Will There Ever Be Another Classic WWE Rivalry?

Why there will never be another classic WWE rivalry.

(Also at 411Mania.com)

“Rivalries” debuted on the WWE Network this week. You can watch that, and a bunch of other wrestling stuff, for only $59.94 for six months. 

The show focusses on some of the great rivalries in WWE history including Steve Austin vs. The Rock, Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage, and more. This past Sunday at Hell in a Cell, the WWE tried to promote Randy Orton vs. John Cena are an epic rivalry on the level of the three classic rivalries that I just mentioned. While Cena and Orton have been two of the top stars in the company for the better part of 10 years now, they don’t have that classic match or defining moment that makes a classic rivalry a classic. 

Also, thanks to so much weekly TV time to fill, Orton and Cena have wrestled each other so many times that when they square off, no matter what the stipulation or gimmick might be, it just doesn’t feel like a big deal.

Which made me wonder, will there ever be another great wrestling rivalry in the WWE? 

According to CageMatch.net (a fantastic website that every wrestling fan should probably bookmark), Cena and Orton have squared off in 20 one-on-one matches on WWE television/PPV since 2005. By comparison, Austin and Rock (my personal favorite rivalry of all-time) squared off in 10 one-on-one matches from 1997 to 2003. At first glance, those numbers don’t reflect all that bad on Cena vs. Orton. But let’s dive deeper. 

Since 2004 when they both competed in the Royal Rumble together, Cena and Orton have appeared in the same match (whether it it a tag match, a triple threat, battle royal, etc…) 74 times. Austin and Rock appeared in the same match from 1997 to 2003 just 24 times. Now those are numbers that reflect bad on Cena vs. Orton. 

You can even take The Undertaker vs. Kane, who have feuded more times than I can recall, and see that the numbers aren’t that favorable for Orton and Cena. Since Kane’s debut at Badd Blood 1997 to their Buried Alive Match in 2010, the Brothers of Destruction have been rivalries in the same match 43 times, with just 15 of them being one-on-one matches. That’s right, for those who thought Kane and Undertaker wrestled each other way too much, they only had 15 one-on-one matches in 13 years. Let me remind you that Orton and Cena have had 20 one-on-one matches in 9 years. 

I’m sure I could research more classic feuds, but I think I’ve proven my point. 

Which brings me back to my question, will there ever be another great wrestling rivalry in the WWE? 

Unfortunately, probably not. 

First off, there are five hours of primetime television to fill each week. Because of this the top stars constantly work against each other. So when WWE wants to book a big match and make it feel special, chances are we’ve seen some form of that match 10 times in the past month. 

Second, the PG era hurts just how far wrestlers can take things. Not being able to use blood and having to be family friendly hinders wrestlers and forces them to stay on the far side of the line. It’s tough to have a memorable rivalry when you can’t use blood or push a certain line. I’m not saying it’s impossible (Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat did pretty well), but being able to use blood and being able to push boundaries certainly adds to the spectacle of a great wrestling rivalry.

It would also help if the writers understood how to work around PG conditions and have a crazy man fueled by hatred cut promos with blow up dolls and squirt ketchup and mustard on the guy who smashed his face into cinder blocks.

And there we have the biggest problem with WWE trying to create a classic rivalry: the booking and writing. 

Take away John Cena and how many great rivalries can you name in the past five years? We’ve seen the end of some great rivalries like Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker, but can you name a great rivalry that has started and continued for years? We’ve seen some good feuds like Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho (and if you want to call that a classic rivalry that dates back to 2003, I wouldn’t argue) or The Undertaker vs. Edge, but I can’t recall a classic rivalry that I could really sink my teeth into. 

CM Punk is a guy who had a lot of great feuds, but unless you count Cena, he never had a classic rivalry despite working his way up the roster and eventually holding the WWE Title for 434 days.

Looking ahead, is there anyone on the roster that has the potential to have a classic rivalry? Don’t get me wrong, there are some fantastic workers in the company and coming up through NXT, but will they get a chance to have a classic with someone else? 

Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins have started what could turn into a classic rivalry, but will they get a chance to continue it and have they already ruined it? Since Rollins turned on The Shield in June, Rollins and Ambrose have competed in the same match six times in four months with three of them being one-on-one contests. Then you factor in the wacky booking highlighted at Hell in a Cell and you have a stained rivalry right from the start. Let’s say Rollins or Ambrose is the WWE World Champion two years from now and they are feuding over the title. How many times will they have fought in those two years between now and their potential title feud? 

Going back to Steve Austin vs. The Rock for a second. Their first one-on-one contest was for the Intercontinental title at the In Your House: Degeneration-X PPV in December 1997. Between that match and their Wrestlemania 15 in March 1999 contest for the WWF Title, they had two one-on-one matches, one being a 6-minute match that ended in a disqualification. 

Rollins and Ambrose have already had two one-on-one matches against one another since their first one-on-one encounter at SummerSlam 2014. Not only that, but one match was a Falls Count Anywhere match while the other was Hell in a Cell. 

Furthermore, secondary champions are rarely elevated to a championship level like they were in years past. Two wrestlers might’ve had a good feud for the Intercontinental title, went their separate ways for a bit, and then met years later with the World title on the line. Since 2010 the IC title has been passed around between the likes of Kofi Kingston, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, and Wade Barrett. Those guys are in the same position they were in five years ago if not worse. The same goes for the US title. Even worse, these guys aren’t have great feuds. They are just wrestling each other every week, trading wins and losses, and moving on. A great rivalry must start with a great feud and those are very rare in the WWE nowadays. 

Again, WWE has some great talent that could produce a great feud that eventually turns into a great rivalry. But they’ve had talent for years now and have failed to do anything with it unless your name is John Cena or you’re a returning star from the 90’s or early 00’s. You know, back when they actually had stars. 

It’s sad to say, but I think the time of classic rivalries is done in WWE. I hope I’m wrong as nothing would excite me more than seeing a rivalry reach the intensity and match level of Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart or Triple H vs. Mick Foley or Sting vs. Ric Flair, but I just don’t see it. Not as long guys aren’t getting elevated and are wrestling each other on TV or PPV in some form or fashion ten times a year. 

Enjoy “Rivalries” on the WWE Network. They’ll be playing the same episodes for years to come.