Asuka's WM challenger to be decided on next week's WWE SmackDown

[XIV]

In fact... EDIT.

Have Triple H cut the above promo. Dave comes to flair’s birthday bash and says “nah, I’m okay, I’m done with wrestling, I’m Drax, I’m okay, wrestling and you don’t really have my attention right now”.

Then later in the night everyone’s in the ring waiting for Flair and the camera shows Hunter heading to Flair’s locker room with a big old smile on his face, everyone thinks he’s going to get his friend. Hunter knocks on the door, Flair opens up and smiles and says “lemme grab my jacket”, Hunter follows him in and then you get the same thing where Flair is beaten up and have Triple H be the heel and then cut a similar promo to Batista asking him if he has his attention now.

Boom. There’s your angle.

Another EDIT!

Then, you get Triple H vs Batista w/Ric Flair in his corner at WM35. Inevitably, Flair turns on Batista with a low blow, giving Triple H that win. Because they faked the whole assault thing just to get one over on Dave for all the times he neglected Wrestling.

The shoot problem with this is that I believe Dave insisted on being the heel.
The structural problem with it is that you have actually made Hunter and Flair into the babyfaces at the end, even though they're the ones cheating and being deceptive. And as the whole Brock thing has been designed to teach us, people who neglect pro wrestling are the heels. So basically you wind up with unlikable babyfaces.

But your first scenario was good.

But ending up with “unlikeable” babyfaces would be fine this scenario. Because of who it is. The people will pop for Flair, because it’s Flair.

Triple H will want to be the face at the end, but it won’t matter, because Triple H is the ultimate tweener these days. The fans have long accepted that Triple H just does what Triple H does and whether it be babyface or heel actions, they suit Triple H.

Batista did insist being heel, he prefers that role, but I personally never really thought he was that good at it. Because for a big man, a clearly strong capable fighter. He always came across as a whiny pussy. And when you’re Batista’s size, that’s not how you should come across when you’re a heel.

[Big Red Machine]

Another EDIT!

Then, you get Triple H vs Batista w/Ric Flair in his corner at WM35. Inevitably, Flair turns on Batista with a low blow, giving Triple H that win. Because they faked the whole assault thing just to get one over on Dave for all the times he neglected Wrestling.

The shoot problem with this is that I believe Dave insisted on being the heel.
The structural problem with it is that you have actually made Hunter and Flair into the babyfaces at the end, even though they're the ones cheating and being deceptive. And as the whole Brock thing has been designed to teach us, people who neglect pro wrestling are the heels. So basically you wind up with unlikable babyfaces.

But your first scenario was good.

But ending up with “unlikeable” babyfaces would be fine this scenario. Because of who it is. The people will pop for Flair, because it’s Flair.

Triple H will want to be the face at the end, but it won’t matter, because Triple H is the ultimate tweener these days. The fans have long accepted that Triple H just does what Triple H does and whether it be babyface or heel actions, they suit Triple H.

Batista did insist being heel, he prefers that role, but I personally never really thought he was that good at it. Because for a big man, a clearly strong capable fighter. He always came across as a whiny pussy. And when you’re Batista’s size, that’s not how you should come across when you’re a heel.

Hunter (and Steph) isn't a heel. He's a flip-flopper. A tweener's behavior can skirt both sides of the line, but it flows naturally. The Velveteen Dream can go from playing the arrogant heel-like role against Ricochet and EC III to being a babyface against Tommaso Ciampa to now going back to the "how dare you disrespect me by coming after my title" heel role against Matt Riddle because while he is absolutely the instigator in all of those feuds, he doesn't do anything too far on the heel side of the line when he's the heel, and when he's the babyface, the other guy clearly does cross that line while TVD doesn't.
Hunter just jumps over to the other side of the spectrum as needed. When TVD comes out, you know that on a scale of 5 to -5 where 5 is Bruno and -5 is Ciampa, he's going to be somewhere in the 1 to -1 range. With Hunter, even time he comes out you're left guessing if he's going to be either 3 or a -3.

[XIV]

The shoot problem with this is that I believe Dave insisted on being the heel.
The structural problem with it is that you have actually made Hunter and Flair into the babyfaces at the end, even though they're the ones cheating and being deceptive. And as the whole Brock thing has been designed to teach us, people who neglect pro wrestling are the heels. So basically you wind up with unlikable babyfaces.

But your first scenario was good.

But ending up with “unlikeable” babyfaces would be fine this scenario. Because of who it is. The people will pop for Flair, because it’s Flair.

Triple H will want to be the face at the end, but it won’t matter, because Triple H is the ultimate tweener these days. The fans have long accepted that Triple H just does what Triple H does and whether it be babyface or heel actions, they suit Triple H.

Batista did insist being heel, he prefers that role, but I personally never really thought he was that good at it. Because for a big man, a clearly strong capable fighter. He always came across as a whiny pussy. And when you’re Batista’s size, that’s not how you should come across when you’re a heel.

Hunter (and Steph) isn't a heel. He's a flip-flopper. A tweener's behavior can skirt both sides of the line, but it flows naturally. The Velveteen Dream can go from playing the arrogant heel-like role against Ricochet and EC III to being a babyface against Tommaso Ciampa to now going back to the "how dare you disrespect me by coming after my title" heel role against Matt Riddle because while he is absolutely the instigator in all of those feuds, he doesn't do anything too far on the heel side of the line when he's the heel, and when he's the babyface, the other guy clearly does cross that line while TVD doesn't.
Hunter just jumps over to the other side of the spectrum as needed. When TVD comes out, you know that on a scale of 5 to -5 where 5 is Bruno and -5 is Ciampa, he's going to be somewhere in the 1 to -1 range. With Hunter, even time he comes out you're left guessing if he's going to be either 3 or a -3.

You make a very valid point, I guess Triple H aims to be that tweener, and he’s being flip flopping for the last I don’t know how many years now that he’s been a tweener feel, but when Hunter is the face, it’s temporary and he probably goes to a 1 on your scale. It’s the heel stuff where he hits the 3.

So I make you half right.

[Big Red Machine]

But ending up with “unlikeable” babyfaces would be fine this scenario. Because of who it is. The people will pop for Flair, because it’s Flair.

Triple H will want to be the face at the end, but it won’t matter, because Triple H is the ultimate tweener these days. The fans have long accepted that Triple H just does what Triple H does and whether it be babyface or heel actions, they suit Triple H.

Batista did insist being heel, he prefers that role, but I personally never really thought he was that good at it. Because for a big man, a clearly strong capable fighter. He always came across as a whiny pussy. And when you’re Batista’s size, that’s not how you should come across when you’re a heel.

Hunter (and Steph) isn't a heel. He's a flip-flopper. A tweener's behavior can skirt both sides of the line, but it flows naturally. The Velveteen Dream can go from playing the arrogant heel-like role against Ricochet and EC III to being a babyface against Tommaso Ciampa to now going back to the "how dare you disrespect me by coming after my title" heel role against Matt Riddle because while he is absolutely the instigator in all of those feuds, he doesn't do anything too far on the heel side of the line when he's the heel, and when he's the babyface, the other guy clearly does cross that line while TVD doesn't.
Hunter just jumps over to the other side of the spectrum as needed. When TVD comes out, you know that on a scale of 5 to -5 where 5 is Bruno and -5 is Ciampa, he's going to be somewhere in the 1 to -1 range. With Hunter, even time he comes out you're left guessing if he's going to be either 3 or a -3.

You make a very valid point, I guess Triple H aims to be that tweener, and he’s being flip flopping for the last I don’t know how many years now that he’s been a tweener feel, but when Hunter is the face, it’s temporary and he probably goes to a 1 on your scale. It’s the heel stuff where he hits the 3.

So I make you half right.

It's Steph, too, and even Vince to an extent. The problem is that WWE wants to have their cake and eat it, too. They want Steph as a babyface so they can give media clips of her making big Women's Evolution announcements, but they also want her to be a heel because she's a good heel and they don't know how to operate without a heel authority figure. With Hunter they want to him be able to be big babyface Triple P on NXT and 205 Live, but they also want to be able to play into Shovel H/The Authority stuff when they want to, and also to have him able to be a babyface for the legends matches. The quicker this company learns to how function without going back to a heel authority figure, the better, because then these things wouldn't be an issue, and Hunter and Steph can just be the "big announcement" babyface authority figures who only show up when it's absolutely necessary.

[XIV]

Hunter (and Steph) isn't a heel. He's a flip-flopper. A tweener's behavior can skirt both sides of the line, but it flows naturally. The Velveteen Dream can go from playing the arrogant heel-like role against Ricochet and EC III to being a babyface against Tommaso Ciampa to now going back to the "how dare you disrespect me by coming after my title" heel role against Matt Riddle because while he is absolutely the instigator in all of those feuds, he doesn't do anything too far on the heel side of the line when he's the heel, and when he's the babyface, the other guy clearly does cross that line while TVD doesn't.
Hunter just jumps over to the other side of the spectrum as needed. When TVD comes out, you know that on a scale of 5 to -5 where 5 is Bruno and -5 is Ciampa, he's going to be somewhere in the 1 to -1 range. With Hunter, even time he comes out you're left guessing if he's going to be either 3 or a -3.

You make a very valid point, I guess Triple H aims to be that tweener, and he’s being flip flopping for the last I don’t know how many years now that he’s been a tweener feel, but when Hunter is the face, it’s temporary and he probably goes to a 1 on your scale. It’s the heel stuff where he hits the 3.

So I make you half right.

It's Steph, too, and even Vince to an extent. The problem is that WWE wants to have their cake and eat it, too. They want Steph as a babyface so they can give media clips of her making big Women's Evolution announcements, but they also want her to be a heel because she's a good heel and they don't know how to operate without a heel authority figure. With Hunter they want to him be able to be big babyface Triple P on NXT and 205 Live, but they also want to be able to play into Shovel H/The Authority stuff when they want to, and also to have him able to be a babyface for the legends matches. The quicker this company learns to how function without going back to a heel authority figure, the better, because then these things wouldn't be an issue, and Hunter and Steph can just be the "big announcement" babyface authority figures who only show up when it's absolutely necessary.

Vince and Bischoff bucked trend and became decent heel authorities... but they are the exception and not the rule...

I believe that authority figures should be like Regal, like Johnny Saint and those guys who have babyface status, show up for important angles to show it’s an important angle and they should always be down the line.

Otherwise technically... the whole company is the heel as their operative is the heel and representing the company.

[Big Red Machine]

You make a very valid point, I guess Triple H aims to be that tweener, and he’s being flip flopping for the last I don’t know how many years now that he’s been a tweener feel, but when Hunter is the face, it’s temporary and he probably goes to a 1 on your scale. It’s the heel stuff where he hits the 3.

So I make you half right.

It's Steph, too, and even Vince to an extent. The problem is that WWE wants to have their cake and eat it, too. They want Steph as a babyface so they can give media clips of her making big Women's Evolution announcements, but they also want her to be a heel because she's a good heel and they don't know how to operate without a heel authority figure. With Hunter they want to him be able to be big babyface Triple P on NXT and 205 Live, but they also want to be able to play into Shovel H/The Authority stuff when they want to, and also to have him able to be a babyface for the legends matches. The quicker this company learns to how function without going back to a heel authority figure, the better, because then these things wouldn't be an issue, and Hunter and Steph can just be the "big announcement" babyface authority figures who only show up when it's absolutely necessary.

Vince and Bischoff bucked trend and became decent heel authorities... but they are the exception and not the rule...

I believe that authority figures should be like Regal, like Johnny Saint and those guys who have babyface status, show up for important angles to show it’s an important angle and they should always be down the line.

Otherwise technically... the whole company is the heel as their operative is the heel and representing the company.

Exactly. And it's one of those things where the problems build on themselves because in WWE's mind if you have an authority figure character you have to write for him/her because he/she is an important character on the show, and so they write segments that require an authority figure's intervention in the form of coming out and booking a match, and as a result it makes the show feel disorganized (especially from a kayfabe point of view).
But if you have a Regal-like authority figure who you're not trying to write for every week then instead of writing segments for him/her into the show you're coming into the show with the matches already kayfabe booked so everything feels more important and more put together. This sort of thing also gives the authority an actual air of authority because rather than interacting with everyone in chummy manner, they only do so when they need to be an authority. Just compare the way Regal appears in backstage segments in NXT to the way main roster authority figures appear in backstage segments on Raw and SD: On the main roster, when we cut to the authority figure's "office" (which never seems to have a desk in it or even a door and looks no different from the interview area that they always used to have the interviewers use) he/she is futzing around with his/her phone. When we cut to Regal, he's in his office and if he's going to be making an announcement then he's there, looking right at the camera to make his announcement, and if someone is going to be walking in on him, he's busy doing paperwork like you'd think a real commissioner would have to do.

[XIV]

It's Steph, too, and even Vince to an extent. The problem is that WWE wants to have their cake and eat it, too. They want Steph as a babyface so they can give media clips of her making big Women's Evolution announcements, but they also want her to be a heel because she's a good heel and they don't know how to operate without a heel authority figure. With Hunter they want to him be able to be big babyface Triple P on NXT and 205 Live, but they also want to be able to play into Shovel H/The Authority stuff when they want to, and also to have him able to be a babyface for the legends matches. The quicker this company learns to how function without going back to a heel authority figure, the better, because then these things wouldn't be an issue, and Hunter and Steph can just be the "big announcement" babyface authority figures who only show up when it's absolutely necessary.

Vince and Bischoff bucked trend and became decent heel authorities... but they are the exception and not the rule...

I believe that authority figures should be like Regal, like Johnny Saint and those guys who have babyface status, show up for important angles to show it’s an important angle and they should always be down the line.

Otherwise technically... the whole company is the heel as their operative is the heel and representing the company.

Exactly. And it's one of those things where the problems build on themselves because in WWE's mind if you have an authority figure character you have to write for him/her because he/she is an important character on the show, and so they write segments that require an authority figure's intervention in the form of coming out and booking a match, and as a result it makes the show feel disorganized (especially from a kayfabe point of view).
But if you have a Regal-like authority figure who you're not trying to write for every week then instead of writing segments for him/her into the show you're coming into the show with the matches already kayfabe booked so everything feels more important and more put together. This sort of thing also gives the authority an actual air of authority because rather than interacting with everyone in chummy manner, they only do so when they need to be an authority. Just compare the way Regal appears in backstage segments in NXT to the way main roster authority figures appear in backstage segments on Raw and SD: On the main roster, when we cut to the authority figure's "office" (which never seems to have a desk in it or even a door and looks no different from the interview area that they always used to have the interviewers use) he/she is futzing around with his/her phone. When we cut to Regal, he's in his office and if he's going to be making an announcement then he's there, looking right at the camera to make his announcement, and if someone is going to be walking in on him, he's busy doing paperwork like you'd think a real commissioner would have to do.

We agree on that much!

I hate unnecessary authority appearances and again, I hate it when they’re the focus!