10 Ways WWE's Current Product Mirrors That Which Killed WCW

3. Top Talent Having Creative Control

Hulk Hogan famously was given complete creative control over his character and how it was presented in his WCW contract and as a result it limited the bigger picture of what the company could do as a whole as they would have to rearrange things based on what Hogan wanted to do. The calamity that was the Hogan angle at 2000s Bash at the Beach Pay-Per-View, an infamous worked-shoot that became a legitimate shoot and marked the final appearance of Hogan for the company as well as his character defamation lawsuit against Vince Russo, happened due to Hogan's insistence he won the belt on that night (according to Russo at least). Another good example is that Sting had to be on standby to be the third guy on the night of Hogan's legendary heel turn at Bash at the Beach '96 because Hogan wasn't completely sold on the idea and contractually had every right to back out at the last minute; go back and watch the footage an you can see the hesitance in his eyes and demeanor just before he goes through with it. While no one in WWE has it written into their contract; creative control still exists in the current WWE product. John Cena has gone on record as saying he will never turn heel and that it is his decision; whatever his reasons are (many suspect they€™re monetary; heels don't shift as much merchandise) it€™s damaging the product as a whole and causes good ideas for scenarios to be abandoned because of one man. Large portions of the WWE audience have abandoned the product due to this; being put off by Cenas stale routine. They could be drawn back by a Cena heel turn & the new scenarios this would present; much in the same way those driven away by Hogan were when he turned heel. While not strictly the same situation; it is another piece of evidence that suggests WWE€™s ignorance to historical repetition.