2015 was the worst year, creatively speaking, in WWE history. While there is stark competition from previous years of poor quality programming (e.g. 1993, 1995), nothing has ever been as bad as what WWE fans were forced to witness in the past twelve months. From miscast superstars to forced pushes, the writing team followed up a relatively promising 2014 with an absolutely abysmal effort that has even left some wrestling pundits legitimately questioning the effort of the man in charge. To think that Vince McMahon is intentionally sabotaging his company over pride is a scary thought that, especially after the last year's worth of programming, cannot be immediately dispelled. Fans have often wondered what it would take to get the ship turned around in the right direction. USA Network's involvement? Plummetting stock prices? Significant loss of WWE Network subscribers? These would definitely put more pressure on the company, but the only real way to get the WWE corrected is if Vince McMahon is willing to make the necessary changes. Changes that could mean removing himself from having final creative approval, or recognizing that the year 2015 doesn't necessitate a need for a dozen writers. The company ran pretty well back when the three men of Vince, Bruce Prichard and Pat Patterson booked the territory. Regardless of what the future holds, there is no denying that 2015 was the worst year creatively in WWE history...
14. Continued Shift Towards WWE Network
Perhaps one of the reasons the WWE television product has suffered so much in 2015 is because of the WWE Network. The service launched early in 2014 and, like any new major venture, it will take several years for the company to truly understand the role that the Network will play. One of the drawbacks to the new service is that other areas may suffer from a decreased level of focus. The WWE Network is already more successful than Vince's previous gambles as the streaming service has lasted longer than both the XFL and the World Bodybuilding Federation. Like those two defunct brands, time and money has been invested into the new venture and it's only natural that it could lessen the focus on its cable programming. We've already seen SmackDown fall to the wayside in terms of its perceived importance to WWE storytelling, and hopefully it will be rejuvenated with the move to USA Network. As for RAW, it is possible that the WWE Network is monopolizing the best ideas and creative energy, whether the WWE realizes it or not. The network has significantly improved since getting its feet wet in 2014, and although there are still several ways to improve the service, the quality of content has been vastly superior to RAW. Coincidence?