10 Times Wrestling Fans Got What They Wanted (But Didn’t Realise)

2. "We Want [Wrestler X] To Have More Time On Pay-Per-View"

trish stratus mandy rose
WWE.com

In which Vince McMahon force-fed you doughnuts in hell.

File this under careful-what-you-wish-for. CM Punk and Rey Mysterio were handed six paltry minutes with which to get their story over at WrestleMania XXVI. They tore it up in a quality sprint, working at a pace and style removed from the creaking WWE norm, but it could - and should - have stolen the show. This happened with sobering frequency as the part-timer era took hold. The performers who may have become stars weren't allocated time to become stars, and did not become stars.

WWE has steered so abruptly in the other direction, through the ridiculously inflated marathon pay-per-views of the latter 2010s, that this initiative has went unnoticed, if not rejected outright. Moreover, the three hour Raw era has yielded more in-ring action than anybody can be arsed with. So many matches on Raw - and this happened under Vince's watch, too - go at least five minutes longer than necessary.

There's a 20 minute midcard match every week for no other purpose than to fulfil a wildly unpopular contractual obligation.

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!