Heath Slater fails to earn new WWE contract
The third week of SmackDown Live! has concluded and this week, Heath Slater was given the opportunity to earn a contract for the blue brand by facing Rhyno. Unfortunately for Slater and his kids (numbers are to be confirmed) he was not successful in this endeavour and went down swiftly to the beastly veteran. I guess you’ll have to take that pool back to the store Heath.
After Slater expressed his frustration to General Manager Daniel Bryan and big boss Shane McMahon, it was revealed to the audience that they actually had a contract ready for him despite falling short on the night. He also failed to slow down for this information in a WWE.com exclusive as he stormed out of the building.
Having been snubbed by Raw and SmackDown during the draft and having his dreams crushed on the flagship show by a returning Jinder Mahal, it seems this was the last chance for the One Man Band to earn his place on the WWE roster. The only problem is, do we really want him there?
Heath Slater is a great bit of comedy relief when coupled with others that can make it work. He was great as the leader of 3MB (I still pray for a reunion tour) and more recently as the key player in the Social Outcasts. He had a great chemistry with Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal and though it wasn’t replicated with the latter group, it was still fun watching him lord over Bo Dallas. However, on his own, I don’t feel invested in the character and I also don’t feel that he has anything to offer to Raw or SmackDown at this particular time as the ‘New Era’ takes over.
I take nothing away from the fact that Heath Slater is a great wrestler and his accomplishments in the WWE speak for themselves. He is a three-time WWE Tag Team Champion, but he has not held a championship in WWE now for over 5 years. Where can Slater go from here?
I don’t think Slater is destined to be any higher than the lower mid-card at this point. He’s gone past the point of no return in the way that even if the WWE did start to build him from here and give him a few wins, heck, even a title opportunity, it’s hard to invest in a character after 5 years of losses and comedy gimmicks.
He needs a serious gimmick change as at the moment, the One Man Band isn’t landing with anyone. I can guarantee he’ll get a contract in the end but once this short-lived storyline is over with, what happens then? The likelihood is, that if he stays as he is, with a poor gimmick and not surrounded by anyone, he will likely job to anyone and everyone, just as he has been doing. It wouldn’t actually surprise me that with the influx of local talent, he’ll end up losing to one of them soon, just as he went on a losing streak to the legends in 2012.
With the new tag titles on the horizon for SmackDown, it would make a lot of sense to pair Heath Slater up with another talent that is not doing much on the roster. Slater has the brilliant ability of making any gimmick he is given with any partner he is given, work for most parts. If WWE were to handle his new gimmick and partner a bit more seriously, we could see the former member of the Nexus and the Corre, become a 4-time tag team champion.
This would make me care about Slater again. The guy has been drifting through WWE now for 5 years, it’s time to give him something that matters. I do care about Heath Slater, he’s a fantastic talent. I don’t care about his current gimmick and storyline. This is what’s letting him down.
However, there is an argument to be made now that the second brand split has happened, Heath has a place as the resident comedy act. Raw has its fair share of laughs with the likes of Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho and Enzo and Cass, but SmackDown could tap into the old fashioned style of over-the-top comedy with Heath Slater. He would be filling a gap that Santino Marella left. The writers would have to be careful not to go to the well too often with this though as it would devalue the brand.
Nevertheless, another option for the flailing Superstar would be to travel back down to NXT just as Zack Ryder did and reinvent himself. Not only would this be great for him as a character but it would also be fantastic to have another veteran that the upcoming Superstars in the developmental brand can learn from. It would also make for some great matches as Heath is an exceptional worker.
I’m hanging on to the hope that Heath Slater can morph into something a little more interesting over the coming weeks. Going past SummerSlam will be the real test. It’s still possible that they will have him show up and earn a contract on the biggest PPV event of the summer but that remains to be seen.
Regardless of where Slater ends up on the roster, I can be certain that he’ll continue to be entertaining and deliver his best in whatever role he is placed. I care about Heath Slater and I hope he doesn’t have to give up his new pool…