10 Biggest Wrestling Controversies Of 2016

2. WWE RAW Women's Title Hot Potato

Charlotte WWE Womens Title
WWE.com

Prior to Sunday's Roadblock: End Of The Line event, the internet was awash with memes. Charlotte Wins On PPV LOL is the new Cena Wins LOL.

Charlotte Flair doesn't lose on Pay Per View because WWE is more concerned with breaking records than it is its holding pattern of predictable booking. And, with some predictability, she didn't. She regained the Women's title in the seventh change this year. The title was only introduced in April. The much-derided game of hot potato continued, unabated, with a predictability that was literally calculable.

This game of hot potato, to your writer's mind, does not devalue the title. It actually reinforces it. Banks has only been able to regain it on television, away from the career-defining glare of Pay Per View - the grander light in which Charlotte basks. This creates scope for future retreads. Banks failure to shine on the main stage might yet act as a logical pivot on which to turn heel - but in the meantime, her babyface credentials have been reinforced. She has annihilated herself in losing. WWE have given themselves plenty of wiggle room.

As refreshing as the rate of switches has been, the quality of the feud has been compromised by its repetition of emotional beats. The storytelling has been only nominally long-term; in reality, WWE is rewriting the same novella.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!