Working The Internet 101

Vince McMahon is a brilliant, brilliant man. He knows how to push buttons and put butts in seats. He knows how to stir the Internet Wrestling Community into a frenzy, one that will boost ratings and make his most staunch detractors take a seat on the couch and watch his program. We’ve seen promoters “work the Internet” before, but the work being done to promote NXT is on a whole new level.

Mike “The Miz” Mizanin is at a crucial point in his career. He is a big enough star that he could sit comfortably in the mid-card, collect his check, pick up some girls at the local bar after filming RAW and move onto the next city the following morning. Instead, he is developing his character even further at the expense of some of his biggest critics: the IWC.

Let’s take a look at a blog post on WWE.com. 

“It's come to my knowledge that some members of the WWE Universe think they know everything about WWE and what it takes to be a WWE Superstar.  They think that if a guy does well in the independent minor leagues, then all of a sudden he should be in the WWE.”

This paragraph alone hits the IWC in the gut on several levels. At face value, it makes a simple statement: WWE is better than ROH, CZW, PWG and any of the numerous indy feds across the country. But look at it deeper. Look at the word choice. “Some members of the WWE Universe.” The instinctual reaction to this phrase is to reject any affiliation to the “WWE Universe.” The WWE Universe is for kids in John Cena T-shirts with Jeff Hardy sleeves holding up D-X glowsticks, right? Not in the eyes of the WWE. Their “Universe” is everybody that watches the shows, reads their Web sites, discusses their product. By simply having an opinion, the anti-WWE contingency of the IWC has been sucked into the “Universe.” Then Miz refers to wrestlers as “Superstars.” This is a point of contention for many diehard indy wrestling fans. Ask Jim Cornette. Check out the old man’s podcasts ranting about bringing an end to “sports entertainment” and bringing back the “wrestler” and getting rid of the “Superstar.” In the usage of this term, he is implying that being a “Superstar” is better than being a wrestler and that in turn, Daniel Bryan is no longer a wrestler. He is trying to become a “Superstar” and must learn how to do so from The Miz.

In a less subtle statement, Miz takes a direct shot at the stereotypical wrestling fan; that guy on the YouTube clip crying, screaming “It’s still real to me!”

“Just because a fat guy with no teeth who sits in the front row, buys your T-shirt and says you're the king of wrestling, doesn't mean you really are.”

After this cheapshot, which I have to admit was pretty funny coming from a WWE employee, he goes right back on the offensive against the IWC by attacking their icon. He says Daniel Bryan looks like an accountant; he is ordinary and bland. He puts himself over Bryan as a bigger star and in turn a better performer due to his titles and the fact that it didn’t take him 10 years to get a WWE contract.

This is the best path that WWE could have chosen for the Miz and for once I’m very impressed with the work of the Creative Staff. With the Road to Wrestlemania underway, the bulk of TV time is going to be dedicated to the big storylines. John Cena, Edge, Batista, Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels, the Undertaker and HHH are going to dominate airtime. Miz has been on a roll lately, cutting some great promos and really getting over with the crowd. It would be easy for him to fall into the background and coast during the next month into a low-card, minimally promoted match for his U.S. Title or a match with The Big Show in defending their Unified Tag Titles or even earn a spot in the Money in the Bank ladder match as just another guy in a multi-man spotfest.

Instead, Miz is being used to develop stars, in this case, Daniel Bryan. When the Internet exploded during the last episode of ECW as it was revealed Miz would be “mentoring” The American Dragon, it was the best thing that could have happened to Daniel Bryan. He was going to be the focal point of the show. He was going to be made to look like the underdog against a despised, loudmouth heel. I expect Miz to get the better of Bryan for the next few weeks before Bryan pulls out an upset victory against William Regal or Carlito. At that point in time, Bryan will finally get a chance to step in the ring with Miz where he can put on a clinic, wrestle circles around the former MTV Real World cast member, until the end where the Big Show will land a knockout punch, Miz will clock him with a title belt or we may see a simple handful of tights on a roll-up to prolong the rivalry and keep Miz strong.

Vince knows that he can succeed without the approval of the IWC, but he also recognizes how much money they spend on supporting professional wrestling each year. Let’s face it. Even if you are now an anti-WWE member of the IWC, chances are your first exposure to wrestling came through WWE/WWF, WCW/NWA. You were at one time a fan of the mainstream as a Hulkamaniac or you were doing the D-X crotch chop on the playground during recess. Vince knows this. There is a fan deep down inside all of us that wants to see great wrestling on television, and that means deep, deep down, we want to see the WWE succeed because as McMahon Empire goes, so goes the industry.

Some will complain and say that Michael Cole insulting Bryan’s credential is disrespectful and an attempt to bury him. Truly smart fans will recognize that it’s Vince trying to get a rise out of the IWC. If Vince wanted to bury Bryan, he would have lost the opening match of the show in 2 minutes with no offense, no face time and otherwise ignored. The focal point of NXT was not put on the potential mainstream crossover star David Otunga with his celebrity connections and marketable look, even though he did get a chance to talk and win a match decisively. It was put on the average sized pasty white kid with a bad haircut. This was the first show of what Vince is banking on being a moneymaker. If he didn’t think there was money to be made in Daniel Bryan, he wouldn’t have based the premier episode of his latest project around him.

This is just a classic example of Vince McMahon working the Internet for all its worth. It’s something that I hope is effective and we see more of down the line.