CM Punk

[Mr. Nerfect]

Originally Posted by Afterlife But it's Vince's show. He's not going to re-write a 60-man operation last minute unless he has to, a la Jeff Hardy. He's going to take things slow and progressive, like usual, until he gets you where he wants you to be. It's not stupid, it's just the general formula.

I get you, and I don't completely disagree with this. It is the general formula, and Vince does like to do things his way. I don't think that's always stupid (he is the boss, and should have control and the guys under his thumb, I guess), but I don't think it's smart, either.

When was the last time the WWE created a real star? Batista is probably the closest the WWE has come in recent years. I mean, I guess you could consider John Cena a star, but ratings have dropped under him, PPV buys have gone down. I think Batista generally improved things heading into his match with Triple H at WrestleMania 21. Cena was second fiddle, and things changed when Batista became the #2 guy.

I may be wrong about all of that, but the point isn't whether or not Batista was a success. If he was, though, then it fuels my point: A lot of the guys that have made a lot of money have been happy accidents. Steve Austin was probably not someone Vince ever really saw as a main eventer. He got to deliver his own edgy promo, though, and from there Austin really caught on, started to build, and through his performances became the biggest financial success I believe the WWE has ever had (I think it's been proven Austin made more money than Hogan). They didn't always put him over, and one of Austin's defining moments was when he lost to Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13. Another was his legendary pursuit to be WWE Champion. Not always success stories.

Rocky Maivia was bland as a babyface, did not catch on. If Vince did things the Vince way, and tried to keep him going to plan, then we'd probably never had experienced "The Rock." It was listening to the fans, turning Rocky heel, and letting him go from there that allowed The Rock to become what he became.

Listening to the fans often results in success. Granted, you can't do it all the time, but Matt Hardy circa 2005, Christian circa 2005 and CM Punk circa 2006 are three of the biggest missed opportunities the WWE has let slip by. John Cena from about 2005 onwards is also something the WWE hasn't rightly listened to the fans on, in my opinion.