Elevating (From) The Midcard

Hi, Scott. I somewhat understand the complaint that "everyone is a midcarder," but how does WWE fix that problem? Technically, only one match (usually the world title and/or a match with a part-timer like Brock or Taker) can be at the top of the card, so won’t everyone else that appears on Raw/Smackdown be midcard at best?


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People seem to care a lot about Kevin Owens as IC champ or New Day as tag champs, just as I did about Benoit-Jericho-Angle feuding over the IC title or the Hardyz/Dudleyz/E&C for the tag titles in 2000, but I don’t remember feeling that any of those guys were "just in the midcard" even though they technically were (especially holding a "midcard" title), with guys like Rock and HHH at the top.

And 50-50 booking can’t really be the only answer given how frequently the tag titles changed hands (9 times from the end of May to the middle of December in 2000). Nor can stop-start pushes be the only explanation, as two of the aforementioned title changes were for acts lower on the card (Too Cool and Right To Censor) who each got month-long title reigns before moving back down the card.

What is it about today’s product where it seems/feels like no one can break out of the midcard?

​The fix is easy, you have one guy start winning matches until he gets to the top position, and then he can lose. If it means sacrificing some guys along the way, then fine. Once that guy stops being hot, you have another midcard geek suddenly start winning a bunch of matches in a row, and he can then beat your first guy to get the rub. That’s how wrestling worked for 100 years before they started the 50/50 bullshit. They nearly turned FUCKING RYBACK into a big star with that formula! Just think what Cesaro could do!

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