10 Ways WWE Storytelling Has Declined Since 2000
WWE dominate the industry, but their stories have rarely been so dull.
The ways in which WWE has declined since the turn of the century are almost too numerous to mention. Their balance sheet looks stronger than ever, and in-ring standards are soaring, but in terms of general buzz and excitement, things have rarely been as dismal as they are today.
Much of this started with the collapse of WCW and ECW. WWE's lack of real competition has made them bulletproof. They're free to do whatever they want, whenever they want, knowing that their market share will never be toppled. The company's complacency has become chronic, and without any rivals to stave off, they've no reason to take risks anymore.
WWE have taken their foot off the gas, particularly with their storytelling. The sport is all about weaving believable narratives that build drama, create memorable characters, and give fans an emotional connection to complement the athletic spectacle. For a multitude of reasons, WWE aren't doing this effectively anymore, and their storytelling mechanisms have rarely been so broken.
Characters don't leap off the screen like the used to, genuine drama is almost non-existent, and satisfying payoffs are like unicorns. WWE storytelling is on the slide, and without competition, it may never recover.
10. Lack Of Suspense & Surprise
Like any other storytelling medium, wrestling thrives on keeping the audience guessing. When you tune into Raw or SmackDown, you’re not supposed to know what’s going to happen that night. You may have an inkling, but if the writers are doing their jobs properly, they’ll produce developments that you didn’t see coming without leaving you feeling shortchanged.
Unfortunately, this has declined immensely over the years. Almost every major storyline development can be telegraphed these days, and you have to go back to Goldberg’s squashing of Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series to find the company’s last shocking match outcome. If you’ve watched WWE programming for a while, the patterns are obvious, and more often than not, you’re left coasting towards a boring, predictable conclusion.
The frustrating thing is that mystery and intrigue are still proven draws. When WWE marketed the June 19th episode of Raw around Roman Reigns’ SummerSlam announcement and the unveiling of Enzo Amore’s attacker, the viewership surged to over three million for the first time since April. Keeping the audience guessing is increasingly difficult in a world where everybody has access to the sport’s inner workings, but this example show that it isn’t impossible.