Folks, what's happening? Glad to see you back with me for another highly opinionated observation within the world of professional wrestling (note: this is not the place for "sports entertainment"). This piece centers on an area that a lot of hardcore (in this instance, very enthusiastic) fans get really rattled and irritated by, The area in question is part-time wrestlers. What are part-time wrestlers, by chance? Part-time wrestlers are wrestlers that literally come and go whenever they feel, or wrestlers that have temporary contracts that wrestle and entertain until their contracts are up and stay gone for some time and come back again. Let's explore this further.
One of the first part-timers in this age is Dwayne Johnson, otherwise widely known as The Rock. When The Rock first came on the scene, he was one of the most naturally gifted athletes the sport had ever seen, and that covers a lot of ground. If you've known or had become aware of his professional history, you're familiar with the fact that he was struggling to get over with the fans, struggling quite hard in fact. Although great in the ring for a rookie, possessing a look that screams "star", and enrapturing the proverbial "it factor", his white-bread, clean cut, overtly happy image wasn't hitting on cylinders. It wasn't until he became a part of the Nation Of Domination faction, which at the time was lead by WWE hall Of Famer Ron Simmons, who was playing the militant, Huey P. Newton-esque Farooq. Once he was running way past the leadership of Farooq, he became the star and all eyes were on him instead of Farooq. His previously mentioned traits, along with his ever building charisma, made him a big time star before anyone knew it. In fact, as time progressed The Rock became one of the sport's brightest stars. At a time where "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Vince McMahon's on-screen character Mr. McMahon, and D-generation X were all defining a new era (affectionately known as the "Attitude" era), The Rock was starting to make his own name known and building his own identity. Fast forward a couple of years and he and Austin are the two biggest wrestlers not just in the WWE, but in the sport.
Once the lights were bright on him, movie directors started knocking on his door, and before long the acting bug hit him. His first stint of acting came in The Mummy Returns and eventually the lead role in The Scorpion King. Once that movie took off, so did he. He put his burgeoning movie career as a bigger priority than his wrestling career and of course the fans resented him for a while because of it. He ended up briefly returning to feud with Austin, his longtime and most revered rival, and before you knew it, he was gone again to do more movies. It became a return-then-leave situation for the next few years for The Rock. As he started doing more movies, there was less and less attention the fans were giving him, but one could clearly tell that the people were really missing him. Enter Valentine's Day 2011, where was seen as the host of Wrestlemania XXVII in Atlanta. He was greeted with an extremely deafening ovation, which showed how much the fans still loved The Rock. He was soon entered into quite the entertaining rivalry with WWE's top guy, John Cena. After the two year rivalry had passed, it was back to Hollywood (this after he swore he would never leave again).
The Rock started getting a lot of criticism from Internet fans for not only coming and going as he chose, but he actually ended the record-breaking four hundred thirty day-plus WWE Championship reign of then champion CM Punk at the Royal Rumble of 2013. He lost the title to Cena at Wrestlemania XXVIX, and was gone until Wrestlemania XXX (that's 30) in New Orleans, where he was in the opening segment with Austin and Hulk Hogan for what was one of the most iconic moments in WM history. However, he wasn't the only guy that would leave the company and come back, and leave again on a regular basis.
The night after Wrestlemania XXVIII, Cena was confronted, and sub sequentially attacked by the returning Brock Lesnar (I wish I could say that in Heyman's voice). Lesnar had been gone for years after a failed stint trying out with the Minnesota Vikings and eventually moving on to UFC where he became UFC Champion. After he lost the title, and retired from MMA competition due to diverticulitis, he was in talks with Paul "Triple H" Levesque and Vince about returning. The catch was he would only do a few on-air appearances per year, including pay per view events, plus he wouldn't do any live house shows. While the fans were really amped to see Lesnar return, and feud with the likes of Triple H, Cena, and Mark Henry, there was still subtle resentment that guys that perform night in and night out on a daily basis, three hundred to three hundred ten days a year. Nearly two weeks ago, Lesnar became the WWE World Champion for the first time since 2003 thoroughly defeating Cena at Summerslam. Once again Internet fans (or "marks" as the term is frequently called) were highly resentful at a part-time guy who gets special treatment in his contracts is the new champion.
Other names that are considered part-timers are Rob Van Dam and Chris Jericho. Van Dam returned to WWE in 2013 after a successful run in TNA where he became X Division and World Champion. The catch was that he would wrestle 3-4 months on-air and on pay per views and not wrestle at live events. Plus he could exercise his option to leave after his 4 month period was up and could possibly return after his sabbatical. As for Jericho, his music career started highly taking off, as he would tour with his band Fozzy and put out quite a few successful albums. Whenever there was a lull in his touring, he would return to help the company and help get talent over. His current rivalry is with one of the company's brightest stars, Bray Wyatt (yes I know I'm a Wyatt head so part of this is subjective, but hey he just is). His run with the company ends in September, as he goes back on the road with Fozzy. Van Dam just left the company this past Tuesday after his match with Seth Rollins. There's currently no time period as to when or if he'll return.
I almost forgot about Batista. After a five year hiatus, in which he tried his hand at MMA and eventually returned just in time for the Royal Rumble of this year and needless to say it was received quite underwhelmingly. In fact, fans starting booing him and referring to him as "Boo-tista." He won the Royal Rumble match and ended up co-headlining Wrestlemania, along with then champion Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan, who ended up winning the title. Batista ended up leaving once again, only this time it was to promote his highly-grossing movie Guardians Of The Galaxy. It's been said that he plans on officially retiring soon to fully concentrate on his movie career.
Being a part-timer in an industry that requires one to perform fifty-two weeks a year for the fans is one thing, but winning Royal Rumbles and World titles is completely something else. In his now legendary "pipe bomb"promo, former WWE star CM Punk briefly stated how angry he was that "Dwayne" as he called him was in the main event at Wrestlemania and he wasn't. he's far from the only person that feels that way, but nobody will actually come forth and say anything likely due to either getting fired or getting buried on the roster (to those that aren't aware of this term, it means constantly losing, or jobbing). Incredible wrestlers such as Dolph Ziggler, Bad News Barrett (who's currently sidelined with an injury), Kofi kingston, and even Dean Ambrose aren't spotlighted in the main event, but guys like Lesnar and The Rock can be. Booker T replied to those that have complained, in terms of wrestlers in the locker room, by stating, "Once you sell out arenas and pull big box office draws, then you can be part time if you so choose". In all respect to one of my favorites ever, what a load of crap. While there are a lot of young guys that aren't stepping up on a weekly basis to steal the show, there are those (such as the ones I just mentioned) that work their asses off to do better than the match before. They still can not get to the main event. Is it fair? Absolutely not, but then again we all know Vince, Steph, and Hunter all have their favorites will stay in the main event or the upper card (Shaemus and Cena anybody?). It's a complete and total slap in the face to those that put in the work. The main reason why those guys stepped up to the level they worked to was that there was competition going on, whether it was with Eric Bischoff or even within his own company (I can't lie I miss the brand extensions). Without any big reason to step up, guys will remain complacent, in spite of their best intent.
Lesnar SHOULD NOT be the champion. Nobody that is a part timer should be a champion, especially not a World Champion. Part of the grip that Punk had was for the guys that busts their asses night and day to live their dream and to entertain the fans that pay their hard earned money to see them, and they get pushed to the side in favor of people that go and come. The exceptions are Van Dam and Jericho, for they have nothing more to really prove in this sport as both men are future Hall Of Famers and they want to work with young guys to help them get to the next level like people had to help them along in their careers. The Rock is seriously contemplating retirement and so is Batista, but Lesnar has terms with his contract and he becomes champion. Is Lesnar at the top of his game right now? Damn straight he is. Should he be World Champion compared to others like Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Dolph, or Bray? Hell no. Part-timers should stay part-timers unless they're around to help the next generation of young guys elevate to the next level of their careers.
For Batista and The Rock, that realize their in ring careers may really be over for greener pastures in hollywood, all success to those guys. They get it, and in all respect to The Rock, he did want one more Title before he left for good, and he transitioned the belt over to Cena at Wrestlemania XIX. Now Lesnar, if he's going to be part time, be part time. If he's going to be a champion, he needs to have NO special terms on your contract. Is Vince or Hunter that scared to make new stars that they would lower themselves to acquiesce to the demands of Lesnar? He keep doing this, and I would expect guys like Dolph and Barrett and Ambrose to head to Jeff Jarrett's Global Force Wrestling when it launches.
That's all for now cats. I will leave with this thought. Many hate Cena, loathe Cena, and think he straight sucks. One thing about him, is that he has given all he had to being the best. Regardless if he's Vince's golden boy, he works hard day in and day out. Whether at Madison Square Garden or in Fayetteville, NC he gives one hundred percent each and every time he performs and he's for the fans. Part-timers, especially those that would like to be champions, are selfish. Then again, it's all about business right Vince? Check you kind folks out later.
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