The Three Words That Ruined WWE

Cedric Alexander Mustafa Ali ricochet Raw
WWE.com

It is a conscription, a graveyard, a joke, a career death sentence, and it is, despite the vibe of perverse hilarity outlined above, so punishingly tedious that it does not even develop a car crash quality. The layout of every show is identical. Every narrative development wilts in the face of scrutiny. The main roster is a creative product that constantly asks the audience to ask questions of the process. This is antithetical to how drama should function.

Ricochet is, in theory, an amazing performer who should appeal to a younger demographic. He was scripted to say, on this week's RAW, that MVP isn't a champ, he's more like a chump.

HAHAHAHA! That's the opposite of what he meant, but it sounded very similar!

"The main roster" is WWE's flagship programming - it is a synonym of WWE, essentially - and those three words are stigmatised as the worst depths to which professional wrestling has plummeted in decades. This is both subjective artistic assessment and objective viewership measurement.

"The main roster" are the words that weaponised the fan backlash against WWE and defined its systemic inability to be a lasting good thing. WWE has its own three word slogan to promote itself: Then. Now. Forever.

"The main roster" might have ruined that last bit, too.

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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!