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I was more worried about the last paragraph and specifically the "They want guys with the impression that their careers in wrestling depend on making it in WWE." That's just so maniacal and not productive... but yeah, we'll see what happens down the road. They had a great run for a few years rebuilding their developmental and with the performance center opening I'd hate to see that thrown away for more of the Johnny Ace "let's find a guy with a good body and teach him how to work!" mantra.
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It sounds like their goal is to find the future talented Indy wrestlers and get them into developmental before they get really good (and demand a higher Indy pay scale) and well traveled on the Indy scene. Sounds dumb, to me, considering these guys are most often guys they would never look at. Either small or a much of a different look or fat. The only reason they end up getting that good and the WWE wants to sign them in the first place is because they got so good due to their travels and experience.
They will sign all of the Shaun Rickers of the world until they are blue in the face, but they'd never sign the Genericos or PACs or even the Sterling James Keenans unless they had names on the Indy scene that warranted their attention.
Their directive sounds like something, that, in a perfect world, they'd be able to do many years down the road when they've signed most of the Indy talent currently out there that they want...but as for now...they won't be able to avoid signing top Indy talent.Comment
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I thought that at first, but then they started talking about "being able to do anything" and then "Santino"...so who knows.
Colt always seems a bit jaded about his time in the WWE, and finally is in a good place for himself and loves freelancing and supposedly makes a good living doing so...so who knows what will ever happen there.Comment
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It's been talked about at length but I really wish WWE would go back to the developmental territory model and sure, you can have these guys under your umbrella from the beginning but have them work all across the country and world while you're doing it. Take the model they are afraid of and essentially become it. Sign these guys to contracts but still allow them to travel the country and work in different areas, with different people, etc. They are way too big of control freaks to let this happen but I think it'd go a long way in accomplishing all their goals.
With technology where it is, you can watch their progress whenever you want. You can have a guy work in Oregon and Hunter can see the tape of him without minutes or shit, stream it live as well. They don't need to be in a super controlled environment their entire time.
It remains to be seen how successful sticking newbies in a studio in Florida has been. Most of the success stories had strong runs either on the indies or overseas. Or I mean, keep hiring Bison Smith's.Comment
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Having spoke with him at shows and seen the look on his face when he traveled to a Chicago suburb to sell merchandise to about 15 fans at a Wrestling Is... show, I think he'd be okay with making a little bit of guaranteed money for awhile too. With that said, yeah, he's super jaded by the experience so it may be better for his psyche to freelance but if the price is right, given his age and what not, it may be worth giving another go.Comment
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Florida, as is, is essentially an Indy. They have their own little house shows and Central Florida tours as well as a TV taping once per month. What they are doing in Florida is no different than say...what ROH is doing...except they house their talent and have them training 24/7.
Maybe in the future, they do a WWE Performance Center on the West Coast or Northeast or something.Comment
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I think there's a lot of benefit to moving around the country, working in front of different types of fans, different arenas, different guys, etc.
There's no reason for them not to own an "indy" in every main region in America (Northeast, West Coast, Midwest, South)Comment
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Every time I hear him talk about his experience with being contracted to either the WWE or even ROH, he just seems so jaded. It just sounds like it'd take more than downside baseline WWE contract to get him on board. They've supposedly been trying to wine and dine him for a while though, so who knows.Comment
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Wouldn't be surprised if he's trying to work a deal that allows him to keep doing the podcast and selling shirts while at the same time getting the downside as you mentioned. My best guess would be at the end of the day he doesn't go.Comment
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There's a lot of benefit to playing a different role in different places as well. The NXT guys as mentioned will work around Florida but it's same shit in a different town.
Indie guys like today's VOW interview subject Matt Cage (CHEAP PLUG!) plays essentially a different role in almost every fed he works. He's a heel vampire in one fed, was a stereotypical black guy in another, is a rich pompus asshole in another and tomorrow will team with ACH in essentially a flippy young faces team. Not to mention, he's working different crowds each of those times. Tomorrow he'll be working in front of a smarky Chicago crowd and Saturday he'll be in Iowa working a decidedly less educated crowd and one where he can really get over as a heel because they genuinely don't like bad guys there.Comment
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Working in different areas like that helps you find yourself, your character, and what works for you. The strictly WWE-trained guys have a hard time adjusting their game while still getting their shit in. You'll never see Punk or Danielson get shit on during the match and freeze up and they'll always adapt to whatever obstacle or "brass ring" the WWE throws at them. We've seen it with the likes of Randy Orton freeze up numerous times and have a ton of issues with discipline and struggling to adjust.Comment
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That entire supposed directive is hot air. Complete bullshit.
Triple H can say he's not interested in experienced indie talent all he wants, but when the next Punk or Generico or Danielson comes down the pike, they are going to sign him.
And if they don't, considering the Johnny Ace era produced absolutely nothing while the "indie guy" era has produced the best workers on the roster and two of the three biggest stars in the company, then they are completely brain dead and give no fucks about their own future.
I don't buy it. Even if they believe it, it won't happen.Comment
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