Let’s be honest, it can be boring when a group gets along really well, and many a toxic workplace will have surely told you that dissent between workers shapes character; while that maybe shouldn’t be the case in real life, wrestling is exactly the sort of medium where that very flawed relationship, that of the marriage of convenience, can be as unhinged as the mind goes. For that in the current day WWE, look no further than The Vision.
They are, for what they have been presented, one of, if not the most dangerous factions in WWE, cunning, crafty, and willing to do everything both within and well beyond the ruleset. But they are also a group of volatile egos, led by WWE’s arch-egomaniac in Seth “Freakin'” Rollins, the loyal-so-long-as-the-going-is-good Paul Heyman, “Big” Bronson Reed, and the blue-chip prospect with no regard for any human life, including his own within a match, Bron Breakker.
They shouldn’t get along; they don’t really get along. But in being a group of spectacular individuals with a mostly shared goal – a Vision, one might say – they have thus far been able to have the last laugh on every occasion. Whether it be Roman Reigns or the Usos, the Vision cares not for the results of a match as opposed to the damage they can do in the long term. They have lost, but they ensured that they were the only ones walking out with their hands raised. But one thing that has been consistently shown, and was once again reflected in the closing angle of the show, has been the overplaying of their hand and, ironically, how blind the Vision can be in pursuing that damage.
In the main event of “SmackDown,” Reed and Breakker scored a victory over the pair of Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes; Heyman distracted the referee, allowing Rollins to enter the ring and deliver a curbstomp to Orton, thus allowing Reed to deliver a Tsunami Splash for the win. For all intents and purposes, they had the last laugh. Rollins told Breakker and Reed not to go after Rhodes, telling them that he was his, and Breakker could be heard arguing over the fact. But then, allured by the sight of Rhodes in the ring, seemingly open for attack, Rollins turned his attention to the ring.
Heyman explicitly told Rollins not to pursue the invasive thought, explaining that Rhodes was in Rollins’ head, but his decision was already made up, and sure enough, he went into the ring and received a Cross Rhodes for his troubles. There it is, the weakness within the group, and it’s been compelling to follow the interactions between this volatile set of characters. Thus far, The Vision has proved to be successful. But the hottest fires burn fast, and continually there is a theme that hubris and impulse is costing the group. It feels like the seeds are being sown for their eventual downfall, but in any case it makes for entertaining TV, and thus gets a love from me.
Written by Max Everett
