10 Insane Revelations From Secret WWE Leaks

The discourse surrounding WWE is so toxic that one can draw accusations of being "a c*nt" simply for critiquing a product that, by all calculable metrics, is failing its audience. Is it a case of "You're not wrong, Walter, you're just an a**hole"?

Substituting, of course, the words "Walter" with "Sidgwick" and "a**hole" with "c*nt".

Or is WWE good, or better than critical consensus, and the numbness to everything a source of bias?

It would be difficult to argue that WWE isn't, at least, soulless in presentation.

Come on.

Virtually every single promo is scripted verbatim - by hack dipsh*ts, unhelpfully - and the main roster matches are very formulaic in structure. Fans find it increasingly difficult to forge real connections with performers because those performers are miscast and creatively stifled. Too often, WWE features performers its 'Universe' has expressed little interest in. At this point, SmackDown viewership might have to fall beneath 2 million to convince Vince McMahon that Baron Corbin's impressions of a dog barking weakly aren't amusing.

WWE stars are more engaging on social media. Virtually every backstage 'Exclusive' video is better than a typical RAW promo because Vince doesn't give a toss about them.

Worse still, until very recently, we didn't know the half of it...

Writing for Vice, David Bixenspan, a great 'details' journalist, this week published an article upon the discovery of an unlisted video, erroneously uploaded to WWE's YouTube channel, of a filmed rehearsal.

And it just had to be of NXT UK, the brand that by consensus is a soulless emulation of a once-flourishing scene. It's the least WWE-feeling show ever - niche, regional, and not remotely big-time - but it's also, on this evidence, very WWE. There's too much f*cking perspective on the inner workings of an over-produced WWE show filmed at the graveside of British wrestling.

In one clip, Trent Seven is shown going through his entrance routine at Orange Cassidy's pace but with precious little of the joy. Trent Seven literally performs this entrance every single time he appears. You'd think he'd have it down pat by now. It's sobering: every last second of NXT UK (and, per reports, NXT proper) is accounted for, meticulously, and it can only result in a chronic lack of spark and vitality.

It's also illustrative of a sad lack of trust in certain empl-independent contractors. These rehearsals don't seem to happen on RAW or SmackDown. The frantic rewrites make this hard, granted, but the point remains: the seasoned, tenured talents of NXT and NXT UK can't be trusted to do things the 'WWE way' without their little Indie hands being held.