The only thing that is wrong with the WWE today, may be you

For the longest time, WWE fans didn’t really understand how a product that sometimes bordered on too-good-to-be-true during the late 1990s and early 2000s, could devolve into the predictable dross that was the PG era by the end of the decade.

Each time the possibility of a riveting character or storyline was unearthed, John Cena’s shadow loomed large over it, shovel in hand. And if you somehow looked past the bright, multi-coloured grave that good programming met during that time, the sheer insufferability of some of the other storylines was channel changing stuff anyway.

Caught between the political correctness imbibed from Linda McMahon’s aspirations and Vince’s dogged determination to shove his knight in shining armour down our throats, many WWE fans resigned themselves to the notion that the product would never resuscitate itself to the heights of the Attitude Era again.

But have we thrown in the towel way too soon?

While we tolerated ‘Now’ in disillusionment, with breath yet bated and fingers still crossed that ‘Then’ would repeat itself, did we make the mistake in assuming that the ‘Forever’ of WWE would be status quo?

The predicament jogs memory of something Triple H mentioned in one of the earlier episodes of Stone Cold’s podcast;

“We are the book that never ends. There’s always another chapter…you don’t know where we’re going tomorrow, so you can’t fully knock us today. ”

The skeptical among you may brush it away as typical corporate hogwash, but I can’t help but wonder if there is indeed a grain of truth in his assertion. Have we been too quick to condemn the WWE when there has clearly been a paradigm shift since days past?

Do we only go out of our way to nitpick perceived slights within the product out of sheer force of habit, overlooking the changes that are, meanwhile, slowly but firmly moulding it in line with our expectations?

Triple H certainly seems to think so. And here’s why – despite any misgivings that you may hold against the WWE after close to a decade of stagnation – you should too.

“B+ Players”

From a solid, dependable mid-carder, Daniel Bryan was catapulted into main event status on the back of his relatability with the common man – despite possessing prodigious skill in the ring that few other Superstars were blessed with.

But the price he paid for it was steep, with the Authority doing everything within their power to pull out the ladder from underneath his meteoric ascent.

If it wasn’t Stephanie McMahon’s needling tone or Triple H’s condescending jibes that were pulling him back down to earth, reminding him that he was at best a “B+ player”, it was the unforgiving boots of the Shield or Evolution, attempting to forcibly keep him there. And for the fans who had been tempered to the brink of exasperation from not getting what they wanted in the past decade, it was an experience that they weren’t entirely sure would end with a suitable payoff angle either.

But as much as the storyline cut close to the bone, partly because of Vince McMahon’s infamous reputation for favouring a certain prototype of main eventer, the WWE did finally cave to the purpose of the Yes! Movement at WrestleMania 30, sparking a trend which has since seen fan favourites from around the world – all of whom Vince McMahon wouldn’t have afforded a second glance at one point of time – grace the swanky boardroom of the WWE headquarters in Stanford with fountain pen in hand, ready to sign off on a bumper contract.

While fans rightly slate the bullishness of the WWE when it comes to pushing certain Superstars or holding back others, the argument that the company doesn’t do right by the fans when it comes to promoting the ‘internet darlings’ however, has been proven otherwise – and emphatically so. Today, we see the main roster populated with stars from shores afar and pastures once considered less green by the WWE, and every indication is that the trend has just begun.

During the pomp of the PG era, no one would have even dared imagine that the likes of AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Hideo Itami, Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode or Austin Aries would one-day hold sway in the WWE, much less title belts.

And yet, here we stand.

Alternative programming

It’s not only the recruitment of such precocious talent that has paved the way for the widening of the WWE’s scope – the decision to explore avenues that were once thought of as inadmissible, lies as much rooted in sound business sense as it does with the fancy of the audience.

The company has been forced to contend with a fanbase that is quite willing to embrace the industry in its many avatars today, rather than to just stick with one product through thick and (mostly) thin. Perhaps this is as much of the WWE’s doing - catalysed by the stodgy and pernicious PG era - as it has to do with how easily alternative pro-wrestling programming like TNA, NJPW or Lucha Underground has been made available to all.

But the WWE’s reply has been swift, and a touch menacing to its competitors.

NXT sprang forth as a haven for purists; for fans that didn’t subscribe to the watered-down, children-friendly product that the company floated on Monday Nights. And before we knew it, what began as a ‘developmental’ project kicked into gear a conveyor belt of inventive, edgy and thoroughly capable talent that was funnelled straight into the main roster. For a fanbase that had been saturated with mono-dimensional characters and predictable storylines, the NXT takeover has been a thankful breath of fresh air.

But the upswing in NXT’s fortunes would hardly be the only sign of change.

SmackDown, which was relegated to an afterthought during the PG era, was breathed new life into with the return of Shane McMahon. And under his banner, it has undergone quite the (baby)facelift, quickly acquiring a reputation for being the 'wrestling' show that promotes the talent who don’t deserve to be measured against Vince McMahon’s draconian stencil of success.

The purple of 205 Live quickly followed the Blue brand’s resurrection in the WWE’s expansion plans, and while its execution may have yet to bear fruit, there is no mistaking the company’s intentions.

It’s pretty clear that the WWE is trying to leave no stone unturned to rope in the audience from all manner of preferences and demographics.Whether you’re one for the tantalizing drama of Total Bellas or the dysfunctional exploits of Foley family, the WWE Network has something to offer you.

Cracks in the fourth wall

The WWE’s allure today, however, isn’t solely contained in the variety of content it produces, but also in the fact that their bread and butter, pro-wrestling, has undergone a makeover to keep up with the changing times. In an era when fans have a backdoor entry into the machinations of the industry – one that has no less thrived on making sure that the curtain of kayfabe was kept firmly drawn at all times– counteracting the effect of the all-encompassing internet to preserve the integrity of the product, assumes paramount importance.

And it is in pulling off this transition from an outdated modus operandi to a contemporary one, tailored to suit the modern day fan’s understanding and grasp of the industry, that the WWE has particularly excelled at.

The promos and feuds that resonate the most with the WWE Universe today are the ones that stem from reality, and the company has done admirably in allowing this dynamic to blossom through the introduction of shows like Talking Smack and Raw Talk. Superstars have increasingly been encouraged to shoot from the hip and the WWE has been much more prompt on turning them heel or face in accordance to the vein of reaction that they elicit from the crowd.

One can’t help but feel that the WWE’s willingness to adopt this liberal approach harkens back to CM Punk’s infamous pipebomb promo back in June of 2011. The agenda behind the promo may have been wholly self-servient, but its ramifications have truly reached out across time to help mould the nature of the product today.

As brusque as he may have been, antagonising the WWE brass along the way and martyring himself to his cause, one can make a strong argument that had CM Punk not voiced the thoughts of the voiceless live on public television, the dire need for change would never have been emphasized.

And while the WWE weren’t willing to bend over backwards for him, it would seem that they did – however begrudgingly – accept the validity of his points.

Thanks to that, Sami Zayn can lobby himself a transfer to SmackDown Live today by publicly stating that he wants to be on a proper ‘wrestling show’ and an arena teeming to the brim with ‘mainstream’ fans sings along in gusto with Shinsuke Nakamura’s theme song, long after the show is over.

As I said... how far we’ve come.

Women’s Revolution

Nothing else, however, symbolizes the adaptive culture in the WWE today quite like the advent of the Women’s Revolution. Turning the page from the days where the majority of the women in the WWE were relegated to little more than eye or arm candy, barring the occasional few who could actually wrestle, we’ve moved on to a landscape where every one of them can compete on even footing with the men.

And in the case of the genetically superior phenom that is Charlotte or the immensely talented Sasha Banks - even outdo them.

You know you’re smack in the thick of something special when Bayley sets the tone for how a through-and-through babyface should be perceived (*cough *Roman Reigns* cough*) and Alexa Bliss’ diminutive size becomes a selling point for her irrepressible personality.

Whether it be within the unforgiving confines of the Hell in the Cell structure, or while stealing the show at WrestleMania, the Women of WWE have stepped up to the plate in an indelible manner after being unshackled from the stereotypes that were holding them back.

And to think that all of it started with #giveDivasachance – a phrase that fans made trend worldwide on Twitter, forcing Vince McMahon to acknowledge that Women deserve to be given a chance to shine like the men.

When it Reigns, it pours

Yet, for all his astute business decisions, the boss has been guilty of the occasional streak of petulance – a mulish drive borne of the premise that the WWE is his brainchild, and therefore, completely subject to his whims.

He does have a point, but it is also worth noting that much of the estrangement with the WWE that the fans experienced during the PG era was a direct result of the tug of war between Vince’s reluctance to turn John Cena heel, and their enduring wish to see it happen.

Even with the rope circled tightly around his hip, the Leader of the Cenation handled the polarizing dynamic masterfully, but the same cannot be said of the man who he passed on the proverbial brass ring to.

To many, it almost seems like Deja Vu, with the WWE ‘undeservedly’ forcing another Superstar down their throats as the top babyface in the company.

Except, is the outlook really as black and white as we make it out to be?

For one, although Roman is given a monster push, other stars that fans do tend to get behind like AJ Styles, Seth Rollins and Finn Balor are also in and around the Title picture quite regularly. And every once in a while, an absolute Superstar like Shinsuke Nakamura shows up, oozing charisma all the way to the main event spot.

With so many positive slants to the product today, are we then guilty of focussing our vitriol on Roman Reigns simply because the habit of finding fault with the WWE has been so deeply ingrained in us by the monotony of the PG era?

Are we, ironically, as guilty of being out-of-touch and deluded as we sometimes accuse Vince McMahon of being, with our hardened stance against the Big Dog? In our perennial clamour to see the industry that we love bend to our fancy, are we equally guilty of committing the same mistakes that we decry Vince – and by extension, Roman Reigns – for?

When Roman Reigns stood in the middle of the ring on the Raw after WrestleMania 33, enveloped by a nuclear outpouring of hate from the fans, he didn’t betray indignation like a babyface should...nor did he bask in it like a heel would have.

He stood there, all 6 foot 3 inches of his stoic, greek god-likeness, and just took it in.

It was in that poignant moment that Roman Reigns proved something to everyone – that he isn’t the good guy that we hate on him for being... he isn’t even the bad guy that we fervently wish he would be.

When he dropped the microphone and walked out of the ring, the words "this is my yard now" left ringing in his wake amidst jeers cascading down all the way from the rafters, we all knew that he is – well and truly – the guy.

And if we continue to find fault with the product because of that, then perhaps the time is ripe for us to take a good long look at ourselves... and square with the fact that the only thing wrong with the WWE today, may be our skewed perception of it.