5 things WWE must do to appeal to young fans

DISCLAIMER: The opinions are that of the writer alone and do not necessarily reflect Sportskeeda's views

Is WWE in trouble?

While the company has been on an uptick lately, they are still being plagued by the missing fan base that gave up on the product during the PG Era. Interestingly enough, it now appears WWE is ditching that Era of programming and trying to reach younger audiences with edgier content again. It also seems like WWE is willing to do anything necessary to achieve this outcome and are even ready to think outside of the box to do so!

That doesn't mean that WWE is failing or is on the ropes by any means, but it does point to the company being in transition and in search of a younger audience. It's just a fact of life that people move on to other things and the company is simply preparing for the future with open arms.

With that being said and WWE making it clear that the PG Era is behind them, here are five things WWE must do in order to appeal to younger audiences. As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and be sure to tell us what the company can do to bring in younger fans.

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#5 Showcase the Firefly Funhouse

The Firefly Funhouse could be a cash cow for WWE!

There's just something about watching WWE when you're young and impressionable. One minute, you're watching what you believe to be a normal segment and the next thing you know, Shane McMahon is luring Kane backstage into a limo and sending him into a semi-truck. The show then goes to break, leaving fans with their jaws dropped in amazement.

That was one of the fundamental moments that got me into WWE and it's the kind of thing WWE needs to start trying again. They also need to realize that they have a great thing going with The Firefly Fun House segments and must capitalize on it with something spectacular.

Think about it! It's obviously aimed at kids with the intent of showing terror in plain sight and brainwashing in children's programming. It also happens to be one of the most organic things WWE has done in a while. In all honesty, WWE has really captured lightning in a bottle with the Firefly Funhouse and owes it to themselves to see where they can go with it.

Why not just go all out?

#4 Do relationship angles again

WWE needs to showcase more relationship storylines!

Relationship storylines.

While they used to be a mainstay in WWE during the Attitude Era and the Ruthless Aggression Era they seemingly disappeared once the Women's Revolution came about. Fortunately for fans, last week's edition of Raw and SmackDown showed that the company might be willing to start doing that type of storytelling again.

In fact, between WWE playing up Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins's real-life relationship and hinting at a romance between Lacey Evans and Baron Corbin, it seems like WWE is trying to showcase that kind of storytelling again. WWE is even hinting at a pretty good payoff at Extreme Rules, which will be very interesting to watch play out.

In the end, this is what WWE needs more of if they are going to try to reach the younger crowd and hopefully they experiment more with it. Maybe not to the point where there are love triangles or bra and panties matches again, but showcasing these kinds of storylines will give fans something new to enjoy.

#3 Let kids and teens in free

WWE should let teens and kids in free on certain occasions!

Let's be honest here.

WWE needs to figure out a way to get teens and younger fans interested in Pro Wrestling again and the best way to do that is through incentives! For example, "NASCAR", North America's premier stock car racing series has resorted to letting children in free for some races, which is a way to get them acquainted with the sport.

Not only has this helped NASCAR fans protect their pocketbook, but it also offers a neat little incentive for kids and teens to see what all the fuss is about. Beyond that, It's a chance to get them hooked on the product and create memories for years to come. Or maybe it will even inspire them further!

Either way, WWE could use some more incentives for fans right now and letting kids in for free at certain shows might be the way to go about it. In all honesty, WWE is at a point where even the casual viewer could get hooked by their product again. All WWE has to do now is continue to experiment and see what works.

#2 Feature edgier talents

Finn Balor and stars like him will be very helpful in courting a younger audience.

Rebellion.

It was something the Attitude Era and the Ruthless Aggression Era had an abundance of and it's exactly what is missing from the product today. Sure, there are flashes of it here and there from guys like Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Aleister Black, and Bray Wyatt, but the company never capitalizes on it for one reason or another.

In fact, from Dean Ambrose to CM Punk and even now with Finn Balor, WWE has not capitalized on the market of fans that are angry and want to see someone that represents them. Interestingly enough, however, WWE seems to feature those guys less and less and leaving young angry fans with no one to root for.

WWE needs a Superstar to step up and be the next anti-hero, so the fans can rally around them. Whether that turns out to be a repackaged Finn Balor or the Firefly Funhouse's own Bray Wyatt remains to be seen, but WWE needs to feature more stars like them if they want to captivate a younger audience.

#1 Go back to the Attitude Era

It's finally time for WWE to return back to The Attitude era.

Above all else, WWE needs to go back to the Attitude Era in order to bring in a younger audience. The younger audience is already angry at the world and WWE needs to do more to showcase that viewpoint. Fortunately for WWE, all they have to do is bring about a modern version of the Attitude Era in order to do that!

Not only will that treat newer fans to the same kind of out of this world storytelling that older fans enjoyed, but it also allows the company to finally experiment with their programming again. At least that way, The company is trying something new, it's aimed at a more youthful audience and older fans will love it too!

In the end, watching WWE used to feel like an act of rebellion and that's exactly the feeling that WWE needs to bring back.

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