It is time for WWE fans, disgruntled with the product, to understand that this company is not the only show in town.
In the midst of this epic segment with Roman Reigns on WWE Raw, John Cena pointed to the fans and stated, “They hold the key. They always have. They always will.”
Consider this article a memo to the fans to remind them of that fact.
Nobody can deny that WWE fans have their plethora of complaints. Between WWE encouraging the interaction through the use of social media, combined with the departure of CM Punk, Daniel Bryan’s unceremonious elimination from the 2015 Royal Rumble, the alleged burying at the hands of Triple H and Cena, and other creative decisions that were apparently misguided and/or selfish, has encouraged the construction of digital soapboxes all over the world.
These soapboxes are inhabited by those that claim to be diehard wrestling fans. What is so odd is that the same amount of energy used to criticize the product (certainly the same amount of energy to blow up and pass around a beach ball) could be used seeking other excellent sources of professional wrestling.
For example, New Japan Pro Wrestling has made a video streaming service, NJPW World, readily available to anyone willing to pay $9.99 a month to view their product.
Highspots has offered the “Highspots Wrestling Network”, which features some of the best of independent wrestling in addition to older ECW house show videos.
Should fans wander through podcasts run by the likes of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Chris Jericho, and Edge & Christian, they will hear these greats interview wrestlers from the independent scene like Kenny Omega, bringing further publicity to an independent wrestling scene that is as hot as it has ever been evidenced by the Bullet Club shirts that are currently being sold at Hot Topic locations nationwide.
It is no coincidence that arguments have been made that the NXT product has surpassed the shows produced on WWE’s two flagship shows. For the past few years, veterans of the independent wrestling scene have been poached to allow the NXT locker room to be a professional wrestling breeding ground thanks to the vast, eclectic experience that diverse cast of talented performers possesses.
It also does not hurt that Shawn Michaels is now a full-time trainer at the WWE Performance Center, but I digress.
Wrestling fans do hold the key to the business; NXT is Exhibit A of this statement. Triple H truly answered the call of fans clamoring for a product that does not have evidence of corporate involvement. NXT suspends the disbelief of its audience, leading to pure, welcomed entertainment, rather than providing fodder for fans to judge. What fans now need to begin realizing is that NXT should serve as a gateway into all that professional wrestling has to offer beyond the banner of WWE.
Seth Rollins, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, AJ Styles. Regardless of heel or face alignment, these legends have designated themselves with, it is undeniable that each of them made themselves elite in the world of professional wrestling long before stepping foot inside of a WWE ring, and each of them receives resounding respect from the audience each time they step in the ring. They carried the independent wrestling torch to the forefront of the attention of the casual WWE audience. In the event that these often-disgruntled fans begin to become disengaged with the WWE programming, the realization needs to be made that they do, in fact, “have the key” and can seek their wrestling elsewhere.
Current independent wrestling stars like Ricochet, Will Ospreay, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and former WWE star Cody Rhodes, along with many of their peers, provide performances on a nightly basis that rival anything that WWE offers. This is not an attempt to get fans to pledge their allegiance to a wrestling product not run by Vince McMahon. This is simply a wake-up call to fans to get them to realize that the WWE is not the only show in town. Fans have the control to provide independent wrestling with the attention needed to actually create competition for the WWE.
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However, this attention may require time away from booing Reigns.