10 Times WWE Employees Hated The Current Product

For better or worse, WWE has become the mainstream representation of professional wrestling. Issues in its programming not only negatively affect the company but the industry as a whole, turning off casual viewers who could be converted into not just WWE, but wrestling in general.

When WWE is swallowed by the euphemistic “current product” label, the discussion that follows is rarely positive. It is typically elaborated upon with unfavourable comparisons to the wrestling of the critic’s childhood, primarily the Attitude Era. And while many fan opinions are easy to dismiss as blighted by the sheer strength of nostalgia, when those involved in the business levy criticisms, they carry significant weight. Whether they use their creativity backstage or their athleticism in the ring, when a WWE employee uses their platform to critique the “current product” those in charge would be wise to listen.

From Hall of Famers to Executive Directors, current champions to up-and-comers, when their love for wrestling sours into hate, there’s a problem. Everybody with a stake in the success of WWE must pay attention to these red flags as if they were the Stars and Stripes defiled by a foreign heel...

Eric Bischoff is a rare figure who excels on either side of the camera. He is the wrestling genius behind WCW’s legendary 83-week ratings winning streak against Vince McMahon’s sports entertainment juggernaut.

After his brief return to WWE, Bischoff used his podcast to critique the current product’s promos:-

"I think one of the things that makes it hard for me to watch WWE is the quality of the promos are so flat […] There’s nothing organic about it, there’s nothing that feels real, there’s nothing that’s remotely believable in so many of those promos […] If you don’t care about the talent, or you’re not buying into the talent or you’re not buying into the talent’s emotion that they’re trying to convey, it’s really hard to get excited about the match […] The WWE is just so sanitized and so filtered that it’s hard to get excited about it."

Bischoff elaborated, giving Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Steve Austin, Mick Foley, and Chris Jericho, as examples of performers who “can deliver a great promo and create emotion that didn’t exist before the promo”. For Bischoff that’s “the fun part of this business”.

Bischoff tapped into a genuine problem with the current product, though his critique unfairly focusses on the performers. The main factor blighting promos is the backstage restrictions that constrict talent so much as to prevent performers from selling the emotional stakes of matches. Admittedly, the current roster prizes athletic prowess over acting chops but this is only further reason for a more organic, less scripted product.