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

8. Baby Steps For The Big Face Rebuild

John Cena Sami Zayn
WWE Network

At Backlash, AJ Styles had the measure of Kevin Owens - so much so that he was seconds from delivering a super-powered version of his killer blow.

Owens evaded the table-assisted Styles Clash and darted back into the ring. Styles was out-wrestled by a WWE prop, who defeated him via count-out. Owens didn't win; a monitor cable did - which is to say nobody did. Owens appeared "opportunistic" - a tired trope. Styles looked like an idiot. The fans were deprived a finish of genuine drama and consequence. The finish was booked, again, to justify a retread - a rematch that wasn't anticipated nearly as much as it could have been, given the contrived, stupid attempt at generating fan outrage.

Perhaps this isn't the best example to cite, given that Styles could sh*g Katie Vick and still get over - but this period was, by some distance, the coldest of his WWE career. The same can be said of Kevin Owens. Their on-paper electric programme suffered as a result of such prolonged daftness. AJ Styles recovered his genuine main event credentials towards the tail end of the year - through conclusively defeating Jinder Mahal and conclusively losing to Brock Lesnar in an heroic, battling effort.

The feeling that those matches in some way mattered augmented their drama.

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!