10 Mistakes All Wrestling Fans Make

9. PG Is Ruining WWE

Roman Reigns
WWE/Make-A-Wish

Some fans would have it that WWE's PG direction is to blame for its current malaise, as if blood and swearing is synonymous with creativity.

What's galling about this assessment is that the answer to the perceived problem, invariably, is something along the lines of 'BRING BACK TEH ATTITUDE ERA!" So, to clarify, making WWE creative again involves plagiarising the past wholesale.

PG isn't ruining WWE. Over-scripting, lack of creative forethought and the chasm between the office and the fandom is. Some of the greatest storylines, angles and characters the WWF ever produced took place in an era wherein the blade was banned: the aptly-named Golden Age. The Mega Powers Explosion, Honky Tonk Man's money-drawing Intercontinental Title reign, the classic Jake Roberts Vs. Ted DiBiase feud for the vengeance of the common man - all this took place a full decade before Mae Young got her prosthetic baps out at Royal Rumble 2000.

You could argue that WWE has since broken unrecoverable ground - but modern promotion CHIKARA is as family friendly as it is concerned with original and long-form storytelling, crafting sometimes years-long plots of mind control, secret submission holds and time travel.

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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!