10 WWE Creative Secrets The Writers DON’T Want You To Know
9. They Rarely Tell Actual Stories
The "storytelling" promotion doesn't often tell stories, which is WWE's dirtiest modern secret.
Consider the "rise" of Damage CTRL.
A premise was established: a disillusioned Bayley wanted to take back control of a division that no longer appreciated her as a key influence over it. That premise was the extent of the storytelling. Bayley was scripted to repeat it over and over again across her programmes with Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch, neither of which were advanced through anything beyond interference finishes and post-match beatdowns.
Consider also Seth 'Freakin' Rollins Vs. Logan Paul.
A premise was established: Rollins resented Paul as an entitled outsider, and wanted to defeat him to prove that he didn't belong. Nothing was advanced in any compelling way outside of two sucker punch angles. WWE established the premise, scripted the performers to argue about the premise, and wrote themselves into a corner by repeating the most basic of story beats. There were no twists. The performers were not kept apart from one another in a unique way in order to make their eventual coming together feel elusive or anticipated, like something the fans were desperate to finally see.
The payoff was excellent and very well-received, but isn't a Banger Match booked for its own sake what the competition does?
Premise > ?????? > Payoff is, all too often, the WWE storytelling formula. At this point, the Rey Vs. Dominik Mysterio storyline feels like the rule-proving exception. WWE rarely plots anything.
You might point to the Bloodline saga as a counter-argument, but the ultimate irony here - the irony the writers don't want you to know - is that Paul Heyman, with no "legitimate" TV background, did a far better job of mapping out his twists and cliffhangers.