10 Reasons Why WWE Needs To Implement A Clean Win Only Policy

9. Fake Bruise

John Cena Sami Zayn
WWE.com

At Money in the Bank, The New Day had the measure of The Usos, who forfeited the match by count-out.

At Great Balls Of Fire, Sasha Banks had the measure of Alexa Bliss, who forfeited the match by count-out.

Regardless of the repetition, a problem in itself: did you really feel any sense of injustice, a feeling that inspired further hope of Alexa's grand reckoning? Were you even antagonised into caring about the inconsequential result? Probably not: this sort of crutch cop-out was booked purely to justify a sequel. This method of storytelling is lazy, an apparent necessity driven by the churn - but it's also redundant, in how it coldly services a strange, relentless obsession with an emotion rendered mostly impotent in the post-kayfabe age: "heat". The fandom barely loves to hate heels in 2018. Triggering this sentiment through deflating finishes only serves to douse a nonexistent fire.

This mentality is damaging; if these performers are props utilised only to pad out TV time, why invest in that TV product, when it exists only to exist?

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!