7 Massive WWE Changes WresteMania 32 Highlighted

It’s no secret that for WWE, WrestleMania is the crown jewel. For years now, the company has been targeting WrestleMania to the casual viewers in hopes that a solid show will boost their mainstream appeal for just a few minutes each year. But as this year's show demonstrated, this overvaluing of WrestleMania at the expense of everything else is getting a bit out of hand.

There was so much hype, so much effort, so much money, and so much time invested in WrestleMania this year, that it’s easy to forget that this focus on one single aspect of the company is actually new. Once upon a time, WWE cared about all of its product – not just WrestleMania.

While most of the changes I have mentioned here have not necessarily been bad, this one has without doubt been a major hindrance to the quality of the company as a whole. It is no coincidence that as WWE have looked to focus more and more on the value of their centrepiece, the table it sits on has slowly eroded away due to lack of care.

The difference in quality between WrestleMania and the rest of the WWE product is simply staggering. There was probably more attention put into the entrances of HHH and Roman Reigns this year than there was put into the entire month of November on Raw. Unfortunately, for the fans who have had the courage to watch the bloated and horrendously structured weekly programming, the returns are diminishing because of this inequity – and they are leaving the WWE Universe in huge numbers.

WWE can not survive on WrestleMania alone, particularly when they give the show away for free to so many people. It makes sense that the show would be the high point of the calendar, but unless they take one or two eggs out and maybe place them in the Smackdown basket, for example, it's hard to see their long-term influence going anywhere but south in the coming years.