WWE
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WWE: Is the company’s global expansion hypocritical?

Haris Gala·
WWE
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While Vince McMahon wants the WWE to step into the future, he, on the other hand, remains affixed to his dated ideas…

In recent times, we have witnessed WWE expanding exponentially in terms of its audience reach. Despite its immense popularity and status as the only major wrestling company prior to the internet era, WWE has achieved massive success by casting a wider net for viewership and facilitating the influx of a new breed of wrestlers in the past decade.

Superstars such as Kevin Owens, Shinsuke Nakamura, Finn Balor, Asuka, Sami Zayn (El Generico), AJ Styles, Adam Cole, Seth Rollins, Samoa Joe and Daniel Bryan were never perceived to be WWE material. However, the fans’ acknowledgement of the independent circuit forced the company to adapt its strategy. Not only were these superstars signed to the company, but some went on to achieve great success. This allowed them to dispel the notion that these ‘indy’ guys were mid-card performers at best.

In fact, AJ Styles himself admitted that he was signed to the company as an upper mid-card act and was to be frequently used as a stepping stone for other upcoming superstars. Even so, the greatness of ‘The Phenomenal One’ is second to none and it swayed Vince McMahon’s opinion. This led to AJ Styles becoming one of the WWE’s most important assets and a two-time WWE Champion, with the latter reign extending beyond a year. Many professional wrestling fans would’ve struggled to comprehend the thought of AJ Styles in the WWE, but here we are watching the brand flaunt one of the greatest wrestling rosters in history.

WWE’s growth and its expansion beyond the North American continent has prompted more shows in Asia, including but not limited to those held in India, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates. This surge has not been restricted to conducting events in the aforementioned countries either as there is talk of extending the company’s operations in those markets. This would make it easier for them to scout talent for the future and pave the way for the WWE’s acceptance on a global scale.

Signing foreign talent is crucial to the company’s long-term goals as it gives regional audiences familiar faces to look forward to. That’s why WWE has poached talent from China, Japan and even Saudi Arabia to bring to their performance center. In fact, the development brand of NXT has expanded its operations to the United Kingdom and talks are being held to further extend their reach to Japan, possibly to compete with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and foray into the Japanese market.

However, in lieu of all this, it almost feels like Vince McMahon, who has reluctantly accepted that the only way forward is to expand the company globally, is still unable to let go of certain clichéd ideas. Triple H, the man expected to take over once Vince McMahon retires, has frequently stated that the company gives out ample opportunities to its superstars and it’s on them to make the most of their chances. There have been plenty of examples in the recent past as the likes of CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Becky Lynch and even AJ Styles, who were never destined to be the ‘main event’, managed to impress Vince once their moment arrived.

Putting those names aside, there is still a particular breed of superstars who Vince McMahon seems unwilling to push despite their obvious talent or impressive performances. In some cases, the creative teams ends up killing a superstar’s momentum so emphatically that it’s almost impossible to imagine them recovering from such a dent. And if you take a closer look at this disadvantaged lot, you’ll find that they all have something in common; None of them are proficient in English.

The most recent cases which come to mind are those of Shinsuke Nakamura and Asuka. Both superstars were signed to the WWE from Japan and debuted in NXT. Both of them tore the house down whenever they performed in the ring and had the fans in awe of their abilities. It was as if Nakamura and Asuka were destined for greatness once they reached the main roster. Shinsuke Nakamura was already a two-time NXT champion before debuting on SmackDown and Asuka came to RAW with the longest undefeated streak in the company’s history, carried over from NXT to RAW.

In January 2018, WWE looked set to break the preconceived notions when both Asuka and Nakamura won their respective Royal Rumble matches and were set to headline WrestleMania 34 for their well-deserved title matches. Even though neither of the two could speak fluent English, the superstars still carried an immense amount of momentum with them. Shinsuke Nakamura, in particular, was overdue for some time in the spotlight after losing twice to Jinder Mahal in the summer of 2017.

Unfortunately, at WrestleMania 34 in April, WWE put an end to all the speculation when Vince McMahon decided to have Asuka and Nakamura lose their respective matches. Since then, the stars have fallen victim to poor creative writing and disinterest from the management. In fact, Asuka, who debuted as one of the most dominant individuals on RAW, feels like just another superstar – and Shinsuke Nakamura has practically been forgotten as he’s barely featured on SmackDown. To add another nail to the coffin, Nakamura was not even mentioned once by Seth Rollins in the build-up to their upcoming clash at Survivor Series. In doing so, Seth’s silence spoke volumes about Shinsuke’s position on the ladder.

Reports suggest that Vince McMahon simply lost interest in Asuka due to her inability to speak English as he wants his champions to be able to cut to promos in English – a theory which extends to Shinsuke Nakamura as well. This comes across as a lazy excuse given how a main event act often looks to their manager for assistance with promos – as is the case with Brock Lesnar. It’s undeniably hypocritical of Vince to promote WWE and take pride in its global expansion while refusing to push certain superstars due to language constraints. To make matters even more infuriating for wrestling faithful, many of these superstars are fuelled with talent that is nonpareil.