As we travel down the Road to WrestleMania 28, the top of the card appears set. John Cena vs. The Rock is the main event, and Triple H vs. The Undertaker will go for round three in Hell in a Cell. CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho and Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus are our WWE championship and world heavyweight championship matches, respectively. This sounds like a damn good card so far, but it is missing something.
Like the entire undercard.
While it is not necessarily surprising that only the main event matches have been scheduled, it is a little worrisome about how weak the midcarders have been booked lately. The Intercontinental championship has been defended only a handful of times during Cody Rhodes' almost 200-day reign, and the less said about Jack Swagger and the United States championship the better. The tag team titles are a step above nonexistent, as is the entire division. As for the Divas? Well, we know how highly Vince McMahon and company think of them.
The rest of the WWE midcard is all over the place. There is a lot of great talent there, and they should be performing much better than they have been. Whether it is the booking, the promos, or the actual matches, they are not hitting on all cylinders. Just as the New York Knicks had some of the greatest players and a losing record, the WWE midcard has some of the best pro wrestlers and a mediocre product. But the same man that saved the Knickerbockers can save the WWE midcard.
Jeremy Freaking Lin.
Don't leave now. Hit the jump to let me explain why.
He is a team player
While Jeremy Lin as become famous for his ability to score, he understands the true purpose of the point guard position. He has to be a leader of the team. It is his job to distribute the ball around to his teammates and make sure everyone around him is playing well. With great talents such as Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, and J.R. Smith, it is his duty to make them look good. And he is more than willing to do so. In pro wrestling, that is an invaluable talent to possess. While he may not be able to sell offense like a Dolph Ziggler, he will never be one to demand getting the pin. His job is to put people over, and he would do it for the good of the team.
He knows how to step up when there are injuries
There would be no Jeremy Lin if the Knicks had avoided the injury bug. Baron Davis, Jared Jeffries, Iman Shumpert, Josh Harrellson, ‘Melo, and Amare all missed significant playing time because of injury. This left the bench thin, and forced the Knicks to sign and play Lin. Give the man credit, he took the opportunity and ran with it. The WWE is facing a similar problem. Mark Henry has not been healthy in months, Wade Barrett is going to be out 6 to 8 weeks with a dislocated elbow, Evan Bourne is still serving a suspension, and Randy Orton seems to be made of a combination of balsa wood and Jell-O. The WWE needs a man who can step up, face the pressure of the situation, and absolutely excel.
He has shown Zen-like patience
The road to the NBA was not easy for Lin. He was not recruited coming out of high school, and was only noticed by Harvard because the coach just happened to watch him play. He was not considered to be a pro talent after graduation, and he went undrafted. Lin bounced from team to team, including a few stops in the NBA Development League (the NBA's minor league system). He waited until his time came, and constantly improved his abilities until it did. Lin is not someone who will bitch about getting TV time or having to work dark matches. Instead, he will do what is asked of him with the excitement and intensity as if he was main eventing WrestleMania.
Worldwide Linsanity
Jeremy Lin has reached a popularity that transcends sports. Everyone knows who he is and what he is about. Knicks games have become appointment viewing for every NBA fan, and even a lot of people who don't follow the league. Lin's popularity even extends overseas. China and Taiwan both are claiming him as their own, and the people over there are going crazy for him. For a business man who is constantly looking to expand his business, Vince McMahon would love to capture that passion. Plus, with the WWE's recent Twitter fasination, #Linsanity fits right into their program.
The Harvard alums
Both Primo and Epico and the Usos are cousins and brothers, respectively. Air Boom was created because both Bourne and Kofi Kingston can jump high. Air Truth is a team because ... well, they never actually gave us a reason why Kofi and R-Truth are now a team. The point is that the WWE tag team division has one foot in the grave. But if Jeremy Lin does come over to pro wrestling, there is a man he could instantly tag with. Stick Lin with David Otunga, call them the Crimson Connection, and watch them run rampant over the division. Now I know that Otunga is currently a heel, and Lin would be a more natural face. However, their reign together would be short lived when Otunga attacks his partner after a bad loss. They then have a feud to determine who is the true representation of Harvard in the WWE, with Lin emerging victorious. The storyline practically writes itself.
He knows how to work a crowd
Jeremy Lin, as a benefit for being on the Knicks, gets to play in Madison Square Garden (MSG). While the people of New York have not had much to cheer for in recent years, Lin has reinvigorated that arena. The people absolutely love him, and goes crazy every time he makes a play. It's not just in MSG, though. Following his last second, game-winning shot against the Toronto Raptors, the crowd in Air Canada Centre went wild. Lin gets a home crowd reaction even when he is part of the visiting team. His flair for the dramatics would do wonders in the WWE. He knows how to get people fired up about what they are witnessing, and get them engaged in the moment. It is what people in the business call "it," and Lin sure as hell has it.
Jeremy Lin is having a great year with the Knicks, but no one is ever certain how long these things can last. My career advice to him would be take advantage of all opportunities while he is still a hot commodity. Lets face it; the Knicks are never going to win the NBA finals. The competition is too tough in the Eastern Conference, Mike D'antoni's system has never proven to be championship caliber, and, well ... they are the Knicks. I suggest Lin should jump off that sinking ship, and join the world of professional wrestling entertainment.
Because he deserves to know what it's like to be a winner.
The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Cageside Seats readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cageside Seats editors or staff.
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