Why WWE Is In For A Rude Awakening

Michael Cole JBL Jerry Lawler
WWE.com

Bizarro World is a place where the fans boo who they would normally cheer and cheer who they would normally boo. And - don't mind those clenching teeth - it's great. We love Bizarro World, Maggle!

Really, the ThunderDome is so ideal for WWE that it seems they're only moving away from it because they feel they must. It's not as if live events drive revenue to any significant extent in 2021. The arm actually lost money, pre-pandemic. Running RAW and SmackDown in a residency with zero bubble-bursting fans to ruin Vince McMahon's plans is his utopia, manifested. The ThunderDome, the backdrop against which WWE scored record profits, is anti-Bizarro World. It is a magical place where Vince can *clears water from his teeth* make movies, unperturbed.

But are WWE returning to Bizarro World?

Bizarro World might be a relic: an echo of a time in which the complexion of the WWE audience was completely different. Michael Cole used to fake-laugh through the reactions in a transparent bid to sell fans at home on the idea that fans in the arena were in a mischievous mood. In the reality WWE cannot sanction, those fans were the most committed. They had travelled stateside at great expense to revel in WWE - or, as the 2010s took hold, the WWE they wanted WWE to be.

Defiance swept through WWE during that decade.

CONT'D...(2 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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!