In one tweet, the Road Dogg Jesse James sent the WWE Universe into a frenzy. It’s not a secret that WWE’s booking as of late is questionable at best. Reason being, wins and losses don’t matter. WWE is all about telling a story with characters the fans either like or dislike.
Ironically, that’s exactly what the Road Dogg said to stir up a lot of controversy on social media several days ago.
@philgreensauce wins and losses don’t count, it’s about character and he’s a winner!
— Brian G. James (@WWERoadDogg) February 4, 2016
@philgreensauce of course I mean that, it’s not real competition so how can they count? You and I just see it differently I guess. All good
— Brian G. James (@WWERoadDogg) February 4, 2016
@JStevenson15 don’t be worried James, last year was the most profitable year on record so I feel like it’s all gonna be ok.
— Brian G. James (@WWERoadDogg) February 6, 2016
@MrWillieJones @adecorativedrop @philgreensauce because you like being entertained I guess, that’s why I watch tv shows. Agree to disagree
— Brian G. James (@WWERoadDogg) February 6, 2016
@SeanRossSapp@philgreensauce we’re talking about apples and oranges though, 2 completely different things. 1’s real and 1’s character based
— Brian G. James (@WWERoadDogg) February 6, 2016
Instead of diving into a rage-filled rant, let’s look at what Road Dogg said with an objective viewpoint.
The former-WWE Tag-Team champion, who is the lead writer of WWE Smackdown, said that wins and losses don’t matter. It’s all about the character and the winner of that specific storyline.
In short, James told the fans that watch to not care who wins and loses each match. The conclusion is all that matters. It isn’t real competition, according to James. So, why should the WWE Universe care who comes out on top? The realization that WWE isn’t real is good to hear from a WWE official.
Doesn’t it make perfect sense?
What doesn’t hold a millimeter of logic is what Road Dogg said, and then proceeded to back up his claim to several WWE fans on Twitter, as it appears above.
Where was he when the New Age Outlaws ran roughshot through the WWE Tag-Team division? He said they didn’t win a lot, but truth be told, they did win. It wasn’t 50-50 booking in the mid-90’s. WWE understood how to book talent without trading wins each week.
Just as recently as three years ago, Road Dogg is either delirious or lying. It should be the latter in this case because James is a smart guy.
Brock Lesnar conquered the streak at WrestleMania 30. Undertaker finally fell at the Grandest Stage of Them All to the Beast Incarnate. Paul Heyman became the one, behind the one in 21 and 1. That entire gimmick relied on the “loss” the Phenom suffered in New Orleans.
Did the Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin get popular due to their 50-50 record? If the Texas Rattlesnake would’ve had a worse record, he wouldn’t have been as over. John Cena became the WWE’s face in the mid-2000’s. Cena rarely lost on TV, and even at WWE house shows.
Wins mattered then.
World Championship Wrestling had Goldberg. He wasn’t the best wrestler, but his undefeated streak made him feel invincible to the naked eye. At one point, Goldberg was the hottest act in wrestling. The biggest reason for that was his winning streak.
Wins mattered then.
Over 45 years ago, Bruno Sammartino lost his WWWF championship to Ivan Koloff at Madison Square Garden. It’s dubbed as the “Night MSG Went Silent.” If Sammartino didn’t hold the best and go undefeated for 2803 days, would his loss have been as significant?
The problem with WWE today isn’t the talent. They have one of the best rosters on the planet from top-to-bottom. Even when wrestlers on the main roster decide to move on or retire, WWE NXT has a litany of stars ready to get called up.
Their issue is with the mindset that wins and losses don’t matter. Jim Ross, WWE Hall of Fame wrestler, believes that’s what is holding them back. Imagine if Kevin Owens didn’t trade wins with Cena at the start of his ascension to the main event.
He defeated Cena at Elimination Chamber in his first match. Owens then lost to Cena two-straight times for the belt. Champions in the WWE lose on WWE Raw or WWE Smackdown nearly every week without a care from officials.
The latest example comes from the AJ Styles/Chris Jericho feud. Styles beat Y2J two weeks ago on his Raw debut. It was a great match and jumpstarted a good program. On WWE Smackdown tonight, Jericho beat Styles.
That’s 50-50 booking at it’s finest and it’s completely the wrong way to go.
Hey, Road Dogg, wins, and losses do matter.