"Paying your dues" in 2011

[Xero]

Years ago, "paying your dues" meant working the indies and working the territories. Making your name in other countries, or even just wrestling in other countries.

Today, something I've always felt of these pushes and depushes, with the likes of Sheamus (who is now on the rise again) and Ted DiBiase, was that it is a form of paying your dues. Unfortunately, it tends to kill their momentum and has a chance of permanently making them unmarketable to the current audience, but I do feel that this is a part of paying your dues in 2011. Of course, it could also be punishment for some guys, mismanagement or them just not being "ready".

Of course, another part, at least for WWE, is working in FCW. And for most, that means low pay and reworking themselves pretty much from the ground up in the "WWE Way".

What do you feel "paying your dues" entails in 2011? Is it better or worse than before? How do you feel about my assessment of the depushes?

Discuss "paying your dues" in general in here.

[lara logan]

No such thing anymore. Everything is a business decision now.

[Jeritron]

Miz is one of the modern guys who stands out most to me as paying his dues, or at least earning what he has. Pretty remarkable.

[Nicky Fives]

Paying your dues consists of being in FCW for 1-3 years.....

[Mr. Nerfect]

I agree with your assessment, Xero. Here's the way I look at it:

The WWE wants someone to come in and be a huge star. That's just common sense. The WWE wants everyone on their roster to generate revenue for them -- whether it's via merchandising, television ratings, PPV buyrates, ticket sales, etc. Vince McMahon is not going to be pissed off if Zack Ryder sells a million t-shirts. But there are some people who would be, and that's where politics still remain to this day.

But it does seem the way the WWE really tests the guys they want to be a star these days. They give a little, taketh away, and see how that performer deals with the lows after having the highs. I think a lot of this has to do with Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley and even guys like Carlito. Pretty much every rising star in the WWE has been booked to hit brick walls lately.

* Wade Barrett has already headlined six PPVs in his WWE career, but seems to have settled into a slower build to the top, and was denied the WWE Championship in a feud where most people seemed to think it was an inevitability that Barrett would be "made."

* Drew McIntyre was labelled as "The Chosen One" by Mr. McMahon himself, gets a solid run with the Intercontinental Title, gets thrown together for a WWE Tag Team Title run with Cody Rhodes, and actually couldn't find himself a spot on the WrestleMania card this year.

* Sheamus is a two-time WWE Champion, the 2010 King of the Ring and still couldn't find his way onto the WrestleMania card. Since winning the KOR tournament, Sheamus has dropped off multiple wins to John Morrison, Evan Bourne and Daniel Bryan.

* Kofi Kingston was one of the hottest acts on Monday Night RAW at the beginning of 2010, and was involved in an intense feud with Randy Orton. After one alleged mistake, though, Kofi barely squeaks onto the WrestleMania XXVI card, and is shipped off to SmackDown! where he has since had fantastic matches, but usually around the mid-card level.

* Jack Swagger comes in, tears up the ECW scene, and is the ECW Champion in a matter of four months or so. Swagger then moves to RAW, and somehow it becomes leaked that the WWE sees this huge guy with a legit amateur background as a "comedic character." He feuds with Santino Marella, where he constantly gets one-upped by the goofball, and then somehow finds himself in Money in the Bank, but not only that, he wins, cashes in against Chris Jericho and wins the World Heavyweight Title, but loses that in June and has only since really been involved in main event activities. Swagger's specialty is wrestling, but he didn't even get to do that at WrestleMania this year.

* Alberto Del Rio wins the biggest Royal Rumble in history, and then starts losing match after match against the returning Christian, and then loses at WrestleMania in his World Title match.

I'm sure there are others I'm missing, but I think pushing and de-pushing is a strategy the WWE uses to test how well a guy can play ball, how he handles road schedules even if he's not going to be as prominently featured as he has shown he can be, and all that. If a guy takes it well, does what he's told, continues to wrestle at a great pace (or even better, a greater pace), then he passes an important test.

[Triple Naitch]

I'd add Ziggler to that list, Noid.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Hmm, give him a few weeks before that happens. I get what you mean, but I think his real test is yet to come. When he's not always prominently featured and works Superstars every now and then we can officially add him, I think.

[LuigiD]

I have been interested how they have handled the Nexus guys. Both new and original members. I felt like when the Nexus were brought in they were a force to reckon with. They headlined one of the years biggest pay per views fighting an all star team of "big names" including the Hitman. Slowly I have felt like they have lost their influence and intimidation power. I mean, all of the new Nexus are pretty much back at FCW. Husky is even being repackaged apparently. Just interesting to see some guys get such a rise so quickly only to be sent down again..like Swagger.

[Jeritron]

I'm sure there are others I'm missing, but I think pushing and de-pushing is a strategy the WWE uses to test how well a guy can play ball, how he handles road schedules even if he's not going to be as prominently featured as he has shown he can be, and all that. If a guy takes it well, does what he's told, continues to wrestle at a great pace (or even better, a greater pace), then he passes an important test.

CM Punk immediately comes to mind when it comes to this. Even Edge and Randy Orton seemed to go through these stages.

It's also a reason why I think Christian would have become world champion eventually if he hadn't skipped out to TNA, tbh.
It's looking like he still might now, but that's another story.

[MoFo]

The whole idea of having to pay yr dues is just dumb...

If you are good enough then you are ready to step into a high spot. Why should someone be held back on account of how long their tenure with the company has lasted? Seems stupid.

[Mr. Nerfect]

The whole idea of having to pay yr dues is just dumb...

If you are good enough then you are ready to step into a high spot. Why should someone be held back on account of how long their tenure with the company has lasted? Seems stupid.

Because in the past people have taken their pushes, accomplished everything they wanted so early that they get too used to it and throw a hissy fit when things don't go their way, or it turns out they can't handle a road schedule.

People can travel for a year, with a fresh push and constant direction and be all cool -- but the real test is if a guy can travel for years on end with very little down-time and not always be centre-stage.

[NormanSmiley]

I think too many people get caught up in push/depush. not every guy can win every week, if they arestill gonna have matches for now there still has to be a loser. I think the bigger issue what generates all these posts (my fave guy is hated by vince now cause he lost one match one raw) is the feel of a smaller roster due to the brand split. back in the day you could have everyone beat jobbers on superstars and promo it up for 2 months before a ppv before you knew who was getting pushed. now you can only have one guy a week beat up evan bourne