Why WWE Was Just Taught A Very Serious Lesson
![Daniel Bryan CM Punk MITB 2012](https://cdn3.whatculture.com/images/2018/10/64b6d9f5b5bb6ba2-600x338.jpg)
This wasn't just one misjudged folly; the microcosm reaction brought into focus how WWE's criminally low-effort product doesn't connect in 2021.
Significantly more effort must be applied. AEW is trending upwards, and this isn't a comment made by a content producer who believes one promotion is superior to the other. The competition is real now; AEW has jobbed out NXT, is firing up against key RAW demos, and as much as WWE's global reach and profile feels insurmountable right now, domestic TV rights fees are the company's primary revenue driver. If everything continues to proceed as is, 2023 will be very interesting indeed.
The conditions WWE imposes to create new stars are barren. Few are allowed to connect with the audience organically, and the process of earning Vince McMahon's trust is so delicate and arduous that nobody ever gets over by design when people are truly enthused. It took WWE eight years to get Roman Reigns right. The New Day had to petition constantly to perform in line with their version. CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Becky Lynch: all three stars got over, ultimately, via fan protest. Bray Wyatt is ritually murdered and returns for diminished sequels in what is the only way in which he can be compared to a horror movie monster. This is a company that almost can't fail, given the sheer amount of talent it has recruited, and yet tries extremely hard to do precisely that. In a decade, nobody who is over in WWE got over as part of a calculated plan in enough time for it actually make a difference.
CONT'D...(3 of 6)