Greg DeMarco | On 18, Feb 2013

Greg DeMarco sounds off on the WWE’s latest attempt at a mainstream angle: The America/Mexico Border Wars!

If you’ve spent any time at all listening to my radio show(s) or reading my articles online, you know my feelings on wrestling. It’s an escape—from life, the real world, stress…everything! For me, wrestling is a fantasy world full of super human individuals completing amazing acts of grace, brilliance, aggression and emotion.

Watching Zeb Colter spouting off about the state of our union, yapping about the solidarity of our borders, and hearing Jack Swagger chant like a Gregorian moronmonk puts me in a bad place. One where I want this whole entire angle to end—and NOW

It’s not that I’m against the WWE pushing Jack Swagger to the moon. I have no problem with him challenging Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 29. But, in the immortal words of Jim Ross—“NOT THIS WAY!”

Jack Swagger is a very capable athlete and a great worker. Hell, he’s a former Money in the Bank briefcase holder and a former World Heavyweight Champion himself. Prior to his current return, he faced two years of terrible booking that put him in a position to need a reset. But this is not he reset I was looking for!

Now, if Alberto Del Rio was the United States Champion, and this feud were the side-show it should only be, I’d likely be singing its praises. That actually elevates the US title (although Antonio Cesaro is doing a great job with it right now). What they’re doing devalues the World Heavyweight Championship. It makes it secondary to the story. Thus it undermines both champion and challenger.

What’s worse is that it’s a desperate grab for attention from a company that will do anything for mainstream media attention. Problem is, in true Vince McMahon form, it comes too late. While border control is still a hotly contested issue in United States politics, it’s not the hot-button topic it was a few years ago. This reminds me that we are about 18 months away from Vince McMahon-nam Style, and two years away from The Stamford Shake. Next year we should have a WWE lockout.

The one thing holding Jack Swagger back is his promo ability, which is still apparent as of the February 18 RAW broadcast. And while he might need a mouth piece, Dutch Mantell’s Uncle Zebekiah isn’t the answer.

But you know who is? Paul Heyman, that’s who!

Imagine Swagger busting out a new, dare I say MMA-influenced finisher to win the Chamber match. Then let Heyman do the talking, explaining how he hooked Swagger up with Brock Lesnar. Sell Swagger as a legit badass who could kick your ass if you even look at him the wrong way.

Now imagine Swagger being Lesnar’s running buddy, but eventually growing tired of doing his dirty work. Imagine Swagger going over Lesnar on a big PPV, giving Swagger the biggest rub of his career. What we have right now couldn’t be farther from the biggest rub of Jack Swagger’s WWE career.

And with this being a racial thing, it likely doesn’t end well for Jack Swagger either. The last WWE Superstar to become racially motivated? Muhammed Hassan. What happens when Kmart or Mattel don’t like something Swagger or Colter says? What if he makes an inappropriate hand gesture towards Ricardo?

Jack Swagger has a chance to really be a major player in the WWE for many years to come. But the only thing Uncle Zeb is serving up for Swagger is guaranteed disconnect with the fans and a storyline that could end his WWE career.

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