7 Huge Problems The WWE Wild Card Rule Has Created

By now, most fans have formed an opinion of WWE’s latest desperate ratings ploy, the Wild Card Rule™.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Vince McMahon created the rule last month as a storyline way to save face after Roman Reigns showed up on Raw unannounced, leading to other SmackDown superstars joining him on Monday night’s show. Vince hurriedly threw together the rule – three superstars of one brand could show up on the opposing show each week.

That rule was quickly expanded to four, and it has persisted for the past month, with superstars showing up randomly, some with a defined purpose, and others just kind of appearing.

The Wild Card Rule has largely been panned by fans for multiple reasons, but it doesn’t look like the damn thing is going anywhere anytime soon. So fans will need to buckle up and deal with it for now.

But as the rule continues to be implemented, we’ve seen problems crop up with how it’s been used, and those issues are only going to continue and possibly be exacerbated each week that goes by.

So as WWE gears up for yet another week of superstars crossing over, let’s dive into some of the major problems this new gimmick is creating for the company.

Let’s get to it…

One definite side-effect of having Raw and SmackDown superstars showing up on opposing shows is that we get used to seeing wrestlers “unexpectedly” alighting where they don’t belong.

So what happens when someone actually turns up who isn’t supposed to be there? Are fans going to react the same as they might if someone appears, not as part of the Wild Card Rule™, but seeking revenge or to even jump brands? You’ve got to imagine we’ll become a little numb to it all over time.

Of course, the post-WrestleMania NXT call-ups will probably still get a big reaction, but when anyone on the opposing show can show up anytime, it really diminishes the return you’ll get overall on surprise appearances.