The Secret Reason WWE Is Failing

Jungle Boy
AEW

The process by which they are stigmatised is rapid and this process intensifies constantly with every call-up. It's untenable. And so, with a muddied tier of prime athletes circling around one another endlessly, an old superstar is brought back ad infinitum to break the cycle. But the cycle is the problem. Not the old superstar.

WWE doesn't have anybody they can beat and beat and it never really matters. They don't have anybody they can beat and beat with the all-important aim of establishing a tier and preserving the top stars.

Take market leader of quality All Elite Wrestling as an example.

Jungle Boy, 23, just scored his first major singles win last week since debuting for the promotion in May 2019. He's so young and sympathetic that it didn't matter how often he lost. This thing is a work. Losing doesn't necessarily have to be an inconvenience, something waved away with a disqualification or traded under a dumbly ironic requirement to "protect" the opponent. AEW uses euphemisms so as to not bury the talents that aren't ready. Jungle Boy is young and inexperienced, and while he has the spirit, he lacks the mass to kick out. The 27 year-old Sammy Guevara before this recent slow-burn face turn was too fun to watch lose and so obnoxious that you wanted him to lose again. Top Flight can lose and lose. It makes sense for them to lose, in fact. They're "untested," to use Arn Anderson's euphemism for green.

CONT'D...(5 of 6)

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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!