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| Thank you for being friends Photo Credit: WWE.com |
Through years of Nexi and Straight Edge Societies and Awesome Truths, WWE had become a nation of marauders, reliant on iconoclasts to succeed and break through the frosted glass ceilings put in front of them. The only thing separating them from the vast grayscape of TNA was that oftentimes, the heroes, whether John Cena, Sheamus, Randy Orton, or CM Punk, were successful in their endeavors. Still, while I can't speak for anyone else, I can say for myself that no matter how well-executed the plot of their stories were, I couldn't help but feel like the stories were incomplete. Maybe my own desire for long-lasting friendship informs my own fandom, but I've always longed for the good guys to make a few saves here and there and show that maybe, just maybe, friendship wasn't the enterprise of greedy and malevolent.
The journey back in essence began with Team Hell No!, but now, WWE has finally and fully embraced the idea that one, singular moldbreaker wasn't going to take down the aggregated villainy of The Authority and its various minions, ideas which spread to other theaters of conflict seemingly unrelated to the machinations of the McMahon-Helmsley Hydra. The white hats needed to flock together to appear as if they were charging under the cover of cloud.
This idea of friendship by convenience marked both sides of the massive Survivor Series elimination match that has seemingly been constructed with the end of RAW. On one side of evil, two feisty trios, one a mercenary group of paramilitary thugs and the other a backwoods cult, seemingly were on a collision course until they realized the fresh meat they both targeted yielded enough food for all six to eat heartily. On the other, the two icons of the WWE's hardcore fanbase stood, backs against each other, ready to fall on swords fighting for their lives but were bailed out by an invisible Gandalf bringing in the cavalry of Rohirrim, or in this case, two pairs of brothers of Samoan and Southern stock.
The cult of personality within the assumed 12-man tag is enough to carry half a card the caliber of Survivor Series. But nucleating it in one match puts weighty expectation on the non-title part of the pay-per-view's payload. However, unlike during other big matches, WWE is actually stacking the deck in their favor. The battle lines are being drawn, and everyone has motivation, even if it's as simple as the Usos wanting to cold-cock The Shield for keeping up their aggression.
More impressively, the main beneficiary of "defy all odds alone" booking has even been afforded the one thing he's seemed to lack in the last couple of years - true camaraderie. In the two weeks since coming back, Cena has been almost surreally wrapping himself in the upper midcard, associating with wrestlers who would actually benefit from being in a story with him, and injecting interest into the World Heavyweight Championship scene without taking that trinket away from those who might have competed for it in the last two years.
Most telling was that he didn't overcome all three big bads at the end of his victory. Rather, Big E Langston made the save, set up an entertaining match later in the evening, and most importantly, humanized the Superman by giving him two things he's sorely needed - the veneer of vulnerability and the need to have a friend watch his back. Granted, if someone were to watch the back of John Cena, who might as well be WWE's Zeus, Azathoth, and Flying Spaghetti Monster all rolled up into one, it might as well be the physically imposing Weird Twitter devotee from the University of Iowa. I understand from my bros over at Black Heart, Gold Pants that Iowa City grows 'em strange.
Regardless of what story contained the budding white hat friendship, the sight of good guys looking out for other good guys was a welcome one. Iconoclasm can be great, but it can't be the only thing sustaining a narrative in a single wrestling company. Sometimes, the fans have to know that the heroes through whom they live vicariously have someone watching their backs.