In the 1980s, there was a belief by a lot of old-timers in the business that the corporate culture of the decade with the downfall of professional wrestling in their era. But now in 2013, I honestly think another culture has infiltrated the business and may be the end of wrestling as we know it. What can the scourge of wrestling be these days? I think all you have to do is look at the WWE and you have your answer. Hollywood. Now, you may hear that and instantly think of talking about The Rock. I'm not. Vince McMahon has said in multiple interviews that he calls what they do "making movies" and a "variety show" instead of professional wrestling. The chairman of the WWE is desperate for acceptance by the entertainment media wanting them to see him as an equal in the media conglomerate space. The word wrestling had all been wiped out in favor of the term of "Sports Entertainment" because Vince thought the wrestling business was demeaning to be involved in. This obsession led to the creation of the guest host era of Raw, their movie studio and their community outreach programs which have had some modicum of success. This also brings us to the beginnings of the now mythical and illogical WWE Network. Everything points to this thing being a failure, but McMahon is determined regardless of the indications otherwise to make this thing work. However, these outside projects are not the only effect that the Hollywood mentality has had on the WWE. In the last few years WWE has hired more and more Hollywood writers to construct the stories of their product. Thinking that people from outside of the wrestling bubble to give a fresh perspective on the characters and create compelling storylines which unfortunately and traditionally has not been the case. Add to that the fact that most of the writers on that team have a quick turnover. Even a star like Freddy Prinze Jr, a guy that was a fan growing up and has Hollywood connections wasn't interested in Vince's process. This is a story that is heard time and time again from other people from that world that come to WWE. Vince wants Hollywood but he doesn't understand it. Another facet the Hollywood influence has affected is how talent is presented itself. First, let's take a look at the presentation of one of the biggest storylines in the company the last two years, The Rock versus John Cena. When the two biggest stars of the generation faced off the day after Wrestlemania 27, it was announced like the next big summer blockbuster one year in advance. That was something the industry had never done and it was a risk that paid off. The next year they do more more sequels of matches from the year before. While there was new blood bubbling down at the bottom, a lot of that was rehashes and retreads of things we've seen before, and with the numbers being what they are projected to be it's likely we're going to see more and more star-driven cards with very little love given to the under-card in the grand scheme of things. But how does that affect the rest of the company you ask? It sends talent what I like to call "going up the down escalator". What I mean by that is if you are not a top name like a John Cena, Randy Orton, Sheamus etc. you have a definite direction and and a storyline, but those on the mid-card really don't have any logical progression from week to week on their characters, and in the end it has an adverse effect on how the character is perceived from that point forward, giving the audience the perception that he doesn't matter. So, what happens when one of these top guys after every permutation happens or goes down to injury? Someone else has to shoulder the burden instead of someone new being brought up because they been damaged beyond repair. Dolph , Barrett, Ziggler, Kofi, Antonio, among others, are going to be there when the big names go down for injury. If you put them in a position where they look credible, then when you have to use them in that role, they will be ready. WWE seems to be star focused and not worried about the supporting actors. Back in the 80's and then the Attitude Era, it was everyone working together from the bottom to the top that meant the whole machine worked. How would the current philosophy have changed the destiny of Shawn Michaels or Bret Hart - who worked their up from the bottom to the top and became stars of a new era - in the 90's? What if they weren't given the opportunity to rise to the ranks from tag team wrestlers to singles stars? I don't see what Vince sees when it comes to wrestling as a medium. I think that what can be done in the wrestling ring transcends the arenas of movies, TV shows, variety shows, and any extreme sport. There's nothing that even comes close in my experience. It seems to me that with no real competition (sorry, TNA), Vince is just looking for another windmill to fight. There is light at the end of the tunnel. While there's no promise that this Hollywood mentality will completely go away, Triple H, who is the second in command along with Stephanie, has shown more of a focus on the sports side of things. With renewed interest on developmental and the opening of the training center in Orlando, they seem to be moving in the right direction, and the future may look brighter on the wrestling front going forward.