10 Ways WWE Can Prove The Critics WRONG At WrestleMania 37

2. Promoting A LEGIT MOTY Candidate

Drew McIntyre
WWE

AEW and NJPW dominated the year-end lists of most critics because Keith Lee said things like "I am Limitless" before hitting his finish when Damian Priest could have just punched him and because Braun Strowman wore a mask to the tearful euphoria of Bray Wyatt.

WWE matches, again, are heavily produced and patterned in a certain way that has long since descended into cliché, and the lack of danger or the illusion of it - and general expression - suffers in contrast to the work of the artists who are free to create.

To give the best possible chance of showing us dorky insects just what the f*ck WWE is all about, they should situate the indie scene product Daniel Bryan in a 20-25 minute match. They should do this as a matter of course while he's still in his physical prime anyway.

Bryan is a storytelling wizard as fantastic at transitioning through story beats as he is through holds. If anybody can extract an old world response from the distanced 30,000 throng, it is him, and with no direction beyond Fastlane - he can't work Jey Uso again, surely - he should work work Chad Gable. That is totally naive sub-message board fantasy booking, but it's still the best match they have.

So why not do it? Wouldn't it be batsh*t not to?

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 current Undisputed WWE 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!