WWE: Why WWE Must Follow the MLB Formula to Fix Roster Problems

WWE has a big problem with its talent roster right now, and it doesn't seem to have any idea how to fix it. 

There are so many different things we can talk about as to why this has become an issue, but instead we want to look at how it happened and what can be done to fix it. 

Before we dive into the problems, I want to make it clear that I think there are a lot of talented individuals working in WWE right now. They just don't get the chance to show it, or they have been booked so badly for so long that they no longer feel it is worth trying because they will be stuck at a certain level forever. 

Now, on to the issue at hand and the reason for this article. At its very heart, WWE is a lot like a Major League Baseball franchise. The results of the big brand are the most important thing, but it is also important to have a strong foundation in your farm system—so it provides pieces that you can plug in when necessary—and potential superstars waiting in the wings. 

Right now, WWE looks a lot like the Chicago White Sox: coasting by on a bunch of older players with nothing waiting in the wings to bail them out out if one of their top stars gets hurt. 

WWE has one legitimate superstar on the main roster right now—John Cena. No one in the business today moves the needle—merchandise sales, pay-per-view buys, television ratings, mainstream awareness—more than Cena. He is, to use a professional sports term, the face of the franchise for WWE. 

The only name on the roster who is in the same ballpark as Cena is Randy Orton, and even he isn't that close to Cena as far as being a true revenue generator is concerned. CM Punk had a hot stretch last summer, but he has cooled off and was never a big ratings draw, even after his big push. 

So how did we get here, with only one true superstar and basically a collection of role players? Quite simply, a bad farm system—or development system, as it is more commonly known. 

Ask anyone in Major League Baseball to tell you what you need to become a championship team, and 99.999999 percent of them will tell you a strong farm system and player development group. 

WWE has lost its way with its development system over the last decade, and that has left the company with the dearth of true star performers that we see right now. 

Like baseball teams do at the trade deadline, WWE has made a habit of making a big acquisition to show the fans that it is giving them exactly what they want. It makes these dream matchups we all talk about come to life. 

The problem with using people like The Rock, Brock Lesnar or any of the countless other names WWE brings in, is they are nothing more than Band-Aids on a broken leg. They are nice while they are there, but at some point they are not going to be there. Then you are right back where you were before they showed up. 

WWE used to be able to churn out new, exciting performers who you could tell were going to be stars right away. Just going back to the mid-90s, men like Cena, Orton, The Rock, Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle are just a few of those who worked their way through Ohio Valley Wrestling. (WWE now uses Florida Championship Wrestling, but the idea is the same.)

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer (h//t Inside Pulse Wrestling), the problems in FCW stem from the way wrestlers are taught to act around the crowd. Instead of actually playing to the crowd, they are told to just go through the motions.

That is fine to a point, but wrestling is all about creating an investment. If you want to get over big and become a star, you have to give the crowd a reason to care about you. But if you have never been taught how to do that, you will be lost when you get called up to WWE. 

The system in WWE is broken. Instead of going after older stars who are only going to be around for a handful of shows every year, the company has to follow the MLB model to get back to being the fun, exciting, amazing product that it was for so many years. 

The reason there is such optimism around a team like the Washington Nationals right now is not because they traded for Gio Gonzalez and signed Edwin Jackson in free agency. People are excited to watch them and think they have a bright future because of homegrown talents like Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper and Jordan Zimmerman. 

Yes, there are more problems that WWE has to fix in order for new stars to get over—namely with the creative and booking team—but if you don't have the proper development in the "minors," than you are going to find it hard to become a great superstar in this company. 

Check back for more on the WWE as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s Wrestling Page to get your fill of the WWE. For more WWE talk, check out Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics you just can’t miss.

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