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| The Big Push |
Matt Barnes |
Is it about time WWE's midcard talent stopped sitting on their hands and started pushing themselves?
One of the most consistent things in wrestling is the way fans berate multi-time WWE champion and McMahon family interloper Triple H for just about everything he does. Winning matches? Yup, what a scoundrel. Winning titles? The prick! Actually having fun at work? We don’t know how the bastard sleeps at night! The truth is, though, that Hunter is largely just doing what everybody else on the roster is trying to do, albeit with a dash of nepotismic booking – basically, he’s getting himself over and doing everything within his power to stay there.
Yes, he’s turned making a career for himself into something of a self-serving art form at times, but the truth is that wrestling is a dog-eat-dog world and pointing the finger of blame when the biggest, most wily dog is fighting for survival doesn’t stop the other dogs scrapping for position in the pack. So, while FSM can’t say that we exactly agree with everything Triple H has done to assert his position atop the WWE tree over the last decade, we certainly can understand why he felt the need to protect his position once he’d worked so hard to figuratively and literally wrestle it from the performers before him.
Hunter talks at length in The Unauthorised History Of D-Generation X about how hard it was to be the replacement for Shawn Michaels as both the leader of DX and as the biggest draw in the company. It required a huge deal of risk and self-belief – considering the stern opposition both men initially faced when coming up with original ideas as WWE was floundering in the ratings against WCW in the earliest days of DX and considering that Shawn and Hunter put their professional reputations on the line in order to get over their gimmicks, skits, angles and ideas, it’s hardly surprising that Hunter often says that the young guns of today need to stand up for themselves and get themselves over, rather than sitting around waiting for everybody else to do the work for them.
That may sound strange in today’s scripted WWE society, but it actually makes perfect sense. While the early DX had far more creative license than today’s young superstars, it really is the talent’s responsibility to work with the Creative department, shape their character, help mould their interviews, angles and directions and to then back it up in the ring by tearing the house down every night.
This tried-and-tested approach also requires a good deal of brown-nosing, if truth the told, but that’s a necessary evil in most jobs (right, Mart, old buddy, old pal?). Even after success is achieved, they need to work harder than ever behind the scenes: turning up early, showing utmost respect to the veterans, watching the matches of others and generally being the model employee.
Not surprisingly, that’s how Sheamus got to where he is today. He worked his ass off both behind and in front of the cameras to establish his position so quickly and by aligning himself with Triple H, he secured his spot. ‘Friends in high places’ don’t come easy, but Sheamus became the proverbial student of the game and, in doing so, earned the man’s respect. Soon, Hunter wielded his mythological ‘Backstage Sword of Sway™’ and Sheamus hasn’t looked back since, enjoying the most meteoric rise in recent WWE history. But, while earning the respect of your peers is a huge factor in succeeding as a WWE superstar, it really isn’t the whole story…
For the rest of this feature, check out issue 51 of FSM - available at WH Smith and all good retailers. (For US readers we are now carried at Borders and Barnes & Noble, so check for local availability or click here to subscribe.)
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