10 Very Bad WWE Ideas That Lasted For Years

Survivor Series is something the fans have to go through, not the wrestlers...

Roman Reigns
WWE

WWE has been bad for too long.

That's the main crux of the problem. The company is simply incapable of generating good will amongst all but the most ardent of hardcores. The promotion would have to consistently produce at least a years' worth of very good output to convince lapsed fans that it won't f*ck everything up all over again.

But WWE doesn't just mess up intriguing storyline premises or badly mishandle acts that got over everywhere else they worked. The main theme of WWE's modern history isn't disappointment.

It is "What in the f*ck are you still doing this for?"

Usually, bad ideas are quickly and unceremoniously abandoned. Because they are bad ideas. This modesty and self-awareness is not required in a post-rights fees era that barely relies on the consumer; WWE can and most often do whatever it is that they like. They won! You didn't! Mark!

WWE wouldn't promote an annual pay-per-view entitled 'Punjabi Prison'. They don't do 'Fatal 4-Way' every year either. They don't adhere to a Wild Card Rule. Well, they never did, but you get the meaning.

So why do they do the following...?

10. The Mega-Push Of Babyface Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns
WWE

In a very telling irony, WWE considers you a mark, and yet, if they'd just listened to u/PushD0lphZiggler on r/SquaredCircle back in 2014, they might not have found themselves in this mess. And that's r/SquaredCircle we're talking about. It's not f*cking MENSA.

The point is that almost literally everybody not named Vince McMahon - critics, fans, Roman's peers who knew full well he had it in him to play the Tribal Chief years before he did - knew that Roman had to turn heel and play into his cocky, aloof presence.

And, sure as sh*t, when he eventually did, it was gold.

An astronomical rights fee is hardly a mess, but interest in WWE is drastically low. As Dave Meltzer revealed in the most recent Wrestling Observer Newsletter, AEW in the fourth quarter of 2021 beat WWE's average live event attendance (5,644 paid - 5,150 paid). AEW doesn't run house shows, but is beating RAW (5,377).

WWE persisting with the Roman Reigns mega-push, with his dorky sub-Cena promos and barely manufactured struggles, was a terrible idea that forced many fans to seek the alternative that has erupted in the last few years.

 
Posted On: 
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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!