With the recent return of The Dudley Boyz and Sting, I wanted to ask the question ‘should old talent fight for top titles?’ Let me start by saying that this is about Sting returning now and not during his feud with Triple H. Originally I wanted Sting to fight Undertaker as many of us did, but unfortunately we didn’t get that.
We did however get an entertaining WWE vs WCW type of feud from the old days. With this being Sting’s first time in a WWE ring it was something epic and therefore necessary and really added to his character of the icon. My concern is this; how many young talents do we sacrifice in place for a legend?
Take the Dudley Boyz for example. Until last week they hadn’t been seen as a pair in a WWE ring for over 10 years. Within that time we’ve had countless top tag teams hold the titles in their place. Now it seems as though they will eventually go into a title opportunity with The New Day. This has basically stopped the momentum for The Prime Time Players, whilst also hindering the development of The Ascension, Los Matadores, and the Lucha Dragons as well as any other future tag teams coming through NXT.
I’m not saying that I don’t enjoy The Dudley Boyz. In fact they are one of the best tag teams I’ve seen in my history of wrestling and I love the characters. The same was with The New Age Outlaws when they took on The Brotherhood for the tag titles over two years ago. I love these old school teams, but I don’t see them in title based storylines. Why hinder your up-and-coming talent for a team that could potentially not be here in two years’ time? It just doesn’t make sense to me.
Now we are also dealing with the introduction of Sting into the WWE World Heavyweight Title scene. He literally came from nowhere only to be given a title shot at Rollins. Why? He lost at the last WrestleMania and has no strength of character going into this feud. Adding Rollins vs. Cena in the same night for the US title might be something to keep us excited but I just don’t get the thought behind it.
I can also see Sheamus cashing in with Rollins exhausted but Rollins still manages to keep his title. It is all designed to strengthen Rollins’ character but it just hurts some of the younger talent. Let us look at the list of talent that is now stuck in feuds that really don’t help their characters at all.
* Dean Ambrose – He is now stuck in a feud with the growing Wyatt family. This has strengthened Bray Wyatt and his family and has helped keep Roman Reigns relevant, but has it helped Dean Ambrose? No, of course not. The last time Ambrose was in the title picture, the fans loved it, but now he’s a forgotten contender.
* Neville – After coming so close to beating Rollins in his chance at the title he went on to get put into a feud with Stardust and The Arrow. He was another bit part player in a storyline to try and keep him relevant. This again didn’t help him and a few weeks feuding with Rollins could have really helped him.
* Ryback – With his character continuing to be loved by the WWE Universe, the next logical step for a guy this size would be the title right? Nope. They give him the IC title and put him in a feud with The Big Show. A guy that the fans have stopped all feelings for after his recent heel turn. Shouts of “please retire” echo whenever he is in the ring.
* The Miz – Love him or hate him, The Miz is an excellent talent. Not only is he decent in the ring but is absolutely fantastic on the mic and would suit a run at the title. With him being a heel he wouldn’t be in the title picture as of yet, but a change of character and development could really help him.
* Kevin Owens – After an excellent feud with Cesaro leading to a potential MOTY candidate at Summerslam, I only expect big things from Owens. WWE has a way of underselling top talent and he seems to be in this category as well as Cesaro. Both could be brilliant in the title picture but have also been pushed to the back of the line to bring in Sting.
* Cesaro – Surely after his recent surge in fan popularity this would be the right choice? A Cesaro vs. Rollins match would be excellent and give both characters time to wrestle perfection. Shame we won’t get to see it.
The list goes on and on for talent that will be overlooked due to the returns of legends. Brock Lesnar and The Rock can be considered different as they held and defended their championships and seemed credible winners, but Sting holding the title? It wouldn’t benefit anyone really and he is wasted in this feud.
For me it is a win-lose situation. Yes I love seeing the legends return and putting on some top matches, and they do win the titles which makes me feel young again, but what are we losing as a cost of this? The youth of tomorrow not being able to build into the stars of tomorrow. Imagine if the old stars where still around during Cena, Edge, and Randy Orton’s build in character development and fighting for titles in their place? We wouldn’t have had the Rated R Superstar, or The Viper Randy Orton, and especially not John Cena (gift or curse, you decide).
But what we can all agree on is that it is awesome to see them return. When The Dudley Boyz showed up I nearly wet my pants with excitement. When Sting arrived I nearly fainted with the overwhelming glee I felt. But what do you think? Do you think that legends that return should fight for main event titles? Or should we be focusing on the youth?
Let us know in the comments below and remember to keep everything wrestling at SLTD Wrestling.
Game Over.
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