7 Reasons WWE Is Failing To Engage (And 3 Ways To Solve It)

Imagine Braun Strowman becoming a Trump supporter, wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat and trolling fans in liberal cities—maybe even getting cheered in red states. Imagine Rusev turning into a Russian spy, leaking mild spoilers in Russian on Twitter and promoting WikiLeaks. Imagine Ziggler—who already likes doing comedy behind the scenes—giving hot takes on anything and everything, each week.

Whether you like or dislike those ideas, my point should be clear: These ideas spark controversy, and engage the audience in new and socially relevant ways. The creative guys at WWE should look out the window in Stamford every once in awhile. There’s a world out there that’s begging to be acknowledged in one form or another, and so far all they can come up with are the same character-types we’ve seen for ages.

What made the Attitude Era great wasn’t just the liberal use of language or edgy matches. It was that they were socially relevant, pushing boundaries and seeing what they could get away with. I know the ties between the current president and the McMahon family are obviously strong (Linda is in the cabinet), but is there room for something—anything—that would give us hope the WWE could acknowledge what we’re all seeing out of our windows?

We need more social relevance. We also need…