5 Wrestling Innovations That Did As Much Harm As Good

Wrestling is a beast in a constant state of evolution, and as much as WWE RAW remains a chore to sit through most weeks, there remains just enough evidence of that to subject oneself to Stephanie McMahon's senseless ego gratification exercises.

In 2010, WWE laughed at the very notion of independent wrestling - so much so that Daniel Bryan was labelled a nerd for having the sheer audacity to better himself at his craft in "high school gyms" - even though developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling ran even grimmer venues prior to its transition to NXT and produced more Darren Youngs than it did Kofi Kingstons.

And yet, on any given episode of RAW today, independent scene-honed talents like Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens are positioned at the top of the card they were once deemed too fat to even orbit a few short years ago. WWE revising its massive hoss recruitment policy is a welcome innovation. No longer will we ever see R-Truth or somebody of his calibre headlining a pay-per-view.

Conversely, it matters little that someone like Sami Zayn is as talented as he is. The company will always need a good bumper to make the real stars look good - and Zayn seems destined to occupy that faceless role for the foreseeable. Likewise, the introduction of 205 Live, which has necessitated an en masse invasion of international Cruiserweight talent, has rendered a once-novel development mundane.

Not like WWE to overdo it.

At WWF Survivor Series 1995, Diesel knocked Bret Hart off the apron and sent him careening through the Spanish announce table. It was shocking in and of itself - it was a company first - and was more awe-inspiring given that it occurred within the family-oriented context of the New Generation era.

Jim Cornette (naturally) blames Vince Russo for the proliferation of the spot in ensuing years. Russo purportedly lobbied for Undertaker to smash Kane through it on the post-Badd Blood episode of Monday Night RAW. Thankfully, clearer (read: Vince McMahon's) heads prevailed. 'Taker didn't exact physical retribution on Kane until months later, preserving the mystique and the suspense of what was one of the company's greatest ever long term storylines.

By 2017, the announce table had been destroyed countless times. Every major stipulation match invariably makes use of the trope, and while it has just about retained its awe, it has been done to death. It's often difficult to recall how often it has been used. It has become a meme - a shortcut for drama. Unless the structure is radically different - like AJ Styles Vs. Roman Reigns from Extreme Rules 2016 - it homogenises and makes mundane what is meant to be a unique attraction match.

It makes sense - it's right there, not stashed away incongruously under the ring - but the impact would resonate far more if it were used more sparingly. In the three WWE pay-per-views held in 2017, three tables have been broken already.