5 signs WWE is trying to get former fans to watch the product again

WWE has been making a lot of interesting moves lately and while some of these have drawn the ire of those in The WWE Universe, they seem to be part of a plan. What's interesting here is that no one seems to see this plan unfolding before their very eyes and what is in store for the future of the company.

Now, it is impossible to be a fly on the wall during WWE's writer meetings or to know exactly where the company is going next, but it is perfectly fine to make reasonable guesses based on what we have seen so far. Fortunately for fans, the future seems to reek of beautiful nostalgia and a more entertaining product.

With that being said, and a lot of changes taking place in WWE right now, here are five signs the company is focusing on bringing in former fans. As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to tell us what you think about the possibility of WWE going this direction.

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#5 Something for everyone

It seems like WWE is starting to have something for everyone.

When you look at WWE as a whole, what is it you see exactly? While some might point to Brock Lesnar versus Drew McIntyre or any other feud on the card, the answer is going to be different depending on who you ask. For example, a younger fan might be into the super hero's like Roman Reigns or Ricochet, while older fans might identify more with Seth Rollins or The Fiend.

The point is, there is something for everyone in today's WWE and the company's increased efforts towards that should be proof of them trying to bring in more viewers. Of course, some are going to see this as negative and believe the company shouldn't pander to the mainstream, but can you really blame them?

In the end, ratings for Raw and SmackDown are dropping and would really benefit from courting a larger audience. That's why WWE is putting in so much effort to make sure there is something for everyone, so more people can enjoy the product no matter what their age and former fans have something to enjoy as well.

#4 Taking the title off of The Fiend

The company just couldn't move forward with The Fiend as champion.

It's no secret that everyone in The WWE Universe loved The Fiend character and wanted him to succeed, but what if it was holding the company back? As hard as that is to believe, especially with how into The Fiend fans were, it's not like the character had any mainstream appeal or would help them attain any.

Now, this is nothing against The Fiend or the brilliance of his character, but if the company is trying to appeal to the general public, a character like that isn't going to help things. In fact, it could go a long way in actually keeping former fans away from the product due to the controversial nature of the character.

In the end, The Fiend wasn't family-friendly and didn't really have the same mainstream appeal that a Goldberg or an Edge would have. It's nothing personal and The Fiend still deserves a prime time slot in the company's programming, but not at the top when they are trying to reach a larger demographic.

#3 Rehashing old gimmicks

The Miz and John Morrison is only one example of WWE capitalizing on nostalgia.

What's with WWE rehashing old gimmicks?

Seriously though, between Daniel Bryan going back to his 2010's self, The Miz and John Morrison as Tag Team champions again and the return of Edge, this is starting to create a lot of flashback moments. It has also started to make a lot of fans wonder why they are seeing some of their favorite characters redone again.

Think about it! WWE even has Randy Orton at the level of heel heat he had when he was The Legend killer and that is quite an accomplishment. If nothing else, this is becoming a reoccurring trope in today's WWE and is very indicative of the company trying to recreate a lot of nostalgia from the past.

Whether it works or not remains to be seen and will depend on whether older fans even want to come back to WWE, but you really can't blame the company for trying. Beyond that, it's not like the company is creating uninteresting content and fans should just enjoy the blast from the past that they are experiencing right now.

#2 Bringing back older talent

WWE needs to bring more Superstars like Goldberg back!

What do Goldberg, The Undertaker, John Cena, and Edge all have in common?

The answer is that they all represent different periods of the company's history and are also all fan favorites as well. In fact, between the way Goldberg dominated WCW back in the day, Cena's outright stranglehold during The Ruthless Aggression Era and The Undertaker's larger than life run, it's obvious that this is a who's who of pro wrestling.

With that being said and a lot of fans leaving after these Superstars became less and less involved with the company, it only makes sense that WWE would try to bring them back. At least that way, they have some way of trying to bring back longtime fans and can create some pretty interesting nostalgia as well.

In all honesty, there is nothing wrong with this if used correctly. Whether the company is doing that right now or not is up to individual opinion, but the overall goal should be to pave the way for the future. That doesn't mean the company can't showcase the past and even put them in the title picture. They just need to make sure they are doing things with their less established talent too.

#1 More mature content

Randy Orton's RKO on Beth Phoenix seems to prove that WWE is moving towards The Attitude Era

Doesn't it seem like WWE is trying to invoke the spirit of The Attitude Era in their weekly programming? While that might seem absolutely ridiculous, especially since the company went PG just a decade ago, it seems like they are slowly shedding that image. Interestingly enough, it appears to be an attempt at courting former fans.

Think about it! One of the biggest complaints from The WWE Universe has been that they miss The Attitude Era and The Ruthless Aggression Era. They miss the unpredictability, the violence and just how personal WWE was willing to get. It's something that has been missing from the product for a long time, but it is starting to come back into focus again.

Between Randy Orton RKO'ing Beth Phoenix and Paul Heyman's shoot promo at the beginning of a recent episode of Raw, it looks like this is WWE willing to do what they have to do in order to bring back former fans. The question is whether it ends up working or not.