9 Most Desperate WWE Responses To Low Ratings

4. Highly Lamentable Action

Lita Edge Sexy
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Eric Bischoff's arrival hadn't shifted the needle quite as dramatically as WWE had hoped, so they had the Raw GM devise a scheme which'd sneakily let them sell Attitude Era raunch under the ruse of 'irony'. It was both literally and figuratively tongue-in-cheek.

Easy E, noting the popularity of same-sex couple Chuck and Billy on SmackDown, promised to do his own bit for sexual equality over on Raw, with the introduction of 'Hot Lesbian action'. Overt sleaziness was contextualised as lampshaded sleaziness; Bischoff directly told fans that "sex sells", before wryly presenting a pair of women literally called 'The Lesbians'. WWE were able to have their retrograde eyecake, whilst the commentary team mithered over it.

The ploy was nakedly transparent - though not naked enough to inspire anything besides widespread and just condemnation. Distressingly, the segment ended with 'The Lesbians' beaten up by Bischoff's hired goons, Three Minute Warning. And ratings barely budged.

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Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.