WWE and Comedy: Make Us Laugh, but Don't Just Squash Santino Marella

The ability of a great drama is whether it can make us laugh. The ability of a great comedy is whether it can make us think.

These two statements might be oxymoronic, or maybe just moronic, but it is true that programmes can transcend different genres.

I can sense an onion metaphor coming on here, but programmes that have multiple layers are often the most successful.

Take the Korean War comedy, M*A*S*H, and you have the perfect blend of comedy, farce, wit, and poignancy.

In wrestling, comedy does not always work. As seen with guest host Dennis Miller, what works in a studio, does not always transfer to a larger audience.

The result that night was a long routine that people either ignored or found only mildly amusing.

To be funny and for it to get a reaction in wrestling, takes skill.

However there is a tendency in wrestling that if you are funny, you are a clown. Clowns do not hold title belts, they instead get beaten up by Divas, perform in sketches, and wrestle in dark matches.

Santino Marella is perhaps one of the most gifted comedians in wrestling today. Sometimes it borders on farce but he is nonetheless over with the fans and always gets a strong reaction.

And yet for all this skill, he has been relegated in the last few months and even years to playing the character of a jobber.

If he wrestles at all, it is often for a few moments before his inevitable demise.

Switch across to TNA and there might be an answer to what wrestling needs. Some have drawn comparisons with The Rock, but Mr Anderson, Anderson, is the modern shoot superstar.

His promos have created a strong fanbase and he now stands on the brink of a World Title. Whether he wins or not, the long-term contract he has just signed, completes his rehabilitation since leaving WWE.

Comedians can therefore perform on the mic and still wrestle. Also tying into this comedy bracket is John Cena.

Not quite the Internet's darling, but he is a very strong mic performer and his comedy wins over fans. His beat down of Nexus in particular shows how the fans can react when good comedy is introduced.

What wrestling needs is an end to promos that are too forced. Comedy works when it is natural. Too often, in its attempt to be funny, or methodical, or meaningful, or historic, WWE creates scenarios that simply do not work.

For instance, the Jerry Springer episode of Raw was a disaster.

What's maybe worse than these promos, is when a match is introduced simply to end in a squash, because somewhere within the five minutes there was a joke. Its a waste of time and is simply bad TV.

The recent Regal-Goldust match on Raw which saw a reversal of roles was hilarious but for it to be over within 1 minute was a travesty. With two veterans and funny veterans by that, this match had potential to be quality TV.

A one minute squash just looked like filler.

Wrestling in relative terms is in the doldrums. Compare it with a decade before, and wrestling is well below the levels it expects in terms of ratings, performances and buy rates.

Comedy will not change this but the proper use of comedy will at least improve the quality of programming, WWE produces.

Imagine at a party how a bad joke is received. Now imagine how its received if millions of people were watching. It does not make for enjoyable viewing.

Furthermore imagine if that comedy comes in a show that once produced the likes of the Rock and Steve Austin.

Think too much about the past and it can make even a loyal wrestling fan consider switching over to the football.

And at the moment, WWE cannot lose any more viewers.