8 Ways WWE Have Already Been Worse Than WCW In 2019

Familiarity breeds contempt.

The Undertaker Goldberg
WWE.com

For fans of a particular vintage - mostly, the ones who mither about WWE's drastic creative malaise these days - it's somewhat galling that there are actual real human beings who can drink and drive and rent Barb Wire, but who never had the misfortune of suffering through the death throes of WCW.

Thankfully, nostalgia is all the rage, and the de facto industry leaders seem to be bringing back the dark days of the Atlanta organisation wholesale on their week-to-week product. Since WrestleMania 35 - and frankly, since a bit before then - the logic-devoid lunacy of WWE television has beared all the distressing hallmarks of WCW as it gradually circled the drain.

WCW arrogantly assumed it was invincible, coasting on the back of its string of ratings victories whilst benefiting from the bankrolling of Ted Turner. But the complete lack of sense prevailing throughout the product saw ratings dwindle, and when Time Warner merged with AOL, the new boardroom couldn't tolerate such a needless drain on its resources. WCW was dead.

WWE have made the same assumptions. So long as their Saudi partners stay on board, the company seems indestructible - no matter how bad the quality drops. But that's a relationship already on rocky ground, and the more TV numbers plummet, the more networks might pull the plug - and all that funding.

Unrealistic? In the past six months, we've already seen enough stuff that even Russo and co. would have been embarrassed to pen. There's always another rock bottom.

8. The Wild Card Rule

The Undertaker Goldberg
WWE

After another set of disastrous Raw and SmackDown ratings ruined the mornings of many a staffer in Stamford this May, Vince McMahon went into full-on panic mode, as Network partners demanded an improvement - and fast. The following Monday, the chairman personally introduced the dwindling WWE Universe to the 'Wild Card' rule, which would allow up to three superstars to migrate brands per week.

Or something. The slapdash loophole wasn't very thoroughly explained; by the end of the night, its apparent stipulations had already been contravened. The 'teething problems' could perhaps have been narratively justified as talent coming to grips with them, but nope: the completely haphazard application continued into the next week... and the next.

All the while, live business was being sacrificed as SmackDown house shows were slashed left, right and centre to accommodate the 'unexpected' interlopers. What's worse, there's been no appreciable improvement to ratings, as the same faces cropping up repeatedly has totally undermining any illusion of spontaneity. If anything, throwing continuity completely out of the window in such a reckless manner has tuned even more viewers out. After all, what's the point of watching if none of it matters?

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.