7 reasons why WWE is among the best value for money entertainment for the family

World Wrestling Entertainment, no matter which angle you look at it from, will always be an entertainment company. As an organisation, it can be widely assumed as a great platform for the entire family to enjoy, and there are several reasons for this. The company has evolved from an grownups-based theme to something everybody can enjoy, and especially in today’s world, there is no better time to watch WWE programming as a family.Before the Attitude Era, it was certainly something that could entirely be based on an audience of children, and during the Attitude Era, it was grownups-themed all the way through. As of now, it’s something that everyone can enjoy watching. The following slides explain several reasons for why this is true.

#1 The WWE\'s target audience is and always will be children

The first obstacle to overcome for a family product is for it to be child-friendly, as any parent probably wouldn't feel safe with their children watching something that is not age-appropriate for them. WWE is a company that as of now focuses on children, and that is something that every parent can be assured of. There are less incidents which can scare children or encourage them to try something extremely dangerous, and certainly not as many sexual references as there were back a decade ago.

Plenty of wrestling stories, particularly in WWE, show the underdog overcoming the odds. Two examples from the last year are Daniel Bryan’s triumph at WrestleMania XXX and Sami Zayn’s road to redemption in NXT. These are good ways of telling anyone that it doesn’t matter about your size or strength, it’s your heart that matters. There are quite a few other life lessons that can be learned from WWE programming, but this is arguably the most prominent one.

#2 $9.99

Amplified today especially, the cost of watching any WWE programming is less than ever. Weekly shows such as Raw and SmackDown air on regular television, and the rest is all neatly packed into a highly affordable nine dollars, ninety-nine cents, through online streaming with the WWE Network. Regular pay-per-view viewers would save hundreds each year by subscribing to the Network, with unlimited access to a library of wrestling history, as well as things like Main Event and NXT, featuring bonus content each week.

This is about one-fifth the price of one pay-per-view if bought on pay-per-view, plus so much more content. It’s a bargain that nobody can refuse! The WWE Network continues to grow every day, and will soon expand to more than its already large 100+ countries, allowing even more viewers to receive more for less.

#3 There is a constant encouragement to not try to imitate anything performed in the ring

Another thing a parent would be concerned about with wrestling is if their untrained child would try to mimic anything done in the ring dangerously, and WWE tries its best to discourage this. There are constant reminders during programming and gaming to not try this at home, and there is a lot of stress embodied upon this message. There are still incidents in which children hurt themselves badly, and backyard wrestling is larger than it ever has been, but there’s only so much WWE can do to try to keep its viewers safe. This is another assurance for any parent to view WWE as a family programme.

WWE also has quite a few training facilities, to teach anyone who is interested in wrestling how to perform safely, so there is more that the company does than simply display a message. Safety seems to be primary in the WWE Universe.

#4 There is the soap opera element

WWE programming is built around stories, basically in every scenario, good guy vs bad guy. For someone who is into weekly sitcoms or shows which follow a continued story, then WWE is ideal for them. There is always a story involved with everything that happens on screen, and in many cases, it's highly entertaining. Sure, there are some bad ones, but these make the good ones look even better, and it isn't like there aren't bad episodes of shows or bad movies, they all exist. Building stories is highly entertaining, especially if done right. There are serious ones, emotional ones, and comedic ones. There is always something for everyone.

WWE programming is larger than ever, so there is a lot more for everyone to watch. At one point it was only Raw every week, but now there’s SmackDown, Main Event, Superstars, NXT, WWE Network exclusives which are pretty common, and WWE’s vast YouTube channel, which is updated as regularly as possible.

#5 Both genders are important to the sport

This is something that a lot of people will disagree with, but it is true. If there wasn't any importance for women, why would there be a championship for them? Yes, wrestling is a male-dominated sport, but there are still women wrestling, and this is a good message to spread. Women can do anything men can too. Yes, in some occasions, women are treated as sex objects, but those days are disappearing. Women, especially in NXT, are coming up to par with the men of WWE.

Gender inequality is still an issue in some parts of the world, but in WWE, that’s slowly decreasing. Soon enough, we might see half of the show being dedicated to women’s wrestling, or even a whole show being dedicated towards it, such as SmackDown. For everyone in an audience worldwide, this would be a welcome sight, especially for women who feel discriminated. WWE seems to be responding to the recent #GiveDivasAChance movement.

#6 WWE is still a bit of a cartoon show

The reason the headline says 'still' is because back in the day of Hulkamania, WWE was presented like a cartoon show, with the ethnic and spirited babyface always clashing against the evil heel, also featuring wild, unrealistic gimmicks. That died down quite a bit during the Attitude Era, however it was slightly reignited as of late with whacky gimmicks such as El Torito and the Bunny. It certainly wouldn't be anywhere near as crazy as the late 80's and early 90's, but it's something that the younger audience would enjoy. This part of the show doesn’t take up that much screen-time, but it’s still a slightly influential part of the overall product.

This is good even for viewers who don’t like the goofy element, as there is not that much. It’s mostly a serious environment of entertainment, but there is truly something for everyone, which some people need to understand. There are children watching too, so the company responds with infantile segments, because all of their audience needs to be kept happy.

#7 WWE puts its fans first

WWE is a charitable organisation in itself. There are a countless number of Make-A-Wish wishes granted each year (John Cena holds the world record for most wishes granted in history), Be A Star is a company-run anti-bullying campaign, and the emotional story of Connor Michalek from last year is enough evidence from plenty that the company cares. Connor, as a fan, was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame this year, and that speaks for itself.

Chair shots to the head were banned in 2010 to protect wrestlers, and many more precautions were taken to ensure as safe a working environment as can be. As a parent, having your child grow up while watching a company that sets great examples on how to be a good human is always welcome, and this is one of the main reasons why WWE is one of the best family entertainment forms there are.