Topic: Wrestling?

So you know how we all bitched at TNA for years for never pushing their own home talent and always pushing talent that got famous elsewhere?

Anybody thinks its kinda funny that WWE is getting bitched at for basically the exact opposite thing?

If you look at all of WWE's top level, or the ones people say should be at the top level right now, how many are actually home grown?

Nakamura and Finn got big in Japan

Rollins, Ambrose, Owens, Zayn, AJ Styles, The Revival, Goldberg, Jericho, Cesaro, Samoa Joe, Eric Young, Chris Hero, Tye Dillinger, Bobby Roode, and Austin Aries all got famous in either the indys, or TNA, or ROH, or WCW or Japan

Even the Hardy's, who could be considered home grown, don't really count, because the gimmick people actually care about and want to see them in was invented in TNA.

So who does that leave as actual home grown talent that WWE can push and promote as top level guys?

Roman Reigns. Braun Strowman. Randy Orton. Bray Wyatt. Baron Corbin.

(John Cena and Brock Lesnar are mixed, as Cena is part time, Brock is part time, and while Brock spent years in WWE first, one could argue that it was his UFC run that actually made his return to WWE in any way worth while)

Suddenly, I think things make a little more sense. Granted, people have been happy that Bray got a push and Braun's improvement has been awesome and if he keeps it up and is booked right, he could easily be a world champion in the future, but if your intent on bitching and wondering about why Orton and Reigns and Corbin are getting any kind of push, there's a reason why right there.

There is very little actual home grown talent in WWE right now, so to me, it makes sense that they would push the few they have. I mean, for fucks sake, it's WWE. It's awesome that they are finally embracing pre-established stars and pushing them, especially after 10 years of Cena, but goddamn, they still need at least one or two home grown main event guys still in the mix.  


Random Fun Fact: I had a friend who bitched that 2016 was "WWE's Worst Year" because "they never once listened to the fans the entire year"

...in a year that saw Reigns drop down the card (for a brief time at least), had the least amount of Cena and Orton ever, had the most pushed womens division ever,  and saw Dean Ambrose finally become WWE Champion and reach main event status, saw Brock Lesnar actually get destroyed, saw Kevin Owens, in his second year in WWE, become a main event star and win a world title.

It saw a womens hell in a cell, a Shield Triple Trheat, Finn Balor pin Roman Reigns and then become World Champion a month into his main roster debut, Sami Zayn get pushed as a star, a crusierweight and UK tournament and return of the crusierweights to WWE, and, how could we forget, AJ Styles spending most of the year as a top level main event talent, defeat John Cena in multiple matches, and spend the latter third of the year as WWE Champion.

Was it perfect? No. Were/Are there issues? Yes.

But is everything bad and horrible just because WWE is following your particular fantasy booking to the letter?

No.