10 Mistakes All Wrestling Fans Make

3. "THE" WWE

Roman Reigns
WWE

"The WWF", as a prefix before the abbreviation, made sense. It described an entity. Not that WWE isn't an entity, or Entertainment isn't a noun, but it's just a curious wrongness about which the English language is notorious.

When WWE underwent their enforced name change in 2001, they for unfathomable reasons did not drop the "The". It remains a company mandate fifteen years later. "I'm the greatest champion in all of THE WWE!" "You're not good enough to make it in THE WWE!"

The World Wrestling Entertainment. The World Wrestling Entertainment. The World Wrestling Entertainment. Sorry to do a Marge Simpson and repeat myself three times, but it really might help you break the habit. 'The WCW' sounds ridiculous. Wrong. So too does "The ECW". It's like saying "The Apple" or "The Microsoft". So why do we accept WWE's bizarre tendencies? The company is already all-encompassing.

Many fans view the Hall of Fame as the be-all and end-all, when in fact it is a massively politicised institution designed to make money more so than recognise legitimate accomplishments. It's a tiny thing, but parroting the 'The' just makes everybody complicit with the biased enterprise.

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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!