WWE's Recurring Problem: The Underdevelopment of Younger Talent

There have been many complaints in the Internet Wrestling Community for quite some time about the under-utilization of the younger talent. I have been one of these people myself.

Just when it seems that WWE is on the cusp of turning the corner and focusing on making a new star, they do a 180 and drop them back to mid-card status and throw the comfy blanket back into the spotlight.

We repeatedly ask why. We repeatedly blame John Cena and Randy Orton for not putting over theyounger guys. I have done this myself. But I have started to come to the realization that it's not as simple as John and Randy having so much stroke backstage they always need to be in the title hunt.  

Much of it has to do with ratings and the money machine. When a younger star is put in the spotlight it takes time for the fans to care about them.

While the fans are deciding why they should care about them, the ratings take a hit and WWE goes into panic mode and goes back to the Cena's and Orton's, as they are surefire money draws. 

This seems to be a bigger issue on RAW than Smackdown. I whole-heartedly commend the Smackdown creative team with how the show is being handled right now. Randy Orton is helping Cody Rhodes re-establish credibility to the Intercontinental Title and Christian is helping Sheamus get over into main event status again.

The only minor issue is the Heavyweight title picture with Big Show returning and facing Mark Henry for the title, but it also makes sense storyline wise. 

Over on RAW, the mid-card heels were made to look like jokes this past Monday, and Triple H was the biggest focus of the company.

If this pays off with him doing a hostile takeover of the company and being the puppet master to the new NWO or whatever people want to call this rumored faction that all of a sudden doesn't seem like is going to become a reality, I will eat my words here. 

I would personally like to see this stable of mid carders that have banded together seemingly under John Laurinaitis to be the next powerful stable in wrestling as I have mentioned in a previous article.

If younger guys are going to get rub from being involved with Triple H, he needs to build them up, instead of saying he "could get a better match out of a broomstick" than most of the protesters.

Lines like that completely demolish anything that the newer guys have tried to establish for themselves through their hard work. Triple H, of all people, knows what it's like to be punished for his actions and have to work your way back to the top.

It takes awhile to re-establish credibility with the fans. Actions are one thing, but to constantly tear down the younger guys so that nobody has any respect for them is unacceptable.

Dolph Ziggler has unlimited potential, but he is made to look like a joke more often than not. Jack Swagger is in the same boat. The list could go on and on but I will stop there.

The current storyline they are in has transitioned into they were being unfairly treated to a bunch of whiners, when it could have easily been a group that constantly created havoc throughout the WWE due to being mistreated.

Miz and Truth showed great edginess during their fired period, and then came back out singing to the crowd when they got re-hired. Really? Really? They could have been the new incarnation of the Outsiders, but they had it all taken away from them.

The Rock is coming back. Mick Foley may be coming back, Stone Cold Steve Austin's name is being thrown around lately as if he is coming back.

I love all of these guys, but what does it say about the state of the WWE's faith in their younger guys that to get people to watch they have to bring back guys who, due to health issues, should not even be in the ring anymore?

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there is a master plan in place and the mid card guys are going to be pushed only so far before they take matters into their own hands in this storyline. I certainly hope this is the case.

WWE can still deliver the goods when they want. They need to let their younger stars be more in focus. With so much talent available, they would be stupid not to.

I still have faith in you, WWE, please do the right thing here.