10 Ways WWE Are Holding Their Own Wrestlers Back

1. 50/50 Booking

Sami Zayn
WWE.com

50/50 booking has been prevalent within WWE for years. It's a simple concept: wrestlers lose half their matches, but win the other 50%, with the goal being to keep everybody looking strong at once, with only a few designated enhancement talents falling behind.

A nice idea, but one that doesn't work in practice. In trying to push everybody at once, they've succeeded in pushing nobody at all. No one builds momentum when every major victory is followed by a loss, and it has left WWE with a roster that's almost completely devoid of legitimate stars. Guys like Bray Wyatt have been derailed by it, and in a company in which no one is allowed to put a strong series of wins together, nobody gets over.

It's no surprise that the strongest wrestler on the roster (Brock Lesnar) is one of only a few performers who aren't booked this way. Stars are what draw money, not bang average strugglers who win as often as they lose, but WWE can never hope to create another Hogan or Undertaker through 50/50 booking. These wrestlers became megastars because they were allowed to look dominant, not because they followed up every PPV win with a lame seven-minute TV loss.

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Channel Manager
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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.