10 Reasons Why WWE's Problems Aren't Going Away

4. WWE Is Incapable Of Building New Stars

Saudi Trouble
WWE.com

Look at Aleister Black's character arc this year.

Arcs, plural: Black has essentially debuted on three separate occasions under three WWE introductory tropes. In February, amid total ratings desperation, he debuted as an NXT call-up. After WrestleMania, WWE ran some introductory vignettes, for a character to whom we'd already been introduced, marked by long-winded spiels and a weird new inflection. Then, after his excellent showcase match with Cesaro led nowhere, he returned on RAW, on which WWE attempted to put him over in a series of squash wins over enhancement talent.

Eight months, three pushes, no impact.

WWE has told us, relentlessly, that Ricochet is a superhero without much showing it. He wears the costumes, but doesn't wrestle truly extraordinary matches under RAW's patterned match formula. The Fiend is the Universal Champion, but he was crowned after first enduring a debacle at Hell In A Cell, in which his intriguing horror movie monster character became parody.

A lack of long-term direction, a refusal to allow for agency, and, simply, asinine decision-making has led WWE to this barren point.

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!