5 reasons why WWE being exposed as scripted performance has worked against them

‘The Best in the World’It’s no secret that the WWE is scripted. The WWE superstars and women know who is going to win at the end of the night and big moments in the match are often planned before the spot occurs.Most promos are now rehearsed and scripted line-by-line. Despite a bulk of the society calling it “fake,” the WWE is more real than many imagine. Ric Flair told Kevin Nash that two things are very real in this business.When a WWE star wins his or her first championship and then when they enter the WWE Hall of Fame are those things. Flair and Nash experienced both things, so they know exactly what they are talking about.As the years went by, the reality has increased. In 2011, CM Punk began the “Reality Era,” which nearly got rid of all forms of kayfabe the WWE had. Kayfabe consists of all the events that are taking place on television, quite like a TV show’s storylines.Punk broke the fourth wall and kickstarted the era of reality. While it allows the WWE to shock the fans with behind-the-scenes storylines, allowing reality into the WWE hasn’t helped 100% of the time. Here are five reasons why the Reality Era has hindered the WWE:

#1 Too many spoilers

Brock Lesnar’s spoiled return In 2012

Spoilers ruin everything, almost. Aside from Tony Schiavone spoiling Mick Foley’s WWE championship win, spoilers haven’t helped the WWE advance in ratings.

In fact, spoilers are the primary reason why WWE Smackdown barely gets an audience. They read the spoilers from the tapings, so that’s one incentive to watch on Thursday nights. WWE NXT is one exception because it’s a great product. Perhaps if WWE Smackdown gets better, then spoilers won’t matter as much.

The surprise factor is sorely missed in WWE programming. For example, Chris Jericho’s initial return in the late-2000’s was as impactful as one may imagine. The vignettes gave a great clue as to who was returning, but spoilers weren’t as big of a factor.

The night Shawn Michaels came back to confront Randy Orton is still one of the best moments in the last decade. His return wasn’t spoiled by a tweet or backstage update.

When spoilers come into play, a group of WWE fans will not watch. Especially when casual viewers are the primary target for the WWE, having knowledge of the product’s results isn’t good.

#2 Real lives are affected

Kayfabe affecting real lives

TMZ.com reported that Lana and Rusev got engaged. As soon as that was public, the WWE responded.

They immediately ended the storyline with Summer Rae and Rusev, and the rumor about Rusev’s new engagement affecting his position in the WWE also went public.

“As noted, Vince McMahon was reportedly not happy with the news of Lana and Rusev’s engagement going public, and that has lead to speculation that either of the two WWE stars’ position in the company might be affected by the situation. According to The Wrestling Observer, for whatever reason there is currently much more backstage heat on Lana than there is on Rusev.”

Lana responded with a cryptic post that’s rumored to be regarding their heat with WWE management. Since she’s injured, there are no signs on how she’ll be treated on TV when she comes back.

As for Rusev, his push is depleted and is now wrestling in the pre-show at Hell in a Cell. If the WWE Universe never found out about their engagement, nothing would’ve changed. Real lives are affected, which is very evident here.

#3 No more reality

The ultimate underdog

How are people supposed to believe that Daniel Bryan could defeat Brock Lesnar in a wrestling match?

Lesnar outweighs Bryan by at least 40 lbs and has more than a few inches to Bryan. The Reality Era makes it unbelievable for something like that to occur. There’s a reason why Brock Lesnar is the only legitimate WWE superstar on the roster. He’s the only believable one.

It’s ironic that the UFC had a bigger impact on the WWE than originally expected. Prior to 2012, Rey Mysterio could defeat the Great Khali and nobody would raise an eyebrow. Now, if the WWE books Bryan to defeat a man like Lesnar, nobody can see it being done logically.

The WWE’s writing is always something that can allow for it to happen, but it isn’t being executed properly. The UFC opened up the realism aspect of combat sports. WWE fans mostly knew that it was scripted, but for those that didn’t before, they now do.

It opened up a whole new perspective on the way WWE is operated. That’s not a good thing either.

#4 Kayfabe is dead

The founding father of the Reality Era

Thanks to the man above, kayfabe officially died in 2011. When CM Punk walked up on that ramp and delivered one of the greatest promos in WWE history, the Reality Era also officially begun.

Kayfabe isn’t a bad thing because that was the WWE’s staple as it got bigger. The Undertaker, Stardust and Kane are the only men on the main roster to keep their character alive. Even the Undertaker slips out of character at times.

In the late-90’s, the WWE was all about kayfabe and preserving their characters 24/7.

Chris Jericho used to portray his TV persona in real life. When a kid would walk up for an autograph, he had to be rude and say no. That was kayfabe at its finest. Unless you’re like Punk who could excel at not having a true character in the WWE, kayfabe is sometimes necessary. Gone are the days of extraordinary characters and off-the-wall storylines. Everything is too real in today’s WWE.

#5 Fans have become too skeptical

The greatest example of the impact of the IWC

This image says it all. What has become known as the “Internet Wrestling Community,” these groups of fans are the ones that scour the Internet in search of rumors, spoilers, and other wrestling-related websites.

They don’t like John Cena because he wins too much. Triple H buries wrestlers and nobody from WWE NXT will be successful. That’s not meant to degrade the IWC, as they keep WWE fresh and alive on the interwebs. As a group of WWE fans, they have become too skeptical.

Frankly, not enough WWE fans sit back and enjoy the show. Everything must be analyzed, and that’s why this boom of reality is hurting the product, along with helping it. If someone doesn’t enjoy the product, watching something else is always an option.

Fans becoming skeptical also opens the door for them to book the shows themselves. Everyone is guilty of it at one point or another. Although, skepticism isn’t going to help WWE’s woes.