12 Worst WWE Storylines Of The PG Era
It's hard to believe people are actually paid to come up with this stuff.
The spring of 2008 saw a change in direction for World Wrestling Entertainment, as the company moved further away from the smut and violence of the Attitude Era, via the grit of Ruthless Aggression towards a more family-friendly product.
The time since May 2008 has become known as the 'PG Era', with the focus shifting decidedly towards the 'entertainment' half of sports entertainment.
Of course, entertainment comes in inverted commas there, and with good reason. Whilst the era has thrown up many memorable moments and storylines, it has also been something of a constant source of frustration and irritation for longtime fans of wrestling.
Some still lament the lack of blood and unadulterated violence in post-2008 WWE, but the stark reality is that the biggest crime of the era has nothing to do with chair shots to the head and more to do with storytelling.
Time and time again the company has put its performers in angles that make no sense and paint them in a less-than-favourable, even laughable, light.
The list of miserable storylines in the past eight years would be funny if it wasn't so depressing, if it wasn't so long. For an industry that relies on the credibility of the individuals on-screen it also beggars belief.
The list could be twice as long, I'm sure, but here are the 12 worst storylines of PG Era WWE.
12. Embrace The Hate
If you were to sum up the PG Era of World Wrestling Entertainment in three words, you'd only need two; 'John Cena'.
The leader of the Cenation has been WWE's poster boy for a decade now, granting wishes, kissin' babies and hugging fat girls like there's no TV-14 tomorrow.
As you'll read throughout this article, Big Match John has also been involved in some of the worst stories in recent memory. One such example was his feud at the beginning of 2012 with Kane.
The Big Red Monster is no stranger to awful stories himself, but unfortunately the beef wasn't over who had been involved in the worst angles on WWE TV.
No, the demon Kane spent his time trying to get Cena to 'embrace the hate', to forgo the high road Cena took so often in favour of pure violence. Kane tried talking Cena into it, he tried beating Cena into it and, hell, he even tried paralysing Zack Ryder in order to bring about the change.
Ultimately, Kane was unsuccessful. Cena defeated him at Elimination Chamber in an Ambulance Match, and would go on to continue his career hate-free. Less than a year later, Kane was in anger management.