The Three Words That Ruined WWE

WWE SmackDown Karaoke Naomi Dana Brooke Lacey Evans
WWE.com

Lacey Evans, rather than get herself over, was instead told to sing Road Dogg's old song from 1995 as the company drew 6,000 male teenagers to NXT last Wednesday.

This is what people talk about when people talk about "the main roster".

The words "the main roster" are loaded now with connotations as dire as "2000 WCW" and "Vince Russo".

"The main roster" is succinct and very effective shorthand for "nonsensical sh*t". "The main roster" is gallows humour for those who are numb to it all now. "The main roster" is an umbrella term for just how ineffective the WWE system is. "The main roster" is a spectre that haunts every corridor of Titan Towers. When 205 Live very quickly revealed itself to be decidedly not the Cruiserweight Classic, it was compared to the main roster. Now that NXT on USA is booking in the reactive short term and polluting its matches with sh*tty, inconclusive finishes, it is compared to "the main roster". When NXT stars were "promoted" to the main roster over the years, the fandom read them the last rites.

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!