The Piledriver Report 10.31.07: Who is the Most Important Performer in the Industry?

Earlier this week, professional baseball player, Alex Rodriguez had opted out of his contract with the New York Yankees to become a free agent. As the top player in the game, Alex Rodriguez is expected to command a new contract in the neighborhood of 10-12 years with an annual salary of $30 million a year.

Signing A-Rod does not guarantee a trip to the World Series, as Texas Rangers’ and New York Yankees’ fans have learned. However, what A-Rod does bring to the team that signs him is a marquee player, who will help sell out stadiums and merchandise. Plus, he will put up MVP numbers while trying to get his team into the playoffs. The signing of A-Rod will give any team instant credibility as a playoff contender.

In the professional wrestling industry, impact “free agents” are few and far between in this era. However, back during the Monday Night Wars, any “free agent” on the market had the potential to lead a wrestling company to the promised land.

While wrestlers like Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan switched promotions in the early and mid-nineties, it wasn’t until 1996 that wrestling experienced the first real “impact free agent” hit. Sure, the World Wrestling Federation had several big signings in the mid-eighties. They landed Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Paul Orndorff, Ted DiBiase, Randy Savage, and a host of other performers. However, in the eighties, there was no group that fought back and signed away the WWF’s stars.

In 1996, that all changed. World Championship Wrestling, who two years earlier signed Hulk Hogan and, slowly, many of his buddies like Brutus Beefcake and Randy Savage, decided to wage war on the WWF. Their first major signing was to ink a former Intercontinental Champion and WWF World Champion (Razor Ramon and Diesel) away from Titan Sports. At first, it seemed like a medium sized bump, but not a huge hit. After all, the WWF still had Shawn Michaels, the Undertaker, and Bret Hart at the top of their roster.

The WWF would learn pretty quickly that Razor and Diesel’s defection to WCW would have a major impact on the WWF. Eric Bischoff immediately inserted the two as “outsiders,” who came to WCW to “take over the company.” A few weeks later, Hulk Hogan joined the team, and the New World Order was born. The n.W.o became the hottest wrestling angle since the WWF created the “Rock n’ Wrestling Connection” in the mid-eighties. Without the signing of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to play the “Outsiders” role, the New World Order angle would have not worked.

With World Championship Wrestling now being THE place to be, Eric Bischoff was able to sign away more stars from Vince McMahon’s wrestling empire. Uncle Eric didn’t stop there, as he also signed wrestlers from Extreme Championship Wrestling, and places like Mexico and Japan. World Championship Wrestling became to the wrestling industry what the New York Yankees have been to major league baseball. From the top of their line-up all the way to the bottom of the roster, WCW was filled with big name main eventers and performers who can work better then most men in the business.

Today, we no longer have such a roster. In the WWE, you have a collection of some of the best talent in the business. However, it’s not the deepest roster that the industry has ever seen. In today’s WWE, thanks to the three different brands, you have a handful of wrestlers that are main event caliber performers. Then, there are some performers, who can work that are stuck in the mid-cards. They also have a slew of workers, who are too “green,” and not quite ready for prime time. From top to bottom, today’s WWE roster has a lot of holes in it.

There are three “name” companies in the professional wrestling industry in North America today. There is the WWE, TNA, and Ring of Honor. Let’s say that there was another federation that was out there, who resembled WCW just before Hall and Nash arrived. Well, call this federation the World Championship Wrestling Federation.

The WCWF has a two-hour prime time television show on Monday nights. They have the kind of money backing them that Ted Turner had, and they aren’t afraid to spend it. Their roster contains several “known” wrestlers to the casual wrestling fan, as well as up and comers, who can know how to work. Now, let’s assume that every wrestler in the WWE, TNA, and Ring of Honor all became free agents.

Unlike “Uncle Eric” did during the “Monday Night Wars,” we are not allowed to sign anybody and everybody. Instead, we have to choose just one wrestler who would make the difference in the WCWF becoming the top wrestling organization in the world, as opposed to just playing second fiddle. What performer could we sign that would bring us to the next level?

There are several interesting candidates. Here is the list.

Hulk Hogan: Pros: Currently, Hulk Hogan is not wrestling at the moment. However, the “Hulkster” is the biggest fish in the wrestling pond. He is the “Babe Ruth of Professional Wrestling.” More non-wrestling fans know the name of Hulk Hogan then any other professional wrestler. Hulk Hogan has had a major hand in leading two different companies to become the top wrestling organization during two of wrestling’s greatest boom periods in the industry’s history. When people hear the name “Hulk Hogan,” they think “professional wrestling.

Cons: Since signing on with VH-1 to star in the Celebreality series “Hogan Knows Best,” Hulk Hogan is probably more famous now, then he was during his wrestling peak. However, fans watch wrestling to see “wrestling” (despite want the WWE’s creative department may think). At this point in his life, Hulk Hogan can’t “go,” like a normal wrestler. Injuries and age have caught up with him. Right now, and for the past several years, a Hulk Hogan in a wrestling company is at his best in short spurt where you see him every so often.

Triple H: Pros: Since the summer of 1999, Triple H has been THE name of professional wrestling. No wrestler during this stretch of time has been able to hold a candle to HHH. He is probably the single greatest heel of the post-twentieth century era. While wrestlers like The Rock, Mick Foley, and Steve Austin were either retiring or injured for long stretches of time, Triple H carried the WWF/E. Triple H is also an integral part of the WWE backstage scene. By being married to Stephanie McMahon, Triple H probably has more “power” then any wrestler in the industry.

Cons: Triple H’s major weakness is that he is injury prone. In the last six years, Triple H has suffered two major quad tears. Each tear has kept him out of action for almost a year at a time. Another “con” is that Triple H always has a need to look better then every one else on the roster. Whether the World Champion, or not, Triple H seems to make his opponents look incompetent. The exception to this rule is if he is feuding against Shawn Michaels (his best friend) or his father-in-law.

John Cena: Pros: He is the present and future of the business. While most male fans hate his character, women and children love him. He is a huge moneymaker, as his merchandise flies off the shelf. Cena is also the hardest working man in the business today. When he isn’t working in a wrestling ring, he is out doing promo work. He’s had a tremendous amount of success at a young age, and still has a level head and humble attitude. Another positive is that he has already had exposure from the main stream media. Cena has recorded a rap album, starred in a movie, plus has appeared in numerous TV shows like “Manhunt,” “Deal or No Deal,” “MADtv,” “Punk’d,” “Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race,” and soon to air “Celebrity Apprentice.”

Cons: John Cena is not a good worker in the ring. While that never hurt Hulk Hogan in terms of popularity, it has hurt Cena. After a few years, Hogan started to hear his share of boos. However, Cena has been bombarded with jeers for the last couple of years. If a casual fan tuned in, they may hear the boos, and think that Cena is nothing special, or else the fans wouldn’t hate him so much (even though he’s supposed to be a face), so they may turn him off. Cena also just suffered a torn pectoral muscle. This is his first major injury, and it will keep him out of action for 6-8 months. You would have to be concerned that he doesn’t suffer similar injuries in the future.

Steve Austin: Pros: Next to Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin is “professional wrestling” from a casual fans’ perspective. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was largely responsible making the WWF “Attitude Era” arguably the most popular time in wrestling history. As the ring leader of the WWF, at the time, Steve Austin helped the WWF regain their spot as the number wrestling promotion in North America, at a time when it appeared that WCW had a stranglehold on the #1 slot. Austin has mainstream appeal, as he’s been seen in several television series, such as “Nash Bridges,” and box office hits like Adam Sandler’s “The Longest Yard.”

Cons: Austin’s biggest weakness would be that aside from throwing a stunner here, and a stunner there, you probably aren’t going to get a match out of him. His last match was against The Rock in 2003 at WrestleMania XIX. Maybe he could give you a match every so often, but probably not enough matches to make a huge difference for your company. Another thing to worry about is if he doesn’t like the direction that creative is going with his storyline/character, he will “take his ball, and go home.”

The Rock: Pros: The most electrifying man in sports entertainment history. The Rock has arguably the greatest charisma ever seen by a wrestler. Along with Steve Austin, The Rock helped lead the WWF past WCW during the “Monday Night Wars.” He never complained when it came to “putting other wrestlers over.” The Rock was an entertainer first, and foremost. More then any other professional wrestler in the history of the industry, The Rock broke through the wall created by Hollywood. The Rock is no longer a wrestler, who also acted. He is now an actor, who once happened to be a professional wrestler.

Cons: The Rock is still in his prime years if he never left the wrestling business. He could still “go.” The big question in regards to The Rock is, “would he want to?” You would always have to worry about if The Rock would be disappearing for months at a time to film his next movie role.

Edge: Pros: Ever since Edge slept with Lita in real-life, his path to becoming a wrestling superstar has skyrocketed. For awhile, the fans truly hated him. Now, they respect him, and boo him because he is a heel. Every since 2005, he has been the top heel in the industry. Edge has a cocky self-confidence. He has an arrogance and attitude around him that if the New World Order was formed for the first time today, Edge would be the perfect member. He has the ability to lead wrestling into another “boom” period. When Cena held the WWE World title for the first time, ratings were down, and fans were hating John Cena. The WWE decided to put the belt on Edge as nothing more then a two-week transitional champion. A funny thing happened in those two weeks, ratings went up, and the WWE discovered that they found themselves a man who could carry the ball on the heel side of things

Cons: Despite being the top heel during the last two years, and guest appearing in some television shows and movies, if you asked someone on the street to tell you who Adam Copeland was, they probably couldn’t pick him out of a police line-up. Once they did get to know him, he would probably be one of their favorites, but unfortunately, he has very little name value outside of the industry. Another area of concern is Edge’s injury history. In February 2003, Edge suffered a neck injury and had to undergo surgery. Recovery kept him sidelined for close to a year . He was scheduled to return to the ring in February 2004, but he suffered a broken hand just before his planned return, forcing him to stay out of the ring for an additional month. In the fall of 2005, Edge suffered a torn pectoral muscle that kept him shelved for several weeks. This year, in a Money in the Bank qualifying match against Rob Van Dam, Edge suffered a broken jaw. He remained on TV but avoided physical confrontations until WrestleMania 23. After a brawl with Kane in July, Edge suffered a torn left pectoral muscle that is keeping him out until the Survivor Series.

Out of these top contenders that would help the WCWF raise to the top of the industry, the one wrestler who would probably help put the federation over the top would be The Rock.

The Rock is a very good worker in the ring, and has unmatched charisma. Plus, The Rock would bring something to the table that the other performers could not. He would bring a huge amount of media attention to the company. Can you imagine the headlines if The Rock decided to start wrestling again? All of the tabloid TV shows would come flocking to the arena to do stories on The Rock. He would help bring the casual fan back to the industry. The longer he stayed, the stronger the company would be, and a boom period would be sure to follow. Of course, you would be asking the impossible for The Rock to give up his Hollywood aspirations.

If you take The Rock out of the equation, because the odds of him leaving Hollywood are greater then people living on the moon in the next fifty years, then the person I would have to go with would be John Cena. With all of the promotion work and “outside” activities that he is involved with, John Cena is getting his name out into the non-wrestling, public eye. Plus, Cena is the person that the WWE has built their company around for the past two and a half years. If John Cena, the WWE’s “chosen one” who is in his prime, left the WWE for a company that was at the 1995 WCW level, the WWE would feel shockwaves like nothing else before. The departures of Hogan, Hall, and Nash wouldn’t even register on the Richter Scale if you compared it to John Cena leaving today under the same situation that the industry was in back in 1995. Forget Alex Rodriguez, this is what free agency would really be about.