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Since Triple H took over in July 2022, the WWE product has vastly improved, with more gravitas given to storylines and wrestlers who were rather underutilized getting screen time.
One thing that remains, albeit in a lesser capacity, is part-time superstars. In recent times, Brock Lesnar, Bill Goldberg, and Steve Austin have been used in major matches.
While objectively, some of the performances were remarkable, like Lesnar's Last Man Standing match at Summerslam 2022 and Austin's comeback at WrestleMania 38's Night One main event.
But WWE's fondness for relying on part-timers to sell tickets and ratings over the years has been the direct cause of a lack of full-time superstars who could do the same, and in turn, a drop in the ratings after these part-timers disappear from television.
Here are three reasons why reliance on part-timers is a bad idea.
#3. A disorientation in the stories thanks to their sporadic nature
Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar kickstarted a feud on Day 1, 2022. They fought over the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble in January and for the second time at Crown Jewel in early November.
The third chapter between the two seems destined to happen at a later date, and in order to fill up the time between Lesnar's last appearance to his next, Lashley is now embroiled in a United States Title feud on RAW.
The Beast and Roman Reign's feud between Summerslam 2021-22 had a similar pattern.
Similar occurrences have happened in the past, most notably The Rock announcing his intentions to challenge the WWE Champion at Royal Rumble 2013 months prior to the event.
This sort of booking kills the unpredictability of the matches that happen in between and affects the continuity of the story.
#2. They simply don't work from an in-ring standpoint
Roman Reigns has had an incredible title reign so far, with jaw-dropping moments and hard-hitting matches of supreme quality. His match vs. Bill Goldberg in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, earlier this year was not one of them.
Brock Lesnar's involvement in the elimination chamber match on the same night also proved disastrous, as in order to give him a dominant win, WWE booked him to run roughshod on some of the current roster's most prominent names.
Some of the worst matches of all time in WWE have taken place in the last five years, all involving part-timers. DX vs. The Brothers of Destruction at Crown Jewel 2018, Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez and Tyson Fury vs. Braun Strowman at Crown Jewel 2019, The Fiend vs. Bill Goldberg at Super ShowDown 2020, to name a few.
The Undertaker and Bill Goldberg are lucky to have walked out of their match at Super ShowDown 2019 without any serious injuries, still healthy and performing in matches.
#1. More prominence to full-time WWE stars on a big stage
As much as we personally love Brock Lesnar, seeing him go over Drew McIntyre at Royal Rumble 2022 didn't feel right.
On the road to WrestleMania this year, The Beast was heavily featured in various bouts, all leading to a match vs. Roman Reigns at The Show of Shows, wherein the conclusion could have been predicted from a mile away.
Guys like The Scottish Warrior and Bobby Lashley were relegated to undercard matches at WrestleMania. There was a rumor back in January that Riddle was slated to win the Rumble. Whether this was true or not doesn't change the fact that the Royal Rumble was awful for many fans this year, and it showcased a lack of true stars.
There is a plethora of talent on the current roster worthy of the spotlight on a big stage. Despite having a pedigree of wrestlers, Roman Reigns was a product of WWE's developmental. The company should consider building its main shows around full-time wrestlers in fleshed-out stories to create superstars.
What do you think about part-timers given the spotlight on major shows? Let us know in the comments below.
