'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
It's no secret that not every single idea that makes it to air works out, and WWE has learned that the hard way over years. Now that's not a bad thing at all, especially since it shows the company is willing to take risks and try new things, even if it doesn't work out the way they envisioned.
Unfortunately for WWE, they have run into this problem several times over the past year or so, which has left them with a laundry list of ideas they either gave up on or just didn't work out. Maybe it was due to how it was executed or maybe it was just that the idea was feasible, but the company has ran into a lot of these lately.
With that being said and the creative process being a revolving door of failure and success, here are five ideas WWE has abandoned this year for reason or another. As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to tell us if there are any ideas that we missed.
#5 Intergender wrestling
WWE seems to experiment with intergender wrestling from time to time, but it has never really become a permanent fixture of the product. Interestingly enough, WWE did experiment with it again in the early months of January with Nia Jax and did have a reasonable level of success with that.
Unfortunately for the portion of the WWE Universe that was actually enjoying that type of content, especially since it helped to play up the empowerment of women, the company abandoned the idea extremely quickly. Beyond that, they haven't put any kind of substitute in its place, which begs the question of whether there was pressure to nix the idea.
Now there is no way to know exactly what happened. It could just be the result of the company responding to backlash from fans, or maybe pressure from the netwok or sponsors, but it really seemed like they were on to something there. Maybe WWE could have even used the momentum to turn Jax into the next Chyna of sorts.
#4 Contractual rematches
The rematch clause.
That sometimes annoying little rule that guaranteed that a former champion could challenge the new title holder to a rematch. While it seemed like a good idea during certain feuds, especially when the two sides had unfinished business, it would sometimes be used as a stop gap of sorts that really hindered the overall title picture.
Maybe a lot of that had to do with the fact that the WWE Universe wanted to see something new more often than not and the idea of the same two men or women doing battle just didn't seem too appealing. Or maybe it was just that keeping the same feud going for awhile didn't allow new Superstars to enter the title picture, but either way, it just wasn't that popular.
The company put an end to contractual rematches late last year and in the end, it was just a neat little change that really worked to reshape the landscape of the company. Many fans seem to believe that the decision to end the rematch clause stands as one of WWE's best changes to the product in a long time.
#3 Becky Lynch's heel turn
There are times when a WWE Superstar is so beloved that when the company tries to turn them heel, even if it's executed very well, the fans outright reject it. Interestingly enough for Becky Lynch, that is exactly what happened to her at last year's edition of SummerSlam. Becky would become "The Man" and go on to be arguably the biggest thing in wrestling.
Keep in mind that WWE didn't seem to plan for it to go this way. In fact, it is believed that the original plan was for her to turn heel and attack Charlotte after losing fhe Women's Title to her, which essentially would make the The Queen a babyface. With that being said however, the fans still cheered for Lynch despite her actions and "The Man" was born.
And just like that, WWE was forced to scrap Lynch's heel turn entirely and start booking her as the anti hero that she would soon become. They even started giving her free reign on the microphone, which paved the way to countless one liners and savage verbal beat downs that only improved the character.
While WWE's original plan essentially blew up in their face in this particular interest, they had the presence of mind to lean into the public opinion of Lynch and turn her into the anti hero everyone wanted.
t#2 Wild card rule
Remember The Wild card rule?
That special period of time where WWE decided that they could bypass the brand split and bring certain Superstars to each show every week? Although the idea was a relatively interesting one, especially since it allowed for all kinds of unpredictable booking scenarios, the idea quickly ran into problems.
The first problem was the fact that WWE had a habit of bringing virtually the same guys to the same shows every week. For example, Roman Reigns might have been traded to SmackDown before the wild card rule happened, but he was one of the Superstars that the company kept bringing to RAW week after week.
Another big problem with the idea was that the company defined the rules of whe wild card and then completely ignored them almost immediately. Not only did this work to make the idea seem convoluted and confusing, it also took fans out of the anything could happen nature of the rule and further watered down the brand split.
In the end, it was a great idea that allowed the company to have their cake and eat it too, but the rules and their habit of bringing in the same Superstars week after week was its undoing.
#1 Undertaker and Sting confrontation
While The Undertaker versus Sting showdown is something the WWE Universe has been dying to see for quite a while now, especially after it was rumored that both men were booked for the season premiere of Friday Night SmackDown, it has ultimately never come to fruition. Unfortunately for the WWE Universe, it looks like it never will as well.
Now this isn't exactly WWE's fault given the fact that not only are both men as close to retired as you can get without actually hanging up the boots, have a laundry list of injuries, and one isn't even medically cleared to compete at this point in time. It's no secret that fans were still holding out hope for some kind of encounter. In fact, one could say it was one of the things that fans were repeatedly demanding.
Demand aside however, there just seems to be no way to book this encounter without leaving fans dissatisfied. For example, If Undertaker and Sting were to meet inside the squared circle under any circumstances, fans would instantly jump to the conclusion that some kind of match was in the works.
With that being said and both men unable to have the matches they did when they were younger, you can start to see where this would be a bad idea.
