WWE’s next generation is getting thrown into the deep end a whole lot faster than wrestlers used to — and Ace Steel says that changes everything. According to Steel, some talent barely gets a couple of years to figure this business out before they’re suddenly on NXT, knocking on the main roster door and expected to look like they’ve been doing this forever.
Steel broke down the wild speed of modern wrestling development during his conversation with The Wrestling Classic, where the discussion turned to psychology, crowd control and why experience still matters even when a wrestler has all the athletic ability in the world.
Steel used CM Punk as the perfect example of what happens when somebody has spent years building trust with an audience. Punk doesn’t need to blow himself up every five seconds to get a reaction because the crowd is already locked into everything he does.
“Something Punk can do that’s not so extravagant resonates more with people because he has equity with that audience. I—somebody else, anyone, anyone else could go out earlier in the show and do the exact same thing and not elicit that response because they don’t have the equity with the crowd.”
That’s where younger wrestlers have a tougher road. Steel said talent early in their careers may feel like they need to do more, hit harder and throw everything at the wall just to make people pay attention.
“They’re not ready to pay attention to that. That’s too—whatever it is, you know, ’cause so there is a psychology to—he just said this at my school. I got to figure out what things to clip and put online. But, you know, there was a time when you have to do the moves to get the attention. You have to grab their attention to where they’ll lean in and want to pay attention to what you’re doing, to where you can slow it down a little more and maybe hopefully not kill yourself or take such a big bump or take so many big bumps.”
Then Steel got to the bigger issue — wrestlers simply aren’t getting the same amount of time to develop before WWE puts them in front of a television audience. The entire process has been smashed into fast-forward.
“It takes time to gain that equity, but it all has—you have to do your best to have an understanding of all that and work on all those aspects. You know, it’s the timeline of a pro wrestler is sped up so much where I feel like that’s where I feel like I get a chance to come in and help speed that up because people get signed in two years and then they get rushed up to the main roster in two years or they’re on NXT.”
Steel pointed directly at Tiffany Stratton as an example of just how crazy that timeline has become. Stratton went from learning the business to performing on major WWE television in a fraction of the time wrestlers from past generations had to develop.
“Next thing you know they’re like, ‘Man, Tiffy Stratton’s only been doing this three, four years.’ It’s like, holy cow. You know, there’s so much more time for her to like settle in and become a Charlotte Flair where Charlotte’s been doing this—shoot, how long now? Since 2014.”
That comparison wasn’t a knock on Stratton either. Steel’s point was that Charlotte Flair has had years to figure out exactly what works, what doesn’t and how to control a crowd without having to force anything.
“Like, she has finally got a place where like, ‘I know this works. I know that works. I know how to get the crowd here and get—’ Like, she is so comfortable. It takes time to get comfortable and she’s been afforded the time, whereas now someone might just get a, ‘No, you know, it’s not working. We got other people in the pipe. We’ve got more in the pipeline.’”
That’s the brutal part of the modern system. If somebody doesn’t click fast enough, there’s always another wrestler waiting behind them — and Steel says that’s where places like TNA can become a lifeline for talent who just need more reps before everything finally comes together.
“You know, and that’s where places like TNA and other places come into play. We’re like, okay, well they weren’t there yet, but, you know, maybe they can expand over here.”
Steel also brought up AAA and Jack Cartwheel while discussing the value of having more places where wrestlers can actually work, grow and figure themselves out. More television means more opportunity, but it also means more young wrestlers are learning on the biggest stage possible with everyone watching every mistake.
WWE can get somebody onto television faster than ever now, but Steel made one thing pretty clear — there’s still no cheat code for experience. You can teach moves, polish presentation and get somebody camera-ready fast, but knowing how to own a crowd comes with time, and some wrestlers aren’t getting much of it before the pressure hits.
Do you think WWE is moving young wrestlers onto television too fast, or is this just the new reality of the business? Let us know what you think and leave your feedback in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
