Opinion by S_D

World Wrestling Politics?

It should be. That's all we see. Politics. And it's not entertaining.

With the news of Paul Heyman's removal from the creative head of SmackDown!, one has to wonder how much trouble WWE is in. Bonehead decisions like these exemplify the very thing that is restricting any success to be had in this day. I think it's safe to say that Heyman sure wasn't demoted because of inability.

Ever since the writing team was split into two teams in July 2002, SmackDown!'s star shined way brighter than the dimmed star fragment that is RAW. The wrestling and storyline quality often, if not always, supercedes its RAW counterpart. SmackDown!'s television rating shows that more people watch it than they do RAW. So...we have a show that is the favorite by majority rule, and how does WWE decide to make it better? They remove the person responsible for the success? In the words of Stone Cold Steve Austin...WHAT?

Remember the book Vince Russo was producing about his WWE experience entitled "Welcome to Bizzaro-Land" before he was briefly re-hired in June 2002? There is no better word to describe the WWE's present day management decisions. It's just plain bizarre. The hands being played on the surface seem absolutely asinine. We must always look beyond that surface because it always tells a more interesting story. This is no different a situation. Remember, not all interesting stories are positive.

In this business specifically, whenever someone with talent and ability gets completely shoved out of even the trail to the spotlight, there is only one reason for it: *drum roll* politics. The popular guy we like to point to in that area is Triple H. It just feels right to pin it all on Hunter because, let's face it, a lot of the problems (RAW specifically) are caused by his political games.

Ever since Mr. LeVesque returned in January 2002 from his quadriceps tear, he was a shell of the wrestling machine he used to be. His ring ability atrophied. His promo ability is as dead as Al Wilson. Hunter knew it too. Probably before we all did. So he used his now-soon-to-be-wife to keep his spot because he knew darn well his talent had dicipated. Come on, if you think Triple H really loves Steph because she's got a great personality, you are a very guillible person.

Yes, Triple H can be easily blamed because he fits the puzzle. However, when you are doing a puzzle, there will sometimes be a piece small enough to fit the hole, but it's not their place in the puzzle. There is only one man who fits this political puzzle perfectly. His name?

Vincent Kennedy McMahon, Jr.

Now, I think you are saying to yourself, "Hold up there. Vince is the owner. Why would he even need to politick when he has 100% control?" I'll tell you why. Vince doesn't exactly play the same politics the way someone like Triple H or WCW Hulk Hogan would have. What he does is play politics through other people.

Vince knows that if he pushes for ideas no one likes and those ideas fizzle like dud fireworks, he'll get blamed and criticized (necrophilia, anyone?). So he lines up political fall guys. Triple H is an example. Wonder why Vince is so darn chummy with Hunter? He knows that if the bottom falls out really bad like it did in 1995, all he has to do is point the finger at Hunter and everyone will eat it up, just like he did to The Clique (which Hunter was a part of ironically). That explanation appeals to everyone. Some people badly want to see Triple H bite the bullet and some worship Vince like he's God. Vince is a "genius", remember?

I use the vetoed push of Matt Hardy back in December 2002 as my evidence. Paul Heyman wanted to up the value of Matt Hardy and put him into a feud with Edge. Vince panicked because he didn't want this to happen, but he had no time with hours before showtime to line up a fall guy. Knowing this, he directly shot down Heyman's talent choice and replaced him with A-Train.

But what did he hear in the weeks after that? We heard that Johnny Ace came out of left field and petitioned to get Matt's heel push cooled off because he was "still getting considerable face pops". In the months before this, it had been widely known that Johnny's stock had risen in the company and he was pretty much equal to Jim Ross, power-wise. Johnny spoke up for a reason, folks. He's Vince's fall guy. If Matt Hardy breaks through as a huge heel in the future (which I believe he definitely will), instead of eyeing Vince with that "we told you so" look, everyone will be leering towards Johnny Ace.

With the news of Heyman's demotion, the person that was named primary influence for it was Kevin Dunn, whom is referred to as Vince's right hand man. So if Bruce Pritchard and Dan Lagana aren't up to par and don't produce the same quality show as Heyman did, Dunn gets blamed and is, in turn, the fall guy.

The bottom line to all of this is that Vince has a certain way that he wants his company ran. Why he wants it that way is a question I don't want to answer. I'm afraid I'll get sick at the answer I come up with. What it's going to take is a another guy like Vince Russo to suck it up, show no fear, and say, "Vince, your direction really sucks."

Everyone thought Paul Heyman was going to be the creative savior. However, when Heyman entered WWE at the death of ECW in March 2001, things changed. This period is when people say things in WWE Creative fell apart. People blame the purchase of WCW. I blame Vince stiffening up when Heyman was hired.

Remember, it wasn't Vince's idea. Jim Ross' constant petitioning both in his managerial position and on the now-deceased Ross Report (remember J.R.'s love for Kool Aid?), was a main proponent that got Heyman hired. Not Vince's interest. Everyone knows that the "Attitude" campaign was nothing more than a Vince McMahon version of the stuff Paul Heyman was doing in ECW. Vince didn't want the guy he stole his entire company direction from having considerable backstage control and he finally found a way out of it.

Vince has a way he wants things and now he uses other people to get his ideas through. Vince remembers everyday the backlash he caught on his idea, you may have even heard of it, called the XFL. Vince now uses scapegoats, and he gets his ideas by instituting his own brand of politics.

Vince has a certain way he operates his promotion and no one else will convince him otherwise. The big, muscled-up people will be pushed. The smaller-built and cruiserweights will be ignored. RAW will continue to be Vince's project. SmackDown! will continue to be fooled around with. Things will be Vince's way or no way at all.

As long as the WWE Championship history lineage lists Vince McMahon as a former WWE Champion, I'll never be proved wrong.

S_D
©2003, WrestlingDB.