The Disturbing Truth Behind WWE SmackDown On Fox

Mandy Rose Otis
WWE

Underneath, Braun dances, Otis romances (it's funny because he is fat and Mandy Rose is a bombshell), and The Miz pouts; he wanted to pose in front of the hard camera, so badly, but the Fiend photobombed him. Also, the Fiend terrorised his family, but that was a secondary concern. That is obviously a facetious point, but it's one that underscores a major, definitive problem with WWE's presentation: it's soulless, and very few of the acts resonate as actual human beings.

SmackDown on Fox is ostensibly every WWE show you've ever seen, produced at a time when WWE is at a very low point in fan engagement.

It's very, morbidly fitting that career con artist Bruce Prichard finds himself in the role of Executive Director of the show. It was built on a con. The promotion centred around the stars of yesteryear under the tagline 'We're all Superstars!': Steve Austin appeared in a restaurant as a waiter smashed some glasses in tribute; a surgeon performed John Cena's you-can't-see-me gesture as his patient passed away; said patient woke from the dead, à la the Undertaker: the message WWE seemed to send was 'The stars are back, and you're all going to watch them!'

Except the stars aren't back, and very few of the projected people are not watching them.

CONT'D...(2 of 5)

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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 current Undisputed WWE 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!