Shelton's time running out?

There is a feeling within the WWE that Shelton Benjamin will soon be returned to the tag ranks, reuniting with his former partner Charlie Haas.

This isn't being done in an attempt to add more depth to a seemingly improved tag division as much as the company just doesn't know what to do with Shelton.

One WWE employee told me on Monday, "He looks great, he's athletic, and entertaining but he can't get a crowd up. No heat, no pop... no money."

This individual went on to confirm a story on the net that Shelton is receiving heat for not being able to memorize and effectively deliver multiple pages of scripted promo. This may end up burrying a guy, that only six months ago was being considered for the main event picture.

Whatever happened to the ECW mentality of showcasing someone's strengths and hiding their weaknesses? WCW never understood that. The WWE has to a lesser extent, but I really would have thought they would have learned their lesson by now.

Should a guy be able to cut a compelling promo? Absolutely. If it's not his forté however, he better be a damn fine worker. Shelton's a bit of a spot monkey, but I like his work, so I'll cut him some slack.

Couldn't we find this guy a loudmouth manager? Hey Armando, got room for one more?

Couldn't you run a similar gimmick to what the WWE did with Edge initially - where he just didn't talk. Kick some ass, ignore the interviewer - flash an evil smile, and move on. Hell, Kane didn't cut a promo for years - and he managed to get over and win the WWE title.

Shelton is too good individually to be shoved into the tag team division. He just needs someone to find a way to unlock his personality. That being said, not everyone is going to turn into The Rock.

It seems strange that Shelton is catching heat for his inability to insight a crowd, but yet "Soft Spoken" (yes it ACTUALLY says that in his entrance video) Bobby Lashley continues to destroy himself every time he touches a mic.

The latest attempt to create some heat for Benjamin has been virtually ignored. His accusations of racism are only drawing reactions from Johnathan Coachman's character. No one else is buying that Shelton has been held down or that he's even all that pissed.

I BELIEVED Ron Killings when he did the same gimmick. I believe Konnan when he snaps off about old white men running the industry and how he's totally sick of it. I believed Bad News Allen when he talked about the racist shit Vince McMahon used to suggest to him. I believed all of those people - on or off camera because they spoke from their heart.

Racism is as personal an issue as there is for visibile minorities - and yet, Shelton is struggling in this role.

Pull the plug on that story line. Find him a manager that can talk, have him switch to Smackdown (where I think he'd fit in much better) and have a nice long run with the U.S. title.

If that fails... call Charlie.

Share |