10 Things Fans Hate About WWE That Will Never Change
You can't always get what you want, particularly in pro wrestling.
WWE love promoting the idea of change. They’ll have you believe that the supposed “New Era” has completely revolutionised Raw and SmackDown, and that theirs product is unrecognisable to what it looked like pre-WrestleMania. The company have tried to reinvent themselves this year, and if you ask Stephanie or Vince McMahon, they’ll tell you it’s been a complete success.
They’re right in a number of ways. WWE’s renewed focus on women’s wrestling kicked into overdrive this year, and it has sent the likes of Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch stratospheric. The Brand Split has brought drastic improvements to SmackDown, the Cruiserweight Classic was a tremendous success, and Daniel Bryan has made a welcome return to television. There are number of other examples, but these are among the most prominent.
You need only watch an episode of Monday Night Raw to realise that most of WWE’s “New Era” rhetoric is propaganda, however. The show remains largely unchanged: at best, Raw is mediocre, but at worst, it’s a contrived chore of a show.
WWE’s unwillingness to change is a long-held gripe among the fanbase, and Raw’s ongoing struggles exemplify this. While the company delights in some categories, they frustrate in others. The McMahon family are incredibly stubborn when it comes to their company, and they’ll continue to employ a number of disappointing strategies regardless of fan opinion.
Here are 10 things fans hate about WWE that will never changed.
10. Lacklustre Commentary
WWE’s announce teams aren’t what they used to be. Mauro Ranallo and Corey Graves are well-liked, but they struggle to stand-out when seated next to monotonous drones like David Otunga and Byron Saxton. Michael Cole, meanwhile, is a talented broadcaster whose skills aren’t often given the credit they deserve, but his commentary stinks.
Why? Because WWE’s production team micromanage them to a ridiculous degree. Vince is in their ear for the whole show, and with WWE’s commentators focused equally on toeing the company line, regurgitating their script, and listening to a screaming billionaire, it’s no wonder they struggle.
A set of leaked commentary guidelines appeared on Reddit last year. They show the extreme constraints placed on WWE’s broadcasters, and after reading through them, you’ll have a newfound appreciation for what these guys deal with on a weekly basis.
Sadly, it’d take a cataclysmic shift in company policy for this to change. Every aspect of WWE’s production is scripted to an extreme degree, and if there’s one thing Vince McMahon loves, it’s control. Why would he ever let go of that, particularly with those he considers the voice of his company?