WWE got me.
I’m a 29-year-old male, with a college degree. I read books sometimes. I read wrestling rumors more. In terms of being a “smart mark” I’d consider myself a regular Magna Cum Laude.
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But when Enzo and Cass reunited, I bought in like I was an 11-year-old child. Of course, they’re getting back together! They’re too popular. They have 54 items in the WWE Shop! They make money! In capitalistic terms alone they should at least ride it out for another year.
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Then the cameras lingered.
Sure enough, Cass disemboweled Enzo with a clothesline then hit the Ultimate Warrior’s guerrilla press and away Enzo went.
“Hmm. I guess they are actually breaking up,” I thought to myself on my neon green inflatable chair.
But why now?
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If WWE had waited to shatter the Enzo and Cass dynamic, it would not have been so emotionally crushing. One way or another, we would have grown to anticipate it. Sure, we would have been sad regardless, but in doing it too early, WWE gets the shock value. Let’s say WWE got cold feet on the break-up. Within a few days, it would have been leaked that WWE was planning an Enzo/Cass split and decided to not pull the trigger. From then on, we would have been waiting for that moment, likely getting frustrated when it didn’t happen.
Wrestling fans are fickle people.
WWE did pull the plug on Enzo and Cass considerably early, though – they had hardly been on the main roster for a year. And it was a wildly successful year. The live crowd adored them. Their sing-along entrance and SAWFT chants seemed to be evergreen. Enzo and Cass injected energy into WWE – that’s why the break-up was so poignant because as fans, we feel like we were being denied something.
For the record, we will be missing out. WWE stripped us of future joy and that’s way Big Cass‘ heel turn was perfect.
Enzo and Cass could have gone so much further together. They were one of the few teams, or wrestlers for that matter, who were constantly taking creative risks. Say what you want about Enzo Amore, but the guy is one of the best, most fearless, talkers, in WWE. Compare the conviction Amore carries in his promos to say, Baron Corbin or even Seth Rollins.
The boisterous duo was destined for a loud, colorful reign as Tag Team Champions. Once the New Day left for SmackDown, Enzo and Cass were the only viable tag team left of RAW’s roster. However, their imminent run as champions was euthanized the moment the Hardy Boyz exploded onto WrestleMania.Their thunderous victory gave us all goosebumps but the wave of momentary enthusiasm drowned Enzo and Cass on the spot.
They were supposed to be the tag team of the New Era. Just like The Rockers were supposed to be the seminal tag team of their day. It’s impossible to compare Big Cass to Shawn Michaels for so many reasons, but perhaps like Michaels, when enough time has passed the thought of Big Cass and Enzo Amore remaining a tag team will seem unfathomable.
WWE does betrayal very well. It’s such an easy way put a guy’s career into a rocket launcher. Look no further than Seth Rollins – they still reference his backstabbing actions years later. For Big Cass, this marks the beginning of something huge. Go back and watch last week’s segment with Amore. He conveyed true disdain for his partner. He was disgusted by the crowd’s soft hearts. This genie is too damn big to go back in the bottle, Big Cass is going to the top of WWE.
If not for the sudden turn of Cass, we wouldn’t care as much. Same goes for Enzo Amore’s acting. When the two had their brief reconciliation, the look of desperate relief Amore wore as he hugged Big Cass was genuine. Maybe it was too real as he was clinging to the final moments of main roster relevancy. To top things off, the duo hit a fiery SAWFT chant, knowing that it would be the last time they’d ever do it together.
We’ll hear that chant one more time though – but it may be a while. Like 20 years from now; when Enzo is inducting Big Cass in the WWE Hall of Fame
