Opinion: WWE needs to stop pushing Shane McMahon and Baron Corbin
In the world of pro-wrestling, there have always been controversial, sometimes outright hated superstars. When it comes to the fans of WWE, they have often been known to voice who or what they dislike.
People are never fully satisfied with the product they get or the Superstars who are getting pushed. It seems that no matter how hard WWE try to please us, or whatever the idea is, people are prepared to shoot down anything new before letting it play out on TV.
WWE knows how to keep the fans engaged, even if some storylines or ideas are repetitive and uninteresting.
The fans are the driving force of the company and it is our job, usually, to tell them what we like or dislike about the product. Many people simply don't give WWE a chance to showcase what they can do, preferring to criticize everything the company does.
There will always be people that will try to paint the company in a negative light. The criticism is usually about people on the roster that fans simply do not want to see get pushed.
In an era where fans are supposedly 'the Authority', it does seem at times that this isn't always the case.
When you hear the constant negative crowd reactions towards Shane McMahon and Baron Corbin, you know that management isn't always keeping to their word. It is pretty obvious that the fans don't accept them.
It seems that Vince doesn't have faith in others (like Drew McIntyre) to be a top heel. As we have seen recently, both Shane and Baron are the top heel characters in WWE currently and it will probably stay that way till Mr. McMahon gives McIntyre or someone else that position.
Whether or not Vince thinks both Corbin or Shane are good at their role is irrelevant. It is the audience whose opinion matters. It would be safe to say that the majority of fans think that both Superstars shouldn't be in the position they are currently in.
Some may think that they simply don't deserve to be there while others might think that they lack any drawing power and can't connect with the audience.
But what is actually wrong with their characters and is there and element of truth to what people think of them?
Unfortunately, there is a certain amount of truth to what most people think of them. The problem lies in how they are presented on-screen as characters and the amount of TV time they receive over other deserving Superstars.
Both men have trouble building a connection to the audience with their character. Being able to build a bond with the crowd is important with being a heel, yet neither is able to do it. You need to be able to let people in to your character and feel how you relate to it.
The reason falls back to both men's characters being bland, one dimensional and often generic. Corbin is seen as a person on the roster, who hasn't managed to keep us interested or engaged in his persona.
He has not added any layers to his character so that we understand him as a true villain and see him grow as a performer. The Lone Wolf has just been presented to us as a heel that does not really let us in on himself.
Being authentic and letting the audience know you, helps one develop that connection. People can see you are being genuine and not reading notes off a script.
Shane McMahon is slightly different because he isn't a full-time talent in the first place. He came back to WWE in 2016 and was wrestling sporadically at major PPV's.
Since he turned heel earlier this year, he performs more and seems to get a huge amount of screen time. This is disappointing for actual Superstars, especially seeing him on both weekly TV shows taking up screen time that other people deserve. The Wildcard Rule has made things even worse in terms of talent not being used.
In my opinion, the brand split should have stayed in place so that talent sticks with one brand. The storyline that Shane O'Mac and Drew McIntyre have been involved in with both Roman Reigns and The Miz, has dragged on for far too long and there isn't any interest in it from the fans on either brand. There is nothing at stake like a title opportunity to make people care.
Drew McIntyre should be a monstrous heel, feuding for the Universal title. He's as ready now as ever to be pushed, yet he's reduced to being an enforcer for Shane and to lose to Roman Reigns.
McIntyre worked hard to get himself over out on the independent circuit and in Impact Wrestling, yet he has had no pay off for all his hard work. Being involved with Shane will not help him to become a huge star in WWE.
Are they doing a good job in their current role as top heels and what can they do to improve their characters?
It seems that WWE is trying to make Shane O'Mac's character is similar to the " Mr McMahon character" that his father played during the Attitude Era.
The difference is that Vince McMahon has that " It factor" about him and still does today to play that character.
Vince legitimately draws heel heat simply when he speaks and is the best villain in the business, in my opinion.
His character was also the perfect foil for Stone Cold Steve Austin and others back in the day. It helped WWE win the Monday Night Wars with some great storytelling.
Sadly though, Shane does not have the charisma that his father does possess as a performer. He does not have the ability to be able to get heel heat. Corbin isn't any better than Shane O'Mac in this area.
The heat that both men receive is not because they are doing well portraying dastardly heels, it's actual disdain from fans, of these two being in a position that they don't want them to be in.
The company needs to realize that they can't force the WWE Universe to accept either man as top Superstars if they aren't able to connect with either man's character. The push they are getting needs to stop before more people get turned off the product.
Both men need to make major adjustments to their characters. Really, Shane O'Mac should not be on-screen at all.
He isn't a performer and should be backstage helping Mr. McMahon to run the show. The athletes who have worked hard to get to WWE, deserve to be getting that exposure and experience.
Corbin has the potential to be a big name but just needs his character to be either repackaged or given a manager.
I strongly believe that pairing him up with Paul Heyman on TV will help get him proper heel heat. Brock Lesnar got better as a heel through working with Heyman, so now Corbin could benefit from his guidance.
What are your thoughts? Sound off in the comments.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article belong to the writer and doesn't necessarily represent Sportskeeda's stand.