10 Ways WWE Have Shot Themselves In The Foot At WrestleMania 31
9. The "W" Word
Vince McMahon has gone on record many times saying wrestling is what my father did and insists that the programming he creates is instead sports-entertainment. McMahon is so dead-set on redefining the term that whenever the word wrestling is uttered on a WWE show, its a huge deal. The problem is, there are so many fans out there who desperately want to watch great wrestling. To them, sports entertainment is a nonsense concept and theyve no time for it, they just want to watch great wrestling action between some of the greatest athletes in the world, and if WWE isnt going to provide it for them, theyll find it elsewhere. Right now, there is so much choice for the discerning wrestling fan, whether its Ring of Honor, Lucha Underground, Impact Wrestling, CHIKARA, ICW, PWG, the list is endless. Even WWEs own developmental brand NXT has been completely shaming the main shows with their live specials, and for many fans its their only reason for having the WWE Network. Its widely known that Vince McMahon has aspirations of mainstream legitimacy that make him ashamed of being a wrestling promoter, but times have changed and theres no longer the stigma that there was years ago. In the 2010s, enthusiasm is king, regardless of whether its for comic books, video games or even professional wrestling and WWE need to recognise that before they become completely irrelevant.
