10 Easy Ways Of Injecting Realism Into WWE

4. Desaturate Gimmick Match Overload

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WWE.com

Gimmick matches were once utilised on a sparing basis, for various reasons.

The novelty, the special aura, had to be preserved to ensure they would continue to draw in future. There had to be sufficient storyline reasoning to justify them - the steel cage for example would only make an appearance in the event of excessive interference or cowardice on the part of the heel, thus guaranteeing to the paying public a decisive outcome worth the investment. Moreover, a wrestling promoter is meant to be running a legitimate sporting enterprise. Forcing its employees to maim each other on the regular would be illogical. There'd be nobody left for them to make money from.

Obviously, it's been decades since the then-WWF professed to be anything of the sort, but think of the typical calendar year for upper card to main event WWE talent. The multi-man ladder match seems to be a WrestleMania Weekend tradition once more. Money In The Bank sees yet another incredibly violent match of that type. SummerSlam is rarely without one gimmick bout. Hell In A Cell features more than namesake match every year. TLC then sees us out with another set of ladder matches - as many as three in recent years.

It's impossible to believe even one wrestler, let alone the majority, would escape from all brutality that unscathed, which is a(nother) indictment of how unrealistic the current product is.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential 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 former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current 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!