Over the weekend, the WWE continued selecting talent for their brands. It was quiet as they were all mid-carders aside from Drew Gulak, but we now know why he lost the NXT Cruiserweight championship last week.
The names are…
- Apollo Crews to Smackdown
- Drew Gulak to Smackdown
- EC3 to Raw
- Eric Young to Raw
- Heath Slater to Smackdown
- Sin Cara to Raw
- Tamina to Smackdown
- The B-Team to Smackdown
There are a couple of things that are interesting about this scenario.
EC3 is upset with the WWE
Frustration is apparent for EC3 and his fans as they feel his talent is largely wasted as he’s never given something to do. They’re right. Aside from the 24/7 championship, what has he done?
Now, it’s now all on the WWE as he has to impress them, but in the end, they have to give him the opportunity to do something to impress everyone, including the fans.
This isn’t anything new, as Vince loves to sign top talent from other promotions, toss them into the developmental ranks, and leave them forgotten.
Sure, some do fight their way through like Robert Roode, but most remain buried until their contracts run out and then leave for another promotion to ply their wares. It’s a tactic McMahon’s used since, well, forever but he really ramped it up after nearly losing everything to WCW.
McMahon’s Strategy
The formula is simple: acquire the top talent of other promotions so it can’t be used against him.
It hurts other promotions, keeping them small and a non-threat while he accumulates more power by eventually buying them out if possible.
The problem is now there are other promotions not just growing, but making waves while doing so. AEW garners the headines, but the NWA is back. Impact is struggling according to reports, but they’re still putting up a good fight. Then you have Women or Wrestling, Ring of Honor, and New Japan Pro Wrestling.
It’s in this world that EC3’s frustration is understandable. He’s locked into his contract and wants to perform, but he hasn’t been given the chance. The question then becomes, if he’s not used, how much will his stock drop when his contract ends?
EC3 staying on Raw doesn’t help and isn’t a good sign for him. His saving grace with the WWE could be Paul Heyman, assuming Heyman is actually allowed to run Raw with limited interference (remember, McMahon reportedly handed over control to Triple H in January but he never let go).
Remember, he had a solid match against Rusev recently before losing to put Rusev over in his return.
If given the chance, EC3 could become something truly special. But he needs the chance and a legitimate push.
