The moment Cesaro was announced as the latest Heyman
client people leapt on the potential Lesnar match. It was a natural enough
thing to do. Cesaro works a rough and ready style while Lesnar is practically
the definition of physicality within wrestling. They would clearly mesh well
with one another and both are so experienced and good at what they do that
they'd be able to craft a lively match that draws viewers in.
That the Punk v Lesnar feud had been based largely around
their shared friendship with Heyman didn't hurt either. It created a precedent.
Cesaro could go face, handle his own chatting, and hammer Lesnar in a
slobberknocker of the year contender. It all seemed so obvious.
For whatever reason WWE don't seem to want to have Heyman
affiliated with more than one guy at once. That means that managing 'The King
of Swing' was fine while Lesnar was between matches but now he's back to take
the championship off John Cena he needs to be Heyman's sole charge again. It's
exactly what happened to Ryback and Curtis Axel last year. They were dropped
like a hot brick by Heyman as soon as his programme with Punk was over and they
remained unaffiliated with Heyman when he returned to TV alongside Lesnar.
I don't agree with WWE splitting Cesaro from Heyman. I
don't understand their reason for wanting to. But I can accept it. They do
eccentric, inexplicable things all the time. What I can't accept is that they
thought the best way of doing it would be having Cesaro casually mention during
a convo with Triple H that he was no longer a Heyman guy. Surely it can't be
that nobody within WWE thought to suggest that maybe Heyman and Cesaro have
some sort on-screen bust up to better ease into a Lesnar-Cesaro programme
should it come up? A simple two minute segment would have been ample. It's not
like there weren't two spare minutes on RAW.
 |
| The Bond villain look is a good one. |
Then of course there's the misconception that pairing
Cesaro with Heyman should have turned him into a somebody overnight. The
partnership alone was never going to do much for Cesaro. He'd already
demonstrated very good verbal capabilities to match his very good in-ring
skills. He'd also ably demonstrated he could get over and create a following
under his own steam. Heyman in and of himself is not a star maker. He can help
to create a buzz about a roster member but when push comes to shove it's always
going to be the creative department and the McMahons who decide who the stars
are. If creative sees someone as a mid-carder then a mid-carder they’ll be, no
matter how popular they are or who their agent is.
Cesaro and Heyman accomplished everything WWE wanted them
to. Heyman was kept relevant and on TV screens so he could mention Brock Lesnar
constantly. The slow build was continued for ‘The Swiss Superman’. Cesaro was
never meant to be rocketed to the top with Heyman, as evidenced by his
semi-stagnation in the mid-card since April.
It’s frustrating that things could have been different.
When Cesaro joined forces with Heyman his popularity was sky high. He'd just
won the Andre the Giant battle royal and become a quasi-face as a result. It
would have been the easiest thing in the world for WWE to give him a shove to
the top, placing him into programmes with established names and using the
association with Heyman for more than the bare minimum they were happy with.
For whatever reason they opted not to. The pairing's potential went
unfulfilled. It's sad and disappointing but it's not the first time WWE have
done this. Nor will it be the last.
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