10 Gimmicks That WWE Milked Dry
8. Go-Home Show Winners Go Home Empty-Handed
A gimmick is defined as "a trick or device intended to attract attention, publicity, or business," according to Oxford, and the following entry involves a creative method that certainly meets the criteria.
Die-hard fans are well aware of one banal trope WWE often deploys during go-home shows, and newer fans don't need to binge episodes of Raw and SmackDown to catch up and find the pattern.
Weeks before a big PPV match, witnessing two foes duke it out in an all-out brawl is an all too common sight. Oftentimes, the last show before an event features one of the main stars getting the upper-hand over their adversary, signaling the end is near once the bell rings on Sunday.
Unfortunately, the abovementioned is the route WWE takes for nearly every one of its PPVs, making it painfully unoriginal and predictable. There have been outliers over time, such as when 'The Fiend' continued getting in the head of Finn Balor before SummerSlam 2019, but they have been few and far between. WWE programming will greatly benefit if creative stepped away from the antiquated habit more often than not. Otherwise, it's almost a giveaway that might prevent a few extra fans from subscribing to the Network.