How WWE Ruined The One Thing That Made It Great

Googoo Gaga 3:16.

Seth Rollins Roman Reigns Tag
WWE

WWE is useless at booking babyfaces.

That’s not fair.

WWE is worse than useless at booking babyfaces because anybody tasked with the top babyface role is systemically reduced to villain status. It’s really quite incredible, how WWE conspires to do this, and it no longer matters who it is done to—“it” being a total hatchet job.

It was once thought that Roman Reigns got WWE’d because his ring style was unfashionable. He was a powerhouse in an era of the technically gifted, as the organic rise of Daniel Bryan brought into focus—another John Cena when the first John Cena was chronically over-exposed.

Turns out WWE simply cannot book babyfaces. At all. The babyfaces in WWE are hapless dorks. WWE took a talent most fans wished was booked like Roman Reigns—Seth Rollins—and turned him into the new Roman Reigns. WWE is playing 4D Bullsh*t Chess and calling it “creative”.

Seth Rollins is an inconsistent but excellent pro wrestler on his day, but he isn’t a compelling sports entertainer. WWE has effectively killed his babyface character via thousand-cut death, so it wouldn’t much matter if he was. If WWE signed Kenny Omega, they’d have him spamming the One-Winged Angel and looking shocked when it couldn’t put away Drew McIntyre.

Rollins does impressions of Brock Lesnar like a giant dork, which he punctuates with a witty zinger. Rollins says “Burn it down!” like he is Michael Cole. Rollins performs maudlin soliloquies as if he is sympathetic and beloved—like if we just got behind him, the Beastslayer who slayed the Beast at WrestleMania could slay the Beast at SummerSlam.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!