10 Reasons Why WWE’s Future Is Brighter Than You Might Think

7. A New Willingness To Experiment

Triple H Nxt Champion
WWE.com

WWE has already reacted to its fading presence on domestic television by experimenting beyond its rigid formula. Three mystery storylines have gripped viewers to varying degrees, one of which is left unresolved at time of writing. It's something of a return to the essence of the Attitude Era without alienating sponsors and families.

At Great Balls Of Fire, WWE promoted an ultra-rare all-heel affair in Brock Lesnar Vs. Samoa Joe. Even if you class the former as a tweener, or a new entity unto himself, it's still miles removed from the usual black and white characterisation elsewhere - i.e. on SmackDown, on which WWE is presenting two jingoistic rivalries on the same pay-per-view this Sunday. This was a profound shift in WWE's philosophy; that should not be understated. Hopefully - hopefully - it will usher in a new ethos of what constitutes a WWE main event.

Five years ago, everything was written around John Cena. Everything. McMahon, at the height of the SuperCena Era, really seemed to care less about anything else. Jinder Mahal has headlined as many PPVs in 2017 as CM Punk did in 2012, when Punk was WWE Champion for the entire calendar year. Punk only headlined one PPV without Cena in the opposite corner because Cena himself was injured.

Happily, this trend is no more. It would be nice if Jinder Mahal wasn't helping to buck it, but you can't win 'em all.

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!