WWE Raw is trying too hard to sell fans on the match between The Undertaker and John Cena at WrestleMania 34.
Thus far, the feud has primarily been built around Cena cutting "worked shoot" promos calling out "The Deadman," which seems to be the running theme on the red brand these days. When it's WrestleMania season, WWE often follows the same pattern for most of its biggest feuds, utilizing the infamous worked shoot promo to bring a sense of realism and authenticity to them. That, of course, has been the case with the Universal Championship feud between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns as well.
In fact, F4WOnline.com (h/t WrestlingInc) reports that "WWE officials also want the build to Reigns vs. Lesnar to come across like a shoot as much as possible," which explains Reigns' unforgettable shoot promo and Lesnar's scripted no-shows. The goal is to utilize the real-life uncertainty regarding Lesnar's WWE contract situation (many think he's leaving after WrestleMania 34) to add drama and intrigue to that feud, but WWE is taking a page out of the same playbook for the Intercontinental title feud between The Miz, Seth Rollins and Finn Balor.
On last week's Raw, The Miz also cut a "worked shoot" blasting Seth Rollins (who he called "Tyler Black," his name in Ring of Honor) and Finn Balor (who he perhaps mistakenly referred to as "Prince Nevitt," which was not exactly his name on the independent scene) for wrestling "in bingo halls on the indies." It was yet another prime example of WWE's overuse of the worked shoot during WrestleMania season, a strategy that has also been used for Cena vs. The Undertaker.
In his attempt to goad The Undertaker into a match, Cena repeatedly called The Undertaker a "coward" on last week's Raw just one week after he ripped "The Phenom" for disappearing after his WrestleMania 33 loss to Reigns. Cena's initial promo, while praised by some, was lambasted by many who felt it was, even for Cena, too over the top. One of Cena's biggest rivals, WWE Hall of Famer Edge, had the following to say about Cena's promo on a recent episode of his podcast (h/t WrestlingInc):
The John Cena promo, I thought it was pretty hokey...I'm not going to lie. It was cool at some points, but then it was very… just a very hokey delivery. And I know that's Cena's schtick sometimes, but it just didn't feel like this was the moment or the opponent for that, I think. That was my gut when I first watched it...I think that's a huge, massive match and I'm glad the crowd reacted the way they did and I didn't even mind the going into the crowd thing, like, the way they're setting this up like if he doesn't have this match, or he doesn't have this match, or he doesn't have this match, he'll go and pay to sit in the audience. I guess it was just when it got to talking about The Undertaker stuff, it just didn't feel quite as… I don't know. I don't even know how to put my finger on it. I guess it's just sometimes it's kind of hokey delivery can kind of work, but in that instance, it just didn't work for me.
Edge also made an interest point in saying that The Undertaker vs. Cena should be billed as a "Career vs. Career Match," and that is indeed the route WWE should be taking with what many consider to be one of the few dream matches the company has left.
Of course, one could argue that WWE waited too long to do this match, which has minimized, if now downright negated, the drawing power it would have had perhaps even just five years ago. The bottom line is that during the WWE Network era, individual matches mean less than ever before, and it's difficult for any star to truly be a draw in that regard. In fact, there are plenty of indications that no WWE star is truly moving the needle these days.
But that is due to a variety of factors, not the least of which is WWE's questionable booking, which has often given fans no reason to fully invest themselves into these rivalries no matter how much star power is involved.
Now, the road to WrestleMania 34 is paved with a number of Raw feuds that feel the same, including Reigns/Lesnar, Undertaker/Cena and Miz/Balor/Rollins, because they're relying far too much on the now overused worked shoot. The idea that WWE has to blend the real and the scripted for all of these rivalries is a misguided one, as seen by feuds like Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss, Charlotte vs. Asuka or Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles, which are clicking well without having to "break the fourth wall" to do so.
The Undertaker vs. Cena should be a very easy feud to sell, one built primarily upon both stars wanting to prove that they still have "it" and are willing to put their careers on the line to prove it.
That is a much more believable and realistic storyline that doesn't have to involve Cena, the supposed biggest babyface in wrestling, mocking The Undertaker's wife or calling him a coward. That strategy of toeing the line between what is real and scripted worked with The Rock vs. Cena because their rivalry reportedly stemmed from legitimate tension between the two, and fans bought into it, quite literally, in fact. But Cena's "hokey" and "campy" promos, not to mention the unnecessary inclusion of a past-his-prime Kane, have really halted the momentum of what should be a white hot feud between two of the biggest names in pro wrestling history.
Throw in Cena's over-the-top insistence that he'd actually attend WrestleMania as a fan (does anyone really believe that?) and the fact that "The Deadman" still has yet to appear on TV (meaning he'll appear, at most, once before WrestleMania), and it's clear WWE has gone the laziest possible route with what should and could have been an all-time great rivalry.
Let's hope that, going forward, WWE moves on from the worked shoot (and the speculation about whether Cena will miss WrestleMania) and on to a story the crowd can really get behind: The Undertaker and Cena putting their careers on the line.
After all, that's a much more believable story arc, given that Cena is not advertised for any WWE appearances after WrestleMania 34 and the widespread belief that this is it for "The Phenom."
Blake Oestriecher is an elementary school teacher by day and a sports writer by night. He’s a contributor to the Forbes @SportsMoneyBlog, where he primarily covers WWE. You can follow him on Twitter @BOestriecher.
