WWE: Thoughts on Jason Jordan and His Future as a Heel – by Mike Sanchez

I’ll admit that when Jason Jordan was revealed to be the illegitimate son of Raw GM Kurt Angle, I was among the many confused people in the WWE Universe. Did it not make more sense to have Chad Gable as Angle’s son, because, well, you know, they have the same hair colour? Nah, truth be told, I wasn’t all that bothered, nor did I let it play on my mind. A good piece of advice to live by, especially in the land of professional wrestling, is that it doesn’t have to make sense and that wrestling is silly sometimes. If you can make peace with that, you’ll be ok.

Anyway, back to Jason Jordan and his involvement this week on Monday Night Raw. He ended up tussling with the current Intercontinental Champion Roman Reigns and also had a wee spat with Samoa Joe. As far as the Raw hierarchy goes, those two guys are near the top of the pile, so it’s with some surprise that we see Jordan trying to get in on the action. I for one quite like where this is going.

When the whole paternity issue was ‘revealed’ a while back, it didn’t make much sense story-line-wise, but perhaps this was WWE playing the long game with Jordan’s character, or a recent idea that’s quickly borne fruit. I felt Jordan was lost on Raw at first and struggled to fit in. He’d left a very good tag team on Smackdown Live that I believe never really fully matured. They had a decent run on the main roster, but when you compare that partnership with the likes of some of the more successful tag teams in recent history; New Day, Usos etc. they barely scratched the surface in terms of their long partnership, dedication and support of one another or even a meaningful connection with the fans – at least in regards to the main roster. I thought WWE had pulled the trigger too early on their breakup.

Jordan’s recent actions have swayed me a little on my thinking, though. Jordan’s character firmly believes in his own ability and there’s no denying the guy is seriously talented in the ring. His work rate, athleticism and movement are fantastic. His promos, however do need some work, but he’s turning that negative into a positive. Much like Roman Reigns could’ve/would’ve/should’ve done when he was getting grief from the live audience, Jordan is using that to fuel his promos. His insistence that he shouldn’t be overlooked, coupled with his argumentative attitude, is good to see and has a refreshing twist.

The difference between Braun Strowman’s arguments with Kurt Angle (when he would threaten the GM for better competition) and the way Jordan pleads is that Jordan has that story-line dynamic with Kurt that nobody else has. How can you continually deny your son what he wants most? After all the lost years, birthdays, graduations, Christmases and more, here is Kurt’s chance to atone for his unintentional mistakes of the past and appease Jordan’s appetite for competition. Jason Jordan plays on that weakness that sees the normally steadfast Angle melt and eventually give into the demands. This brings with it a list of problems, not just for Jordan, but for Angle and the other WWE talent on Raw.

Now that Jordan has got what he wants, others will feel he isn’t deserving of the opportunities presented his way. This Monday, for example, saw him try and shoehorn into a feud with Reigns and Samoa Joe. After his whinging, moaning and griping, he eventually got what he wanted – sort of. This drew heat from the fans who derided Jordan and the privilege he gets on the flagship show. Even Elias took time to weigh in on how Kurt favors Jordan over the others – right before he was crushed by Strowman.

I really like where this is going and I’m hopeful this story can build a really good heel character out of Jason Jordan. I want to see him be more aggressive with Angle, more demanding, more manipulative in how he talks to his father. I want to see his actions rile the locker room and I want to see Angle defend both his son and his decisions. I want to see Jordan cheat his way into a big match and snatch a belt, then parade around the ring like the cat that got the cream. I want to see him revel in his fortune and position. I want to see him act untouchable and Kurt to chastise any and all that dare threaten his son – who in his eyes is only trying his best and fully deserves whatever opportunities go his way.

I think this can be a fun ride, and it’s different because we all love Kurt Angle and hate to see him manipulated in any way. To have someone who we perceive as undeserving to catch the breaks whilst our favorites languish in the locker room, is a great natural way of building a heel, and it’s something that isn’t done too often in WWE. Here’s hoping it’s allowed to continue and blossom – hopefully not curtailed by a McMahon wading into the picture or a Triple H who wants to throw his weight around, just in time to secure a match at Wrestlemania. Again. Let it run, WWE. Let’s see where this goes. Hopefully they might be onto something here.

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What do you think? Is Jason Jordan playing the part of the cocky, arrogant upstart well, or do you dislike where this is going? What of Angle? Do Jordan’s actions undermine him, or are WWE playing the long game with this one? I’d love to hear your thoughts. As always, thanks for reading.