10 Quick Fixes For WWE’s Struggling Superstars

The Broken Universe

Al Snow Roman Reigns
WWE

It's just not enough to bat back criticisms of WWE with empty platitudes disguised as defences for the company that could - and should - provide so much more.

It matters little that the company have just bankrolled themselves into immortality with mammoth television rights fees - these are dollar figures generated because the product satisfies suits, not fans. It matters even less that those defending the weekly creative cul-de-sacs have to scrape and claw at the bottom of every barrel for a sense of narrative flow because they're not provided with it by those in charge of the programme. It matters not that the company's intentional vague ethos - "put smiles on faces!" - remains entirely subjective no matter what awful mess spills out of Raw's third hour like a literal and figuratively blue Kevin Owens collapsing out of a porta-loo.

There's no official mandate for change of course. The company will soon earn less from their core customer base than those facilitating the output in the first place. Discerning audiences looking for coherent characters in meaningful melees will drown in these unchartered waters without something to cling on to. There are certainly plenty of floaters on the main roster to choose from...

10. Bobby Lashley - A Heel Turn

Al Snow Roman Reigns
WWE.com

Standing next to Braun Strowman during a Monday Night Raw tag team match earlier this year was the closest Bobby Lashley came to a megastar pop outside of holding Elias in a suplex so long he almost started crying blood.

Much like his 2007 run, Lashley lacks the facials, the charisma and various other vitally important intangibles to stay over as an ebullient babyface for Vince McMahon. Unlike his troubled tenure a decade ago, he's actually proven to have those talents elsewhere; Lashley (eventually) became a revelation in TNA/Impact Wrestling as both an obnoxious heel and sh*t-kicking babyface. His perceived foibles can be laid firmly at the base of WWE's broken creative machine, but the sheer amount of output allows for a factory reset at almost any point.

It's just a shame it can't possibly happen with his next opponent. Lashley's sure to receive a smattering of cheers thanks to the disdain still dished out to his Extreme Rules opponent Roman Reigns, but an assault on somebody with the babyface equity of Seth Rollins (not least thanks to their size disparity) would rapidly reverse the positive sentiment.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett