10 Times WWE Marketing Was Pure BULLSH*T

3. "WWE Is Just Like..."

Doctor Who The Shakespeare Code
BBC Studios

"...Shakespeare!"

So sayeth Stephanie McMahon - Lady Macbeth, only without the guilt - to various media personnel at marketing conferences. Speaking to the ANA Masters of Marketing Conference in October 2016, Steph delivered the following stream of omni-bullsh*t:

"Like Shakespeare, opera or ballet, WWE creates compelling, good-versus-evil content with larger-than-life characters."

In October 2016, WWE promoted the Hell In A Cell and No Mercy pay-per-views.

At Hell In A Cell, Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair wrestled their 42nd match of the year, which probably wasn't William had in mind when coining the phrase 'Measure For Measure'. That said, you could charitably describe the dragged-out Kevin Owens Vs. Seth Rollins programme as a five act play, so perhaps Stephanie was onto something.

At No Mercy, meanwhile, WWE ran the whole show backwards to avoid competing with a presidential debate. Penning a play using reverse chronology was something Shakespeare never had the grapefruit-sized balls to experiment with, the hack, and so WWE > Shakespeare confirmed.

Shakespeare's seminal, timeless work is mandatory education across the western world centuries upon centuries later. Vince McMahon forgets that he has stranded Mojo Rawley in front of a mirror from one week to the next.

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!