How WWE Ruined The One Thing That Made It Great

by Michael Sidgwick
steve austin
WWE.com

WWE used to be incredible at this. WWE built itself with this. Consider the obstacles placed in front of Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin: the twin referee shenanigans of Main Event and the convoluted scheme of Deadly Games were so devious and complex that Hogan and Austin weren’t remotely foolish for buying them. WWE—WWF—babyfaces used to be savvy. They used to be heroic. Badass. And now they are completely inept and uncool goobers.

How did WWE ruin its very core appeal?

Dave Meltzer put it best, when lamenting the grand failure to get Lars Sullivan over as a monster at Super ShowDown: Vince McMahon has forgotten how to ride a bike.

It is as stark and simple and troubling as that. This isn’t Vince being out of touch with modern trends. This is Vince totally losing it to an unrecoverable extent, powered by probable CTE and a loathing of his millennial roster, who he deems unambitious, but he also doesn’t allow for the agency of ambition.

And this isn’t default “cynicism” or “bias”, either. NWA Powerrr didn’t work for your writer—it rendered Jim Cornette’s “cosplay” rants deeply ironic—but it works for a sizeable, impressive audience. It is accomplishing something, and that is to be commended and praised objectively.

WWE crowds are dead. They are stone dead. They sit, with their arms folded, waiting for the bullsh*t. And then the bullsh*t happens, and they boo the bullsh*t. They’re holding out for a hero, a saviour, but that saviour is Steve Erkel.

Vince is wearin’ you down, baby! He’s wearin’ you down!

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!