Anyone who has observed Roman Reigns' spluttering push in 2015 will admit that WWE has lost its edge in developing characters. Rather than making a guy who fans wanted to get behind, the company inadvertently made Reigns a loathsome fool. He said things like "suffering succotash" and had literal tugs of war with Brock Lesnar's title belt. Compare that with UFC, where they present relatable narratives in documentary style productions. Things like 'UFC Embedded' or 'UFC Countdown' are effective in getting characters over. It is like you are getting to know the actual person, getting to like them or getting to hate them and wanting to see their ass kicked. Yet what you are actually seeing is 'characters' that the UFC are producing to get over in a certain way. WWE struggle to do that these days. UFC is continuously pushing new stars, getting behind new narratives. Is there a better heel in sports entertainment today than Conor McGregor? No, he can cut promos better than anyone in WWE, and UFC has given him the freedom to do so. That natural overness would never happen in WWE, as the character development is way too rigid based on Vince McMahon's scripting formulas. Lessons can be learned from UFC's approach to character development.
