WWE: The Cause Of, And Solution To, All Of Life’s Problems

"WE ARE WATCHING FOX"

Roman Reigns Robert Roode
WWE.com

WWE doesn't ask this question because as a company they're probably petrified that the answer would lose them fans, but it's never felt more in the ether than of late:

Why, exactly, do you watch WWE?

The January 17th edition of SmackDown was good. Not billion dollar wrestling show good (and what the f*ck, realistically, is billion dollar wrestling good?!) but good. An episode dedicated to the late Rocky Johnson wasn't quite as electrifying as the 'Soul Man's famous son, but it took a wretched run for the blue brand and reversed course somewhat.

John Morrison wasn't walking out of a cupboard or cutting a sh*tty promo, but working quite the match against Big E. Sasha Banks couldn't wrestle Lacey Evans as advertised but only because the 'Sassy Southern Belle' had gotten to her first in an effort to bat back 'The Boss' and SmackDown Women's Champion Bayley. In defeat, The Revival spoke of bigger, intriguing problems with the company and the tag division at large.

The G on Chad Gable's basketball jersey still had a ruler on it, and the company leaning on Kane for ratings was reflective of Vince McMahon still operating a minimum of 15 years out of date, but the flashes above (as well as what felt like a destination for the overdue end of the Roman Reigns/Baron Corbin series) gave rise to optimism where there'd previously been none.

The weekend passed by, and folk gathered again for Monday Night Raw. The Royal Rumble go-home Raw in fact - the final build to one of the most beloved company institutions.

What could possibly go wrong?

CONT'D...

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett