10 Ways Wrestling Is Ruining WWE

5. Been There, Done That

WrestleMania Seth Rollins Triple H
WWE.com

Hey Bray, there you are. Again. Chatting sh*t and getting hit, that's your role. And you do it...well?

As it happens, the 'Eater Of Worlds' is pretty useless at most things, but then that didn't stop half of the roster in the 1980s and 1990s from having their various failings protected by careful television presentation and gradual nurturing in the eyes of the audience.

Bray Wyatt debuted in July 2013, and by the time he'd concluded his abysmal SummerSlam debut against Kane, the dew was already off the lily. Sporting his own merchandise and the ludicrous 'ring of fire' stipulation didn't help, but the character was already overwrought before the ink from the writer's pen had dried. Yes, the crowd can enjoy lighting up a darkened arena with their phone torches, but it's back to saving batteries the second the bell rings.

Imagine, if you're absolutely forced to, how well The Undertaker would have done if he was working competitive matches at his snail's pace every single week on television instead of destroying nobodies and breaking occasionally to dominate Jimmy Snuka, The Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan.

He had mystique, a trait Bray desperately needs and unavoidably lacks. He's not alone. It felt like an ice age waiting for Finn Bálor to unleash 'The Demon' after his post-WrestleMania return, but only because the man underneath the pain has been made so chronically boring through overt familiarity. Maybe if he had, he'd have reclaimed the Universal Title by now?

Either start using these middling superpowers properly, or don't bother at all.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett