And Now, SmackDown Tries to Follow. Remember Summer Slam?

Greetings Enthusiasts!

How’s Tuesday going?  Well, I have to say that I didn’t expect the RAW Reunion to work but it actually was nice to see a lot of the old-timers.  To be honest, a good chunk of them were before my wrestling time but we all know that in the end it didn’t matter.  Stone Cold Steve Austin came out and did one of the things he does best, absolutely owned the crowd.  It was amazing and just like the good old times!  He’s great!  Too bad this is a young man’s game ‘cause the man could more or less still play if he just stayed at 40-something.  That’s the kinda stuff that made me love this stuff in the first place.  He’s just a natural badass and that’s what we must remember.  What we saw last night is what he, specifically brings to the table.

A lot of people wonder why the WWE can’t create new Superstars of this caliber anymore and the reality of it is that whole "Superstar" thing doesn’t exactly fly nowadays.  Austin makes it work because I don’t think what we see in the ring is too far from the truth.  He’s in the WWE Universe because it suits him.  Much of the current roster is either there because they’re legacies or want to be a Superstar too.  Thing is, not everyone has the chops as Austin demonstrated.   Not everyone will be able to go out there and command a crowd’s attention and it’s not the easiest thing to teach either.  Superstars won’t be created in the usual fashion because times have changed.  We want authenticity, skill, wit, charm basically a full package and much of the roster has these but to be truly authentic, you can’t be too scripted and unfortunately, there’s a script to follow.  Now, I’m not saying there should be no scripting.  I’m saying that the best way to get “real” with this and actually give wrestlers a chance to shine is to let them do just that. 

As when you’re trying to promote anything, you accentuate the positive and downplay the negative.  Showcase people’s strengths and downplay their weaknesses.  I've said this various ways before.   Not great on the mic?  S/he has to work on it but in the meantime, speak with action.  Nail it in the ring.  Pop off backstage.  One gets commended for what they do best as they develop as performers.  Naturally, those who can play the part get more airtime.  It could be used as incentive to iron out kinks.  The scene can be set but it will be up to the wrestlers themselves to rise to the occasion.  Giving them the opportunity could allow for new stars to manifest but it won’ t be like it was.  It’s hard to create and maintain celebrity in general these days.  We were more willing to glorify people back then.  With everyone able to get famous with a smartphone, nothing’s all that special anymore.  They’re going to have to do it the old-fashioned way and pull us in with some drama then close with a good, “bang ‘em up” fight!   They got to set the scene for the magic to happen, not attempt to orchestrate it.  Remember, the Attitude Era happened.  It was not created.  That sort of stuff you can’t “create”.  You have to let it happen.  All Creative should be doing is coming up with fun, exciting ideas and developing the storylines/drama.  The rest should be left to the Gods and wrestlers.

In other news, honorable mention goes out to Alundra Blayze/Madusa.  Now, that's a lady who'll cut somebody.  She's just an old-school, bad bitch!  Don’t have too many of those around.  It came off a little rough but I get the feeling that’s sort of the point.  She can handle herself in a bar fight, if you know what I mean.  Not sure if she’d find a place on RAW or SmackDown but maybe NXT.  Be Shayna Baszler’s mentor/manager or something.  I definitely meant it when I said she should inquire with AEW on the Twitters.  That’s kinda their tone.  She could probably still kick an ass backstage.

So, back to the matter at hand.  SmackDown has the unenviable task of following up Mr. Austin and redirecting our attention back to Summer Slam.  I was actually impressed that they kept the action more or less relevant.  Given it being an exhibition type show, I didn’t think they would hold.  I was expecting a lot of nostalgia and “shits & giggles” matches but they kept with the program.  Promising.  So, to continue, looks like Kofi Kingston will throw down the gauntlet for Summer Slam.  Charlotte Flair is gonna see if Ember Moon likes her “boots”.  And Shane McMahon is going to have a stern talking to with Kevin Owens.   Never mind Roman Reigns’ insubordination.  Owens is the real upstart now.  So, you know how we do.  Funny tweets get retweeted and as for Likes/Favorites, they get the nod and the retweet because well as you can see, it’s “special”.

See You in a Bit,

-Nicole Alexis (^_~)