10 Things Modern WWE Could Learn From Its Golden Era
Just a few of the many wonderful things from WWE in the 1980s that should be brought back.
There are many things from WWE's "Golden Era" of the 1980s and early '90s that have been lost to time. And this is not a bad thing.
Steroid abuse, a lack of women's wrestling, Roddy Piper doing half blackface in his match against Bad News Brown: These are just a few of the many examples of things that WWE have thankfully ditched since the era of Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and Andre The Giant.
However, as with all eras, there was definitely some good to go with all that bad.
There was a reason that WWE - then known as the WWF - was as popular as it was back in the day. The company was easily the most popular wrestling promotion in the United States and thousands of fans packed arenas across the States to watch the biggest stars in American grappling.
Clearly then, WWE must have been doing something right and with ratings on their weekly shows falling faster than share prices in Tout, WWE might want to think about looking to their past to ensure that they have a future.
The following list is a series of ideas, tropes, and gimmicks that WWE should consider reintroducing to their regular product to help revitalise it - and maybe even bring back some of the fans who were watching at the time.
Whilst these traits probably aren't enough to 'save' WWE on their own, they might make watching Raw each week a little less painful and that's something we can all get behind.
10. Consistent Authority Figures
Who the hell knows who's in charge of the WWE in kayfabe these days?
One thing we do know is that the company didn't have this problem between 1984 and 1995, as it was overseen by fictional President, Jack Tunney.
Tunney, who in real life was a Canadian wrestling promoter aligned with Vince McMahon and the WWF, served as the company's on-air President during the peak of the Golden Era. He was rarely seen on TV, instead making decisions such as vacating the WWF Championship in time for WrestleMania IV from his office.
Ever since Vince McMahon brought his "Mr. McMahon" character to TV in 1997, wrestling figureheads have become incredibly complicated. Whilst some have been great - Mick Foley, Teddy Long, and William Regal come to mind - a lot of the time the kayfabe power structure of WWE is far too complex for fans to properly be invested in.
A return to a consistent, detached authority figure would solve this. A character like Tunney could rule WWE from afar, only showing up to make important decisions, rarely getting involved with the wrestlers themselves.
It might not be as exciting as Vince getting a Stunner every week, but at least it would keep things simple.