10 Reasons Why Old School Fans Struggle With Modern WWE
6. Obvious Choreography
On Tuesday's edition of SmackDown Live, Daniel Bryan opened the show only to find himself interrupted by The Miz. Bryan looked bemused. He shouldn't have. This is how every single sports entertainment segment has began for the last fifteen or so years.
The Miz then started harping on about what he perceived as Bryan's woe is me posturing, but there was another reason for his presence. The script demanded it.
Dean Ambrose then interrupted the segment and directed a tongue-lashing at The Miz, who was wearing his customary leather robe. "I can't take you seriously wearing that thing," he japed. "You look like a shoe." Faint homophobia ensued as he then remarked that he and Baron Corbin looked "so cute together". AJ Styles then completed the clusterf*ck - which, wouldn't you just bloody know it, set up a Fatal 4-Way match for the next segment - by accusing the three men of playing "tickle butt". I'm not convinced that's a thing, and in the confines of an office environment I'm not about to Google it.
That segment existed, suspiciously, to set up the next. Without the pretence of a sporting framework and an announced card, one which has served pro wrestling for decades, modern day WWE is lacking entirely in believability. Not that Vince McMahon cares - but dwindling TV ratings and middling Network subscriptions suggest that he should.
Such segments were commonplace in the Attitude Era - but the immature material and hushed crowd reaction meant that this could have been filmed in a school playground.