10 Things WWE Are Getting Absolutely Right At The Moment
Who could've known that doing what fans like and avoiding what they hate was a good business model?
Even among the most loyal long-term fans, it's never been easier to criticise WWE than it is now. In the face of their most serious competition in nearly 25 years, the company is still entering the boardroom with the 1998 playbook and most of the same generals and officers.
Despite being the biggest wrestling promotion in the world with immense resources and world-class talent, the Creative Team has dropped the ball more often than Times Square on New Year's Eve. The President is releasing wave upon wave of personnel in the name of of "budget cuts" despite posting record profits. Many of these same personnel are quickly and unsurprisingly finding work with the competition. Most glaringly, though, the CEO can't get out of his own way, tearing up scripts at a moment's notice, investing in the future by putting the spotlight on the same names from 1998-2004 and refusing to hand the proverbial keys to the more capable hands of his son-in-law.
For all the flaws at the top, there are several angles across all three brands succeeding in spite of the dysfunction and it's equally critical to recognise when the system is working. Of course, WWE fans have been conditioned with most storylines to hope for the best and prepare for the worst, and in most cases their concerns are warranted.
In the meantime, we can still appreciate the plots, rivalries and characters that are keeping the ship on track, even when the captain's table is populated by drunken sailors.
10. Psycho Killer Shayna Baszler
File this one under 'cautiously optimistic'.
In spite of her unceremonious exit from the semifinals of the Queen's Crown Tournament, the last few weeks of Shayna Baszler's run on Monday Night RAW were a desperately needed shot of adrenaline for the Queen of Spades. After being trapped for 17 months in a purgatory of sommeliers, haunted dolls and largely playing second fiddle to Nia Jax, Baszler reminded the world of the fear that once coursed through the collective hearts of the NXT Women's Division.
The systematic crippling of Jax, the following week's dissection of Eva Marie and attempts to make Dana Brooke victim number three in succession harkened back to the old Submission Magician. This was the same Shayna who terrorised Dakota Kai for nearly a year. This was the Queen of Spades that held the NXT Women's Championship twice for a combined 549 days, steamrolled through the 2017 Mae Young Classic Tournament, the 2020 Women's Royal Rumble and the entire Elimination Chamber 2020 field. This was the Baszler whose credo was 'Tap, Nap or Snap'.
With the WWE Draft moving her to SmackDown, the situation is touch-and-go. In the short-term, there's no harm in letting her serve as Sonya Deville's attack dog. However, if there's one takeaway from the Nia Jax era, it's not a role she should be strapped to for a prolonged period of time. Allow her the chance to rediscover herself as the assassin she once was and let her be the one who slays 'The Queen'.