Contrary to what WWE might think, fans to remember a lot of what happened in WWE history, even if its quite recent. Theres a reason no one believes Big Show or Kane as legitimate threats; theyve been booked poorly for well over a year, and fans still remember when Show was shoehorned into a major feud with the Authority in late 2013, despite WWEs attempt to pretend like it never happened. WWE likes to think that if they dont mention something or pretend that it doesnt exist, fans will follow suit. This is why fans cheered Albert when Tensai was wrestling; why CM Punk chants keep happening, and why so many people dislike the Bella twins for their ridiculous feud in 2014; fans remember things that happened years ago, even if they were bad. This is also why fans consider WWE to be repetitive; unless theres a major storyline, WWE will act like things that happened three weeks ago are irrelevant. For example, Dolph Ziggler face off against Kofi Kingston numerous times, with each match being a virtual repetition of the other, void of any unique finishes or spots. Another example would be how fans groaned at the prospect of John Cena vs. Randy Orton, one of the oldest and most repetitive feuds in recent memory. But according to WWEs mentality, since it hasnt happened in a while, they can present it as fresh and new (despite both of them suggesting that their match at the 2014 Royal Rumble PPV would be the end of their rivalry). WWEs historical revisionism is one of their worst practices; they keep changing facts and WWE history to fit the narrative of the day, not knowing that fans do actually pay attention to minor details and historical occurrences. And if they keep putting on the same matches while pretending like weve never seen such a match before, fans will eventually become bored and apathetic, which is the last possible feeling you want from a fan. While WWE will always have casual fans watching their shows and putting money in their pockets, if they keep up with these practices and mentalities, they might very well lose more and more people from non-target demographics, and each viewer they lose is a lot of potential money lost.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
