10 Things WWE Did When It Was Huge (And Need To Do Now)
5. Line Up Fresh Challenges
Compare fortnightly Network cards in 2017 to the post-WrestleMania PPV calendar of twenty years ago.
Austin Aries and Neville fought each other at three events before Aries, evidently bored, buggered off: WrestleMania, Payback and Extreme Rules. The Hardy Boyz and Sheamus and Cesaro have also contested three matches - at Payback, Extreme Rules and Great Balls Of Fire. Randy Orton and Jinder Mahal are also set to conclude WWE's favoured trilogy trope this Sunday.
Back in 1997, The Undertaker, having defeated Sid for the WWF Title at WrestleMania 13, defended his belt (they could still call them that, then) at In Your House: A Cold Day In Hell, King Of The Ring '97 and In Your House: Canadian Stampede against three separate opponents in Steve Austin, Faarooq and Vader. All were defeated fairly, none were granted another crack just to pad out the calendar, thus avoiding the searingly tedious infinite rematch loop that has come to define WWE in the Network era. With WCW stealing a march on their household popularity, repetition was not an option. Now, it's the norm, more or less enshrined in creative meeting stone.
WWE no longer has to create fresh storylines because they already have your subscription money. Still, if that's the case, why not instal new challengers who wouldn't have drawn traditional PPV numbers, like a Cesaro?
If there's no risk, WWE could at least reward.