10 Problems EVERY Wrestling Company Has In Common

2. An Inability To Penetrate The Mainstream

Chad Gable Scorpio Sky
WWE.com

How many nights have you spent aimlessly scrolling Netflix or Prime, only to be confronted by an endless series of thumbnails?

You'll have heard that several of these shows and movies are worth your time, but you can never pick. So much looks like a seven because, in this atomised cultural landscape, so little feels like a 10 that you can't not watch for fear of missing out. And so you scroll, and scroll, because, conditioned by capitalism, it never quite feels like it's premium if it isn't expensive and it doesn't come in a neat, physical package.

Money is flung at so many properties, reboots and purchased originals alike, in a bid to retain a share in an oversaturated market. All we see is thumbnails, and those thumbnails bleed into one another within the same price point, further disrupting a sense of worth long since lost.

This is what wrestling - stigmatised as whole load of old fake sh*te devoid of options by WWE's dual monopoly and decline - is up against.

Here's a truth, that you may not like, but it's truth nonetheless:

By critical consensus, WWE sucks sh*t.

By critical consensus, beyond some iffy moments that AEW does tend to address, the company has met or exceeded lofty expectations.

Neither are mainstream concerns because the very concept of a mainstream is itself dying.

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!