8 Reasons WWE Needs To Bring Back Custom PPV Stages

By Chris Rowlands /

7. Stronger Event Theming

If WWE insists on turning match formats into PPV events (TLC; Elimination Chamber; Hell In A Cell; Money In The Bank; etc.), it ought at least to retain the stunning sets that made them stand out. Nowadays, the most you're likely to get is a nod to the Cell or the Chamber with a few trusses bolted onto the standard stage. Gone are the days where superstars walked in under a giant PC replica (Cyber Sunday '07) or Chamber events saw massive mock-ups plastered across the entrance. Why does this matter? Well, when big events are no longer likely to carry special matches unless they're in the name, WWE needs to do something to illustrate why feature bouts justify an entire evening to themselves. What's more, when those same events deliver less-than-inspiring entertainment (here's looking at you, Chamber '15), it helps if there's something stronger than Michael Cole commentary and shiny graphics to remind fans that they are, indeed, watching the supposed pinnacle of 'sports entertainment'. Fatal 4 Way is a case in point: the 2010 PPV ran like a never-ending episode of RAW and saw Sheamus pick up Cena's WWE Championship. It was somewhere between poor and terrible. But the addition of a big number 4 to the stage made it memorable, and that almost saved it. Almost.