I can’t be the only person who has had enough of the McMahons. I can’t be alone in thinking we need less of them, not more.
Regardless of whether or not I’m alone in my beliefs, I’m certainly in the minority. Fans on Raw and SmackDown have had an overwhelmingly positive reaction to Vince and family getting more air time. They roared when Triple H and Shane McMahon put Baron Corbin in an impossible situation on Raw, forcing him into a four-on-one, no disqualification handicap match. (Andre the Giant had three-on-one handicap matches, but his opponents were generally squash guys, and those matches were by the book.) They laughed when Mr. McMahon dressed as Santa Clause to tell us about the gifts we’re all getting in 2019, including a Women’s Tag Team Championship, which has all the guys here at Can Crushers really stoked! And they loved it when Stephanie McMahon, um, uh. What exactly is Stephanie McMahon‘s role?
This is an ego trip and a storyline excuse so the McMahons can shift focus and responsibility for the apparant dip in WWE viewership. Sure, they confessed to not listening to us, the fans. But they also had a convenient segment where Seth Rollins told us it was all Baron Corbin’s fault. And what was the problem with SmackDown? If Paige was doing such a nice job, why was she removed from her position?
We wrestling fans are a nostalgic bunch. Some of you may say the Attitude Era was the best time for pro wrestling. At 42, I would disagree and say the 80’s were the best. But my father hated 80’s wrestling and thought that the greatest wrestling era was when Bruno Sammartino was champ. Seeing Mr. McMahon on TV reminds us of Steve Austin dropping him with a Stone Cold Stunner after throwing two middle fingers in his face. We remember Bret Hart pulling Vince’s jacket over his head and hockey fighting him. We laugh while we reminisce over the Rock’s insults before he’d lay the smack down on Vince’s ignorant monkey ass! But nostalgia is all it is. Vince can barely grunt his way through a promo. And because he knows that, he exaggerates his ridiculous gestures and facial expressions. He tries harder to be funny because he knows he isn’t. It looks like Shane will return to the ring to team with the Miz because they have the potential to be the best tag duo on SmackDown. Really? Better than the UUUU...SSSOOOOs? Better than the NEEEWWW... DAAAAYY? Please. The Miz is brilliant and can take any storyline and make it entertaining. But I find it hard to believe that he feels the best thing for his career is to team with an occasional wrestler pushing fifty. But what do I know? The SmackDown crowd erupted into “Yes!” chants with just a little coaxing from the Miz.
Vince, Shane, Stephanie, Triple H, enough. You‘re taking up air time that could go to any number of much more talented and harder working performers.
At one time, Vince didn’t want fans to know he was the owner of the WWE. He was satisfied with his minimal TV role of calling the matches and cheering for the good guys. At some point, his people convinced him to take on the villainous part of Mr. McMahon. As much fun as that character was twenty years ago, seeing him now, and seeing his kids take their cue from Dad, I wish he’d have stuck to sitting at ringside and yelling, “Oh my goodness! What a devastating maneuver!”