10 Reasons Why People Don't Give A Sh*t About WWE Anymore

7. The Product Is Exactly The Same As It Was In 1997

VINCE THUMB
WWE.com

"We should introduce a new type of character to freshen up the show." - WWE Creative Writer

"Are you absolutely sure that's wise, sir? I mean, I don't want to sound pretentious here, but a heel authority figure and a babyface comprise a dramaturgical dyad." - Vince McMahon

This isn't an exaggeration: ostensibly, Vince Russo is still writing WWE television and has been since the late 20th century.

There are minor differences. Russo, for all of his faults - and he's the most flawed pro wrestling booker ever - at least endeavoured to do something with every character. This incidentally is A) the bare minimum expected of any storyteller, and B) hardly resulted in good storytelling across the board.

Impromptu matches, heel authority figures, invisible camera capturing convenient interactions with appalling dialogue: it is the same old sh*t and it is impossible to give a sh*t about any really talented wrestler within this beyond drab meta format. A heel can just about not look like a complete twot in this environment.

But the babyfaces, Jesus Christ...

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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!