems like a new golden age could be dawning and, moreover, WWE is actually intent, this time, on giving the fans what they want.
