Why I’m Cancelling the WWE Network . . . for now.

After this week’s Monday Night Raw I made the decision to cancel the WWE Network. I can usually put my trust in the company with storylines. In the past the road they’ve been on has been shaky but I’ve stuck it out, often with scant reward. But recent events culminated in an ideology I can’t be a party to. WWE doesn’t seem to care about Raw’s pathetic weekly ratings so the only place to make a stand is by removing my payment of 9.99.

The bone of my contention is the deformation of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. We all get that John Cena is the company’s main guy. I acknowledge without any gripes that this has been his year. He’s given the US Title credibility and in the process put over performers such as Cesaro and Kevin Owens. This should have existed while the main title looked strong and its champ – the supreme Seth Rollins – was given legitimacy. Never the twain shall meet.

But they did meet. There could have been other ways to get the belt back to Cena, beforehand they could have afforded Rollins one clean win over Super Cena. Now it is unclear the benefit of the whole Cena/Rollins program. Cena certainly doesn’t need a boost. It’s etched in the fans’ minds that he is the man that runs the place. All it’s done has made the World Champ looking like he’s only good enough to be top of the mid-card.

This is diabolical. Rollins on the mic has no equal right now, and in-ring he’s shown signs he could be not just the greatest of this generation but of all time. His reward for this is a match against Kane going into Hell in a Cell with a belt that’s now worthless.

This poor writing from WWE Creative – the best example of an oxymoron ever – will be masked by the interest in the PPV. Thanks to Undertaker and Brock Lesnar being on duty it’ll appear to be a successful event. In reality it will paper over the cracks.

This is the future of WWE: Poorly managed talent and badly written stories. But as long as the t-shirt sales stay up, kids are buying toys, and the Network bounces around 1.2m subscribers, Vince won’t make a change. Until then I won’t be sending him my ten British pounds each month.

Okay, I’ll probably crack before then. Maybe. Definitely Maybe.

Out of Nowhere!

They say a week is a long time in football (soccer to American readers) and that can be applied to life in the WWE. Never better expressed than the resurgence of Randy Orton. To such a degree even BBC Sport reported Dundee players celebrating a recent goal by imitating Orton’s famous finisher, the RKO ("Randy Orton: Dundee celebrate goal with WWE move"). It comes off the back of videos and Vines that went viral online, each depicting real-life slips but with The Viper superimposed applying the killer move. It put Orton over in a whole new way. Suddenly the third-generation superstar transcends sports entertainment.

Before the 20^th October Monday Night Raw, not many people had the stomach for another Orton/Cena clash. The match had no relevance. Orton had drifted – through no fault of his own – during his reign as the first WWE World Heavyweight Champion. It was doomed after poor scripting, the idea he was ‘first’ to hold both belts when we all remember Chris Jericho unifying the titles, and being overshadowed by Daniel Bryan’s emergence. Since then he has been part of The Authority. Out of the main title mix, seemingly far away from a shot at the MIA Brock Lesnar.

Then it all changed. Those Vines must have helped. Exposure is always a good thing. Initially the idea of presenting Cena or Orton with a shot at gold, when many saw their match behind Ambrose and Rollins, was absurd. What nobody foresaw was the fire that had been lit beneath Randy. Getting attention gives anyone a boost, combined with the spotlight being thrust back on him, a fresh version of the Apex Predator emerged. This is usually unheard of for established stars. Once a main character is formed it goes stale (can you ever see Cena changing now or The Rock altering his act?).

Delivering multiple RKOs was a must after the recent internet sensation. Giving one to sirs Cena and Heyman ensured the fight at Hell in a Cell had extra spice, and the one he gets afterward (hopefully Lesnar) suddenly got personal. Combining this with tensions surrounding Seth Rollins reaching a crescendo, should ensure he’s about to break out on his own once again.

WWE needs to build on the new public awareness surrounding the RKO. Down the line I’d like to see him counter Brock Lesnar’s F5 for the title win. Before this he needs to shown popping unexpected RKOs off everywhere. Not just in-ring, or backstage, but vignettes filmed from real-life set-ups. Let’s see him drop people in shopping malls and banks; movie theatres or as a spectator at sports games. When something is hot, use it. Make videos and clips the way WWE managed in the attitude era. Orton is now over with the fans, and this is before a face turn. They shouldn’t drop the ball like they have done, and keep doing, with so many other stars.

This week he described himself as ‘Third generation royalty,’ it’s time to make Randy Orton a powerful King. Most fans have had their fill of Cena, Bryan is injured and Reigns isn’t ready yet for main event status. As for Ambrose and Rollins – they’d be good to offer a challenge to a newly crowned Viper.

Best of the RKO Vines YouTube Link