PWTorch.com - VALENTINO'S MAGIC, MEMORIES & MANIA: Who takes the award for Best & Worst Performer of 2014?

Magic, Memories, and Mania
VALENTINO'S MAGIC, MEMORIES & MANIA: Who takes the award for Best & Worst Performer of 2014?

Nov 3, 2014 - 3:45:52 PM

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By Shawn Valentino, PWTorch specialist

One of the best things about watching pro wrestling is when a performer that you have little to no expectations for surprises you by becoming an entertaining character.

Over the years, I thought that Stephanie McMahon was one of the most tone-deaf characters on television. When she was a face, she was annoying, and when she was a heel, she was unlikeable for the wrong reasons. Last summer when The Authority storyline began, I was excited about Triple H and Randy Orton returning to their more natural heel characters. Little did I know at the time that the best heel of the entire power faction would be Stephanie.

It took a few weeks for Stephanie to hit her stride, but in 2014, when she has been at her best, she has been amazing. Her facial expressions, command of the camera, and despicable antics have made her an incredible act that fans love to hate. I thought her performance outside the ring during the Daniel Bryan versus Triple H match at WrestleMania 30 took the battle to a new level.

Also, many of her heel promos have been some of the best of any performer this year. It looked like it was going to translate into a viable box office feud of her own at Summerslam versus Brie Bella. It started off great as Steph sold her arrest perfectly, and the potential was there for some captivating television. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, the story went off the rails and her character went with it.

It is obvious that Stephanie inherited her father’s charisma and screen presence, but unfortunately, she has also shown a lack of discipline and inconsistency that has plagued his television programming over the years.

I thought two of the dumbest WWE TV moments of the year were when she hugged her kids after playing the villain during her Summerslam match, and even worse was this past week. Why in the world would WWE take time on their show where The Authority are the main heels to congratulate Stephanie on being selected to a prestigious fellowship program? That is like interrupting "The Dark Knight" with a special message that Heath Ledger was awarded a Humanitarian Award. It adds nothing of value to the show and undermines the integrity of the characters they want viewers to take seriously.

And, can anybody explain why Triple H and Stephanie are wearing pink ribbons for breast cancer on television as they are playing arrogant power mongers? It is unbelievable how many character inconsistencies there are on WWE programming, and it is part of the reason ratings are down, Network buys are disappointing, and the product is flat.

It is really frustrating to watch because Stephanie has obviously worked hard to achieve the look and tone of a tremendously effective heel authority figure, but in recent months, the writing has ruined her work with incessant character inconsistency. It is symbolic of WWE's overall problems lacking an internal logic that every other form of entertainment employs.

Please send questions, comments, and feedback to shawnvalentino@gmail.com and check out my book, "The Showstopper Lifestyle," on Amazon. Feel free to add Shawn Valentino on Facebook.