10 Terrible Decisions That Led To WWE Raw’s Lowest Ever Rating
6. Stephanie McMahon Takes Over Creative
There are various points during WWE's tumultuous history that one could reflect upon as a time everything changed.
Hulk Hogan defeating The Iron Sheik in 1984 began the mass alienation of audiences that hated Sports Entertainment, but kicked open the door to millions more giddily willing to be enticed by its hedonistic mix of bright lights, brighter colours and brightest stars. Stone Cold Steve Austin shot a glare down WWE's foggy lens at King of the Ring 1996 - it took time to pierce through the haze but the pathway to industry supremacy was forcibly cleared by a determined and dogged 'Texas Rattlesnake'. The circumstances behind Chris Benoit's death forced a company-wide rethink on the near and distant future of the entire organisation that ultimately pulled WWE out of a confused mid-00s identity crisis into the High Definition PG era that exists in almost the exact same form today.
When Stephanie McMahon took the reigns of the company's creative direction in late-2000, the show's unparalleled momentum stalled with almost immediate effect. That's not to say she was a lone catastrophe in the role, but her strategies, policies and decisions in an authoritative position ultimately oversaw a downturn from what was otherwise a creative and commercial peak for the company.
The good times had to end sooner or later of course. She will forever be the person most associated with the speed at which they did.