PG Facepalm: Why PG, Politics, and Wrestling Don't Mix

I haven't talked about the whole Bryan Danielson incident and I am not going to. Everything has already been said. He's fired and we're all sad.

Instead I am going to try to find a path of logic in this universe. 

Then: The Attitude Era 

Back in the 90's there was more than one dog in the fight. Viewers could watch WCW, WWF, and later on ECW if they could get it. WWF writers were looking for a way to bring attention to the company and win the Monday Night wars. Luckily they had Steve Austin and the rest is history. 

Now: PG Era 

Now days the WWE controls the market and has made huge amounts of profit off of the family model. Following the plan of Disney, they milk every merchandising and alternative revenue source they can get their hands on.

There is nothing wrong with this, after all business is business, but there is no competition on the market that can compete with the WWE at this time. 

With a lack of competition in the market place comes a lack of innovation. There is no longer a drive to better the company when it is on the top of the food chain. 

With the WWE, it means lack of new stars. For the last god knows how many years the top title matches involved Edge, Cena, Orton, Batista, and Triple H. Wash, rinse, and repeat. 

Due to the recent amount of injuries, the WWE was forced to add new stars to the main event roster. Sheamus, Swagger, and CM Punk have all been strong additions to the heavyweight championship picture except the decisions to put these men in this scenario wasn't for innovation and change, it was because they were looking for filler until the top stars are healthy again.

What do you think will happen when HHH is healthy enough to return? Or when Batista comes back from his hiatus? I guarantee they are going back into the main event. Not because they should but because they are a name brand. 

Future: NXT? 

When NXT was announced as the show replacing the WWE’s version of ECW, people were unsure of what it was. I personally thought it would be a cruiserweight/fcw show to help get people polished and grab attention. It wasn’t.

McMahon promised it would change television for ever and he was extremely wrong as well. It turned out to be the “top” FCW talent competing in lame challenges and having sub-par matches. By the end of season one, we did see a change in the rookies and most of them looked more polished in the ring and were evolving.

When the NXT Invasion happened on Monday Night Raw, it was the most exciting storyline fans could remember in recent history. Then Tiegate Scandal broke out the IWC was pissed. A top star fired from the company for doing his job and making the WWE look exciting again.

The problems

The WWE has their hands tied. In the quest for TV-PG you kill the majority of innovation or product. To quote a friend of mine in the business, “wrestling isn’t for kids, ( it’s) okay that they watch it but it’s not for them.”

Pro-wrestling is a form of fighting entertainment. People are injured severely, paralyzed, or die every day in the ring. People beating the holy hell out of each other isn’t something I would personally want my kids (if that time ever comes) to be watching until their old enough. Combine that with all the crazy stunts they do to each other it makes no logical sense why the WWE is trying to be Disney, except for the cash.

Add in the element of politics to this mix and you have a deadly cocktail laced with steroids, concussions, and an ever watching public. Politics is all about having a clean nose and deceiving the people of the nation into thinking you are a good person and would be the best person to lead the country. For some reason the idea of having a McMahon in politics scares the crap out of me.

Trying to balance Disney style promotion, pro-wrestling, and politics is insane. Managing three things that mix like napalm and gasoline while trying to make a profit at the same time is a herculean feat.

With this of course comes the eventually situation we have today. One man chokes another with a tie and is fired because it isn’t PG enough. The WWE has lost the testicular fortitude to be innovative and be entertaining just to suck up to the public and kiddies everywhere. 

Hey Vince, when you find where your balls rolled off to and use them again, call me. I’ll be waiting.  

PS: You might find this educational, it's about Bryan Danielson                 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POdgyvgh0Ps