Smark Out Moment

The WWE locker room is apparently pissed off that the same few people keep getting all the focus - and I completely agree with them. Raw has proven itself quicksand to anybody who isn't Randy Orton, Batista, John Cena, or Triple H, as most people are lucky to find themselves wrestling in a non-feud on Superstars because Raw just happened to need another fifteen minute segment with one of these guys. On this week's Raw and the one previous, both Jesse Ventura and Carlito addressed the issue and spoke of a need of some new blood in the spotlight. Now, while Ventura may feel that way, he hasn't been involved in the product and supposedly needed cheat sheets just to know the entertainers names, whereas Carlito is a well known proponent for the cause. Numerous times, Carlito's been vocal about how he and others (Umaga and Kennedy for example) feel like they're being held back by certain individuals, namely Triple H. First, look at that trio of names and think about where they are now. Umaga and Kennedy have been fired and Carlito is regularly fluctuating between being a jobber and being told they "have nothing for him right now". His tag team championship reign with Primo was the only upside of Carlito's recent career and that occurred on Smackdown. When drafted to Raw, the duo was broken up and now Primo easily loses to everybody (if he's even used that month) and Carlito spent mostly the entire time off TV entirely.

This is where it gets confusing, though. Both Ventura's and Carlito's promo targeted John Cena as the source of this overbearing yawn of the "same old, same old". While there are reports that some of the heat is being directed towards Cena backstage, time and time again it's proven to us that it is really an issue of Paul Levesque and his associations. It's no secret that John Cena is the golden boy of the WWE, and for good reason, as he's popular and marketable. However, it's also clear that his friendship with Hunter is a huge driving force behind his status in the WWE. In the past few years, only a small handful of people have been truly put over by HHH, namely John Cena, Batista, and Randy Orton. You may argue Jeff Hardy, but his only actual win over HHH was a quick roll-up and he subsequently was beaten by Triple H multiple times afterwards. So Ventura and Carlito peg Sheamus as someone who supposedly has the back of all the young guys in the locker room - that they want him to beat John Cena. Let's look closer at that...

Obviously, WWE is avoiding the issue of Triple H being the source of the problems and pinning it storyline-wise on John Cena. For argument's sake, it's understandable, as Cena is the champion right now. But what seriously has me irked is that this storyline is being done in a way that completely degrades those "hungry young guys" in the locker room. Who is the person receiving the new blood push? Sheamus - the workout partner and friend of HHH. This is a huge slap in the face to everyone who has worked hard over the years but has not received a proper push because they are are simply not pals with Triple H. Sheamus certainly does not have the qualifications to be a world title contender when it comes to overlooking the other talent. Jack Swagger for instance was the only champion and main focal point of an entire brand and not only did a decent job of it but was also getting over with the crowd. He has been in numerous feuds that revolved around more than just the generic "I attacked you and we wrestle a lot" layout. Sheamus on the other hand has had two of those so-called "feuds" with Goldust and Shelton Benjamin and squashed local losers and that is the full experience so far. He receives no response from the crowd. He has not proven himself able to carry a championship, nor has he proven that anybody will tune in to watch him. The fact of the matter is, Sheamus is getting this spot solely because he has been befriended by Triple H. Nothing has changed. Even on Smackdown, Drew McIntyre is receiving a push and will most likely win the Intercontinental title soon, and it's been proven that he has the backing of Triple H. Coincidence?

Essentially, what is this going to accomplish? Sheamus is not ready for the main event as the two qualifiers are the ability to make money and establish a connection with the crowd, neither of which Sheamus has. He is also just a friend of HHH, so there is no progress in trying to make things fair, since the sycophant "who can kiss Vince and HHH's asses the most" contest continues. The lack of a response from the audience will cause the WWE to not follow up on this and drop the momentum very soon (especially since the Road to WrestleMania is approaching fast) and thus, Sheamus will fall into obscurity. This will make management look at the young stars as unreliable and unworthy, so the backlash will be something excruciating in it's tiresome nature with WrestleMania being revolved once again around the same few names.

The end result is that nobody that wasn't already going to be pushed due to their friendship with HHH will get any sort of a positive, the new talent will be looked at as a waste and not pushed, the mediocre Sheamus will go the way of Vladimir Kozlov and become irrelevant, and we're taking a step backwards as those that were overlooked (and are smart enough to see the HHH connection) will be even more upset.