10 Ways DDT Did WWE Better Than WWE At WrestleMania 35 Weekend

4. Villainous Villains

DDT Coming To America
DDTPro.com/Scott Finklestein

WWE's move away from traditional heel tropes has left them with a roster full of villains who don't actually feel like villains. There are exceptions (Daniel Bryan, Charlotte Flair, etc.), but in restricting the kind of dastardly deeds their evildoers can pull off to distractions, tight-pulls, and ref bump-related chicanery, they make it extremely difficult for their talented men and women to draw legitimate heat.

DDT don't have that problem: Daisuke Sasaki is proof.

Damnation's leader is a scuzzy, detestable piece of sh*t. It's in everything from his long, greasy hair and ironclad perma-scowl to the way he wrestles. He actively works towards referee bumps so that he can boot his opponent in the balls, drag them out of the ring, let his stablemates wail on them, then batter the poor sod with weapons. That's precisely what Sasaki did at Coming To America, and his work was gritty, grimy, and downright nasty even when working "clean."

Nicknamed 'Charisma,' he commands attention from the moment you lock eyes on him. You know Sasaki is a scumbag as soon as he swaggers through the curtain. That's a trait that can't be taught, though WWE couldn't undoubtedly benefit from letting their own heels work like him.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.