5 Reasons WWE Is Losing Fans In The Post-Kayfabe Era

To a certain extent, WWE is a victim of its own success from a creative standpoint. After all, the organization enjoyed a great deal of prosperity while being presented as "sports entertainment" as opposed to traditional pro wrestling.

The demise of kayfabe allowed the company to stretch the limits of reality in ways that weren't previously possible. In the short term, it allowed WWE to thrill audiences with some of the most memorable, over the top moments and storylines that helped define the Attitude Era.

However, over time, WWE programming has become watered down with bad comedy and drawn out skits that ask too much of performers who aren't trained actors or actresses by trade. Moreover, post-kayfabe WWE stopped emphasizing in-ring competition and the importance of winning championships (particularly secondary titles).

WWE has been slow to come around to the fact that the latest generation of wrestling fans seem to like a more sports-based product — hence the rise of the company's developmental product, NXT, and its leading competitor, AEW.

It's almost as if WWE forgot that pro wrestling, in of itself, can be very entertaining.

Without kayfabe around to keep WWE creative in line, over time, ratings would suggest that they are having an increasingly difficult time keeping the modern wrestling fan engaged.