If you were waiting for the WWE to capitalize on John Morrison’s injury and elevate a young rising star to his spot…well keep waiting. Instead of rolling the dice on youth, the WWE are playing it safe with Rey Mysterio. Mysterio will now act as RAW’s second babyface in command under Cpt. John Cena.
I have to say that I was pretty disappointed last night when I watched Rey Mysterio step into the brand’s top angle. It isn’t because I dislike Mysterio. As a matter of a fact he is probably one of my favorite wrestlers of all time. I was just hoping to see a fresh face in the top mix, specifically Kofi Kingston.
[adinserter block=”2″]The domino effect of Edge’s sudden retirement resulted in perennial WWE mid carder John Morrison getting the biggest push of his career. In a matter of a week Morrison went from being pinned in a few minutes on RAW to headlining Extreme Rules. Like Morrison or not, it was nice to see the WWE roll the dice and elevate a fresh face to the top of the cards in 2011.
Morrison and the RAW brand suffered a huge blow over the weekend when it was determined that Morrison would be sidelined for an undetermined amount of time. Morrison suffered a neck injury that required minor surgery. WWE.com reports that Morrison will miss 4-6 weeks.
Morrison was booked in RAW’s second feud from the top. Morrison just started a feud with R-Truth that had been prominently featured on Monday nights. With Morrison out, R-Truth was left without an opponent, and the company was down a top babyface once again. As terrible as the injury was to Morrison, it was a golden opportunity to elevate another mid-card wrestler and prepare for the future. Yet instead of rolling the dice as they did with the Rock Star, the WWE played the safe hand this time around.
I am stunned as to how the company overlooked Kofi Kingston for the opportunity. I watch Kofi week to week and find him to be one of the most entertaining superstars in the WWE. He has more charisma than half of the roster and when given the opportunity, he nails it behind the microphone. Yet the company continually passes him up when these kinds of opportunities open up. The only taste Kofi has had at a major push came against Randy Orton and lasted about four weeks.
I am a Rey Mysterio fan but at 36 years old and with two bad knees, why spend the time investing in him? Plus, Rey doesn’t need the spot to get over. Kofi is viewed as a quasi-mid card wrestler where Rey as a former WWE world champion is always viewed with high regard by the WWE universe. Plus, with bad knees and a lot of wear and tear Rey could just as easily hit the disabled list this week like Morrison, once again leaving the company in a bind.
[adinserter block=”1″]CM Punk could have also been a great choice to replace Morrison. It appears that there is some validity to the Punk leaving the WWE rumors because his push has definitely stalled in recent weeks. He is a great heel but you could argue that he has peaked as a heel after sound defeats at the hands of Cena and Randy Orton. A babyface turn at this point seems like a natural for Punk. Even if he is leaving, the company would get some short term heat out of him until Morrison comes back and use his absence to get over another heel like Truth.
It would appear that Rey Mysterio will fall directly into Morrison’s slot on the WWE cards. It looks like Rey will feud with R-Truth which in all honesty, should be a pretty good match. It just seems a little gutless to go with the 36-year old, 20-plus year veteran over a younger superstar who could use the rub.
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WWE: Wrestlemania 27 Collector’s Edition DVD
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Well said.
Thanks buddy