8 Ups & 11 Downs For WWE In 2018 (So Far)
3. Chronic Inconsistencies
Roman Reigns hasn't been the only WWE character to suffer through abject, inconsistent writing in 2018.
Weeks after raging against domineering bully Alexa Bliss in their WrestleMania 34 programme, Nia Jax became the oppressor herself as soon as the Ronda Rousey storyline kicked in. Braun Strowman is a terrifying movie monster one moment, and a rodeo clown the next, tagging with 10-year-olds and trapping Kevin Owens in port-a-potties. Speak of KO, the man goes from sociopathic winner to cowardly loser so regularly it's impossible to take him seriously. Rusev? A confusing pseudo-tweener who plays to the crowd while beating down babyfaces.
A longstanding problem, WWE's inability to write characters with any level of coherence or consistency is killing many a great performer. Kevin Owens and Nia Jax don't even buy into their own scripted bulls***, so why should anyone else, regardless of their perceived talent levels?
It all comes back to the company's complete inability to create news stars, to which this is a huge contributing factor, but one that, like the characters, isn't going anywhere. WWE's writing team is colossal, yet they struggle to script more than a couple of compelling personalities at a time.