There has always been the talk between wrestling fans of "the look". If you are reading this blog, you probably have had that discussion with a friend about a myriad of wrestlers. "Wow! That Guy has an amazing look!" or "This guy has the look, Vince must love this guy." There's always the classic, "This guy is really good, but he doesn't have the look." For decades on end we have been conditioned to believe that certain looks were what made it to the main event, or a certain build would lead to marketable success.
The question is, what is "the look." Historically speaking, "the look" is related to a strong physique or muscular tone, and overall size. They want someone that will draw attention in crowds. There has always been the argument that you don't want a top guy who looks like your neighbor or friend, but someone who is larger than life. Hulk Hogan had the look, The Rock had the look, and John Cena has the look. The truth is a lot of guys have had the look, some of them succeeded to a great extent, but many of them failed to draw money or interest.
Plenty of great looking wrestlers have failed, but people have felt for so long that Vince McMahon had a prejudice against smaller guys or fat guys. Even I thought that people could not make it to WWE because of their looks. The truth is, looks still counts for something, but talent absolutely matters as well. American audiences have changed, and they want better wrestlers. This has opened the door for many guys to become mainstream players that may not have gotten the chance previously. Guys like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan had to force their way up with the help of the fans demanding their guys be pushed. But now WWE seems to be taking initiative. NXT's top talent are mostly smaller guys or in the case of Kevin Owens, big around the belly. Sami Zayn isn't your typical main event wrestler, but he is captivating. Finn Balor isn't a big guy, but his presence and character has this special aura to it that is mesmerizing. Kevin Owens looks like a guy you could see getting in fights at a bar, but he is so real that it captures you. They are proving that you can captivate an audience with more than just size and muscle. Many of us have known this for a long time, but these guys are special and have no boundaries, as their looks can't truly define them.
On May 31st, 2015, Kevin Owens defeated John Cena by pinfall from his pop-up power bomb. Kevin did not cheat, he did win by countout, he didn't use weapons. He straight up beat John Cena. This is something that 2008 Andrew, watching Kevin wrestle in the Orlando Rec Center during Wrestlemania weekend, could not imagine. NXT is revolutionizing this company one person at a time. Neville also has been brought up on a smaller scale, but has certainly been protected with booking. WWE realizes that NXT is hot and is providing them with fresh characters that haven't already been ruined by poor booking decisions. This is WWE's clean slate. You are being provided with a very healthy future full of talent. Use it wisely and people will notice. This is not a transition that can happen overnight, I am aware of that. With proper patience and care, however, you can build your next "era" that will bring in new audiences by word of mouth. If you build a great product, people will watch eventually.
The question is, what is "the look." Historically speaking, "the look" is related to a strong physique or muscular tone, and overall size. They want someone that will draw attention in crowds. There has always been the argument that you don't want a top guy who looks like your neighbor or friend, but someone who is larger than life. Hulk Hogan had the look, The Rock had the look, and John Cena has the look. The truth is a lot of guys have had the look, some of them succeeded to a great extent, but many of them failed to draw money or interest.
Plenty of great looking wrestlers have failed, but people have felt for so long that Vince McMahon had a prejudice against smaller guys or fat guys. Even I thought that people could not make it to WWE because of their looks. The truth is, looks still counts for something, but talent absolutely matters as well. American audiences have changed, and they want better wrestlers. This has opened the door for many guys to become mainstream players that may not have gotten the chance previously. Guys like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan had to force their way up with the help of the fans demanding their guys be pushed. But now WWE seems to be taking initiative. NXT's top talent are mostly smaller guys or in the case of Kevin Owens, big around the belly. Sami Zayn isn't your typical main event wrestler, but he is captivating. Finn Balor isn't a big guy, but his presence and character has this special aura to it that is mesmerizing. Kevin Owens looks like a guy you could see getting in fights at a bar, but he is so real that it captures you. They are proving that you can captivate an audience with more than just size and muscle. Many of us have known this for a long time, but these guys are special and have no boundaries, as their looks can't truly define them.
On May 31st, 2015, Kevin Owens defeated John Cena by pinfall from his pop-up power bomb. Kevin did not cheat, he did win by countout, he didn't use weapons. He straight up beat John Cena. This is something that 2008 Andrew, watching Kevin wrestle in the Orlando Rec Center during Wrestlemania weekend, could not imagine. NXT is revolutionizing this company one person at a time. Neville also has been brought up on a smaller scale, but has certainly been protected with booking. WWE realizes that NXT is hot and is providing them with fresh characters that haven't already been ruined by poor booking decisions. This is WWE's clean slate. You are being provided with a very healthy future full of talent. Use it wisely and people will notice. This is not a transition that can happen overnight, I am aware of that. With proper patience and care, however, you can build your next "era" that will bring in new audiences by word of mouth. If you build a great product, people will watch eventually.
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