Growing up in south Florida, I couldn’t wait until Saturday morning. My father would let me watch Championship Wrestling from Florida with him if my chores were done and my homework complete. Back then, the late 1970s and early 1980s, it was a treat to watch Dusty Rhodes, Eddie Graham, and Sir Oliver Humperdink.
Now, professional wrestling is a bit lost. Every night, programming takes over cable television. Every Sunday it seems, there is a pay-per-view and every time you look on the Internet, there is a new rumor out about heels and babyfaces, alike. The notion of Kayfabe has died and gone forever. And the fans are part of the problem, not the solution.
Just like any other business, professional wrestling and WWE is in a quick-to-get-ahead society. There is no time to put together long-standing feuds. Character development isn’t as layered like Kevin Sullivan’s epic rants about the underworld. We never see the complexity of Kane. And we as fans want resolution quick and swift.
WWE and other wrestling promotions have to take the majority of the blame for the condition of the business, but they are not solely at fault. Fans want more, more, more – which in reality turns into less, less, less. That is just the tip of the iceberg because there is plenty more. The fans have just as much a stake in this as those producing the product.
Here are five reasons why they are to blame for the decline in WWE.
1- The Internet
There are more ways for fans to get the news early and often. It isn’t like the early 1980s when cliffhangers forced us all to tune into the next television show or go to the local gymnasium to see if the heel would win the match.
The worst thing to happen to professional wrestling or sports, in general, was the discovery of the Internet, which gives fans a chance to read cheat sheets, rumors and believe anything they read and hear.
2- They want the Attitude Era
When WWE changed their viewer rating to PG-13, it changed how fans perceived the company and its programming. More than likely, it was viewed and still is viewed as a bit soft. Fans want to see salacious segments, swearing on camera and crotch-chopping at its finest.
WWE created this aura of stepping over the line – taking chances, allowing fans to think cheating and rule breaking was ok. Then the era went away. There was a softer side of the business. Fans today may tune in, but they want the raging hormone that is wrestling to break out again.
3- Growing up
At some point, we all have to put on our big boy and girl pants and act like an adult. Professional wrestling is a great escape for men and women to escape reality. We watched as children, imitating our heroes, pretending to set up matches in the back yard.
We bought the merchandise and hoped we could be that person. Then, life happened. Many of us still love the notion we could be “that guy” but we also know the difference between fiction and reality. The 15-year-old boy who rooted for the New World Order or DX may now find the gimmick offensive. Adult sensibilities play a role in this.
4- Following MMA
There are alternatives to fans’ need to see violence. When UFC became mainstream, much in the same way they needed the Attitude Era and Ruthless Aggression, everyone flocked to it. Dana White built a new empire, he was the exciting read and view.
Blood and bruising are a lot more appealing than soft matches and lack of violent nature. Besides all of that MMA and UFC are REAL! Fighters like Conor McGregor and Jon Jones are more appealing than Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus.
WWE has done a poor job of building characters in and out of the ring. MMA fighters don’t need to build on their personalities. They are already engrained.
5- Questionable booking
Fans have expressed their feelings en masse over booking decisions that have not liked. Whether it has been the recent quest by the McMahons to shove Roman Reigns down their throats or how stars like Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow were pushed down the pecking order before their eventual release from the company – fans have been vocal about how they do not like some of the programs WWE has put together.
The same continues even after the brand split with Dolph Ziggler’s run at the WWE World Title on Smackdown Live and how Nia Jax is working squash matches when she should be a title contender. Not everyone has to like how their favorites are used on a weekly basis in feuds, but they can surely let WWE officials known that they don’t like the product by not watching.
