What’s going on guys, given the current state of WWE and booking under Triple H, I believe we can all agree the product has never been better. However, I want to take a look at some moments before the Triple H era. The dying days of Vinny Mac’s creative are seen by most fans as lazy and at times unwatchable due to poor booking and predictability. But what if I told you it wasn’t that bad? As a matter of fact, I’m going to point out a few reasons why I think that Vince knew his time was coming to an end and we were able to see it play out right in front of our faces. How is this? Well, let’s take a look.
Kofimania
Who would have imagined seeing Kofi Kingston featured in a main event level match without the New Day? Nonetheless at Wrestlemania against one of the greatest wrestlers on the planet Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship? And to see Kofi go over to win the WWE Championship? No one. And that’s not a knock on Kofi but for years the New Day was never seen in that light and nobody from the group stood out as singles stars because they were red hot as a group. So to see Kofi win the title and enjoy a very good run was refreshing and one of the greatest moments we’ve ever witnessed.
The Chosen One
Drew McIntyre was once labeled by Vince McMahon himself as the Chosen One and the future of the WWE. And while Drew had success early on in his career it would flame out. He found himself as a comedic character in 3MB and then released. He would return after killing the Indies and finally reach the top of the mountain in WWE by winning the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar in under 5 minutes at Wrestlemania.
Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt was always a bright spot for the WWE. As the Eater of Worlds, he was must-see TV. Bray was a master of the microphone and you couldn’t wait to hear what he said next. The problem was that Bray would lose most of his high-profile programs and never get to that next level. That was until Bray reinvented himself again and became The Fiend. The Fiend would go on to win the Universal Championship and continue to be must-see TV. And if you overlook the Goldberg match and the Orton & Bliss debacles The Fiend had a great run.
The Almighty
You can take one look at Bobby Lashley and immediately VKM comes to mind because he’s a typical VKM guy. Lashley was and in my opinion, always booked really strong under McMahon. After his initial successful run, he would take some time away to pursue other ventures. It was during those ventures that he would go off to Impact Wrestling and develop his character and use that to become The Almighty WWE Champion.
The Man
Becky Lynch was never seen as more than an average wrestler. She was good but not good enough. Who would have thought it would take a botched heel turn to lead to the first-ever women’s Wrestlemania main event? But that’s what happened. WWE tried turning Becky heel, the fans rejected it and forced Becky into the stratosphere of pro wrestling to become The Man we know today.
Honorable Mentions: Finn Balor dominates the mid-card, Nakamura wins multiple mid-card titles under Vince’s watch, Big E cashes in, and don’t hinder Jinder.
So I highlight these few moments to point out Vince made it his mission to push many of his early pet projects bringing them full circle well before his exit and why would he do this? I believe it’s because Vince knew the walls were caving in on him. And while we can dump on 95% of Vince’s booking it’s essential to recognize the other 5% because when he got it right it delivered heartwarming moments for us as fans that we will never forget.
So I leave on this note was the booking really that bad?
