• Sports News
  • WWE
  • WWE SmackDown
  • 5 Reasons WWE is bringing back Attitude Era style segments 
Why is WWE making the current product a lot edgier?

5 Reasons WWE is bringing back Attitude Era style segments 

Ever since WWE went PG, we reconciled ourselves to the fact that certain segments would no longer be telecast. We're far removed from the days when Edge and Lita set the screen on fire with their unforgettable celebrations. But then, this week, everything seemed to change. WWE brought back segments that harked back to the Attitude Era.

Ad

A stagehand found Alexa Bliss in a state of undress when he knocked on her door. Similarly, Mandy Rose invited Jimmy Uso up to her hotel room on SmackDown Live. What changed that made WWE want to make the product more adult oriented?

Ad

Let me delve upon a few reasons here. Do let me know why you think WWE may have undertaken this route, in your opinion.

Ad

I can only think of the following 5 reasons:

Ad

Ad

#5 Testing the waters

Ad
Expand Tweet
Ad

Last night, my colleague Phillipa noted the reason why these segments were happening. She quoted Dave Meltzer from Wrestling Observer in her piece. This is what the wrestling pundit had to say, according to Ringside News:

Ad
So the idea is they want to bring back this idea of God only knows what. It’s like old time, old time stuff. It’s like whatever, that stuff’s on regular TV shows all the time too. It was an attempt to do something that was very awkward in execution, but it was an attempt to make things sexy. That’s all that was.

What he essentially means is that WWE has been testing the waters to see how much they can get away with. While kids comprise a significant portion of their fanbase, many adults are wrestling fans too. They may want a more adult-theme to their storytelling.

I wonder how far WWE will go with these risque segments. That's the real question here.

#4 A genuine way to build heat for non-title feuds

Ad
Expand Tweet

Naomi and Mandy Rose are no longer in the Women's Championship picture. The tag team titles have not been introduced yet either. How does WWE believably build a feud between the two women and get the audience to care about it?

Ad

This is a really interesting way to go about things. Everybody knows that Naomi and Jimmy Uso are married, thanks to Total Divas and the Mixed Match Challenge. Rose could prove to be a thorn in their marriage and therefore cause a split between the happy couple.

This is probably leading to a fight between the two women down the line. They already slugged it out in the hotel room and the audience will be hot when the women enter the ring.

Remember how hot the crowd used to be for segments with Val Venis because he'd bring the romantic element into almost all his matches?

#3 The numbers do not lie

Expand Tweet
Ad

All you have to do is visit the YouTube page if you don't believe me. The video with Alexa Bliss announcing the historic women's tag team championships has a lot fewer views than the video where she has a stagehand catch her absolutely unaware.

The fact of the matter is that WWE's audience comprises of hot-blooded males and they may want to consume entertainment of this very nature. Drama and gossip have been the foundation for many of WWE's feuds and this is what separates sports entertainment from actual sports. Alexa Bliss is gorgeous and people want to see her beyond the ring.

Does this fit into what is being called The Women's Revolution? In my opinion, it does because you're serving a palette of entertainment to cater to every palate.

And WWE fans are used to this kind of entertainment, especially those who've been watching for a while.

#2 WWE does these segments in a classy manner

Ad
At no point, will WWE let these segments spiral out of control

I'd joked earlier that Mandy Rose showing up in a towel actually conceals a lot more of her than her ring gear does. While WWE may be teasing risky segments in recent times, we all know that they will play out in a family friendly manner on television. It is this knowledge that keeps advertisers and families loyal to the product.

Ad

Often, the anticipation is a lot worse than the reveal. A clear case in point is the Aiden English-Lana storyline, where we only saw a part of the video at first. Eventually, when we saw the rest of the video, we knew we were back into generic WWE storyline territory once again.

Such segments are a nice change of setting as well. It's always nice to break away from the ring.

#1 To capture the Total Divas crossover fanbase

Expand Tweet
Ad

WWE is always looking to tap into a crossover audience. Ronda Rousey has brought eyeballs to the product with her appearances in the world of Mixed Martial Arts and the silver screen. Similarly, Chris Jericho and Dolph Ziggler bring the music and comedy fraternity to the wrestling world, through their ventures outside the ring. Total Divas is one such highly successful device.

The fanbase that watches Total Divas probably does not care about the in-ring product at all. Rey Mysterio and Andrade could put on the match of the century and they would not care! They are likely to watch RAW and SmackDown Live if they were served storylines with a scandalous twist.

WWE is a variety show. There is something for everyone and that is why RAW and SmackDown Live have lasted so many years.

Feel free to agree or disagree with my points!

Meet the man who called CM Punk the softest man alive HERE

Ad
Edited by
Kishan Prasad
 
See more
More from Sportskeeda