Trying something new again because as a few weeks ago I wrote a letter on the site directed at the WWE, but I never wrote a follow up for it. Over the last few years the WWE has seemed to hit a rough patch for the company with ratings dipping and creative being stuck in a rut. In this series I'll be looking at what I believe is wrong with the WWE and how to fix it.
Though things have gotten better in the company since the brand split but they have fallen into some bad habits which makes us wonder if things are better. For example, since the brand split the WWE has really been grabbing at straws when it comes to the booking of the Women's division for both brands. Now I didn't mind the feuds that happened last year with Sasha Banks & Charlotte, but I do have some problems with the Banks/Alexa feud that's happening now. This most recent feud for the Raw Women's title has felt like to similar to the one that from last year. The biggest thing that this wrong with WWE is that they seem to lack the willingness to seemingly book with a long term plan in place for stories and feuds. Things were always better back in the day when they knew what was going to happen before it did especially when it came to the champions. There was a time when the wrestlers would know that they'd be taking home a championship at least 6 months in advance. Nowadays they barley know what they are going to do a few days in advance which is nuts in my book.
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In recent years the WWE has been keeping the Summerslam PPV in the same location for years at a time with Summerslam 2009-2014 was held in LA & 2015-2018 will be in Brooklyn. Now don't get me wrong I do love having the option to attend a WWE every especially different choices from Summerslam to Raw to NXT. Using the same arena for events on a yearly basis is something that goes hand and hand with wrestling and has for years.
The one thing that did come to mind after me having some issues with the crowds the last few nights. I think that with fans these days it might be hard for the WWE to run the same arena for consecutive days yearly. Now the reason for the title is because there are a number of different arenas within a small radius. With the Prudential Center in Jersey, the XL Center in Connecticut and many different arenas in New York. So at this point the question is where does my title fit into this article. Well in my opinion I think people could just be getting tired of seeing the same thing on consecutive days and I understand that WWE will be back in Barclays next year. However, why couldn't they take over more of the Tri-State then just Brooklyn. Why couldn't they bring NXT to Jersey or the Coliseum next year then have Summerslam in Brooklyn and then running Raw & Smackdown in other arenas in either New York or Connecticut. I think moving things around next year would help change things up and maybe it could limit the negative fan reactions that have plague things the last two nights. I do hope that Smackdown tonight goes off without a hitch and the fans leave the beach balls at home like they should no need for beach balls at wrestling shows. WWE Summerslam
Pre-Show: Miztourage vs Jason Jordan, & Hardy Boys (c) New Day vs The Usos (c) Tozawa vs Neville Big Show vs Big Cass I really hope this feud is ending soon as it is wearing thin on my patience and if the company still believes in Cass as much as they did at first they need to move him forward. With that being said Cass will get the win tonight. Randy Orton vs Rusev It seems like both brands have matches nobody care about and this match is Smackdown's Cass vs Show. At this point Rusev is beyond repair and will need at this 6 months of good booking to undo how poor he's been booked. However, the booking of Randy this year hasn't been much better than Rusev's so this is a tough match all around. I would like to see Rusev get the win here instead of Orton. Smackdown Women's Championship: (c) Naomi vs Natalya Back at Battleground I said that I thought that Nattie would win the #1 Contender match then low and behold she did. I agree with the idea that having a bigger match take place at the event would have been a better way to go, but I don't think that this match is that bad. At this point Naomi has had a rough run with the title and she needs someone to help her to a good match and I think this is the logic with having her face Nattie. I do think that we will see Naomi keep her title tonight. Finn Balor vs Bray Wyatt This feud has been terrible and illogical and doesn't have a clear cut direction for it. So if the WWE aren't going to waste their time and come up with a reason for the feud then I am not going to waste my time on it either. Finn gets the win here even though I'd like to see Bray do it. Raw Tag Team Championship: (c) Sheamus & Cesaro vs Rollins & Ambrose The build for this feud has been very well done and the over arching story between Rollins and Ambrose has been some of the interesting stuff either of them have done in months. I hope that they keep going on the path they are as I am very interested and you have my attention. I pick Rollins & Ambrose to get the win tonight. Raw Women's Championship: (c) Alexa Bliss vs Sasha Banks Weakness in the division has been a problem for the Raw roster since the brand split last July, but thus far they have always seemed to find a way. However, due to some lackluster booking it might be getting to a point where creative is putting themselves in a corner. Though I have enjoyed Alexa with the gold I think it might time for something new and give someone else the title crown. Sasha Banks will get the win and start what will promise to be her best run yet. John Cena vs Baron Corbin This match was done as a way to get both men on the show and even if it has been a lackluster feud so far it is still early enough where things could get better. Even though at this point I am not sure where Corbin's push is going and it might be time to reset and change things around. With that being said I believe that John Cena will be gaining another big win. WWE United States Championship: (c) AJ Styles vs Kevin Owens These two have good chemistry with one with one match between these two seemingly in the cards as the feud slowly comes to a close. The question is have we seen all we can from this feud and if we have is this blow off for the feud. In the past I have mentioned that hot shotting a title is okay if it works for the feud and it has worked for this one, but the real question is who will end up with the title. At this point I would like to see Owens move onto something more so I would prefer it if AJ Styles wins this match. WWE Championship Match: (c) Jinder Mahal vs Shinsuke Nakamura The build for this feud has been very bad and it's almost like the WWE doesn't care about Jinder's run anymore and focused more attention on Orton/Cena against Jinder over Shinsuke. Now I do think it's possible this is the start of a feud between these men, but we can only hope at this point. I would like to see Nakamura win this one, but I am not confident and think that Jinder keeps the belt. WWE Universal Championship: (c) Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman vs Samoa Joe vs Braun Strowman vs Roman Reigns The build for this match has been amazing and it by far one of the few matches on this show that I am indeed looking forward to. In recent months the segments involving the Universal champion have always been a highlight of the show and this time around has been no different. A few weeks ago I made the prediction of Joe getting the win due to taking the loss in the Triple Threat on Raw and I am sticking to it. With that being said I do believe that Samoa Joe will be leaving Brooklyn as Universal Champion. Much like the last match selection this match was unfairly not given top billing on the 1994 Summerslam card and instead Undertaker vs Undertaker was given that distinction. Also one thing that I forgot to mention was that this match was not just the culmination of a year long feud, but it was also for the WWF World Title. Bret and Owen were one of the high points for Wrestlemania 10 earlier in the year and then raised the bar by stealing the show at Summerslam in the Cage. In many respects their feud in general was one of the very few highlights of a weak period for the WWF. As during this time it seemed at least from my perspective that the WWF could almost do nothing right and that the situation was never going to get better for the company. But if you have never seen this match then I suggest taking a look and letting yourself go as far as watching to masters at their best. Though the biggest party of the summer is closing in on us and time really isn't in my favor look to back at some of the greatest Summerslam moments. In my opinion very few matches from this event are as talked about and looked at as fondly as this WrestleMania 10 rematch. Some fans have even said that this match was better then the first match because of how different it was from the first. This event should've been considered one the best events of the year, because of how weak the year had been for the company. However, that didn't come to pass as one of the worst main events in the history of the event would take place between Diesel and Mabel. There is no doubt about the chemistry that exists between Razor and Shawn which makes this such a good match. In 2014 at WrestleMania 30 we saw the unthinkable someone broke the Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania. It was the "Beast Incarnate" Brock Lesnar and even though the fan base may have hated it did happen and started the amazing push of Brock. Fast forward up to August when the big push for Brock would continue as he would face John Cena in sort of a rematch from his first major match back in the WWE. This match was extremely memorable due to the nature in which Brock would dominate Cena in the match.
Following the feud with Cena, he would move onto some new talent like Roman Reigns and then Seth Rollins. Brock would begin the feud that still hasn't ended on the Road to WrestleMania 31 against Roman Reigns. It was at Battleground 2015 when Seth would become the first person to loose to Brock not by pin fall and Brock would move to a feud with the returning Undertaker. Since his feud with Undertaker his run has really lost it's way somewhat and even though I did enjoy his feud with Goldberg I feel like Brock is nearing the right time to retire. At this point, I think that the aura of Lesnar is fading which isn't surprising since he has been with the WWE for the last five years. The WWE is running out of big and believable matches for Lesnar to participate in. With the rumors starting up that fight between Jon Jones and Brock Lesnar it is brining up the question of how long will Brock remain with WWE or if he will rejoin UFC. In May of last year the WWE made a major announcement when both Shane and Stephanie announced that the brand split would be returning with both Raw and Smackdown having exclusive rosters. In my opinion the best time for WWE was during the previous brand split, but it got worse near the end when it seemed like the WWE was giving up on it. I for one think that the brand split is the best way for WWE to handle business, because it allows them to divide and conquer.
Since the split I feel as though the booking of WWE has gotten better which I believe could be tied to the exclusive rosters because it prevents talent from being overexposed. Before the split overexposure was a major problem in WWE as we would see Seth Rollins at one point four to five times a week which damaged Seth and made people not want to see him. The positive side of the split is that Seth hasn't been on an episode of Smackdown since the second half of draft night last July. However, this major change hasn't totally been without issues as this split has really put on display just how weak the WWE's roster is as far as depth. Thus far the booking of both the tag team and women's divisions have suffered ups and downs and mostly lackluster booking. Overall, it has helped the WWE keeping the roster separated, the issue it has showed just how poor the depth is on the roster. I know I make it sound like depth is as important as picking the right main event but it is as important because the more talent you have the more match differentiation it allows for matches. The night after WrestleMania has become a huge night in itself for the WWE as they often have new talent debut or old talent return on that show. One of the first major moments I can remember taking place on the night after WrestleMania 28 in 2012. This return saw a "Beast" comeback from UFC to the land that helped him build his name. It was the Raw following Mania that saw the WWE return of Brock Lesnar
Brock made his shocking return to the company and immediately made a huge impact by sparking a feud with John Cena that started off as an extremely hot feud, but would become a flop. The reason this feud flopped is because Brock lost the feud and there really is no reason for Brock to lose other than for them to give John a big win after losing to The Rock. Things picked up following his feud with Cena as we move onto a fantastic feud with Triple H that gave three really good matches and kicked off a streak for Brock where he wouldn't lose for 2 years. I really did enjoy his feud with Triple H, because it felt like something different and really was raising the bar for a weak period of time in WWE. In my opinion, this really showed a great reason why Brock coming back to WWE was a fantastic business move. At this point we thought Brock would begin to fight some of the newer stars that the company had been developing like Seth Rollins or Roman, but little did we know. Saving the elaboration of that for Part 2 I will elaborate on the reason for this series. Recently, rumors have been polluting the wrestling sites about the possibility of Brock leaving the WWE to return to the octagon. The reason for this is because wanted to explore the idea that it might be the right time for Brock to leave WWE. |
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April 2023
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