They say the best pro wrestling storylines are the ones that blur the lines between what’s happening on the show and what’s happening behind the curtains. Well, that certainly seems to be the case with the program that has closed Monday Night Raw the past two weeks. It’s fair to say that Enzo Amore shocked the wrestling world when he defeated Neville for the Cruiserweight Championship. But, it seems as if the WWE is in on the joke here. Either that, or they’re interested in selling a shit ton of merchandise to children. One of the two, for sure.
When Big Cass turned on Enzo, it was clear that Cass was “the guy.” He’s big and has a tad bit of charisma, so naturally, he’s going to get a push. They didn’t do him any favors by having him maul Enzo on pay-per-view. Then, there was the weird feud with Big Show. That program culminated in a match at Summerslam that saw Enzo hanging above the ring in a shark cage. Then Cass injured himself and is now sitting at home watching WWE programming. Yeah, things could’ve definitely started better for the dude who was once rumored to have an Intercontinental Championship run this Fall.
But, regardless of where it ended up, the plan was always supposed to be for Big Cass to become a star and for Enzo to continue being Enzo. Then, reports of the dislike for Enzo backstage started to surface – Roman Reigns threw him off of a bus, he reportedly caused a scene in a strip club, and for the most part, people just generally didn’t like the guy. At one point, we all thought he was done. It actually seemed like WWE may move on from the smack talker sky walker. But, they didn’t.
Instead, Enzo received what most of the IWC considered a demotion to 205 Live. That’s the Cruiserweight show for those of you who don’t watch it….which is most of you….at least that’s what the ratings would say. Anyway, he went on a nice little undefeated streak. Then, he actually won the title. I know. “Whaaaaat?!?!”
Now, we’re full circle. Suddenly, a rambunctious Enzo is Cruiserweight Champion, just when we all thought he was destined for the dog house.
Sure, we all laughed. Enzo seems like a walking dumpster fire, and this Cruiserweight run seemed like a sham. But, something weird has happened. The Cruiserweights have actually sent Raw off the air the last two weeks. People are actually talking about the Cruiserweights. Guys are writing articles about it (did I just break the fourth wall?)!
I once called Neville one of the 10 greatest Cruiserweights of the WWE era. By my standards, he’s one of the best workers in the world. But, his lengthy run atop the division demonstrated that you can just slap the belt on a quality wrestler, have him run through the entire division, and make the title relevant. No, it’s like every other title…you need an element of star power. And, let’s face it – when Enzo gets on his bullshit, that’s “star power” to the casual fan.
They tried to include Austin Aries in the division to create some buzz. That didn’t work. The guys that really stood out didn’t get much of a chance – Jack Gallagher, Mustafa Ali there for a hot minute. But, with Enzo you have a unique situation. It’s not some new guy who everyone is supposed to cheer because he had an excellent reputation on the indies. Yet, it’s not some veteran whose best years are behind him either. This is a guy who is in the prime of his game. Sure, his game only extends to the microphone, but you get what I’m saying. The people actually respond to him.
Maybe this is WWE winking at us, making the kids think Enzo is a bona fide champ, but “burying” him in the Cruiserweight division for the entertainment of the “smart” fans. It’s really a genius move if you stop and think about it. By the way, I don’t see much longevity in Enzo, for the record. But, in the here and now, you can’t help but wonder if the WWE didn’t just luck into one of the funniest/weirdest superstar runs ever.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. A strong advocate of GSD (get shit done) and #BeBetter, he’s down to talk Tennessee Titans and Alabama Crimson Tide football over a beer any day. Check him out covering the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @WrestlingNewsCo
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