Backstage Update On WWE Morale As Booking Criticism Increases (WWE News)
Update on backstage WWE morale.
With the wider WWE receiving a little more criticism lately than in recent years, there's a smidge of an update on how backstage morale is with the market leader.
As part of his latest weekly Q&A, Fightful Select's Sean Ross Sapp said that WWE morale isn't bad, but that it also isn't the "over-the-moon, everything is lovely" way that things used to be. SRS noted how there is more criticism of creative and certain company decisions, business practices, and lawsuits, but added that he doesn't get anybody messaging him these days about how miserable they are - which is something that was commonplace between 2017 and 2022.
While WWE continues to go from strength to strength in terms of business metrics and financials, the company has faced criticism from various quarters over various matters in recent months. One notable talking point is the price of WWE tickets these days, including the cheapest WrestleMania 42 ticket being $854 before fees, and TKO Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro stating that the aim now is "maxing the opportunity" by only increasing ticket prices further. Away from that, the decision to bring back Brock Lesnar at this year's SummerSlam certainly split opinion, while there is also the ongoing Janel Grant lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE still waiting to be resolved. Added to that, the announcement of WrestleMania 43 taking place in Saudi Arabia raised plenty of ire, much like the company's continued relationship with the Kingdom has done over the years.
In terms of the on-screen product, WWE creative has been a mixed bag, at best, lately. For every great story, great angle, or great match, there's also a sense of frustrating flatness to large parts of WWE programming, being a far cry away from some of the must-see TV of the past couple of years. WWE's ESPN debut with Wrestlepalooza last weekend is a prime example of that, with Triple H having promised plenty of spectacle and surprises for this much-hyped Premium Live Event - a PLE whose spectacle and surprises amounted to a bit of pyro and the announcement of Stephanie McMahon for the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame.
WWE has also garnered criticism for some for its aggressive counterprogramming of AEW events. While some may not like it, all's fair in business, and taking such aggressive approaches is something that WWE has done for decades now.
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