In a week where John Cena's ingenious matchmaking strategy nearly backfired on him, but still led to his placement at the top of these young Wrestler Wrankings, our nation's champion wasn't the most interesting takeaway.
Bo Dallas entered the arena, ostensibly to inspire Roman Reigns. He was nearly murdered for his effort. It is painfully obvious that Dallas would stand absolutely zero chance in any kind of a match against Reigns. They're just a completely different species of athlete.
This was followed immediately by an absolute joke of a match in which Sheamus emasculated Zack Ryder. Again, there is no hope of success Ryder in a match against Sheamus in 2015. From what we saw, those two could wrestle 100 times and the result would be identical every time. A near-death experience for Ryder.
So what do these two distinct but similar occurrences tell us? We know that Dallas and Ryder are among the very best wrestlers in the world. Their presence in WWE confirms this. Yet, they have no hope in competition against some of their better-regarded contemporaries. This may pose a problem for the wrestlers involved, but I'm more concerned about the effect on the fans and WWE.
For years now, audiences have been spared the likes of "Iron" Mike Sharp, the Mulkey Brothers, and other untalented underdogs struggling to compete against superior competition. These type of matches still occur, of course, just not on worldwide television. Dive bars and bingo halls still host matches involving "local talent" and, given enough success, any of these athletes could rise to prominence in WWE. We just aren't forced to watch their journey anymore.
It's not that lower cards are getting worse, rather that the elite class is growing. We all remember a time when Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant towered over the rest of the WWF and neither was ever in danger of losing. Were it just, say, Brock Lesnar and John Cena who were unbeatable, it wouldn't be any different. But now there's a whole caste of wrestlers that are in a class above the rest. Rusev, Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, Big Show, Kane, Undertaker, Seth Rollins, and Sting, just to name a few, are so far above the Heath Slaters and Darren Youngs of the world.
On the plus side, there is even more excitement when a newcomer like Neville appears and is actually able to compete with the best of the best. Breaking into the group of top wrestlers is harder than ever, but once there, it's more vital than ever to stay.
Fans accustomed to 20 uninterrupted years of competitive matches on TV might find themselves lost in a sea of lopsided encounters, but if this week's RAW is any indication, they had better get used to it.
***
OFFICIAL WRESTLER WRANKINGS FORMULA
ANY WIN = 2 POINTS
US OR INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE BOUT = 1 POINT
WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE BOUT = 3 POINTS
NON "BIG 4" PPV BONUS = 1.5X
SUMMERSLAM, SURVIVOR SERIES, ROYAL RUMBLE = 2X BONUS
WRESTLEMANIA = 3X BONUS
The WWE season begins on the day after WrestleMania 31 and culminates with WrestleMania 32. The wrestler who accumulates the most points over the course of the season, wins the coveted Wrankings Championship!
Monday Night Raw -- 4/20/15
Main Event-- 4/21/15
Smackdown -- 4/23/15
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WRESTLER WRANKINGS, WEEK 4 *TOP TEN*
1. John Cena -- 12 points
2. Randy Orton -- 10
T3. Fandango -- 8
T3. Ryback -- 8
5. Stardust -- 7
T6. Neville -- 6
T6. Seth Rollins -- 6
T6. Miz -- 6
T6. Sheamus -- 6
10. 3 tied at 4
Thanks for reading, Cagesiders. We'll see you back here next week!