Internet has been buzzing for the past couple of weeks, at first due to the impressive amount of EBWF Alumni that have returned to action: The EBWF Universe has been delighted in the past couple of weeks with the presence of Bret "Hitman" Hart, Sean Waltman "Syxx".
"Operation Return" has also been taking place in the Divas division where Torrie, Trish Stratus, Velvet Sky, Lacey, Angelina Love, Rayne, and Natalya all have returned to action.
Even Shawn Michaels and Joannie "Chyna" Laurer have made their presence felt at Warfare segments a couple of weeks ago.
This trend has actually been going on since The Royal Rumble, where guys like Edge, Randy Orton, The Rock, Undertaker and Triple H made their presence felt; even Christian was World Champion for a brief amount of time.
Sure, there have been a lot of guys who have returned to the EBWF recently. So what? Nothing. That would've been the answer if 7 out of 8 KOTR tournament finalists weren't EBWF Alumni/Vets. This clearly shows the amount of confidence the board of directors have on Alumni (Or lack of confidence in the rest of the talent, you put it as you wish).
Now, this article is not meant to bash on the EBWF Alumni/Vets, or to plead for the younger EBWF superstars who are missing out and will probably miss out on the KOTR pay per view in a couple of weeks. As a Matter of fact, EBWF has shown faith in the young up and comers like Leo Kruger, Fandango, even the Shield... But still, the question on why none of them is there in the final 8 for KOTR remains. Instead of trying to answer that question (Answer which might only be known by the EBWF administration), the purpose of this article is to highlight the variety these EBWF Alumni bring to the game.
The Divas
Let's face it, it is not the best time to be a female wrestler. WWE mistreats their divas, TNA and EBWF try to give them more on air time, having multiple titles for the female competitors. With the return of Torrie, Trish, Natalya, Angelina Love, Velvet Sky and Lacey fans won. Fans have clearly shown their approval for the return of their beloved divas.
The Superstars
Come on! Kurt Angle, Syxx, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Rated RKO! Need I say more? Just go to youtube and catch any bits of last week's shows. People LOVE returning Alumni!
Plain and simple, When you allow a whole LEGION of former contracted talent back into competition, you hit some nerves and I mean that in a good way. Fans are always longing for the "Good old days". Fans want to relive that Bret Hart Vs. Jericho Feud, or Rated RKO, or the D-X days, or the nWo days! That is why they blow the roof everytime!
In booker's (not Booker T's) words, bringing back an Alumni is an easy and effortless way to gain a huge drawing babyface to your roster.
At first glance, it would seem as if they were taking up the opportunity from other young guys like Paige or Daniel Bryan to shine... But au contraire. Remember our previous article regarding the lack of Babyfaces in the EBWF roster? Well that does not seem to be a problem anymore, does it?
Triple H can come out with his sledgehammer and trashtalk his opponent, but people love him! Randy Orton might act like a cold blooded assassin with his old "Killer" gimmick, but the fans eat it up! The fans love his Rated RKO antics... No matter how hard they try, they're babyfaces. Even Sean Waltman! Have you seen the crowd reactions he gets? I doubt that not even by joining the Shield he'd be able to turn cheers into boos.
How does this affect the roster? Well, if done right... EBWF younger athletes have endless possibilities.
Can you picture AJ Lee as a heel? Maryse as a face? How about a face Curt Hawkins? ? a Heel Trent? ? Even AJ Styles has distilled poison in his twitter rants as of late!
Do you get the idea?
Can you think of other positive things the EBWF Alumni/Vets bring to the roster?
Rate and comment below.
