An interesting statistic was published over the weekend regarding the trends in WWE Championship matches. Sunday’s Elimination Chamber was the first Pay-Per-View in over two years that didn’t feature Randy Orton or John Cena in a title match. Think about that for a second. For the past 28 months, every single PPV that the WWE has produced has featured one of the same two guys wrestling for a world title. When you peel back the skin a little further, things get even uglier. Cyber Sunday 2008 was the last PPV not to feature either man not in a title match, but that was only due to them both being injured. The last Pay-Per-View that both men were healthy enough to compete on that didn’t showcase either in a title match was Vengeance in June of 2006.
To me, this is astounding. If anyone couldn’t already see that the WWE’s reliance on these two guys was borderline unhealthy, this should open their eyes. I’m not panning either wrestler, as they’re easily two of the top performers in the company, but it’s time for creative to let some fresher faces step into the spotlight. Sadly, it doesn’t look like the little break in the streak we experienced on Sunday is a sign of things to come. Next month, John Cena steps back into a WWE Title match at WrestleMania 27. Win or lose, it’s a safe bet he and Orton will continue their reign of dominance in the months after the show. While this runaway train of recycled main events and stale contenders shows no signs of slowing, we can still dream of a day when the CM Punks and John Morrisons of the world take their rightful spot at the top of the card.
