16 Reasons 2014 Was A Terrible Year For WWE

CM Punk quits, Taker's streak is broken and injuries at every corner.

2013 was a great year for the WWE: the roster had a lot of depth, many former indy stars were prominent on WWE programming, and there were (mostly) exciting storylines. Daniel Bryan, The Shield, CM Punk and the Wyatt Family were new Superstars that appealed to the older, more critical audience; while the young fans still had John Cena, Sheamus, and others. However, fast forward one year and things are much worse. 2014 has been, by comparison, a terrible year for the WWE. Numerous injuries, backstage problems, and financial woes have spelled disaster for Vince€™s company this year. Compared to 2013, 2014 was clearly inferior; John Cena and Randy Orton feuded yet again, despite promises that their feud would end at the Royal Rumble. The Authority became the centerpiece of the entire WWE, and last year€™s best stables, the Shield and the Wyatt Family, were both split up. It is clear that many of the decisions that influenced WWE programming this year left a lot to be desired. This article will look at 16 events and issues that made things bad for WWE during the 2014 calendar year. Some of these things were one time occurrences, such as single matches or events, while others will be recurring problems. What all of these reasons have in common is that when combined, they created a troubling environment for the WWE, one that can hopefully be remedied once 2015 arrives. Honorable Mention: Bad Commentary
The RAW commentary team has been difficult to deal with at times, but the second half of 2014 saw things take an exceptionally bad turn, as JBL, once the funniest of the commentators, has turned into a whining, pro-Authority suck-up. It has reached a point where even JBL, once the most entertaining of the commentators, is difficult to listen to. It shouldn€™t be surprising that some fans just watch RAW muted, so that they don€™t have to listen to incessant arguments between JBL and Cole, as well as Jerry Lawler acting like an 8-year-old, excited at every single thing he sees on RAW. It also doesn€™t help that they repeat things happening earlier on in the show about 5 times per show, instead of using that limited time to promote a PPV or another show. They€™re heavily trying to appeal to viewers who just tune in to the show halfway through the show, reminding them what they missed. Do you know what would be a better idea? Telling those people who tune in late to catch a repeat of the same show, or to watch it on the WWE Network, or on the WWE App, or something like that, instead of repeating opening segments so many times during the same broadcast.
Contributor

Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.