But this is about someone else that will be turning 39 this year. AJ Styles made his WWE debut at the Royal Rumble. He has had matches on Raw and Smackdown last week. He had a segment with Miz on Raw this week, which will lead to a match on Smackdown. Some fans are still amazed AJ Styles is in the WWE. I am amazed AJ Styles is getting such a mediocre debut in the WWE.
I have said before that the WWE needs more creative depth right now. The big storyline is obvious. Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Brock Lesnar all want a shot at Triple H for the title at Wrestlemania. Two top faces are tied into this, including one holding the Intercontinental Championship. The two heels don't wrestle on Raw. That means other heels will have to be utilized to work with Reigns and Ambrose. The WWE has used New Day, The Wyatts, and the crippled remains of The League of Nations to serve this role. That means feuds for these heel groups may not get the proper focus every show that they deserve.
Outside of that, what big storylines do you have? Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler? There is no big storyline there. It is just two guys with nothing really to do that the WWE just tossed together. Big Show vs. The Wyatts? Again, there does not feel like there is a big storyline here.
The debut of AJ Styles is it. The WWE is in a tough spot with so many top stars out. It is no surprise that they are hyping this guy up to be phenomenal. And that's the problem. Too much hype.
What is the actual storyline? Great wrestler debuts and has to prove himself to Chris Jericho? That is boring. This guy should not get some rookie storyline. He'll be 40 next year. He has been in the business for a long time. He has shown what he can do. This is a guy I felt can make an immediate impact, but the WWE isn't pushing him like that. The hype is there, but the way they are pushing him is lackluster.
He has not really had quality mic time. Miz wouldn't let him say anything on Raw last night. I understand that was the point and it was part of the storyline, but it is dumb. The comparison to Daniel Bryan is there. Miz, who was paired with Daniel Bryan on NXT, brought it up.
The WWE cannot think that they can build AJ Styles into a star by treating him like Daniel Bryan. Daniel Bryan got A+ overness organically. He had the wrestling ability to get over with wrestling fans before he even signed with the WWE. But what got him over with the wider audience was his energy. The "Yes!" and "No!" chants were things all fans could enjoy getting behind. And the WWE just shot themselves in the foot with that storyline about Daniel Bryan not being good enough. That got fans to side with Daniel Bryan even more. The WWE wasn't trying to create a big star here.
What is going on with AJ Styles right now isn't organic. Wrestling fans love him and will chant for him. But what impact will simply hyping this guy up without proper creative investment do? Will the wider audience just find him overrated? They should have come up with some kind of debut angle that let Styles debut with some kind of character. Putting over how great of a wrestler he is will not do anything new for fans that are already into this guy. For the casual fans that care more about the entertainment aspect of the WWE, there might be nothing there to say that AJ Styles is really that big of a deal.
I brought up the debut of Chris Jericho last week. Let me bring up another debut for the sake of comparison. Look at how Nexus debuted on the main roster. These guys were a bunch of true rookies. Daniel Bryan was initially with the group, but he only lasted about as long as one of his runs with the WWE Championship. These guys debuted by just attacking everyone. That was great. It came out of nowhere. It got people buzzing. Why were they doing it? Who was behind it? Who would be attacked next? That was a summer angle that actually led to a bit of a ratings boost. Look at what the WWE was able to accomplish with guys less known in the wrestling business than AJ Styles. It all came down to the storyline that they ran with them. It wasn't all hype. It was destruction and a storyline that left fans wondering what was going on.
The debut of AJ Styles has been nothing like that. The WWE has been hyping this guy a lot. They put videos up of him arriving at the arena. They list his debut pop at the Royal Rumble as one of the loudest ever. But this is really a mediocre debut. There is nothing big going on with him. There is no intriguing storyline. I feel the WWE has just wasted an opportunity at a time they really could have used a boost.
I am not saying AJ Styles won't be eventually winning titles, including the WWE Championship. This isn't about that. This isn't about whether he's getting a big paycheck. This isn't about whether the WWE will give him the career that will solidify his spot in their Hall of Fame. Unless something horrible happens, all that will happen. This is about utilizing talent properly to deliver for you. At a time when ratings are not great, there are a ton of injuries, the company is struggling to create a new centerpiece, and they have issues all over, the WWE needs to create new stars and they need more big storylines to draw for them. Putting everything on Roman Reigns and whatever he's involved with will not do. They seem to want AJ Styles to look like a big deal. But they need to cut down the hype and be more creative with him.
No comments:
Post a Comment