Why WWE Is In For A Rude Awakening

Alexa Bliss roll-up
WWE.com

Fans aren't going to go banana for a very good 18 minute match that ends in f*ckery. A "shame about the booking but this was solid and I can't complain!" analysis will mean nothing in the live arena. How are live fans going to react to a third roll-up finish on one show? They're not going to cheer it wildly just because it's a novelty or because they just watched a broadly good ***1/4.

"Hey, it's nice to see AJ Styles after all this time. Shame he's been made to look like a t*t for falling for a distraction, but woo! Isn't it great to be outside, eh?"

They're going to take a gigantic sh*t on it.

WWE is removed from the real world in general, and this, if WWE persists with these nothing finishes to nine-match programmes, will become very literal. Imagine a world slowly crawling towards normality. Joy becomes an emotion once again. Everything feels hotter than it ever did before. A sort of irresponsible euphoria sweeps over every sporting event. And there's WWE RAW, reducing its crowd to near-silence with some meaningless disqualification bullsh*t or other after a few weeks of returning names and a modicum of effort. WWE shows are such that a live crowd probably isn't going to react much to the very best material which, of course, is very rare. The actually great, physical matches on WWE TV rarely end cleanly.

And how are live fans going to respond to the quiet monologuing of Roman Reigns?

CONT'D...(5 of 6)

Advertisement
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!