The title of this one speaks for itself. Really, it should read, "WWE Is In A UNIVERSE of Hurt." Vince McMahon once said, "The difference between good and great is in the details." Well, the details can't even be passed off as decent at this point.
Where do I even start? WWE has been riddled with booking mistakes over the past decade. Most notably over the past 5 years, though. We can go all the way back to 2011, coming off CM Punk's pipe bomb promo that nearly murdered the internet and changed wrestling forever. You may remember a certain Hunter Hearst Helmsley intervening in that one. How about what WWE really wanted Daniel Bryan to do at Wrestlemania 30? Or Dolph Ziggler's amazing 2014 Survivor Series that ended up amounting to nothing. Even Kevin Owens has fallen victim to 50/50 booking. Or in his case, 33 and third booking (Yes, Scott Steiner, 33 and a third).
So what gives? What's the deal here? Everyone saw the illustration of WWE's ratings woes in that New York Post article. So of course, Vince took it into his own hands. Reign's kills Triple H on PPV after losing yet another WWE World Heavyweight Championship match. Then the next night, he wins it on Raw, despite McMahon's involvement. So all's well now, right? I mean, not really.
WWE loves to get their way. And they did in the form of Reigns' title win. I gotta give it up for Reigns and Sheamus for that matter. Both gave 110 percent and cranked out a fantastic title match. But the problem does not stem from the performers themselves. Let's all just face it, the booking is pure garbage at times. Mick Foley was recently on Steve Austin's podcast discussing the current state of WWE. Both pointed out many flaws in WWE's apparent 50/50 booking philosophy. They asked why Sasha Banks has not been featured in the wake of a women's wrestling revolution that has been taking place in NXT for quite some time. To sum up the podcast, they echo what many casual fans and the internet wrestling community have been complaining about since Wrestlemania 31.
So how do you fix it? Honestly, I don't know. I can sit here and say, "Yeah, put Banks on television. Have Reigns align himself with the Authority. Let Kevin Owens demolish people." But the issues currently in sight cannot be fixed that simply. Establishing solid booking and long term heat takes time. It's that simple. WWE must embark on an initiative that supports a long term plan. Things are too sporadic. Guys that should be monster heels get beat every other week. Guys that should be top babyfaces never battle someone long enough to overcome any real heat. I can go on and on. The point is, WWE needs to come up with a plan and call audibles along the way to adjust to the fan's reaction to the product.
I don't want to harp on this because honestly, it makes me sad. Foley said something interesting on Austin's podcast. In short, he said that when he sees a woman like Sasha Banks not get the tv time or character building angles that she deserves, it makes his sad. My feelings exactly. In bad times such as what we're all going through as fans with WWE right now, it's important to remember that WWE does NOT define professional wrestling. Yeah, they call it sports entertainment. But get real here people, it's professional wrestling. It just happens to not be very good right now. My point is though, wrestling exists outside of the Fed. It's time to change the channel for awhile. It's time to support other wrestling promotions. Watch Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Watch New Japan Pro Wrestling. Just watch something else. In the 90's. ECW and WCW made a mark on the business because people tuned in to see something different. It's time to do that again. Maybe the business as a whole will be stronger if we do.
Brady Sauvageau
The Heater Wrestling
