Posted in: Doctor's Orders
Doctor's Orders: It's Time To Start Pushing Cesaro
By The Doc
Jul 7, 2015 - 6:50:19 PM




QUESTION OF THE DAY: In an equal opportunity environment, what is Cesaro's ceiling in WWE?

I'm going to cut right to the chase: WWE needs to expand their short and long-term visions for their product to include a heavy-dose of Cesaro. In yet another example of how good he is between the ropes, Cesaro issued his latest statement to the higher-ups that his spot in the hierarchy is completely inadequate. With a 30-minute, instant classic Raw main-event against the standard-bearer for a generation, John Cena, that garnered thunderous applause from WWE's best city, Chicago, what more does he have to do to prove his worth?

If you answer that question, "Cut better promos" or "Develop more character" - classic Vince McMahon-isms that VKM himself spewed on Steve Austin's podcast several months ago - then stop right there. Vince McMahon, you stop right there, too, while you're at it. Some talents offer something superlative that should allow you to overlook what they don't have in order to become laser-focused on marketing and enhancing what they do have. What is Cesaro's unmistakable trait? He's arguably the best wrestler in the world. Years ago, that may not have been enough. It is today. Listen to the audience. It's all about what they respond to, correct? Well, the people come alive for Cesaro matches. It's time to pay more attention to that.

I've studied WWE programming for over a decade and been a fan of it since the late 1980s and I don't think that there has ever been a time when the general fan population more openly cared about the in-ring product than it does right now. What the people are most reacting to is the magic that takes place in the squared circle. It's not just the vocal minority anymore. “Work rate” is still just IWC-driven vernacular, but the theme behind why such a phrase exists has never been as important to the product. The WWE Network business model attracts the diehard fans and the diehard fans want great wrestling matches. Pro wrestling, across the board, has raised its bar for what's an acceptable level of in-ring competence and the trickle down effect is that elite work on the 20X20' canvas is an expectation instead of a luxury. 20 years ago, Cesaro might've just been a "helluva hand" type that couldn't get over to the extent expected of a headliner without considerable personality. In today's WWE, there's no reason why he cannot be a star of main-event proportions, no matter how you feel about his ability to connect verbally.

There’s a star to whom I’d really like to compare Cesaro, but I do not wish to weaken my point with any controversy despite my feeling that the former US Champion and Tag Team Champion is the evolutionary successor to this persona-non-grata. So, instead, I point to a man like Dean Malenko. The “Ice Man” never needed to be gregarious to be a star. He was just an absolutely fantastic worker in an age in which you had to have more than that to climb any further up the ladder than the upper mid-card. In many ways, he was a slightly lesser version of the persona-non-grata former World Champion to whom I referenced, but Malenko always found his niche. What’s the difference between the elite workers without dominant personas (or movie star looks) of today versus yesteryear? It’s the extent to which people react to them, plain and simple. Put Malenko in his prime on NXT tomorrow and he’s one of the hottest prospects in the industry whose skill set we’re curious to see translate to the bigger stage. Cesaro is a taller, stronger, gym-dedicated, equally-as-well-respected version of his peers from industry lore. He’s a legitimate commodity in the modern wrestling world.

In February 2014, Cesaro had a match with John Cena that I called the "TV Match of the Year." It had everyone buzzing about the future. It led to nicknames like "The Swiss Superman" and "The King of Swing" becoming buzz words, to a victory in the 1st ever Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, and to a pairing with the incomparable Paul Heyman as his manager. Sadly, he became just another guy, creatively stifled despite slamming against the glass ceiling with a European uppercut so hard that it threatened to crack. It's not as if he disappeared in the second half of the year; I recall a lot of really good matches, including bouts with Sheamus and Dolph Ziggler on PPV that held up against some of the year's finest. However, talents with such a superlative quality should not be moved to the back burner. If the partnership with Heyman did not work, get quickly back to the drawing board and figure out what will work because Cesaro is just too special of a talent to waste in his prime years. It would be a real shame if injury or otherwise turned him into a case of “what might’ve been.”

With another incredible match with Cena sure to be viewed at year's end as a 2015 "TV Match of the Year" frontrunner, Cesaro has given WWE a mulligan. The best crowd in the business just lavished him with praise. The iron just got hot again; now is the time to strike. There's a massive "Cesaro Section" in the WWE Universe sitting there like a new constellation waiting to be discovered. As if that were not enough, two of the top four biggest stars of the WrestleMania Era have strongly endorsed him. So, no more excuses that better fit 1998; it’s just flat out time to start pushing Cesaro to a headlining level.


”The Doc” Chad Matthews has been a featured writer for LOP since 2004. Initially offering detailed recaps and reviews for WWE's top programs, he transitioned to writing columns in 2010. In addition to his discussion-provoking current event pieces, he has written many acclaimed series about WrestleMania, as well as a popular short story chronicle. The Doc has also penned a book, The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment, published in 2013. It has been called “the best wrestling book I have ever read” and holds a 5-star rating on Amazon, where it peaked at #3 on the wrestling charts.



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Wed at 5PM ET, The Doc issues a rebutall to Rob Simmons comments last week about Bray Wyatt's position in WWE. He'll also look at last weekend's latest WWE special, "Beast in the East," reacting to the NXT Championship match and giving his thoughts on the Jericho vs. Neville bout, as well. Though Doc has yet to speak about Tough Enough, he'll get you caught up on his thoughts through the first few weeks, dedicating two versions of his Tough Enough Top 3 (post week 1 and 2, then post week 3).


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