Since the collapse of WCW and ECW, pro wrestling in America has become increasingly homogeneous. Not only are Vince McMahon's personal preferences now law for the sport as a whole, but his vision of putting on an entertainment-heavy, wrestling-light product has turned the world's most visible wrestling company into a haven for failed Hollywood writers. At some point, the McMahons decided that promos - a key ingredient in allowing wrestlers to express their characters and try to draw money - should all be scripted by the writing team. The result is that, with few exceptions, all of the talent on the WWE roster sounds the same and nobody is special. Terms like "WWE Universe" and "in this very ring" are emphasized and used ad nauseum, and only a few wrestlers - like John Cena and The New Day - are able to infuse any personality into the scripts they're given. It's telling that the modern era's biggest stars - like Steve Austin, The Rock, and Chris Jericho - were responsible for creating their own promos, and they still do it when they appear on screen, discarding notes given by writers. Either the company needs to let all wrestlers find their own voices, or they need to hire some better scriptwriters.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
