The Harsh Reality Of WWE's Recent Improvements

At that calamitous show, WWE buried Ricochet, buried the mystique of the Fiend among fans who thought he had any to begin with, and effectively positioned AJ Styles as an Elias-esque pest for the Undertaker to swat.

Here's a damning statistic. Hulk Hogan's full-time WWF run spanned from 1984 to 1993, bar the odd hiatus. That is nine years. That is nine years of a run that redefined North American professional wrestling and positioned the WWF, forever, as the "recognised leader in global sports entertainment". Those nine years were seismic, transformative. Vince McMahon's company expanded from moneyed regional to international monolith. Vince McMahon's company didn't merely monopolise the wrestling industry; they became synonymous with it. To this day, when you reveal that you are a fan of wrestling, a friend or family member will say "What - that WWE stuff?"

WWE has spent the exact same amount of time marginalising full-time talent to promote part-time stars, the long-term effect of which has proven drastic for its popularity. WWE has shed millions of fans since 2011, in which year Triple H expressly told us that "nobody else in the back" was worthy of the honour of challenging the Undertaker's Streak at WrestleMania. Triple H had to do it, guys, and lost a match Undertaker couldn't stand up under his own power after. 'Taker took the 10-month hiatus that would become customary, and, of course, took up the longest match of the card.

Nine years.

In nine years rescued by rights fees, WWE has effectively ruined as many acts as it made stars during Hogan's run.

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