Why WWE Will Always Sell Out EVERY Gimmick

Chris Jericho's incendiary 2008 heel turn didn't come with an accompanying t-shirt because the former 'Y2J' didn't want the aforementioned connection to be forged. He didn't want to offer fans the chance to - he wanted to be hated for who he was rather than merchandised because it filled his wallet.

He was lucky though - he had the guts and financial security to turn down some of that lucrative mailbox money when others wouldn't or couldn't. Bray Wyatt probably thought all his Christmases had come at once when the company showed him that f*cking belt with a fascia as mangled as this gimmick has been since last October. The things he could do, the things he could buy, the dollars he could save, the life he could preserve forever.

These, unlike pro wrestling or the fragile job security within it, were real. He was well within his rights to smile and nod rather than take the Chris Jericho approach. But he had to accept that the outcome was just one more symptom of a sickness that would give his character a shelf life. The sickness that began the second WWE made it clear they were going to put the Universal Title on him and expedite this gold rush.

Rich wrestlers, broken system. That end must justify the means, right?

Not exactly.

CONT'D...