10 Most Unthinkable WWE Changes In The Last 5 Years
8. Diversification
WWE’s ratings are in a terrible mess, and it’d be wrong to suggest that mainstream wrestling is in a good place in 2016. The business definitely isn’t what it used to be, and yes, the product is highly oversaturated, but it has diversified immensely since 2011.
In 2011, you had Raw, SmackDown, the B-shows, and FCW if you were absolutely desperate. Each presented the same safe, clinical, entertainment-based focus we’ve come to expect from the PG Era. Those shows still operate in 2016 (with the exception of FCW), but there’s so much choice for the viewer now, and it’s only getting broader.
Burned-out by Raw’s overlong format and repetitive filler segments? Head to SmackDown and enjoy some smart, logical storytelling condensed into an immensely watchable two-hour show. Do you yearn for a return to the classic wrestling-centric focus of the NWA’s old 1980s TV shows? Head to NXT. Want to spend a couple of hours with some high-octane in ring action that shuns “sports entertainment” all-together? The Cruiserweight Classic and NXT TakeOver have you covered.
There hasn’t been this level of diversification in WWE for a long time, and regardless of whether you prefer the main roster’s soap opera stylings or NXT’s blistering matches, there’s something for you.