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GUEST EDITORIAL
By Darvio Morrow of Cleveland, Ohio, Torch reader

There is not a day that goes by that I do not hear one criticism after another directed at both WWE and TNA concerning their willingness (or lack thereof) to build new stars.

“The younger guys need to be given the ball. ... The older guys have had their run ... They are taking the spots away from the younger guys."

Now, although there is some truth to those criticisms and both WWE and TNA could do a better job creating new stars, the fact of the matter and the harsh reality of the situation is that most of the new stars (with few exceptions) are not that good. Most of them are at least adequate in the ring, but when it comes to the things that make the money (image, promos, style) many of them simply do not match up to the generation before them.

The idea that a multi-million dollar company (in TNA's case) or a close to a billion dollar company (in WWE's case) should voluntarily give the ball to individuals who have not demonstrated their ability to carry the ball on their own is silly.

It is almost insulting to suggest that wrestlers who have given ten or more years of their lives to the wrestling business and who have made millions of dollars for the companies that they have worked for should unceremoniously give their spots up to wrestlers who don't even know how to cut a promo.

This idea that it is the job of the wrestler who holds the spot to voluntarily give it up to a wrestler who hasn't earned it in indicative of a larger problem (even a societal ill) of the entitlement mentality. Many of the top superstars in WWE worked ten or more years to be given the ball.

Edge, possibly one of the best heels in the new millennium, as well as a pretty good babyface, had to wait almost ten years to be given his opportunity to lead. Jeff Hardy's rise to prominence was chronicled during a similar time frame. Chris Jericho was a professional wrestler in the national spotlight for one of the three companies for at least a decade before he won his first World Heavyweight Championship.

A.J. Styles has been in TNA for seven years and has earned his spot. Batista and Randy Orton received their chances to “carry the ball” after spending several years as the proteges of two of the greatest wrestlers of the last 30 years. Matt Morgan and Hernandez have demonstrated their willingness to carry the ball when given the opportunity and, as a result, both are now waiting in the wings.

All of these wrestlers have one thing in common: they did not wait for someone to “hand” them the ball. They took it. These wrestlers realized that they were not entitled to a spot at the top and they made the best out of the opportunities that they were given until the chance to move up had presented itself.

Those who really deserve the top spot do not wait for someone to hand it to them. They take the top spot. Some may ask, “How can someone take the top spot?” The best wrestlers take it by being better than everyone else in every way. The best wrestlers may not get as much TV time as DX or the Main Event Mafia, but when they get the opportunity to cut a promo, they knock it out of the park. The best wrestlers practice and perfect their craft inside of the ring and are in control of their atmosphere outside of it. The best wrestlers intentionally do things to make the crowd cheer or boo them. The best wrestlers make themselves noticeable by everyone. Those are the ones who deserve those precious top spots.

It is understandable that one can become impatient when waiting for their favorite stars to be elevated, but wrestling fans and journalists have to be cautious. By constantly advocating for the top spots to be given to people who have not earned them yet, there runs a risk of creating a wrestling business that is infested with people who feel as if they do not have to work to earn their spot and that they should be given their opportunity as soon as they walk in the door.

A generation of wrestlers who are spoiled rotten with a chip on their shoulders and a severe inferiority complex is unhealthy for Professional Wrestling as a whole. There is nothing wrong with advocating the elevation of a 24-year-old over a 44-year-old. It becomes a problem when that same 24-year-old isn't better than the 44-year-old and is still given that opportunity.

Those who deserve the spots should get them. Wrestlers are given an opportunity when they are hired. What they make of that opportunity is up to them. Make wrestlers earn their spots. Stop spoiling them. Stop enabling the entitlement mentality.

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