Anyone that knows me or follows my Twitter account knows that I won't shut up about WWE moving on to its new generation of stars. 50/50 booking and a clear lack of commitment from creative and the office has stifled any positive growth from new talent. To put it simply, the current direction is boring. Yeah. Boring. But that's just my opinion. This post is going to be straight forward. It's time to move into 2016. That's right, WWE, it's 2016. The roster is filled top to bottom with excellent performers that just need that nudge, or someone to say, "Hey, we trust you, go out there and do your thing." Someone should let Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens loose. If they did, I'm confident that we'd see a feud to end all feuds.
Why am I so confident that these two could deliver in a long-term program? Well, if you even give at least one tenth of a percent of a shit about independent wrestling, you'd know that Zayn and Owens have already delivered many, many times before (But you should care about independent wrestling because it actually still cares about you). Now, I don't want to assume here, but I'm pretty sure Zayn was El Generico despite reports that he has returned to Tijuana, Mexico. But I can't be 100% sure, so let's just roll the dice and assume they're one in the same. Anyway, back to the point. In the history of Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Kevin Steen and El Generico participated in a rivalry that, dare I say, has yet to be matched on the independent scene. It was a feud based on betrayal. Two former best friends and tag-team partners that had a pure hatred for one another. The result? Observer Feud of the Year in 2010 (Ring of Honor).
The problem in WWE is that they seem to value the short term over long term. These two brutalized each other for a year. The story involved others, as well. Steve Corino played a role on the side of Steen, while Colt Cabana came to the aid of Generico. I won't write a book about this, but the point is that they had the freedom to create a beautiful story and they did. Not only did they work well together, but they were able to make it interesting enough to make it long term. Generico vs. Steen in an unsanctioned match was heavy and amazing. In 2012, after a lot of political stuff that will just make me angry if I cover it, the two closed their feud under the rules of "Ladder War." It was a ladder match, for those that are confused. The final spot made me literally yell at the television. Buy the dvd, you'll thank me later.
What I'm getting at is this: if these two guys could put something so spectacular together at that point in their careers, how good could something they create be now with all their experience and the WWE umbrella? Assuming WWE doesn't wield a heavy hand (Which sadly, they probably will) and stifle their creativity, the two could propel themselves to top guy status with a single feud. Is this main roster ready? No. But what better place to reignite the rivalry than on NXT. Seems obvious because well, it is. As of today, Owens apparently faced off and cut a promo on Zayn at an NXT live event. This should be the first sign of a continuance of what they started after Owens killed Zayn in their most recent NXT title match.
So here's what I've rambled on and on to get to: get this blood feud going again and eventually have it spill over onto main roster television, specifically on Raw. It gets Owens into something meaningful while allowing Zayn a justified reason to move to the main roster. WWE's production team is top notch, so they should have no problem educating the casual fans of Raw as to why these guys are fighting and why they should care. Why should you care, you ask? Listen, the issue with WWE at times is their flimsy, boring, and sometimes unbelievably cheesy storylines. This is a story we can get behind. Best friends that worked so hard together to get to the top of their profession. One decides that he'll do anything to achieve his goals and provide for his family and stabs the other in the back on their night of glory. It's simple. It's black and white with a shade of grey in between. I want to believe, you know? And I can honestly say, I believe in the story these guys have told and can continue to tell.
Yeah, I'll say it again. WWE, it's time to move on and be real here. Put the ball in these guys' hands. Let them sink or swim. But believe me when I say this, these guys will swim their asses off. They will destroy any feud we've seen in recent years. Just give them the opportunity to succeed. That's all any of these guys want. Opportunity. That's what WWE's supposed to be about, right? It's Vince's quote, not mine.
Hopefully 2016 will be about the new guard, a new direction, and a new breath of fresh air that mainstream wrestling so desperately needs. Zayn and Owens have proven that they can deliver, now it's time for someone to allow them the chance to do it again.
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