10 Ways WWE Has Been An Absolute Mess In 2021
7. Booking The Same Matches
If you prefer recording Raw and SmackDown for later viewing, it might be rather difficult to tell if your DVR is working correctly as of late.
Although fans often favor SmackDown over Raw, neither brand is impervious to repetitious booking. Tune in to Raw any two weeks, and you're bound to notice that Asuka and Charlotte Flair are damn near sparring partners. Likewise, on SmackDown, Baron Corbin and Shinsuke Nakumara perpetually fight over the King of the Ring crown. The latter feud might have a little more meat to it, but it's hard not to notice the precise 50-50 booking.
The only way WWE seems to spice things up lately is by slightly tweaking the current recipe. For instance, the Beat the Clock challenges with Nikki Cross on Raw were essentially the same matches. Only one saw Flair losing in an amateur fashion, and the other featured an easily distracted Rhea Ripley. On SmackDown, rather than have Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn and Apollo Crews vs. Big E every week, the company really shook things up by shoving them together into one package.
At the very best, fans can hope WWE is simply coasting until live crowds return. Otherwise, it would appear the sports entertainment company is at a creative stalemate.