10 Most Desperate Ways WWE Got You To Watch

5. Two Out Of Three Falls Matches Galore

Vince McMahon WWE SmackDown
WWE.com

Remember when WWE inexplicably turned into a lucha libre promotion, only without the excitement?

2019 was an even more bat sh*t insane year than 2020. Vince McMahon lost the plot entirely; when he wasn't debuting two years' worth of NXT talent in two months, he was introducing a Wild Card Rule for which he didn't know the rules and booking the man he blamed for terrible ratings in the main event of pay-per-views.

The most desperate measure yet saw him work around those damned commercial breaks. They are the real problem. WWE did everything possible to maintain viewers with compelling, expressive content, but those bloody adverts ruined everything.

To circumvent this viewership drop-off, WWE very briefly introduced lucha libre rules by promoting almost every other match under a Two out of Three Falls stipulation; that way, you wouldn't miss a captivating second of...Baron Corbin working a chinlock for about two and a half minutes. Instead, you'd see that when WWE returned from words from its sponsors.

It was contrived, but also very perversely amusing, the idea that Vince had stumbled onto some masterstroke that had eluded him for decades, that he had experienced the eureka moment of all eureka moments, his highest creative accomplishment - at the exact same time he'd forgotten how to count to three.

 
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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK 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 AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and 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!