Lessons WWE Must Apply Moving Forward After Heath Slater's Win at Backlash 2016

WWE doesn't tell enough stories like Heath Slater's Tag Team Championship win at WWE Backlash 2016, narratives that showcase unexpected figures, that meander off the beaten path, that harness the dramatic power of a man's desire to get a bigger trailer.

Slater's bizarre, moving, surprising ride to the tag team titles climaxed at Sunday's pay-per-view.

The low-card wrestler never heard his name during the WWE draft in July. After neither Raw nor SmackDown selected him, Slater fought for a job. He barked about his qualifications. He battled Jinder Mahal, Rhyno and Randy Orton for a spot on one of WWE's shows.

He failed each time. His history of falling on his face continued.

The SmackDown Tag Team Championship tournament provided the latest opening for The One Man Rock Band. He had to find someone to fight alongside him, but if he did he was promised a roster spot should he win the whole thing. 

After Rhyno agreed to partner up with the perennial steppingstone, a Cinderella run began. Wins over The Hype Bros and The Headbangers put the thrown-together team in the finals. At Backlash, Slater and Rhyno felled The Usos and soon held up the tag team titles in celebration.

The tournament and titles were key to that journey being such a fun one, but it was WWE straying from the status quo that truly empowered this story.

The company should not chalk up the success of Slater's angle as a fluke. There are elements WWE must borrow from it moving forward, sparks that will grow into future fires.

Trust Guys Who Don't Fit the Mold

Slater isn't especially big. His build doesn't look like the work of a comic-book artist. He's not a great worker in the way that guys like Seth Rollins and Cesaro are.

Wrestling Memes pointed out how unlikely it was for him to become champion:

Slater's greatest strength, though, is the most vital one for a wrestler—he connects with the crowd. When returning legends were steamrolling over him before Raw 1000 or he was rocking the air guitar for 3MB, fans glommed onto him.

He has often been a much-discussed wrestler on the internet. Audiences reacted to his wins and losses more than some of the roster's prototypical Superstars.   

WWE finally looked to take advantage of that in the past few weeks, showcasing Slater as one of SmackDown's top priorities.

It worked. Slater has flourished as a desperate man in search of a job and of the glory he has long been denied.

Damien Sandow should have garnered that kind of attention before WWE released him in May. WWE should have milked Zack Ryder's popularity more. The company hesitated to pull the trigger with these unconventional talents despite the buzz they were creating.

Slater's success must open WWE's mind to the possibility that the undersized Enzo Amore, the understated everyman Sami Zayn and the sublimely ridiculous Tyler Breeze can be prominent players in its grand scheme.

If fans fall in love with a performer, WWE has to give them a shot, even if the mold doesn't fit them in the least. 

Venture Outside of the Box

Betrayal and championship pursuits will always be foundations for the majority of wrestling feuds, but finding alternate narratives avenues is mighty powerful.

As much as Slater's lovable-loser charm was key to his recent success, so was the strangeness of his story. For one, he and Rhyno formed quite the odd couple, a loudmouth side by side with a brooding monster, an underdog pairing with a man beast. 

The confusion about just how many kids Slater actually has, his desire to upgrade to a double-wide trailer and him dreaming of going to Golden Corral after a title win were all things WWE fans aren't used to seeing. The same goes for Slater chatting with WWE interviewer Renee Young in his home while Rhyno drew happy faces on crackers with Cheez Whiz.

This has been a compellingly odd tale throughout. It's been fresh, inventive, off-beat. 

All that resulted in what the folks at the Mat Men podcast called one of the best WWE stories in recent memory:

That has to be inspiration for WWE Creative to find other inventive spins on wrestling's basics. What other unusual motivations can a Superstar have? What other unexpected peeks into someone's personal life can the company provide?

Not everything will work nearly as well as Slater scoring a SmackDown spot, but WWE needs to experiment more. The energy born from unique angles is a precious commodity.

Find a Story for Everyone

WWE's roster is a menagerie of various creatures, and the company does itself a disservice if the majority of them aren't on display.

Too often, low-rung guys like Slater get relegated to the sidelines with nothing to do. Not everyone can be in the chase for the world title or battle in marquee matches, but it's a waste to not use the entirety of the roster more regularly.

For Slater, WWE found an ideal way to turn his unfavorable position into a plus. It was his lack of opportunities that served as the catalyst for him catching fire.

Rather than be a top-tier contender, Slater was the struggling team looking to squeak into the playoffs at the last minute. His goals were clear. His personal life laid out for everyone to see.

Will Pruett of Prowrestling.net pointed out at the surprising result:

Slater taking off recently is a reminder that everything is a narrative opportunity, from securing a roster spot to finding a tag team partner. That's what WWE has to be thinking when it searches for a way to make use of Jack Swagger's skills, find a spot for Erick Rowan or give any other little-used Superstar a chance to make their mark.

Should grapplers like Swagger and Rowan have their own stories, Raw and SmackDown will be deeper shows. 

There's no reason that Summer Rae has been invisible since the draft. There's no excuse for not doing more with The Vaudevillains. Everyone in the squared circle circus needs at least a sliver of spotlight.

There are sleeper hits awaiting to be born, star-making subplots like Slater's ready to emerge.