WWE has it’s seasons and it’s times. There are generations that come and go in WWE. These days, we are in what is known as “The Reality Era.” In this generation or era, WWE has focused primarily on giving us good wrestlers with unique personalities….nothing too different than before. The difference, however, is that the people in this generation are not overly muscular 6’9 300lb guys. While we may see some of them at this size, the bulk of the roster is under 250lbs right now. This is a far cry from before, when most of the roster was at or over this.
WWE brought in Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose a few years back. Both were making waves on the Independent scene, and WWE felt that since people such as CM Punk and Daniel Bryan were killing it, they would be more than able to be stars for the company. The two came to the main roster in a faction together along with Roman Reigns. All three men impressed, but everyone knew that eventually…they would split up. We all had to see it coming.
WWE did a brilliant storyline in making this possible. So far, the rivalry of the year has been Dean Ambrose/Seth Rollins. Each match and each part of the story has only made people love the two more. While Rollins was sketchy before as a heel, he has come into his own. Meanwhile, the man we all thought would be the best bad guy in the industry one day in Ambrose has played the anti-hero role VERY well. So much so, people are calling him the next “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. They aren’t far off, as the Lunatic Fringe has been showing signs of being this generation’s Steve Austin.
Now the two enter one of the most demonic matches in WWE history, Hell in a Cell. What makes this match so big for the two is that we all envisioned that Ambrose could do well here, but many who know Rollins’ history realize that he will go over the top for a match. Ambrose was part of an Indy promotion called CZW, it was similar to the old ECW where weapons were used consistently. Hardcore seemed to live here and nowhere else. Ambrose was one of their biggest stars and the stuff he’d do there was sickening.
That makes many excited to see what he could do inside the cell. His character alone makes us wonder what is possible. He is crazy and wants to literally torture Rollins to get revenge for what happened to him. Meanwhile we have Rollins who is no stranger to hardcore, having come out of the Indy scene himself. He is most famous from Ring of Honor before WWE, but he wrestled in other organizations as well. In all places we saw him adapt to whoever he faced. If they were highflying, he’d be just as good. If they were submission/mat based, he would be too. If they were sickening in the ring, he’d be just as sick. That was always the draw to him….he could adapt to anything.
If that is the case even today, imagine if he completely adapted to Ambrose inside Hell in a Cell. While we cannot expect these two to cross the PG guidelines, they are not afraid to go over the top. Their matches thus far have been amazing. We can only imagine how far they will go to satisfy the masses once more. We saw on RAW that Ambrose is willing to bring out a lot of toys and Rollins is willing to take a lot of big spots.
Judging by what this match could bring, it could define this generation . The two have a big responsibility now. They are WWE’s new guys. They will be at the top for the next 10 years. The past rivalry will be on the same show, and both of them were able to define their generation well. Now Ambrose and Rollins must define theirs. If they do not, WWE risks a lot. They are putting their stock in these two along with guys like Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns. Two of them are out for an uncertain period of time. WWE is also going to put stock in some other guys coming out of NXT as well. However, the two leading this Era are in the match on Sunday, which is quite significant.
John Cena and Randy Orton are going to be around for another 5 to 10 years. However, they cannot be WWE’s future. They must have the roles of guys like Triple H, The Undertaker, Steve Austin, and others. WWE kept them around in the ring, but they allowed WWE to use younger guys at the top. They stick around and work with people, but they also never take up too much of the spotlight where the WWE cannot focus on the new school guys.
WWE still uses part-timers, but they are also using the younger talent a lot more than we’d think. Cena and Orton are both able to contribute for a while. However, their roles are changing in an effort to get others over too. Just like the past generation had to do for them.
That being said, we are seeing WWE’s past also meet WWE’s future this Sunday at Hell in a Cell. Inside the Cell, we are going to see why the upcoming generation could vastly be better than the last. WWE can potentially use this and other matches from Ambrose and Rollins to define who they are today versus how they were back then.
Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins are both loved by the Internet crowd, but the part-time fans love them too. The power they hold today is massive. On Sunday, they are going to have an amazing match. We all believe it is possible. When it is all over with however, we’ll know what this “Reality Era” really is. Let us all hope that WWE is ready to let it happen the way fans want it to.
[IMG Credits: SportsKeeda.com, WWE.com]