Welcome to the first ever Shoot with Smith. I’m Smith, lets shoot!
This week I will be writing about who in WWE, deserve more. By that, I mean moving away from the ‘E and spreading their wings and jumping to NJPW. So, let’s take aim…
Dolph Ziggler
On the face of things, Dolph Ziggler is quite literally the antithesis of what a professional wrestler should be – larger than life personality, extremely athletic and a plethora of illuminatingly bright electric pink pants. He can cut a great promo and his work is extremely solid – so why does his career still feel like it’s fallen short of it’s potential?
Ziggler has truly hit the proverbial wall in the last couple of years, he is one of the prime victims of superstars floundering and being lost in the shuffle. The one main eventer has fallen behind a long list of names in the frame for titles or big matches.
This is where Dolph needs to look across the Pacific and cast an eye upon what Cody “The America Nightmare” Rhodes is achieving in the world outside of McMahon’s control. Cody had transitioned himself from perennial sidekick to one of the hottest stars in the world in a matter of months. He took a bet on himself and it came in tenfold – he is now getting the recognition his athleticism and creative ability deserves. I see the two men in a very similar mould – both are stunningly good-looking men who can slip into babyface or heel roles with ease. I just wish Dolph Ziggler would take that same bet himself and see how he could flourish if he left the McMahon safety net of mid-card mediocrity.
Neville
Neville has to be one of the most genuinely gymnastic wrestlers we have seen grace WWE in many years. The Man Who Defies Gravity dazzled us with amazing performances of aerial gymnastics week after week – but when he truly became a star was when he embraced his heel side. Nevilles heel work as King Neville was nothing short of glorious. He was the biggest bastard, but we loved it. It was quite strange to see WWE get behind such a small guy with an unconventional look – we all knew it wouldn’t last long.
Neville is readymade for NJPW. Mark my words, if Neville decides to go to the Far East – he will be headlining the Tokyo Dome within a year. WWE do not deserve such a naturally amazing “piece of shit” heel with such a level of in-ring ability. The man is a full package – he just needs to be in a company that see his qualities over a perceived desirable body size and image. I could see him fitting in a group such as Los Ingobernables de Japon and never looking back.
Daniel Bryan
When Daniel Bryan announced his return to the ring, the whole wrestling community took a moment to appreciate the gravity of this news. This was possibly the greatest moment for fans and the man himself that no one had expected – we could see our fallen hero rise again. SO WHY IS HE IN A FEUD WITH BIG CASS RIGHT NOW.
Only a company as creatively clownish as Vince and his Stooges in Connecticut could botch a naturally formed storyline as badly as this. Writing TV weekly can be hard, things often change at short notice – but what we have with Daniel Bryan – is a Christmas Present of a wrestling storyline, neatly wrapped and handed to WWE – only to have to throw it on the floor. The story had literally written itself, only for WWE to waste it. A few shocking spots with Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens one week and now Bryan is back to being just another member of the roster. He isn’t even being booked in something compelling to warrant the complete mishandling of a potential Wrestlemania headlining storyline next year.
If Daniel Bryan decides not to renew his contract in a few months, he would be headlining the biggest events outside of WWE worldwide for years to come. He would be instantly inserted into the main events in NJPW – I’m excited just thinking about the potential Okada vs Bryan, Omega vs Bryan matches that could take place. To say Daniel Bryan is an amazing in-ring talent is a complete understatement – he is a ring MASTER, to see him flounder is down-right infuriating, the potential glory that awaits him outside of WWE is mouthwatering.
Kurt Angle
When Angel returned to WWE I had 5 or 6 potential matches I wanted to see the former Olympian wrestle. I have seen exactly none of them. I have however been given a gimmick multi-tag match with Angel sporting ridiculous Shield body armour and a mixed tag with Ronda Rousey. Granted the latter was extremely entertaining. He can still wrestle without a shadow of a doubt, I was lucky enough to see him on the UK independent scene in 2016 – he is slower than he was back in 2003 yet the talent is still clear to be seen. It yet again feels like WWE are massively dropping the ball with an extremely talented veteran by booking him in embarrassing backstage skits along with boring in-ring promos.
Kurt deserves one last big swansong as a wrestler, not as an authority figure, not as a special guest in a gimmick match – as the legitimate wrestling badass that he is. If Kurt decides to see what NJPW could do for his career rather than taking the easy retirement paycheque from Vince – we could be in for the greatest addition to the Bullet Club yet. We could see the 2018 version of 1996 Bash at the Beach where Hulk joined the NOW and turned Heel. Kurt could join NJPW and eventually make the ultimate heel turn and join the big villainous stable. The roster in Japan could be some of the best matches out of Kurt that we have ever seen. For now, it is still a concrete “what if”.
Bo Dallas
Bo Dallas has the talent and the charisma to be much higher up the card than a side-kick to The Miz. The second Rotunda child to grace the WWE ring, Bo has truly stalled. In NXT he showed his skills and potential – it looked as if he was ready-made for the main roster as his career progressed. Sadly – we haven’t seen the potential transfer into anything close to success on the big brands.
It feels Bo has tried extremely hard to shed his babyface looks and charm and nothing more could help this than a year or two in Japan. It seems this is a lost art for many WWE stars whose careers originally fell by the wayside – in the 90s it was commonplace to travel over to work for Japanese promotions and come back to the states a much more well-rounded performer.
With the current setup at WWE revolving around NXT and the performance centre, using trips abroad as a way of furthering yourself has become a lost art. At the moment we see an ex NXT star Juice Robinson in NJPW performing above and beyond what I ever expected to see from the dread-lock riddled performer.
Bo’s style fits perfectly with the current crop of stars in Japan, as does his look – he would flourish under a new set of bookers with a new roster to work with. I genuinely think he would return to America in a few years time as a top-star ready to be slotted into main events.
It is another prime example of a star with huge potential who needs a catalyst to break out, that catalyst is taking a bet on themselves and moving away from the safety of a guaranteed WWE contract.
So, that’s who I think would benefit from a stint in Japan, but who do you think would be beast with a change of scenery? Let me know below or on twitter – @SalfordSmith61 and come back next Wednesday for more #ShootWithSmith.
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