10 Ways To Make WWE Cool Again
1. Lead Pop Culture, Don't Follow It
This whole article has described, in detail, how WWE used to be cool, why they aren't cool any longer, and what it will take to get them there again - but there's one detail missing. For WWE to be cool, they have to be original - not just original as compared to their own history or as compared to other wrestling, but original as held up against all of entertainment.
In the late '90s, Raw - at least the main-event angles - featured a kind of drama and storytelling that fans really couldn't get anywhere else on TV. Sure, there was drama and intrigue on cable and heart-stopping competition in sports, but nothing combined the two so expertly while simultaneously shattering the walls between "real" and "fake." For a generation, it was must-see TV.
Today, there's nothing cutting edge about the product at all, and everyone knows it - fans, analysts, even WWE as an entity. Not much is lamer than hearing Enzo Amore name drop Conor McGregor, or seeing John Cena challenge someone to match during halftime of "the game." It makes fans realize that as much as Vince McMahon runs wrestling, he's really given up when it comes to dominating pop culture the way he used to.
For WWE to be cool, they have to try to be cool. They have to lead, not follow.