4- Jockeying for Position
WWE is a Sports Entertainment conglomerate that capitalizes off of talent who are making them money. Oftentimes, no matter what the fans think, a person becomes a top guy or gal in the company due to the reaction, whether positive or negative. Look at John Cena. He has not been a clear-cut babyface in nearly a decade, but WWE still places him in that position based on the overarching effects of the demographic he draws and the merchandise he sells.
When a wrestler does not have the look of a John Cena, per se, there is a tougher hill to climb, which leads to the willingness to allow more impact on the body. Look at Daniel Bryan, for instance. He had to sacrifice his body in every single match, just to be thought of as nearly equal to the level of Cena or Randy Orton. The dives outside the ring and diving headbutts caused Bryan to ascend the ladder, but these are moves that someone with “the look” never had to do to get to the top.
Moreover, with the influx of talent, even those who have the look of a star, like Cesaro, still have to perform far beyond what is required to climb up the WWE ladder to grab that brass ring, because others are right with him sacrificing their bodies to move above him. Unfortunately, this ongoing competition causes competitors to upstage each other not from a character-building standpoint, but in the ring. Whatever dastardly move you can do – I can do better.
