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VALLEY'S TAKE: The Story of 2014 - The Rich Enough Beat The Super Rich ... or It Just Doesn't Kliq Anymore

Dec 19, 2014 - 10:28:41 AM
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By Jim Valley, PWTorch contributor

"Can anyone help me? I'm missing a whole box of brass rings." - "Triple H" Paul Levesque tweeting after the critically acclaimed NXT Revolution.

The brass ring. A metaphor for making it. You have success, money, power, influence, your dream home, dream partner, your dream life. Did Finn Bàlor get rich after Thursday? Can he retire and move next door to John Cena?

2014 is the year of Alberto Del Rio, C.M. Punk, A.J. Styles, Brock Lesnar, Dave Bautista, and Rey Mysterio.

All independent contractors. All mis-used by those in power who put ego first. All cost the super rich probably millions of dollars. The super rich thought they knew best. The super rich thought they were smarter. The super rich thought they were in control. The super rich thought they had the power. The super rich were blinded by their own egos and stupidity.

Alberto Del Rio is first because he cost WWE the entire Latin market. It used to be that the Kliq (Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and their star pupil Paul Levesque) could make their snide, locker room jokes without any consequence. Whether they intended to cause damage or not isn't the point. They were, and I mean were, a protected class. Whether Hunter meant to or not, he helped create a culture that alienated Alberto Rodriguez (Del Rio). They booked him as a pandering babyface and let some web guy insult a star. Del Rio had money and left. He went back to Mexico a conquering hero and WWE will never draw in Mexico for at least a decade. Kliq.

C.M. Punk. 'Nuff said. Kliq.

Brock Lesnar. Sorry, Kevin Nash, you are no longer the smartest man in wrestling. Kliq.

A.J. Styles from a third-rate Ric Flair to a first-rate real World's champion. The best American export since whenever it was we made things in this country. TNA.

Rey Mysterio. The longest lasting, passive aggressive, silent feud in wrestling. He should have Oprah money. He could have been WWE's answer to the Marvel juggernaut. Hell, a damn raccoon and a tree were this summer's biggest action heroes. But, Rey Mysterio is "too small." I can't wait. #FreeRey "Kliq."

Which leads us to "I Am Not Groot," Dave Bautista. The man who was the chosen class. The man who was essentially part of Kliq 2.0. He is the only star to pop a Raw TV rating on his own all year. It was all downhill after that. Not for Dave. He's a movie star now. James Bond, Guardians 2, and The Avengers. Who needs the WWE Universe when you have the real universe with paying customers?

WWE is like the famous, possibly false, story of Marie Antoinette. (Google it.) Only I say to Vince, Hunter, Stephanie, Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, and karma-coated Scott Hall, "Let them eat Kliq."

(Professional broadcaster Jim Valley is a long-time wrestling fan, PWTorch subscriber, and currently PWTorch Livecast guest host and now a PWTorch.com editorialist. He won a National Edward R. Murrow Award and several regional awards during his 20 year broadcast career. He has done TV announcing for several independent wrestling promotions, hosted his own wrestling radio show, interviewed many top stars, and was flown out to Stamford to audition for WWE. He took second to Todd Grisham. His Attitude Era "Total Chaos" wrestling radio show is currently being featured on PWTorch.com's VIP membership website, with new episodes added each month.)


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