What the WWE Needs to Do to Rekindle its Popularity
The WWE has been the most dominant force in professional wrestling for over a decade. I myself have been a fan of the sport for over twelve years and have witnessed some of the greatest moments of those years, including the unmasking of Kane and the live merger of WWE and WCW. As of late, however, it seems the popularity of the company is waning. It seems the remarkable and unpredictable value of the entertainment is not what it was in previous years.
Here are some of the reasons the audience is displeased with the organization and some ways in which I believe it can be fixed.
Firstly, tag teams, both popular and unpopular, have always been a staple of the company’s product. Classics like the Hardys, Edge and Christian, and The Dudleys drew in as many fans as solo superstars. Lately, however, the WWE has had virtually no solid tag teams. The Usos are an entertaining and athletic duo, but it seems the company has little interest in giving them more air time and a shot at the titles. The Miz and R-Truth were a refreshing tandem in that they quickly and firmly establishing themselves as heels capable of unpredictable mayhem. That, however, came to an end as a result of personal matters. As for the current champions, Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston, they are a pretty well-oiled machine that is very fun to watch. But that’s basically it. That potentially legendary tag team is holding championships and having no significant challengers to build up their strength as an entity. With that being said, the WWE simply needs more tag teams. Whether it’s bringing back familiar pairs or combining current single competitors that would really mesh (like Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio, though both men are ironically injured at this time), the WWE needs to restore its tag team division. I’ve heard that Hunico, Epico, and Primo are rumored to become a significant heel group and I believe any pairing of that group would be interesting. We’ll just have to see.
Secondly, the Divas division is absolutely ridiculous. The same four divas fight each other night in and night out, while the remaining ones get no push at all and are hardly ever seen other than in backstage cuts. Defining the characters of those divas should be a must-do for the company. One diva in particular that needs a boost is Kaitlyn. She is sexy yet well-defined for a female and, in my opinion, would look good with that butterfly belt. It will also help when Kharma makes her return to the ring. She is the Mark Henry of the divas division, and has the perfect character and even entrance music to make things exciting.
Third, the WWE needs more heroes. And in the same vein as that, it needs certain superstars in particular to return. Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, and Shawn Michaels are three fan favorites that need to be back in the mix. None of them are incapable of wrestling, so I say, for the sake of the WWE’s popularity, these individuals should most certainly be incorporated into the current position of the company. The fans want them, and that’s what matters. Batista is another former superstar that should return. His sheer size and dominance, as well as his impressive track record, make him a surefire asset to the WWE, whether he returned as a heel or a face. As for the wrestlers who legitimately cannot wrestle anymore, like Edge and Steve Austin, they should still appear frequently on the shows and even be involved in storylines, that way the fans could still see them, on TV and live, and make them more apt to tune into RAW and Smackdown to see what these characters will do next. I agree with the idea that many of the current young talents should be molded into future legends, but right now the fans desire the staples, the known and loved personalities that defined the WWE’s heyday.
Finally, there needs to be more title matches. Championships like the United States and Intercontinental belts have very little prestige and value anymore because they get wrapped around one person’s waist and, not only does that person hold it forever, but they rarely even defend it. What good is a championship that never gets put on the line? There might as well not even be such championships. Basically, some of the greatest suspense in pro wrestling involves matches where championships, the very things that often define a superstar, are being decided. They simply add more excitement and more of a reason to cheer or boo particular wrestlers.
With all of that being said, I am not in any way fed up with the WWE. In fact, it remains one of my greatest passions and I will always be a loyal fan and supporter. I, as well as countless other fans, want to see the company do what we all know it can do. Let’s get back to the old way of doing things while still incorporating a fresh, modern style of creativity into the programming.
